[V8] The perennial question returns: How much is a V8 worth?

Wed Sep 26 07:04:15 PDT 2007

Actually, the law here is very specific.  In the past enforcement of the particulars has been lax, but over the past two or three years there have been "sting" operations conducted by the state police where vehicles that might have been considered O.K. have been taken to inspection stations and when passed, the shop owner has been fined quite heavily.  Evidence in point, The Black Mariah would NOT have passed inspection this year with the ABS circuit inop, OR the airbag warning light on.  My former V8 had seepage from the right rear axle shaft, and it failed at the dealer when the car was put up on the lift.  I had NEVER had one of my cars actually put on a lift before then, but that is standard procedure now at all but the smaller independent shops.

At any rate, I would not want to have the V8 without the wipers as they actually do work and assuming the car is driven up here in the winter, keeping the crud off the lights is pretty important.

To me, the unique value of this V8 has been diminished by the "stuff" that was done to it.  Now having said that, would I pay seven grand for it? Maybe, if it was completely stock.   I dunno otherwise...probably not because I know of another V8 that is very very nice, with higher miles and some service docs for quite a lot less....enough less to allow a comfortable cushion for doing stuff and thus having a true, known condition.

Roger
---- "Coleman wrote: 
> Roger, I have serious doubts that the car would not pass due to the
> headlight wipers being omitted -- unless you felt some need to point it
> out.  Plus, I think they fall under the category of an option that came
> standard (if you will).  It's more of a convenience rather than a safety
> measure (and although weak, a similar argument could be made for heated
> seats and the Quattro system, e.g.).
> 
> That all said, if *I* had to have that car, I'd be on the phone with the
> guy working out a deal for $7-8k s'long as he reinstalls the headlight
> wipers... because I would want them there.  Personally, I think they
> help set the car apart from the "lesser" type 44 cars that people
> confuse the V8 with, and just look better.
> 
> -DaveC.
> 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: v8-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:v8-bounces at audifans.com] On
> Behalf Of
> > Roger Woodbury
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 8:03 AM
> > To: v8 at audifans.com
> > Subject: [V8] The perennial question returns: How much is a V8 worth?
> > 
> > Well, by now everyone, BUT I MEAN, EVERYONE, on this list knows that
> the
> > 1994 57,000 mile V8 has returned to eBay for another shot at getting
> sold.
> > 
> > I have no idea what the reserve is on this auction but it will be
> > interesting to see what the car will bring over the next six and a
> half
> > days.  My guess is that the car will pass and that the reserve is
> still
> > unrealistically high.
> > 
> > There are a LOT of pictures of this car now though, and the car shows
> pretty
> > well.  I will confess:  I am interested, but my interest has some
> severe
> > limitations because the car has been screwed with and I am not sure
> what is
> > going to be necessary in order to make the car right for my purposes.
> Here
> > are my "issues", which are probably not important to most but are very
> much
> > so to me.
> > 
> > First of all, and most serious, is the fact that the owner of the car
> has
> > "proudly" announced that he removed the headlight wipers and pitched
> them.
> > The excuse was that he hated the way they looked.  Well, good enough
> for
> > him, but there are other issues.  If the wiper arms were merely
> removed that
> > is one thing, but if the entire system was removed, that is something
> else
> > because technically in my state the car will no longer pass the
> mandatory
> > annual safety inspection.  The reason is simply that if there was a
> system
> > in place when the car left the factory then it must be operational
> when the
> > car is inspected. That is the law here.  Now, if this car had European
> > headlights, the chances are that the car would pass inspection with no
> > problem because to my knowledge, no one in the state actually tests
> lumen
> > output of headlights.  In fact, I am not sure that even the franchised
> > dealers for Audi possess the testing equipment for headlights, so if
> they
> > work and the aim is pretty good, then the headlights will pass.
> > 
> > But wipers MUST be present.
> > 
> > Then, I am not sure why this is, but I have seen a lot of nice cars
> being
> > sold recently that needed nothing, but the seller just HAD to DO
> something,
> > so the radio was removed and some ugly plastic purple faced gizzie was
> > shoved into the slot making the entire dashboard look like the
> basement
> > chamber at a lower scale New Orleans whore house.  That is what was
> done to
> > the V8 in question, and worse still, the OEM changer was removed as
> was the
> > telephone sending unit (which is worthless now, anyway).
> > 
> > Thus the car was not preserved, and although the audio system would
> likely
> > need to be overhauled, it could have been done, and probably for not
> as much
> > money as was spent on the junk that was installed.
> > 
> > If this car was box stock, I think I would be pretty excited about it.
> My
> > sister and her family live in the Baltimore area, and my daughter
> lives
> > about four hours south in Virginia:  it is not hard for me to justify
> a
> > quick trip to Maryland to pick up the rarest of the rare, but I'll bet
> that
> > the expectations of the seller are simply not any more rooted in
> reality
> > now, than they were when this car was last on eBay and Audifans
> classifieds.
> > 
> > My guess?  The auction will stall at around $7000 at best.  The
> reserve?
> > I'll bet $9999.00.
> > 
> > Roger
> > 
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> > 
> > 
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