Selling 525 Question. Please help

[dmacimus]

Hello Everyone. I was hoping some of you could give me your opinions. I am thinking of selling/upgrading a 1990 525 and I am not sure what to do. Please, don't feel that I am trying to push my car for sale on this Forum. Many people on this forum have helped me out in the past and I wouldn't want to annoy anyone by advertising anything. I am just trying to find the best option.

Here is what I have:

1990 525i
Automatic Transmission
Replaced about 20,000 miles ago:
Timing Belt
Belts and hoses
Replaced about 12,000 miles ago:
Thermostat
Front Struts
Brakes
Tires
Heater Core
New Pioneer CD player with Wireless remote
New speakers

Here are the things that would need repaired/replaced:
Small crack in the upper part of the winshield (about 3").
Upper Control Arms/Thrust Arms (knock when hit the breaks and hum sound when turning the stearing wheel slightly to the left.)

I would replace the Upper Thrust Controller Arm myself and have the winshield done somewhere.

The car is in pretty good shape and runs nice. It has 186,000 miles on it. It leaks some oil, but very little. The body is in "good" condition also. It doesn't have any dents. The bumper has a small crack in the rear that isn't very noticable. Even though it has the high mileage, it runs very strong. Interior is in very good condition. I replaced the floor mats with nice lettered ones. The car looks good/clean inside and out.

I have checked out Edmunds.com to get an idea of what it could go for. Here are the values I found after entering the mileage and options:
Trade In: $1,604
Private Party: $2,463
Dealer Retail: $3,927
The high mileage knocks the value down almost $1500.

I would be happy with anything around $2,200.

So here is the question. Should I replace what is in need of repair and try to sell it myself? Should I take the car as is to a car buying joint and unload it? Should I donate the car as is to charity and get a tax write off?

Any other ideas?

As always, Thanks to everone for the help!

Don

[632 Regal]

I think your car is worh a bit more than that even without replacing whats left. If you want to take the easy way out you could donate it if you will get that total amount back at the end of the year. I personally would repair what needs it and sell it yourself. What is the value at kelly blue book?

[Warren N.CA]

Get it sparkling clean, and detail it. Don't advertise it in the paper (Too expensive and doesn't reach enough potential buyers.). Advertise it for FREE on bimmer.org and pay to put it on autotrader.com (Pick the list til it sells option.). Both media give plenty of space for you to describe your car- USE IT! And provide great photos. A car in this price class can be sold with a sign in the window.- Do that. And most important of all- wait. Then wait some more. It may take many months to sell your car. This is normal for ANY car. If you price much over KBB value, you may delay your sale, additionally.



Hello Everyone. I was hoping some of you could give me your opinions. I am thinking of selling/upgrading a 1990 525 and I am not sure what to do. Please, don't feel that I am trying to push my car for sale on this Forum. Many people on this forum have helped me out in the past and I wouldn't want to annoy anyone by advertising anything. I am just trying to find the best option.

Here is what I have:

1990 525i
Automatic Transmission
Replaced about 20,000 miles ago:
Timing Belt
Belts and hoses
Replaced about 12,000 miles ago:
Thermostat
Front Struts
Brakes
Tires
Heater Core
New Pioneer CD player with Wireless remote
New speakers

Here are the things that would need repaired/replaced:
Small crack in the upper part of the winshield (about 3").
Upper Control Arms/Thrust Arms (knock when hit the breaks and hum sound when turning the stearing wheel slightly to the left.)

I would replace the Upper Thrust Controller Arm myself and have the winshield done somewhere.

The car is in pretty good shape and runs nice. It has 186,000 miles on it. It leaks some oil, but very little. The body is in "good" condition also. It doesn't have any dents. The bumper has a small crack in the rear that isn't very noticable. Even though it has the high mileage, it runs very strong. Interior is in very good condition. I replaced the floor mats with nice lettered ones. The car looks good/clean inside and out.

I have checked out Edmunds.com to get an idea of what it could go for. Here are the values I found after entering the mileage and options:
Trade In: $1,604
Private Party: $2,463
Dealer Retail: $3,927
The high mileage knocks the value down almost $1500.

I would be happy with anything around $2,200.

So here is the question. Should I replace what is in need of repair and try to sell it myself? Should I take the car as is to a car buying joint and unload it? Should I donate the car as is to charity and get a tax write off?

Any other ideas?

As always, Thanks to everone for the help!

Don

[Unregistered]

I think your car is worh a bit more than that even without replacing whats left. If you want to take the easy way out you could donate it if you will get that total amount back at the end of the year. I personally would repair what needs it and sell it yourself. What is the value at kelly blue book?

Actually, when you donate a car you only receive the benefit of your marginal tax rate multiplied by its fair market value. The other issue is that soon the IRS will be cracking down in this area because of tax payer abuses when estimating of fair market value. You would be much better off selling it yourself.