"Pending Services" and effect on F Car resale prices

Depends on overall condition of car. If low mileage and maintained it will command a good dollar providing well cared for. If owner has chinced on maintenance then anything due can be deducted to arrive at car's value. If car is in great shape and something is due then it might not reflect on price if the car is in demand, good color, warranty left, options etc. There's a lot of factors that play into it but it's a safe bet that if owner has tried to skimp on maintenance it most likely will need to be reflected in price. Just factor that in.

 

Sell it for what you want and what the market will bare. I still believe it is a sellers market for these special interest type of cars. If you have time and are not rushing to sell the car just set your price and stick with it. Service or no service if the car is in good condition stay with your price. Maybe someone from Fchat will want to devalue it because of a 3 or 4 year service interval but there will be someone out there that will just want the car and won't dicker with the service concern. Enjoy the ride

 

Since I buy and sell a lot of cars, I'll tell you what I do.

Get the black book prices from my area, compare against a few other guides. See what dealers are selling the same car for, options, mileage, age, condition etc. See where the prices are on used dealers lots and in private sales.

From this research, decide how good your potential car is {if you're buying} and fit it in accordingly. If it is a rare car, you'll have less room to negotiate {as long as it's a desirable car}

If you're selling, price it higher so you can come down in price. Everyone who isn't Uber rich will expect you to come down in price no matter how low you priced it to begin with.

Have your car detailed by a pro and a buff on the paint if there are scratches or flaws in the paint. A few hundred bucks can make the paint look new again.

If someone goes over the recommended time or distance in a high end car, it's bad news. If it's your car and you're trying to sell it, it will make you seem cheap and irresponsible. You will lose buyers and when you do sell it, you will sell it for a price that {most likely} includes the full service you missed and another hit to your wallet as no one I know of would buy a car for full value when it's missing it's service dates. Now if it has low, low mileage it's not as bad as if the car was running high mileage and going over the service but I wouldn't recommend missing services by "date" even if you're car is a low mileage example.

People get more for low mileage cars when they sell them because there is "more life in them". If you skip services, this sought after "low mileage" car will lose that honor and premium in price.

 

Pretty much anyone who buys used high end cars will care a great deal about the service. Only a person with deep pockets wouldn't care as much but he/she would still want to know the history of the car.

 

People get more for low mileage cars when they sell them because there is "more life in them". If you skip services, this sought after "low mileage" car will lose that honor and premium in price.


Never quite understood this low mileage stuff for a car that is 15, 20, 25 years old or more. So the buyer pays more for a car because "it has more life left in it" (supposedly) and then usually spends more $$$$ replacing all the stuff that needs replacing due to just sitting. So the buyer gets socked on both ends and apparently thinks he's getting a good deal. Amazing.

 

As a buyer, I also like a car that has been maintained by the (Ferrari) book. Mine is: three-year plan, annual fluid changes. If someone tells me the service intervals recommend by Ferrari and my independent mechanic are unnecessary, I probably would knock a few bucks off their car, wondering what corners were cut.

But that wasn't your question...

There's no magic price point for an '83 Mondial, if that's what you're selling -- only approximate price ranges. Just price it a couple thousand more than you want to sell it for and then be prepared to negotiate a bit with a serious buyer.

 

you searched and didn't find any threads on major services. i don't think so.

 

I agree and disagree. If the car is lets say over $45K then I would say yes the buyer maybe more concerned about service being up to date. I also think that the buyer looking at under $45K exotics is working on a smaller budget and expects to do most of the service themselves. So because they "want" to buy in at what they consider a bargin price I don't believe they will try to negotiate the price down and if the seller is firm they will take the deal or someone else will take it. My 2 cents

 

OK, stay with me, I'll try to explain the way I look at it. And I don't mean low mileage cars that sit in barns for 20 years. I mean weekend cars that get put away for winter months, so 2,000 miles a year is what they accumulate.

I've owned cars that were older than me and when it comes to 30 year old cars, regular maintenance is the difference between a car being in good shape and being a junker no one wants. {Depending on the make of course, it varies}.

If you buy a 348 that has has 150,000 miles with a suspension that hasn't been touched in 12 years and an engine that has been tuned about 5 years ago and the last new part for the car was put on 4 years ago and it hasn't had a major service/ overhaul in a decade, how would you feel buying that car for 40k? In the next few years it could need many thousands of dollars worth of work just to replace what is worn out and that wouldn't include any preventative maintenance.

If you were to see the sister car to that which had 45,000 miles and regular oil, belts, tune ups, tire rotation, brake lines and fuel lines replacements, a set of records 7 inches high, which one would you buy for 40k?

Even if the low mileage and high mileage have the exact same service records, which car would you rather buy? A 150,000 mile car or a 45,000 mile car?

Just driving down the road taking bumps and loading the suspension and body will wear on a car. Not to mention the mechanical workings of the engine, transmission, clutch, drive train and electronics.

I'm not saying all low mileage cars are worth 25% more than average mileage cars but I would rather look at low mileage cars first because they normaly have less wear and tear on them.

 

I think you're right. Some guy may think he's found a gem with an older low mileage car. He'll just factor in that he has to have some work done. It all depends on how clean a car it is, no stories etc.