Nutty prices on GW

[Scramblin_Jim]

In doing a little homework on prices of GW's in my area I find some GW's listed for $30k :eek: !!! And others in the $3k to $9k range. Looking at the Kelley Blue Book, the NADA, and Edmunds I worked out the private party excellent condition vehicles to be in the neighborhood of $2200 to $3600 depending on milage and a few options.

Do GW's ever sell at what the car pricing guides say they should go for?

Or is there a premium on them, or are these sellers out of their minds?

OK I know that the guy in California at GrandWagoneer.com and the one in Texas at Wagonmaster.com are both very very expensive but they are selling fully restored vehicles. I've found individuals with vehicles that have not been restored but are in very nice low milage (less than 50,000) condition that they want restoration prices. :confused: Have I missed something here?

[Jeep4myBoys]

NOpe, the sellers have. Are they actually selling for that, or just listing? I think some people see the wagonmaster prices and figure that's what they're worth.

[grand_wag_85]

The ones you see with less than 50K that are expensive are people charging a 'premium for originality' cause some folks out east are willing to spend it due to the amount of swiss cheese Jeeps out here...

The Wagonmaster Jeeps are nice BUT aren't fully restored, reconditioned is a better term;)

[Scramblin_Jim]

I guess anything is possible, but what is the realistic hope in finding a nice GW with about 100K miles going for what the pricing guides say the value is?

[Ristow]

they're out there!

you may need to re-paint,but there are very decent,affordable ones to be had.

[CustomWag]

I guess anything is possible, but what is the realistic hope in finding a nice GW with about 100K miles going for what the pricing guides say the value is?

Oregon Craigslists are your friend!

Portland:
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/car/314289656.html

Salem:
http://salem.craigslist.org/car/308710606.html

Bend:
http://bend.craigslist.org/car/300308798.html

[BrianAg95]

I am in Denver, so not to far from your neck of the woods, and what I found was the less than 3k ish vehicles needed usually a fair amount of work... 3-5k vehicles were a mixed bag depending on what the seller thought of the colletablitiy or wagoneer world etc.. prices... I really didn't look at anything over 6k. so not sure of those...

see recent threads on my new wreck and my new waggy for in depth details of my buying adventures...

But I bought an 88 for 4k. it had 98000 miles and was in excellent mechanical shape... body was in good shape, paint was dull, and one tiny rust spot on rear lower QP (very very very common). I agreed to pay 4500 for it, but at the last minute the seller gave me $500 back for new tires. I felt like I made and Excellent purchase on that one. (it is now in need of repairs due to an accident)

I then bought a 91 for $5200. It has 93000 miles. The interior is fantastic in it. Except the slightly sagging headliner (easy fix). The exterior is shiney, except the tailgate, a small rust spot on rear lower qp, and a rust spot on the right front qp. it also has more dings than the 88. I felt like this should really have been a $4k to 4.5k wag due to the rust spots (not noticable at a glance, but they will need attention in the not too distant future) I didn't really feel robbed, and since I got it from a used dealer, I did get a warranty with it, and that is worth something I guess...

In my opinion (and I am pretty new to the scene, though I did shop for a long time) I would say anything near and over 6k should be practically prefect unrestored shape.

Insurance gave me $4390 total loss payout on the 88. and it was as mentioned in very very nice shape... so thats what insurance came up with for a value even though Blue Book and Edmunds on it was $3115 for dealer retail.

BY the way another note... Locations has a large impact on prices.... I have seen a lot of good looking GW's in oregon/washington area for really good prices. Denver has very few come up, and they are usually overpriced. I looked at one that wanted 5700 for it and it had trashed seats and bad paint, mechanically i seemd sound but whoa that was a lot.

[duracell]

check craigslist.com i know there are a few on there check the phx and tucson ones especially

[Scramblin_Jim]

check craigslist.com i know there are a few on there check the phx and tucson ones especially

Just talked to the guy who has one on Craigslist in Phoenix. He lives in Goodyear; same as myself. Going to see the '89 GW on Saturday afternoon. He wants $4800.

He said he found it in a dirt lot one day on the way home and got the owner to sell it to him for $200. It had 4 flat tires, A/C not working, and leaking power steering hoses. He said he has put $3800 into it fixing it up and now wants to sell it. Has 123,300 miles on it and he has been driving it for the last 25,000 miles.

Says interior is in great shape. Its white exterior with burgundy interior.

Things new/replaced: new AT type tires with 500 miles on them, new compressor on A/C., rebuilt transmission, rebuilt carb. Pulled off old window tinting film, just has factory tinted windows (the photo looks like normal glass to me).

Things wrong: Power windows expecially the rear one work but move very very slowly. Front drivers seat has tear in it but he put in sheepskins to cover the seats. Front bushings are making noises. He thinks it is in good shape now after it had been setting around rotting from no use.

My concern is if it has been sitting, what else is going to go wrong that he hasn't addressed? Isn't having a vehicle sitting around not being used worse on it then being driven all the time?

KBB good would be $2920.
NADA clean is $3475
Edmunds private party purchase is $1332
Edmunds private party sell is $1743

Average the 4 and that is $2368

Think is would be a slap in the face to offer $2400 if all is as he says it is and it drives like an 18 year old car?

His ad says: "make reasonable offer, need to sell ASAP. He told me I'm the first person who has called on it in 12 weeks of being listed. He figured he was going to have it a long time.

[Jeff Persons]

Alright, I'll put my two cents in, for what its worth. Lets use a nice round number, and my latest purchase as an example. I'm flying from Wis to Phoenix this Sat. to pick up a "86" Wagoneer,paying 5000$ for it. In my mind it's a VERYgood deal. Az. clean, and built up nicely. What are you going to get these days for that much and have that kind of character, and uniqueness? Sure, theres always going to be some guy who's gonna get grampa's only driven to church deal, but come on,for most of us the reality is ya get what ya pay for and your ALWAYS going to have to take the sellers word, along with a grain of salt, as to the vehicles condition.I think I'll just leave it at that, just felt I had to say some thing. Just remember, with a FSJ, IT'S ALL GOOD! :thumbsup: /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[bigblack'74]

I think 20k or 30k is prolly too much... I have low mileage very very clean GW that I paid a good price for.. not cheap but not through the roof. With its low miles have come a HUGE amount of parts that needed replaced... if you paid even 10k or 15k for one with 60k miles on it... there is gonna be alot of stuff that if not allready replaced, will need it soon... These "Refurbed units" are just that, Kinda like flipping houses... it is just all slam work just make it look pretty and when it all falls into $hit in a few years, oh well.... that is what I keep in mind when i am buying a different jeep... How and who did all the work or lack there of dictates price to me almost completely...I learned along time ago with FSJ's... there are very few people, that are true carftsman, that are willing to work with these units... mainly these units were all subjected to shadtree ghetto rigging. ;)

[Scramblin_Jim]

Jeff,
Did you put your money down on the Dark Blue '86 with a 4" Rancho lift and $4200 in engine rebuild work listed in Craigslist? If so, you beat me to the punch on that one - its nice. Good luck with your purchase.
Jim

Alright, I'll put my two cents in, for what its worth. Lets use a nice round number, and my latest purchase as an example. I'm flying from Wis to Phoenix this Sat. to pick up a "86" Wagoneer,paying 5000$ for it. In my mind it's a VERYgood deal. Az. clean, and built up nicely. What are you going to get these days for that much and have that kind of character, and uniqueness? Sure, theres always going to be some guy who's gonna get grampa's only driven to church deal, but come on,for most of us the reality is ya get what ya pay for and your ALWAYS going to have to take the sellers word, along with a grain of salt, as to the vehicles condition.I think I'll just leave it at that, just felt I had to say some thing. Just remember, with a FSJ, IT'S ALL GOOD! :thumbsup: /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

[Ralph Rogers]

Just keep looking.
I picked up a nice '88 for $600 off of here a couple of months ago!!:D
Interior is good, paint is good, wood is good, two dents, rear headliner sagging, 130k miles, no smoke, no burn, runs strong, all around a great ride in great condition for it's years and mileage. It was on here for $1000 for a couple of weeks and no one went for it.
I put on new tires, new carb, new water pump and minor changes. Oh, and Hella H4's.

This week there was another 88 for sale with 121K on it for $2500. I've seen that ride and he let it go way cheap.
Good deals are out there.

Don't be in a hurry and buy crap for a high price.

Ralph

[gwinn]

Just keep looking.
I picked up a nice '88 for $600 off of here a couple of months ago!!:D
Interior is good, paint is good, wood is good, two dents, rear headliner sagging, 130k miles, no smoke, no burn, runs strong, all around a great ride in great condition for it's years and mileage. It was on here for $1000 for a couple of weeks and no one went for it.
I put on new tires, new carb, new water pump and minor changes. Oh, and Hella H4's.

This week there was another 88 for sale with 121K on it for $2500. I've seen that ride and he let it go way cheap.
Good deals are out there.

Don't be in a hurry and buy crap for a high price.

Ralph

Is Josh's definately sold? I hope so because I started looking for things to sell around here so I could buy it.

Patience will save you money Scramblin_Jim. The prices here are usually higher than the rest of the country, but it's worth it not to deal with any rust.

[Scramblin_Jim]

Is Josh's definately sold? I hope so because I started looking for things to sell around here so I could buy it.

Patience will save you money Scramblin_Jim. The prices here are usually higher than the rest of the country, but it's worth it not to deal with any rust.

Amen to that!!!! My Scrambler came from Indiana and I learned my lesson there on not buying from back east again. Instead of paying $9000 I paid $5400 and got some rust to deal with as an extra bonus. I am going slow on this one, not buying off eBay, and just keeping to local vehicles. It may take a year, that just gives me more time to ask more questions and learn from you guys. Thanks for all the input.
Jim

[Ralph Rogers]

Don't know. He posted "sale pending" and didn't repost it for sale so I assumed it had.
If it hasn't, I jump on that one Jim.
Ralph

[Jeff Persons]

Yes Jim, I did get money down on it,and now have a lot of money invested in travel arrangements. I've been worried ever since about losing this deal, but the current owner has been a very stand up guy thus far. lol

[Jeep4myBoys]

Don't know. He posted "sale pending" and didn't repost it for sale so I assumed it had.
If it hasn't, I jump on that one Jim.
Ralph

Yep :D:thumbsup: He said he was going to wait until he got my money to post it as sold - and Fedex said they delivered it at 1:30 today :fsj: :drivin: Unfortunately I can't go get it until June, so he'll still have it until then.

Funny thing though, I was showing the pictures to one of my associates, who has a pristine 91 GW, and she recognized the jeep - I think it used to be hers. I'm calling Josh this weekend, so I'll check on that too. She takes really good care of this one, so I'm sure she did with that one too.

[Joe's 89]

Ditto on what was said about Wagonmaster--they aren't even reconditioned. I sold mine to him and all he did was change out the brand new (1 size larger) Michelins to some smaller white wall generals. They pulled the window tint off, but left an Esso Club (a bar) bumper sticker on it. He had it advertised for about 9K more than he gave me...I have no idea what it sold for.

I shoulda kept it.

[jpcoutts]

Joe's 89 was right about wagonmaster. He actually does very little. When I got serious about having a Wag for a daily driver I went to his place to see what he had. He had low mileage units but they weren't "re-conditioned," just cleaned up in my opinion. He only buys vehicles that need very little to begin with and turns them for a good $$ based on his name and reputation. Nothing wrong with that, I wish I had thought of it!

[Scramblin_Jim]

Just keep looking.
I picked up a nice '88 for $600 off of here a couple of months ago!!:D
Interior is good, paint is good, wood is good, two dents, rear headliner sagging, 130k miles, no smoke, no burn, runs strong, all around a great ride in great condition for it's years and mileage. It was on here for $1000 for a couple of weeks and no one went for it.
I put on new tires, new carb, new water pump and minor changes. Oh, and Hella H4's.

This week there was another 88 for sale with 121K on it for $2500. I've seen that ride and he let it go way cheap.
Good deals are out there.

Don't be in a hurry and buy crap for a high price.

Ralph

Ralph,
For comparison sake, did the one you get have the window rubber hard as iron and with big chunks of it missing? Did it drive like you were floating in a boat? Did it rattle going down the road? Did it take the seller 10 minutes with a screw driver to pry open the hood?

I looked at one a few minutes ago with all of that going for it. It had new tires, claims to had transmission overhauled but it shifted like a rodeo horse, electric door locks didn't work, window did. All for the asking price of $4800. Seller claims he has $3800 into it with repairs.

I won't taken it even if it had been FREE! It was a poorly taken care of vehicle this guy is dumping lots of money into and trying to sell. He has only had it since January. Didn't even know how to put it into 4x4.

I sure hope this is not typical of what is out there, otherwise I'll not be a buy'n.

[warr _en_jeep]

Motor knoked pretty bad 100.000 miles - needed new bearings and the crank turned
Really nice leater interior, body is really straight i tred to sell it for $500.00 and i was throwing in a strong running 360 No Bites so i parted it out and maid almost $800.00 on it and still have the body and interior
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/pts/316108169.html
this one started at $3800.00 http://anchorage.craigslist.org/car/316336788.html
I also seen another 88 GW on Alaska 4x4 network Nicer than mine for $500.00 with a donor motor

[Ralph Rogers]

Window rubbers were OK for the age and an AZ car. All the windows work, the hood opens from the inside, tranny is good, doesn't rattle, 4wd works. Have to hook up the track bars, or whatever they are, as the PO wheeled it, but took good care of it for the most part.
I thought they all floated down the road from the later years?
Charged the AC yesterday and it was still holding this morning, although I do think it has a leak, I'll find that when I change over to 134.
I think I got a killer deal on thie ride. Just hold on, you'll find one. Personally, I wouldn't pay over $3000 for any FSJ.
I joked with the wife about putting it on e-bay for $6000 for some nimrod to buy then buying another one. Guy could make some money selling these things to fools.

Ralph

[gwinn]

Ralph,
For comparison sake, did the one you get have the window rubber hard as iron and with big chunks of it missing? Did it drive like you were floating in a boat? Did it rattle going down the road? Did it take the seller 10 minutes with a screw driver to pry open the hood?

I looked at one a few minutes ago with all of that going for it. It had new tires, claims to had transmission overhauled but it shifted like a rodeo horse, electric door locks didn't work, window did. All for the asking price of $4800. Seller claims he has $3800 into it with repairs.

I won't taken it even if it had been FREE! It was a poorly taken care of vehicle this guy is dumping lots of money into and trying to sell. He has only had it since January. Didn't even know how to put it into 4x4.

I sure hope this is not typical of what is out there, otherwise I'll not be a buy'n.

Good call on that one! He prolly does have that kinda' bank into it, but he wasted his money. If one is gonna' own a FSJ or any older jeep, they have to have the desire and aptitude to do the work on it themselves. Otherwise they better have lots of money. These things break, we fix 'em ourselves. When they rattle, we quiet the rattles one at a time. If you stick with FSJ's you will invest many dollars and hours into fixing and modifying it. If you don't want to take the chance of owning an offroad vehicle that takes up every hour and spare nickle of fun money you have, you may want to steer clear of FSJ's.

The boat ride is typical, but you're gonna' want to beef up the suspension before taking it off road anyway.

Even a $30K Wagonmaster FSJ aint gonna be perfect.

[Scramblin_Jim]

Ralph I agree with you at this point in my search. $3000 is about tops.

In reply to an email on an 86 $9000 GW ad I asked the owner if he would take Kelley Blue Book value for the Jeep that had 101K on it. I got no reply. I sent another email asking when and where I could see the GW. He replied back he wasn't interested in taking any low ball offers! The pictures looked like it needed paint on top and the wood trim replaced. Only extra was trailer brake controller. It must be real gold paint on it!!!

[Scramblin_Jim]

Gwinn,
I agree. I've spent over $3500 since August on my '83 Scrambler thus far, doing about 2/3 of the work myself. Its at the shop right now having another $1000 worth of stuff being done getting ready for a long road trip. That totalled is about what I paid for it on eBay. It is truely a labor of love with a lot more lov'n to go to get it where I want it!

[TexTJ209]

Shoot...if people will pay $30k for a shiny Grand Waggy I should be able to get at least $10k for my shiny J10 with the 401 riiiiiight? ;)

[Joe's 89]

Shoot...if people will pay $30k for a shiny Grand Waggy I should be able to get at least $10k for my shiny J10 with the 401 riiiiiight? ;)

You wouldn't believe what I just sold a CJ on ebay for if I told ya...