Thanks Krash.... lots of info to go through. On the last day somebody else will probably get the car, but that's OK....hunting is half the fun!
Good point too...... do any station wagon forum guys live near Chicago? This guy is 40 miles west, near Aurora. A physical inspection would be the best.
NADA is always high compared to other price guides. The Old Cars Price Guide, April 2012 edition, lists the following for values of a 1976 Chrysler Town and Country 2-seat station wagon: #1 condition (better than showroom-never driven): $5,100 #2 (showroom): $3,600 #3 ("car-show"--a 20-footer): $2,300 #4 (runs and drives but needs complete restoration): $1,000 With the rust issues, torn seats, etc., this car is not #3, but it's probably better than #4 as it has much going for it. Going by these figures, this car is worth probably in the high teens, maybe $2,000. I see that, as of the moment, the high bid is over $3,000, so the seller is doing well, at least as far as this price guide goes. I'd be surprised, though, if he could get the $6,500 he's asking locally.
Thanks for info. I need to decide what to do fast. I've never retracted a bid, but I may have to this once. I don't want to get you-know-what....
?? Didn't you consider this before you decided to bid on it? Anyway, how about flying there and driving it back? Sounds like a fun trip. I bought a collector car that way once back in the mid-90s. I bought it from a guy in Florida, flew down to Orlando, paid him, transferred the title, and got in it and drove it back to Ohio. Illinois to Oregon is a bit farther, but the idea is the same.
You have a few days to retract and in that time someone else may out bid you. If not, the seller may pull it since he is looking for around $6K and is not likely to get it. If you DO get it it's not going to be cheap to ship that behemoth cross country. Look for a minimum of $1000. That's a big car and a lot of miles to cover. If it was me, I would get a cheap ticket and fly into Chicago or Rockford and drive it home.
It wasn't my intent in listing those values to suggest you've over-bid on the car. I think the $3,050 it's sitting at right now is probably on the high end of reasonable. The car has issues, but it looks good. If you've set a maximum bid of $4,000, you might want to reduce that if you've now decided that $3,050 is as high as you want to go. But I wouldn't retract your bid. You might get it for the $3,050, and that wouldn't be a bad price.
It IS a no-reserve auction, and he points this out in capital letters in the auction subtitle. Ebay wouldn't be very happy with him if the auction ended with a legitimate bid and then he refused to sell. Maybe he wouldn't care, but that would probably be last time he'd ever have an auction on ebay.
You are right. I was under the mistaken impression that he had mentioned that it was for sale locally. Don't know where I got that? Of course, there are many reasons that it could be pulled without penalty. Happens all the time. Doubt he will, though. He should be happy to get the money that's there now. He probably will get more. It is, after all ebay.
You're not mistaken. 67furylongroof mentioned that he contacted the seller who told him it was also for sale locally. You're right, I don't see this mentioned in the auction listing itself.
The wagon is on Craigslist without photos. The cost of shipping can vary greatly depending on who you use and how its transported. An enclosed trailer and a big company would cost more than a shipper with a dually pickup and a flat bed trailer who is looking for a load to take west on his way to pick something up to ship east.
Hello - I had the guy email me some CLOSE-UP photos of the rust, which was the entire length of the car! Not as easy fix as he said. That, and the front grill is busted & pushed in. A fella could wrap up $2,000-$3000 in a heartbeat between grill, rust & transporting! I'll be retracting my bid tonight. Thanks for your input!
The guy told me on the phone it was for sale locally. Really nice guy to talk to, but the rust issue is not the quick "just paint over it" scenario.
