Is this Z worth $45,000

[Zs-ondabrain]

If he built the car to sell, he should have known better than to put so much into it. It truly looks as if he thought expensive was better. That Polished aluminum Radiator costs $600 all by it self. It's a nice touch to compliment the engine compartment but for $45,000 he could have bought 75 of them.

I guess my point is this....

If you want to win awards, you treat EVERY panel and part as if it is the only part being shown. If I was a judge, that air dam would have been his down fall.

When you buy a house to "turn around" and sell, you put as little money into it as possible so the Profit margin allows you to do it again. I buy Z parts for cheap and put alot of love and time into them in order to make a profit.

I just sold a set of 4-Screw SU's on an E88 intake with an E46? ballance tube and all emmisions removed, for $400 and I even installed it for the guy. I promise that I did'nt put any more than $25 worth of parts into it and the rest was ALL me (labor and time) The guy that bought the set-up said this, after He took it for a test drive..

"I was told that the Z's were fast when they're tuned correctly, but I had NO idea that they were this fast!!" So for a profit of $375, I helped bring another Z to life and made it's owner VERY happy with the results and proud to finally drive his teen-age dream car. (He's normally a Mustang guy but absolutely LOVES his Z now)

SO, in final, Never put tons of cash into your Car and expect to make it back. Pride in ownership is the most important idea for any classic car owner. Don't have Obvious flaws that stand out (air dam to fender alignment) and expect to get away with it.

I can't remember what my point was any more,

Dave.

[AndysPlit]

Hi Andy:

That statement might be a little too broad. There are Z's worth far more than $45K today. I'd expect to see a few pure stock first generation Z's hitting that mark in the near future as well.

FWIW,

Carl B.

...For example?

[Sailor Bob]

If I had $45k to blow I would give it to my daughter to help her buy a new house.

I can see spending $10k on a real nice stock looking Z. I go for the "each to his own deal" but you gotta have alot of money to blow to to spend $45K on someone elses dream.

[Darbji280z]

He's got a lot of work in that car. However, hardly anything is left original. In my expirence, a classic car is worth far more in it's original state rather than modified to this extreme. The poor thing has been molested. That Z on the speaker box is the most hideous thing I've ever seen. And the interior color is too light. And those wheels!!! Oh boy. ... But that just goes to show you. What one Z owner loves, another Z owner may hate. The car is far too driver specific. He'd have a lot more luck selling that thing for that kind of money if it were more universal and closer to it's original state. A person who has that kind of money and wants an original Z wouldn't look twice at that car. I do admire all the blood, sweat and tears that poured out over her.

Now, for those of us (like myself) who are spiritually joined to their Z "'til death do us part", I suppose it doesn't much matter how original it stays, considering how we're never going to sell our cars. (However, the further away from stock I stray, the more nervous I become.)

[AndysPlit]

He's got a lot of work in that car. However, hardly anything is left original. In my expirence, a classic car is worth far more in it's original state rather than modified to this extreme. The poor thing has been molested. That Z on the speaker box is the most hideous thing I've ever seen. And the interior color is too light. And those wheels!!! Oh boy. ... But that just goes to show you. What one Z owner loves, another Z owner may hate. The car is far too driver specific. He'd have a lot more luck selling that thing for that kind of money if it were more universal and closer to it's original state. A person who has that kind of money and wants an original Z wouldn't look twice at that car. I do admire all the blood, sweat and tears that poured out over her.

Now, for those of us (like myself) who are spiritually joined to their Z "'til death do us part", I suppose it doesn't much matter how original it stays, considering how we're never going to sell our cars. (However, the further away from stock I stray, the more nervous I become.)

..Right on. In my opinion, if you make changes to your Z, let it at least be tasteful. A lot of money doesn't equal "good taste". Then again, beauty is in the .......you know the rest.

[EScanlon]

One person's "customization" is another person's "butchering".

Sound familiar?

It is the very essence of CUSTOM cars.

Where one person would shudder at cutting holes in the door panels to install speakers, another thinks nothing of fiberglassing huge woofers between the rear struts, or replacing the spare wheel well with a sub-woofer, or changing the carbs for "performance".

Swapping out consoles to eliminate the void from the nonexistent Hand Throttle, changing Heater Control Panels for an illuminated background, shaving door handles, heck....swapping out the POINTS distributor for the ZX 12-80 electronic dizzy. All of these are customizations.

Whatever CHANGES to the original vehicle AS IT CAME FROM THE FACTORY are just that...CUSTOMIZATIONS. Disagree? Check out the rules for the ZCCA Gold Medallion judging.

If a change is widely ACCEPTED, then it's considered good and worthwhile. And sometimes it even gains acceptance to the point of being "ignored" in judging.

However, changes that aren't met with inmediate aclaim sometimes take a bit to become accepted. It is those changes that do not follow the "within the box" guidelines that can engender new trends, new ideas and new "out of the box" changes.

LED lights for the tail lights, relay harnesses for the power hungry components, seats with speakers, personalized floor mats, blinking side markers, CD changers with remotes, are all "accepted" and even common amongst some folks and seen as unnecessary by others.

But belittling and denigrating the mods can be a thorny and explosive thread. Defining "tasteful" can be a very personalized and heated flame war.

I can recall one other series of e-bay sales where a member here was checking the value of his car by putting it up for auction. That thread and many others have been deleted, and the carnage hasn't ended. Let's be forewarned about the possible consequences.

Is the car that began this thread worth $45k? Apparently to the seller it is. I'm wondering if he realizes how much his 3% e-Bay fee will be just for listing it.

Aside from that, it was seen as unique and praiseworthy at TWO of our marque's primary shows. If you'll remember that, then maybe you can understand why this individual sees it as worth that kind of money.

My 2¢

E

[Carl Beck]

...For example?

Any of the Factory Works Pro Rally 240-Z's($100K +)

Any of the Fairlady Z 432's ($75K to $125K)

Any of the Bob Sharp Championship Z's ($150K+)

Any of the BRE Z's

Brad Frissells' C-Production Championship Z(asking $275K -sold but not

known what the final price was).

Mr. K's personal Z

I personally offered Mr. Mason $125K for the BRE #3 Z - He laughs and said; "we're having too much fun with it, and it would take a lot more than that to own it".

In the Pure Stock realm:

Several first generation Z's have sold for between $35K and $40K already, and I'd expect to see that become common in the next couple years. As we see the Pinnacle Examples selling for above $45K.

Very low mileage, purely original examples, or professionally restored and in perfect condition, already changing hands in the $35K to $40K range.

69 Production Year examples

70 Model Year examples

71 Late Model Year examples

72 Model Year examples

78 Black Pearls

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Stickerman]

I'm wondering if he realizes how much his 3% e-Bay fee will be just for listing it.

Tha's the beauty of Ebay. $40 to list, $50 more if it sells. He is getting a lot of exposure for $40

[EScanlon]

That's actually pretty cheap!

Since I've only sold small items (under $1k), my percentage rating was based on those figures. I figured that a $45k listing would result in a couple of hundred $ in listing fees, let alone final value fees.

Thanks for the clarification.

E

[zbane]

Personally, I like the car. It's not necessarily a car that I would own, but if I were to see it at a car show, I would certainly check it out.

About the rims, I agree that having them match the car is a bit over the top, though the design is a nice one...perhaps if they were black or chrome/silver they would look a bit more appropriate, or at least not detracting from the whole.

Still, that color is one of my favorites, and I think it looks stunning on a Z car. Is the seller going to get that amount out of it? Who knows. But if you were to watch any of the shows where a customizer gets a beater from the yard and throws tons of money at it to really customize it (and bring it back from the dead), you will see that the money put in is usually earned back, plus some.

Is this car for everyone? No. Is it a work of art, dedication, and vision? Yes, it certainly is.

[280~Master]

I think he could get 45K for this car (not from me). He won best of show and best paint on the West coast, cool for him that's only a little part of this world. Nothing againt the West coast guys but if he built this car to sell then he should go win a few more car shows and give the car some history and exposure. If money is not the issue for selling then he should have been at the Z Nationals in Datona this month and should have made the NPOI nationals in Atlanta last month. Hit a couple of other shows and win some prizes then try and sell it. Thats what I would have done.

[dade280]

Not to be an asshole, but how do you win best of show with a half inch gap between your air dam and your fender.