Pandemic impact on vehicle prices: what do you think?

NatersXJ6

Explorer
I usually think of CL as a sub $5k market, figuring that is about the limit of what most people can scrape together in cash. Selling higher than that, I’ve had much better luck just doing the park near the highway with a sign in the window thing. As far as buying, I love CL in a depressed economy. I’ve gotten deals anywhere from fair to flat out amazing on tools, parts, and dead vehicles on CL when people become desperate for cash. I’ve also given some flat out amazing deals for parts, including free, when I’ve wanted to unload stuff and realized the market just isn’t there for stuff I’ve wanted gone.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I'm considering selling the Porsche convertible that I custom-ordered brand new four years ago, and I am so not looking forward to having to deal with all the tweakers...View attachment 580218
Skip CL Find out where the people with money park on Sundays with For Sale signs. I haven’t sold a Car on CL in 12 yrs. The local Sunday impromptu Lot works much better. Its a CA thing?
 

Record

New member
I keep waiting on something to bring the prices of used vehicles back down to reality. I dont know who you people are shelling out 60+% the cost of a brand new vehicle on something with 150k+ miles, but there are enough of you to way over inflate the value of these 10+ year old vehicles.
The market is still dictating the prices and I had no trouble selling my truck, the 1997 F350 CCLB 4x4 7.3 I just sold went for 19k and it had 194k miles on it and that was just for the truck, I sold the camper separately. I Only had one inquiry on them together, everyone else inquired about each separately. Granted I feel it was one of the nicer ones you could find and I think the Southern California market might be a little different but I had lots of legitimate interest (and lots of tire kickers) and the first person that looked at it ended up buying it. I didn’t bother listing on Craigslist or OfferUp, just listed it here in the expedition vehicles forum and Facebook Marketplace. I had a fair amount of detailed inquiries from here via DM but none of them were interested in actually looking at it or buying it just window shopping asking for videos and measurements of everything which I provided right away. Then after about 20 back and forth emails I would ask when and where they would want to look at it and that would end the communication. I had 3 serious buyers all from Facebook Marketplace once I listed the truck only without camper. And Facebook Marketplace won’t even let you list a price that is over the Kelley Blue Book average so I had to list it at 11,111 and then in bold the first sentence in the description state that the asking price was 19,750. The guy that bought it was in his early 20’s with a good job and paid cash. The guy that bought the camper had the exact same truck as I did and he just bought it a month ago with 90k original miles and paid 24k I think he said. The seller was asking 29k. The California smog exemption on these trucks help the price here, 1997 is the last year in California for the smog exemption on the diesels. But to your point, you’re exactly right.
So to sum it up in my experience it wasn’t any harder or easier to sell than anything else I’ve sold in the last 10 years.
 

Record

New member
Skip CL Find out where the people with money park on Sundays with For Sale signs. I haven’t sold a Car on CL in 12 yrs. The local Sunday impromptu Lot works much better. Its a CA thing?
I agree, I dont think there are many people shopping for 100k Porsche’s on CL. I’ve heard lots of talk about bring a trailer but I haven’t listed there yet. Facebook Marketplace worked for me and I would imagine it would be your best bet on that car. I’m not even active on Facebook just have the account to list stuff for sale and shop for stuff
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I agree, I dont think there are many people shopping for 100k Porsche’s on CL. I’ve heard lots of talk about bring a trailer but I haven’t listed there yet. Facebook Marketplace worked for me and I would imagine it would be your best bet on that car. I’m not even active on Facebook just have the account to list stuff for sale and shop for stuff
I haven’t even listed my rentals on CL in 12yrs.
 

DCH109

Adventurer
I have had good and bad luck on Craigslist and zero on Facebook.
Facebook for me is worse than Craigslist with scammers and people trying to sell me fake Carfax reporting sites. I used it twice and never again.
Craigslist I have sold several things over the years, Trailers, engines, Vehicles, Motorcycles. I like the idea of meeting at the police station. Overall I think anywhere you post you will get the people you do not want on the phone or in email.
My favorite is....I am driving from X can you give me a break on the price due to how much it will cost me in gas to get there and back.
Now I only sell in forums as it causes me less of a hassle.

As for the vehicle prices based on the Pandemic, I do browse CL here in the Virginia area. I have noticed several things.
1. the ads are about 50% less
2. there are a number of interesting vehicles going for much less than normal.

Some people are getting desperate. I think we will see a change next month for sure.

I was lucky and sold my F150 right before VA went into lockdown. I was planning on selling my FJ60, but will now hang onto it until things stabilize a bit more.
 

Mike W.

Well-known member
Car prices are staying the same but the incentives are excellent.

I picked up a crate 707 hp Hellcat motor with the onboard computer for $11,000..about a $7000 savings..
 

basing110

Observer
I saw a truck bed trailer in San Diego on fb for $400 and it was nice and I sent a message to snag it when the add was 3 hrs old and it was sold... next morning saw it on OfferUp for $1300 and now down to $1000. Messages the new seller and he has no info on it except what previous seller might have said to him... damn flippers! I would have used that and held onto it for a long time for a cheaper teardrop build out! Now I gotta wait and see how low he will drop the price.. not like I can go camp right now anyways so I’ll let the cash sit but I really wanted to have a hard sided somthing for the next overland expo show whenever that will be...
 

quickfarms

Adventurer
I saw a truck bed trailer in San Diego on fb for $400 and it was nice and I sent a message to snag it when the add was 3 hrs old and it was sold... next morning saw it on OfferUp for $1300 and now down to $1000. Messages the new seller and he has no info on it except what previous seller might have said to him... damn flippers! I would have used that and held onto it for a long time for a cheaper teardrop build out! Now I gotta wait and see how low he will drop the price.. not like I can go camp right now anyways so I’ll let the cash sit but I really wanted to have a hard sided somthing for the next overland expo show whenever that will be...

I got an extra M116 if your interested

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weekender

New member
I work for Toyota in one of the factories and we’ve been home for 5 weeks now and are going back after 6 weeks. They said sales were not down as much they thought they would be and now we’re behind on our builds.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I have had good and bad luck on Craigslist and zero on Facebook.
Facebook for me is worse than Craigslist with scammers and people trying to sell me fake Carfax reporting sites. I used it twice and never again.
Craigslist I have sold several things over the years, Trailers, engines, Vehicles, Motorcycles. I like the idea of meeting at the police station. Overall I think anywhere you post you will get the people you do not want on the phone or in email.
My favorite is....I am driving from X can you give me a break on the price due to how much it will cost me in gas to get there and back.
Now I only sell in forums as it causes me less of a hassle.

As for the vehicle prices based on the Pandemic, I do browse CL here in the Virginia area. I have noticed several things.
1. the ads are about 50% less
2. there are a number of interesting vehicles going for much less than normal.

Some people are getting desperate. I think we will see a change next month for sure.

I was lucky and sold my F150 right before VA went into lockdown. I was planning on selling my FJ60, but will now hang onto it until things stabilize a bit more.
Car fax is garbage. About 10 yrs ago I simply started calling the vin into my local dealer service shop having them check for outstanding recalls and while doing that BS’ing with them about service notes, dates mileage etc. Thats usually enough to match sellers story to actual detailed Auto maker data. Even my 1993 LC any dealer could pull an amazing amount of history on it.

My last used purchase the seller had actually had the his dealer pull all the notes and data and he handed me a folder full of printouts.

Car Fax data is garbage at best and nonexistent for the most part.

I caught 4 ODO rolled back cars while looking for my dads G35x. Took me all of 5 min on the phone to catch that scam. Its actually so common that you should assume all used private sale cars have been rolled back till you find real data showing they aren’t.
 

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