I've just bought a "new" 240 wagon (via eBay) and my brother-in-law, who lives in mid-Michigan (I'm in the Chicago area) wants to buy my old car. I don't want to give it away, but I want to be fair on the price, or even slightly unfair to me. I've checked Kelley, so I know what they think. But I want to run it by you folks and get your opinions.
The car is a 1989 250 wagon. It has the usual power locks, steering, etc., but not power windows or mirrors. The seats are vinyl (or whatever they are when they're not cloth or leather) and in fairly good shape, though with some splits in the well-worn driver's seat; no damage to the dashboard. The Volvo stereo/cassette's been replaced with a really nfity stereo/CD player, though the brand escapes me at the moment. (I think it's nifty because you just press a little button and take off the front of it, which has its own little case so you can pop it in the glove box while you're away from the car and it looks like there's no stereo in the car to steal.) There are 138,000 miles on the car. The body is in good, though not perfect shape. There's no rust anywhere (I wash it like a demon all year long), but there's some damage in the area of the right front parking light. I was backed into a parking space, in a lot, and someone in the row in front of me obviously backed out and into that part of my car and, naturally, took off without leaving a note. It did bend the metal, though didn't break the paint, and the parking light cover is cracked. I didn't get it fixed because it's not immediately noticable and didn't really seem worth bothering with. Still, the damage is there. Beyond that, though, there are a couple small dings, a little wear -- nothing you wouldn't expect in the body of a 15 year old car. Overall in good shape. The car's been really well maintained by a mechanic who specializes in these cars. Just this year I've (voluntarily -- not forced by lack of performance) replaced a tie rod, and put four new tires on the car. At the same time, the mechanics checked the whole car for leaks, tightened a couple of things that needed tightening, and steam cleaned the engine.
Anything I'm forgetting?
So -- given all that -- what do you think is a fair price for this car?
Thanks very much,
Patricia