[ismiley]

everyday i drive by a 85 300d 123 chassis sitting behind a fence at a business for the past 2 years. today i finally decided to stop and get down to look hoping maybe i can offer a low price and use it for a parts car. to my surprise it wasn't as bad as i thought.
goods:
palomino interior seats are in great condition, no tears, cracks maybe a good conditioning would make them look perfect
good vacuum and carpet and mats will be perfect.
wood is not cracked
dashboard really small cracks but a good cleaning and a protectant and it would look real nice.
odometer only reads 136k miles
bads:
it hasnt been started in about a year so mechanically???
body is gonna need a new paint job and it does have rust in more then the usual places. factory color it is the dark desirable gray.

owner says it does run fine it just needs a battery and he was hoping to get a couple thousand. so i guess that puts him atleast at $2k.
i was thinking of a lowball offer of bout $1k but i dont want to offend the gentlemen....is that reasonable to much or should i offer more. as owners you know we think very highly of our 123's.

 

[dkr]

Did you drive it yet?

Dkr.

 

[ismiley]

nope didnt get to start it. thats why im thinking of going with a blind lowball offer. the gentlemen says it runs and he seems like a good character. and if i get dooped. the interior itself looks well worth it.

 

[dkr]

If you're buying it for parts, that's one thing. Even with a low ball offer, you could easily get underwater with repairs if you don't drive it first. I would be very wary of buying without driving -- it could have suspension problems, engine problems, any number of big things that you will never know about until you tow it home. I would ask the buyer to put a battery in and let you test drive it before entertaining an offer.

I've seen parts cars in great mechanical condition for less than $1000. Of course, this is usually compensated for by massive body damage. I bought a parts car with excellent engine and trans for $600. I wouldn't give over $1000 without driving it. Even then, $1000 for a non-running car seems a little high.

Dkr.

 

[ismiley]

i agree with what your saying maybe this weekend il stop by with a battery and give an update on the test drive.

 

[ImBroke]

I bought a running/driving car for $325. Used the engine for another car a year later, and sold it. I wouldn't spend a lot of cash for a non running car, because you never know. Don't let a "nice character" fool you, snakes charm you with their eyes before they strike.