How to price my mustang??

[perryseth]

Hello All-

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to post much here and my days of being a mustang owner have come to an end. I have a 1973 Fastback I'm selling that is mid restoration. I call it a hybrid b/c it originally had the 302, I put the 351C2V, C6, and 9" rear end from my 1971 Mach I and was in the process of converting exterior and interior to the more traditional Mach I look. It pains me to get rid of this car, but I have some financial priorities for my kids and its time to part ways. I simply don't have the time or money right now...but eventually I know I will pick another one up.

Before spewing out all of the data...I'm hoping this would be the right place to ask for some honest advice on how to price it. I have a number in mind but wanted some unbiased feedback first. I'm also curious what sites folks would recommend to list on. When I know the right place to post, I'll add all of the specs/modifications and history on the car. Its really close to being an awesome car, just need to find the right buyer who wants to do some minor body work, paint, and install the brand new interior that comes with the sale. Thanks!!
Seth

 

[mjlan]

Unfortunately it is difficult to gauge value as it mostly depends on the buyer.

Your car being partially disassembled is going to hurt the value.

Check Ebay and FB Marketplace for cars listed for sale, probably the only thing FB is good for is people letting other folks know how their stuff is priced.

Good luck!

 

[perryseth]

Unfortunately it is difficult to gauge value as it mostly depends on the buyer.

Your car being partially disassembled is going to hurt the value.

Check Ebay and FB Marketplace for cars listed for sale, probably the only thing FB is good for is people letting other folks know how their stuff is priced.

Good luck!

I will definitely be on EBAY, and I hadn't thought of FB Marketplace...I'll have to use my wife's account to do some research. Thank you Matt!

 

[giantpune]

Price is also affected by how quickly the seller needs money. The faster you need it gone, the less its worth.
Hard to say just based on those 3 pictures.

If the body really is in good shape with basically no wrecks or rust aside from minor stuff, that looks like it could be about a $12k car.

 

[Hemikiller]

No dash is going to scare away about 90% of potential buyers. Put that back in, make it look like a 73 Mustang inside and you'll have a much easier time selling it.

Here in the northeast, a rust free complete project car that runs and drives is worth probably $7k-$10k.

 

[73CobraJet]

I will definitely be on EBAY, and I hadn't thought of FB Marketplace...I'll have to use my wife's account to do some research. Thank you Matt!

Beware of Facebook marketplace! Went to sell a car there last year and was one huge hassle with calls and no shows, a lot of em. Better if on eBay or hemmings.

 

[c9zx]

Selling on FB is a royal PITA. Ebay charges have gone through the roof, in my opinion. Some sites have a "project cars" section. Good luck with the sale. Chuck

 

[Kilgon]

In my opinion there are several issues you are going to face. The fact that it has had a motor, trans and rear end swap will cut down on your buyer's market by those who are looking for an original car. Also, being modify will lower the value to some buyers. The other issue is as Hemi mentioned the dash is out which will scare some buyers off also.

With a lack of pictures of the whole car, interior, underside, etc. it makes it hard to price but from what you have posted I would put it in the 7k range. I know that may sound low, but a buyer will be taking into consideration what it's going to cost him to finish restoring it. From the few pictures you posted, it needs a new interior kit, definite work on cleaning up the wiring in the engine bay (which to me would be a concern for me buying it - even though I'm good with electrical) and paint plus any body work needed. I also noted the shock tower braces are missing and so is the fan shroud (don't know if you have these or not) but it adds to the price factor. The interior kit plus a decent low end paint job will run at least 7K to 10k. Add material plus time and labor for any other work needed and the total cost starts climbing fast. Once again - just my opinion.

 

[giantpune]

In my opinion there are several issues you are going to face. The fact that it has had a motor, trans and rear end swap will cut down on your buyer's market by those who are looking for an original car. Also, being modify will lower the value to some buyers. The other issue is as Hemi mentioned the dash is out which will scare some buyers off also.

With a lack of pictures of the whole car, interior, underside, etc. it makes it hard to price but from what you have posted I would put it in the 7k range. I know that may sound low, but a buyer will be taking into consideration what it's going to cost him to finish restoring it. From the few pictures you posted, it needs a new interior kit, definite work on cleaning up the wiring in the engine bay (which to me would be a concern for me buying it - even though I'm good with electrical) and paint plus any body work needed. I also noted the shock tower braces are missing and so is the fan shroud (don't know if you have these or not) but it adds to the price factor. The interior kit plus a decent low end paint job will run at least 7K to 10k. Add material plus time and labor for any other work needed and the total cost starts climbing fast. Once again - just my opinion.

He said it comes with a new interior that needs installed. Assuming its decent quality and the variety that the buyer wants, then that would go a long way.

The missing dash, trim, AC, glovebox, and instruments. That will probably cost the buyer several thousand bucks if they have to buy all of it.
And my guess is the wiring could be trashed. Hard to tell how much of the original was cut to add in those aftermarket gauges and stuff under the hood. It is possible that they did that spaghetti and didnt really cut up the original harnesses too bad. If it needs new wiring, you can do the whole car in an aftermarket one, and at least the dash is already out of the way for you.

 

[Hemikiller]

I'll add in some comments about selling.

I've sold two cars for friends in the last three years. First one was a 70 Mach 1 I put on Craigslist that he totally underpriced it. I should have bought myself. We were inundated with over fifty email responses, and it sold to the first person that showed up. If you get that level of response, your car is underpriced. Pull the ad, wait a couple weeks and relist it higher. If it's crickets and zero interest, it's overpriced.

I recently sold a '68 coupe, mostly original 289 car from California through FB Marketplace. I might have added too much info, but that also helps weed out the clowns as they can't read that far.

https://7173mustangs.com/threads/1968-mustang-coupe-ex-california-car-289-auto-sold.41535/
We started a little high, asking $8k, as he was in no rush. It took about four months, but we sold it a couple weeks ago to a guy from NY for $6k. He was looking for a car he could enjoy while restoring his 68 fastback. I had an online photo album online with a hundred pics of every possible area of the car, so the buyer knew exactly what to expect. He spent five minutes looking the car over, listening to it run and then handed over the exact money we had agreed on through messaging. Perfect. Buyer and seller were both happy, loaded it onto his trailer and off he went.

Did I have clowns and deadbeats respond? Sure did. It's part of the game and honestly, no different than when we used to use the print classifieds. I had plenty of no-shows that way as well. Wasted a lot of time on the phone talking to dreamers and tire kickers too. I quickly learned to keep it short, set up a time, send them to a local commuter lot and have them call me when they got there. I wasn't about to hand out my location to just anyone.

Expect to negotiate through messages/email. I personally prefer to do it in person, but many people will offer this way and it's just how people work now. Also expect to get lowballed, it's just how people are. Don't get insulted, just respond politely and go on your way. If a guy makes ten lowball offers and one gets accepted, who's the winner?

Nobody is going to care about a 302 to 351 swap. 302 cars are the bread and butter of restomods, so you only increased the value. That wiring needs some love.

 

[perryseth]

I can’t blame a lot of the lowball ideas of what the car is worth based on the three pics!

A little back ground - The original engine/trans/rear are from my parents’ 71 Mach I my mom kept in the divorce (1985). It sat my whole childhood and I rebuilt the engine and trans with a guy from church in 1996. In 1998 wrecked the 1971, kept the car on salvage and in and bought this 1973 fastback. Eventually swapped in the 351C/C6/9” in 2001. Built the motor up with new heads and performance parts in 2003 - then the “mystery” happened which I could never solve until I started tearing back into the motor in 2015. (Oh - A divorce, remarriage, and 1 child happened here). In 2015 I tore into the engine and found one half of timing chain broke, so it would keep timing but continuously misfire. Decided to err on the side of caution and do another rebuild on a basically new motor. I had all the machine work done and it all sat till I put it back together in 2020 and have been working on it since. I now have three kids, a beautiful wife, and I simply have lost the passion, money, and time it would take to get the car where I want it. I will pick up the hobby when the kids are older and we can work on cars together. For pricing purposes - I’m in no hurry to sell the car so once I settle on a bottom end price, I won’t have to budge.

Here is what I’ve done to the car:

Engine: (New build two summers ago - Approx. 100 miles on engine - Driven no more than 5 miles from the house)

• All new seals, bearings, etc.
• Block prep (Barnes Machine Shop, Bakersfield, CA)
• 2V Heads - ported/polished/shaved/valve job completed
• Aluminum Crane Cams Roller Rockers Arms (part#CRN-13744-16)
• Studs/guideplates
• Milodon aluminum pump
• Aluminum aftermarket distributor
• MSD 6AL Ignition
• Accel 8.8 300 Plug Wires
• Hi Volume Oil Pump
• Chrome Pan
• Edelbrock Valve covers
• Keith Black Silvolite flat top pistons
• CompCamps PowerMax Cam & Lifters (part#CRN524421,2)
• Bored .30
• Edelbrock Performer Intake
• Holley 650 Street HP Carb
• Hi voltage coil
• Hi Performance Springs
• Lakewood traction bars
• New front/rear shocks
• New Gas tank, seals, straps, sending unit, and Mach 1 Cap/Fill assembly
• Hedman Headers to 4 ft. Straight pipe into 2 Chamber Flowmaster (Incredible sound)
• New Mach 1 Hood
• Rebuilt C-6 Trans w/ shift kit
• 2500 Stall converter
• New battery
• New Trunk Lid and weatherstripping
• New emergency brake cable
• New headlight bulbs and most turn/brake bulbs
• Brand new tires all around
• Brand new front windshield and rear glass
• Eaton Posi Traction with 3.70 gears (Gears installed locally at “ProShaft”)
• New rear wheel bearings and seals
• New master cylinder and 100% new front braking system - disk (original brake lines in great shape front and rear)
• All new front suspension and springs - I had this installed with computer alignment completed

Brand New Parts Uninstalled (All NPD or CJ Pony Parts)

• Mach 1 Seats front and rear
• Mach 1 Door panels, handles, fixtures
• Premium seat foam
• Premium carpet kit (Including fold down)
• Deluxe center console
• Dash pad
• Rear view mirror
• Most of the weatherstripping
• Hood scoops
• Interior engine bay panel near battery

Various parts from 1971-1973 - See pictures - Most all interior including dash, wiring that has been cut away, etc.

The plan was…install interior with some sweat equity, then spend $6-8K on paint and call it a day. I’ll have the advantage of waiting for the right buyer…I understand I’ll have to sift through the slugs to get there. It's late, I’m tired, and I know I’m missing a lot - but this gives a better picture of the car. It is FAST by the way.
View attachment IMG_8223.MOV

 

[perryseth]

No dash is going to scare away about 90% of potential buyers. Put that back in, make it look like a 73 Mustang inside and you'll have a much easier time selling it.

Here in the northeast, a rust free complete project car that runs and drives is worth probably $7k-$10k.

Yes...I get that the missing dash and wiring will scare some folks...but if they are knowledgeable they will see how much of the hard work has been done. I would leave the wiring to keep it functional as is, or replace with a new Amazon harness for a few hundred bucks if I was going to want to put AC/Heat back in here. Definitely rust free with exception of some very surface rust on the interior. Grateful I live in the central valley of CA!

 

[perryseth]

I'll add in some comments about selling.

I've sold two cars for friends in the last three years. First one was a 70 Mach 1 I put on Craigslist that he totally underpriced it. I should have bought myself. We were inundated with over fifty email responses, and it sold to the first person that showed up. If you get that level of response, your car is underpriced. Pull the ad, wait a couple weeks and relist it higher. If it's crickets and zero interest, it's overpriced.

I recently sold a '68 coupe, mostly original 289 car from California through FB Marketplace. I might have added too much info, but that also helps weed out the clowns as they can't read that far.

https://7173mustangs.com/threads/1968-mustang-coupe-ex-california-car-289-auto-sold.41535/
We started a little high, asking $8k, as he was in no rush. It took about four months, but we sold it a couple weeks ago to a guy from NY for $6k. He was looking for a car he could enjoy while restoring his 68 fastback. I had an online photo album online with a hundred pics of every possible area of the car, so the buyer knew exactly what to expect. He spent five minutes looking the car over, listening to it run and then handed over the exact money we had agreed on through messaging. Perfect. Buyer and seller were both happy, loaded it onto his trailer and off he went.

Did I have clowns and deadbeats respond? Sure did. It's part of the game and honestly, no different than when we used to use the print classifieds. I had plenty of no-shows that way as well. Wasted a lot of time on the phone talking to dreamers and tire kickers too. I quickly learned to keep it short, set up a time, send them to a local commuter lot and have them call me when they got there. I wasn't about to hand out my location to just anyone.

Expect to negotiate through messages/email. I personally prefer to do it in person, but many people will offer this way and it's just how people work now. Also expect to get lowballed, it's just how people are. Don't get insulted, just respond politely and go on your way. If a guy makes ten lowball offers and one gets accepted, who's the winner?

Nobody is going to care about a 302 to 351 swap. 302 cars are the bread and butter of restomods, so you only increased the value. That wiring needs some love.

Thank you so much for all this info on the selling process!!

 

[perryseth]

He said it comes with a new interior that needs installed. Assuming its decent quality and the variety that the buyer wants, then that would go a long way.

The missing dash, trim, AC, glovebox, and instruments. That will probably cost the buyer several thousand bucks if they have to buy all of it.
And my guess is the wiring could be trashed. Hard to tell how much of the original was cut to add in those aftermarket gauges and stuff under the hood. It is possible that they did that spaghetti and didnt really cut up the original harnesses too bad. If it needs new wiring, you can do the whole car in an aftermarket one, and at least the dash is already out of the way for you.

I cut away all the wiring I wouldn't be using. It also comes with a professional laminated wiring diagram I bought online. Wiring is my weakness, but I made sure not to cut the most valuable. Again, someone who wants to restore it more modern and less for racing may want to start over with a new harness anyways....that would have been my plan eventually along with a custom or highly modified dash. Just not anything digital...personal preference.

 

[perryseth]

No dash is going to scare away about 90% of potential buyers. Put that back in, make it look like a 73 Mustang inside and you'll have a much easier time selling it.

Here in the northeast, a rust free complete project car that runs and drives is worth probably $7k-$10k.

I agree...but don't have the time - Its a buy it like it is proposition. You will see from the list of goodies below...it will make someone very happy "as is."

 

[perryseth]

Price is also affected by how quickly the seller needs money. The faster you need it gone, the less its worth.
Hard to say just based on those 3 pictures.

If the body really is in good shape with basically no wrecks or rust aside from minor stuff, that looks like it could be about a $12k car.

Good point I didn't mention...No wrecks! I did back into someone when leaving a friend's house when I was 18 or 19 and just had the windows tented. It dented the deck lid that's it...that's why I recently replaced it. Thank you for the gpune!

 

[turtle5353]

Solid car. If it was closer and not a 73 I would use it to rebuild my car. Shouldn’t have any trouble selling it.

 

[tpj71mach]

I would recommend getting it reassembled preferably with all of those new parts you have. It will sell faster and you will get a lot more for it. If you don't have the knowledge to reinstall the new interior than at least if you have a grille reinstall it and install the hood scoops and the any other outside trim. You only have one chance to make a first impression, if the interested party likes the look they start thinking of buying. Think of it like staging a house, with the right furniture the buyer can visualize themselves living there, anything sells faster and for more when the buyer can visualize themselves enjoying it.

 

[giantpune]

Based on the list and picture of all the parts, I think even if everything you have picture were assembled, that would still be a $12k car on a very good day. All blown apart and in boxes like that, its worth less.

It sounds like you have a bunch of money in the motor. But even if you had $8k in the motor alone, that generally wont raise the value of the car except to a very very small number of buyers. For the purposes of valuing a car, in general, a V8 motor is a V8 motor. Similar with any other custom parts like wheels and tires. When they are being sold on a complete car, custom parts dont really add to it. If you feel like that motor is worth a lot, then sell it separately.

The condition of the sheet metal and the paint and body are the big factor in valuing this car.

 

[perryseth]

I would recommend getting it reassembled preferably with all of those new parts you have. It will sell faster and you will get a lot more for it. If you don't have the knowledge to reinstall the new interior than at least if you have a grille reinstall it and install the hood scoops and the any other outside trim. You only have one chance to make a first impression, if the interested party likes the look they start thinking of buying. Think of it like staging a house, with the right furniture the buyer can visualize themselves living there, anything sells faster and for more when the buyer can visualize themselves enjoying it.

This is why I'm asking the pros...you are giving me a lot to think about. To be really honest...I don't have the time, but I could also make the time by waiting till summer to try and get as much assembled as possible (I'm a teacher). A lot of it has to do with my lack of confidence putting the interior back together, plus the finances b/c I would want the seats professionally installed. The hood scoops are a no brainer...and a couple of other small items I can bolt on. Sincerely appreciate the feedback!