Fix and sell or just sell?

C

Citius

New member
So I have a question for you all. I'm leaving for UW-Milwaukee in the fall and the college basically told me that as a freshmen I could not have a vehicle that year due to limited space. Well, currently I have a '95 Toyota T100 pickup truck and I was thinking about selling it before I leave because otherwise its just going to sit in the yard and rust away. Plus I could use that money in college.



The truck needs a new exhaust system. There is a nice hole in the muffler and the exhaust tip is all rusted out. I'll post pictures because visuals are fun.



dan_carter




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So my question is, would you spend the $416 for a new exhaust system and then try to sell it or would you just go ahead and try to sell it as is?
 
Is $416 for an entire new exhaust system? I would head to a muffler shop to get a cheaper replacement, if possible. At the very least, they can weld on a new tailpipe to make it look more presentable.
 
kev7706 said:
Is $416 for an entire new exhaust system? I would head to a muffler shop to get a cheaper replacement, if possible. At the very least, they can weld on a new tailpipe to make it look more presentable.
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just replace the muffler & tailpipe for about $150 if you can recoupe that $
 
Fix the exhaust then sell the truck. You really do not need it at UW-M (I am an alum).

I didn't have my car there for the first year and it was not inconvenient at all. Milwaukee has one of the best public transportation departments in the country and you can get a student bus pass.



Most of the students there work in the area or downtown and can typically find a ride almost anywhere in the state for the weekend from carpooling with other students.



I brought my car there for my second year and it was the biggest hassle. You have to constantly move your car and it is expensive. One of my college roommates never had a car his whole time in Milwaukee and recently moved to NYC and still doesn't own a car. You can do without one.
 
I wouldn't put much $ into the repair, sure not $416.



As-is, it gives the buyer something he can think he's negotiating around. Unless you fix it yourself, you won't be doing it any cheaper than he would so it oughta be a wash- *somebody's* gonna spend some money either way; I'd let the buyer do it unless it just won't sell unfixed. And then I'd fix it the cheapest way possible.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'll probably try selling it as is. If it comes down to the point where it won't sell because of it, then I'll spend the $150 and fix it myself.



todd@bsaw said:
You really do not need it at UW-M (I am an alum).

I didn't have my car there for the first year and it was not inconvenient at all. Milwaukee has one of the best public transportation departments in the country and you can get a student bus pass.



Most of the students there work in the area or downtown and can typically find a ride almost anywhere in the state for the weekend from carpooling with other students.



I brought my car there for my second year and it was the biggest hassle. You have to constantly move your car and it is expensive. One of my college roommates never had a car his whole time in Milwaukee and recently moved to NYC and still doesn't own a car. You can do without one.
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That's good to hear. I was kind of worried about the public transportation. Did you live on or off campus your second year? I was thinking about buying a car my second year, but now I'm not too sure if I should...
 
I lived off campus my second year and having my car was still a little of a hassle but I weighed the convenience of having a car as a higher priority. However, I knew (and still know) many people in the Milwaukee area that still do not own cars and make it around perfectly.
 
I learned my lesson many years ago about this issue when I sold my house. IMO, you should ALWAYS fix problems before you show whatever it is you're selling to a perspective buyer. Buyers are constantly looking to get the price down and by not fixing problems you are giving this person a focal point to really hammer you on. In this case, do whatever you can to make this muffler system functional and good looking. Put yourself in the buyers shoes. You would do the same thing.
 
I'd fix it if it were me. Here's my logic: It seems that you can do it yourself, so you're not paying labor. I'd probably just go to a muffler shop and they should hook you up a lot less than $400. When I was buying my DD, I went through Auto Trader, and I called on more than one car. If it was between two similar vehicles and one of them had a horrendous exahust leak....which one do you think I'm buying? Most people dont have the time or the know how to do it themselves and almost EVERYONE that doesnt have those two traits automatically assumes they're going to get screwed when getting their car repaired (I work at an auto glass shop, so I deal with having to ease people's nerves EVERY day). It's a hassle when someone else is working on your car...plain and simple. As a buyer of car that isnt bought to be a "project"...I dont want to have to deal with having it fixed.



The used car market (hell...the car business in general) is very competitive and when you get away from dealing with Autopians and just dealing with regular people......about 90% of them ONLY care about price (not quality of work, not service, not quality of parts, etc). My point is there will probably be similar vehicles in similar condition with similar features and at a similar price...... it's going to come down to a test drive and negotiations...Exhaust leaks are not good, they make your car sound like a POS and that's the first thing they'll notice upon starting the car and heading down the road.
 
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