Should I repair before I sell '97?

[ancdmd]

Please let me know what you think I should do regarding my car. I have a '97 LE with 155,000 miles which I am ready to sell. I will be selling it on ebay, not trading to a dealer. I want to know what items I should fix or not. Basically I have had the car since it was almost new and have been very disciplined about it's maintenance, keeping it dealer-serviced and in stock condition. The trans was recently rebuilt and it runs fantastic, and mechanically everything functions well. What I am concerned about is the suspension. It is all original and now feels fairly loose and worn, but still decent for a car this old. I will put new Michelins on it, but I am debating not doing anything to the suspension and selling it as-is. If I do decide to overhaul the suspension, I know it would require at least new shocks and mounts. What other suspension components would be good to replace considering their cost if I go ahead and have the shocks and mounts done? Bearings, ball joints, bushings, etc? I don't want to put any more money in it that I couldn't reasonably recoup when I sell it. Any work done will be performed by a dealer or good repair shop.

[toyomoho]

It can be difficult to recoup the costs of repairs unless the car has a problem that severely effects the price such as does not start. This is even more so when a dealer does the work because of the higher costs. Have you compared selling it locally vrs Ebay vrs something like Craigslist (also local)? If a local sell, you can negotiate with the buyer over price and need not sell the car if the price is too low.

[Blackhawk3D]

Check out autotrader, since it is a well known site you can get more buyers (Alot of people are leery of ebay for cars). We sold our one year old Sienna in like 2 weeks.

[DoubleEdgedWomb]

If you're going to fix it up, why not keep it?

[triggerhappy007]

It will probably cost you $1000 to replace the struts and mounts at the dealer. Try to sell it locally so they can test drive it and see how it feels.

[keba]

I have the exact same issue with a 96 165K ,worn suspension.Im just going to list it in fair conditions and work from there.

[JMSinMD]

Bad move putting more money into a car you are looking to sell, sell it as is and don't put another penny into it.

[ancdmd]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am selling it because I am now employed and can afford to make a nice jump to a luxury car. If for some reason I do decide to get the job done, what online source has the best deals on factory Toyota parts (mounts)?

[toyomoho]

I would go with aftermarket parts. Toyota makes good parts but they typically cost more. Doubt if a buyer would pay more for OEM parts on something like suspension. Might just have the potential buyers drive the car and see what they think.