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Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:03 pm

When would you decide to part out a car? I've had my '73 Thing for sale since October of last year. I've had lots of inquiries but no strong bites. It's a great car and I've been gradually lowering the price, but still no takers. I'm sure a lot has to do with my location (eastern NC). I need to sell it, but I don't want to give it away. I'm thinking I could make more money selling it for parts. You can see the Thing for sale in the link below.

If the conversion didn't cost so much, I'd convert it to electric. Gas went up to $3.50 a gallon here!

What should I do???

Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:37 pm

Woreign wrote: When would you decide to part out a car? I've had my '73 Thing for sale since October of last year. I've had lots of inquiries but no strong bites. It's a great car and I've been gradually lowering the price, but still no takers. I'm sure a lot has to do with my location (eastern NC). I need to sell it, but I don't want to give it away. I'm thinking I could make more money selling it for parts. You can see the Thing for sale in the link below.

If the conversion didn't cost so much, I'd convert it to electric. Gas went up to $3.50 a gallon here!

What should I do???

I don't think most people would part a nice Thing like that. One that is a hunk of junk maybe, rust bucket, missing stuff, but not something like yours. Just have to wait it out. Adjust price until it sells.

tj

Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:03 pm

Parting out that Thing would be a crime. October isn't a good time to sell a Thing -- the next few months are key. I'd suggest finding some good real estate. If you know someone who owns a business on a well-traveled road, ask them to let you park it out front. A thing with the top down on a sunny day with a "For Sale" sign will get plenty of attention. If that's not an option, find a good parking spot where there are alot of pedestrians, and leave it there all day on a Saturday. These are both tactics I've found success with. Specific to your car, I'd suggest some mild dressing up. Spray those black rims with silver paint. You might like black rims, but the market doesn't, and silver rims are original. Those superficial enhancements will get people to come in for a closer look, then they'll be able to see the nice interior, etc.

Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:11 pm

It looks nice but I think were it a respray and the ooriginal color you 'd have a better market. I bought my '73 for 5k without a motor but it was original paint and had black rims. :wink:

I wouldn't part it just drop the price.

Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:22 pm

It looks very nice in the pics for that price. I've wanted a 73 with a WORKING gas heater and a hard top but nothing shows up within a reasonable distance (NE Iowa). It would be a shame to part the car out!
I guess according to all the pundants on the media that money is tight, maybe after the incentive plan someone can come up with some cash.

Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:42 pm

I would give you $3500. I think I have a buyer ^^^^

Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:43 pm

If you can afford to, I would offer to pay part of the shipping to another state. It usually costs about $400-$600. You might get some bites if you will work with them on shipping.

Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:10 pm

That really sucks and I feel for you. Have you tried Ebay? I can't even quess how easy it would sell nor, how much. Set a workable reserve price.

Just an idea #-o

Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:13 pm

I just paid $3.75 a gallon for regular. I'm so pissed off right now.

Anyhow, you obviously can't part out a nice car like that! And your asking price is not outrageous for a Thing in really good condition. Have patience and it will sell - especially now that Spring is here.

Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:47 pm

Woreign wrote: When would you decide to part out a car?
You part out a car when a decent car can't be made out of the parts you have. It will take you a lot of time to part it out - figure that into the equation. And you'll have to live with yourself afterwards.

The suggestion to auction with a high reserve isn't a bad idea. Won't cost you anything to try. . .

Ditto also on the comment that you offered the car up for sale at the worst time of year for a Thing. Give it some more time.

(Of course, I really think you should keep it.)

Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:46 am

$7500 in parts is a bunch.

I saw a perfect Thing last summer with new top go for 5K here.
Collectible car prices, like everything else at the moment, are down.
Hard to get that 2nd on a house to pay for it!

<quote>You can see the Thing for sale in the link below.</quote>
NO Link :?

If gas hits $4.00, which it no drought will, I won't be driving the Thing much. It pretty much needs 87 octane gets about 22mpg and my new car gets 35 easy.
My Honda CT90 gets 105 mpg, I might just have to suffer and ride it.
Have you herd about VW 80mpg 2cyl direct injected ultra mini car they are planning to import.

I can't sell my perfect 1999 Nissan Frontier 4X4 V6 unless I give it away. If it was 2wd 4cyl people would be knocking down my door.

There something wrong here we are spending billions on Iraqs infrastructure, MORE THAN OURS, and they are getting rich selling oil to us stashing 6 billion in surpluses in US banks. While TV endlessly talks about Rev. Wright :roll:

Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:42 am

Fun 181 wrote: I just paid $3.75 a gallon for regular. I'm so pissed off right now.

I've been paying just over $4 for 91 - recently at $4.20 ish. When I went on the Treffen X a few weeks back, the highest I paid was $5.60! (Only bought enough to get me to the next station, which was back down to the low $4's) I was spending $80-$100 per day just on gas for that trip!! It would have been much cheaper to fly.

Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:50 am

stevehenderson wrote: NO Link :?
Click on the button at the bottom of his post.

Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:28 am

Also his signature:

Woreign wrote: 73 Thing - For Sale! http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=522372

Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:39 am

I could swear that signature was no there yesterday when I looked--weird.
I did find it through browsing though.

Something is up with my browser not only his but all the signatures disappeared again--double weird.

!!Nice looking Thing!!

This is an interesting topic. Anybody guess what you might get for the sum of the parts in a dismantled a Thing. All the rust removed from a blasted tub. Anybody done it and kept track of the total ?

Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:35 pm

I am so in the market for one. NC is a stone throw away as far as I am concerned. I looked at it several times. I just can't get past the resale red color. Otherwise ...

Sorry.

Thu Apr 24, 2008 1:21 pm

Thanks for all your words of encouragement!

I don't think I could ever really part it out :cry: I made this post more for thereputical reasons than anything else... I paid $20 for an ad in a local car magazine and the only call I've received was from someone wanting to know if I had any extra parts I might sell. It's very frustrating!

I don't like selling on eBay. For one, the bids never go very high, and it's not very safe. Last year I helped a friend sell his 63 Falcon and I got inundated with a multitude of spam/phishing messages.

The economic incentive checks go out next week, maybe someone will want to buy it then? As for me, my incentive will go toward paying off bills...

Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:09 pm

I think your thing is very nice & can't duplicate for the asking price.
please do not part out good restored thing.

sold my thing last week here on the samba and sold within 20min.
the thing went to Australia. domestic buyers have no consumer confidence
at this moment, thanks to our weak USD.(european now call our currency
Green Shit)
anything less than $5,000.00 can go very fast.
but our loss their gain.

Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:40 pm

Have you tried posting on craigslist? I've always had great luck with it (in colorado) and its free!

Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:08 am

BajaRoy wrote: I think your thing is very nice & can't duplicate for the asking price.
please do not part out good restored thing.
I agree completely. I really wish I could get past its color. You'll be fine with a little patience.

colorider181 wrote: Have you tried posting on craigslist? I've always had great luck with it (in colorado) and its free!
A very good suggestion. I would add to that suggestion to also hit the major markets from New York to Florida plus West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Good luck.