?How much is an '89 Corolla SR5 in perfect shape worth?

[jlyang]

Hi everyone,
This is my first post to this forum-- this website is great!

Question for you all:
I have a white '89 Toyota Corolla SR5 with 147k miles in almost perfect condition. The body is in UNBELIEVABLE shape. The paint gleams like new, body panels look almost perfect (NO RUST), sounds and runs like a new car. It's in great physical shape because it's a California car and I really baby it. It's in great mechanical shape because I've spared no expense in keeping it perfect. In the past 10k miles I've put in over $2000-- new windshield/braking system/timing belt/water pump/complete Bosal exhaust system/starter/battery/brakes/etc Alloy wheels, great A/C, very tight and smooth 4-speed automatic transmission. It needs nothing.

How much do you think I could sell it for, and is there demand for SR5s out there? (I am in Massachusetts BTW-- the car has mostly been garaged and it's not driven if there's snow or salt on the road) . I love the car but am now taking public transportation to work and am thinking about selling it so I can save money on car insurance/parking/etc. Plus, I am not driving it much, which is a shame, since it is too nice a car to not be driven more often. How can I find a buyer who will APPRECIATE and take good care of the car? I'm not exaggerating when I'm saying that it looks and runs new-- people are shocked when they see the car's incredible shape. I would really like to see it go to a good home because it should have many more years of life left, and in its awesome condition, could maybe even become a classic someday.

Anyways, I really appreciate your thoughts on how much I might be able to sell it for, and how to find a buyer who will take as good care of it as I have.

Thanks for your thoughts,
John, johnyang97@yahoo.com
Boston, MA

[TokyoRacer]

I'd say 2000-2500 CDN. SR5's are less favoured then the GT-S model for performance reasons and also since it's Auto, not many perormance oriented people would be interested..so all in all you'd prolly end up selling it to a college chick or somthin.g.so around 2000-2500 cdn I'd say.


They definitly don't hold their value like a civic does.

[stubborn1]

Pretty much any car that runs good without any body or engine issues is worth $1500 minimum in my area no matter what the year.

To get more money, you might want to look at advertising on the internet. Remember, an 18 year old Corolla isn't worth much to most people - you need to reach the enthusiast (sp?) crowd. Maybe try sites like Autotrader or Ebay??? I don't think a newspaper add is the way to go.

[jlyang]

Hi,
Do you guys think Ebay or Autotrader works better? I have never bought or sold a car online before. Is shipping a problem if I sell online, or I simply say "buyer is responsible for handling shipping" and let the buyer worry about it?

The car is a must-see-must-drive-to-believe... do sellers sometimes try to take videos and post them online to show buyers how the car runs? Seems like a hassle, esp since I don't own a video camera, but I would like to show anyone who's interested in the car that it runs smooth and strong and sounds good.

Thanks again,
John

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Originally Posted by stubborn1

Pretty much any car that runs good without any body or engine issues is worth $1500 minimum in my area no matter what the year.

To get more money, you might want to look at advertising on the internet. Remember, an 18 year old Corolla isn't worth much to most people - you need to reach the enthusiast (sp?) crowd. Maybe try sites like Autotrader or Ebay??? I don't think a newspaper add is the way to go.