why won't my car sell????? - Reality training

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

Dan:
A couple things come to mind watching this thread.  First, audis don't sell
easily.  Why?  Cuz they are well known to be maintenance hogs.  That's
historically what gets reflected in price, even the new audis suffer this
problem.

Second, you basically have a 150k mi 12year old car.  Maybe in great shape,
but still, to look at your car for realistic money, 100k should have been
your selling point.  At 150k, you will need to be very patient.  My own
experience would say that you should have grabbed the 6 large.  Most owners
'think' there car is worth more than it is (BTused to sell em).  Even at 6
large, the buyer isn't stealing the car IMO.

Mods:  In my shop, I always counsel customers that mods are for ego, do it
for that alone.  Most mods wash on value.  You get the buyer that percieves
mods as abuse, or you get the buyer that has desire for them.  It washes with
the guy that just is shopping for a clean original 200tq.  ANY mods to any
audi quattro should be considered *your* treat to your ego.  If you are
looking to get money from them, or even added value from them, history isn't
with you.  The way I look at mods is, if you have an enthusiast buyer looking
at a few cars, yours might get the nod because it has a few more toys on it.
Banking on that isn't realistic.

I've seen S4's go thru the auctions with 150k on them at 8k or less, without
question a better investment.  The only thing (IMO) that's keeping the prices
of 200tq's from falling more is that the motors are desired for swaps (the
engine and harness are good for 3000+USD).  You got a wagon?  Those are the
only one's I see sell for ridiculous money.  Sedans are not hard to find.

My suggestion:  You are probably better off putting the stock stuff back in,
and trying to sell the mods separately, and I'd venture the price of the car
will likelly not change much from your 6k, and you might pick up some pocket
change (and a great hassle) to get that extra dough.  As a shop guy that
still brokers car deals regularly, I look at a 150k 91 200 and think 6k
sounds high, that paint better be darn good.  Why?  Cuz comparatively
speaking, it's not a "down" market IMO, that price reflects a high Actual
Cash Value of the machine in year 2003 as it sits.

Want to feel better about that 6 large?  Take your car freshly detailed into
a dealer for  a price on a trade in.

Not meant to flame, only add reality here.

Scott Justusson
QSHIPQ Performance Tuning
Chicago