Well, I finally did it!
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| Still looking good, 14 years later. |
I finally listed my '96 Mustang for sale on CraigsList. It wasn't an easy decision, but I tried to make the smart decision... for once!
It was primarily an economic decision. I would "lose" less money by selling the '96, as opposed to keeping it, and selling the '06. I keep hearing about how it is becoming a "collectible" car soon, and will be going up in value. That might be true, but I can't hold onto it for another 15 years!
No matter how much I like the '96, I know that it just isn't worth "that" much. This is due to the high mileage, not to it being in poor condition. I had checked out several other comparable listings and I found similar cars with substantially less mileage, many were around 150K. They were priced quite a bit higher than my car, but the selling price is always flexible. Truthfully, unless the buyer is looking to keep the cost as low as possible, I'd have to say that those other cars were a better buy. That's not to say that my car is a piece of junk. Of course, I'm just going on what the ads said, the reality of those other cars might be something quite different. I know the background of my car.
I'm asking 3,500 for it. That is a bit more than I'd expect to get, but I wanted to leave some wiggle room. I'm willing to deal, but it all depends on how motivated the buyer is.
In reality it's always a buyers market, especially if you're selling a car that isn't in high demand.
My primary intention with selling this car is freeing up some more space, as well as ending some of the constant carrying costs of owning the car. I just paid the registration for 2025, as it was going to expire in November. So whether or not I was going to keep it, it was best to pay it. Likewise, I had to have the car smogged for the registration renewal and the possible/hopeful sale anyway.
Of course, the insurance is a constant expense. Mechanical repairs can always crop up, I'd just replaced the oxygen sensors in November, and the battery in June. These are not unusual replacements, and bigger expenses like a new set of tires looms in the not too distant future.
Tires are a real biggie as they are quite expensive.
I recently put a new set on my '06 Mustang and that, combined with the registration renewal, set me back a bit over a grand. I hadn't been driving the '06 very much because the tires were getting thin, so I didn't really have a choice. I would anticipate that a new battery will be in my future next year. I felt that it was a lot of expense for a car that I hadn't been driving very much.
I originally bought the '06 because I wanted a car with lower mileage, with the hope that major mechanical repairs to the engine or transmission would be unlikely for many, many, years. At my age, and in my circumstances, I wouldn't be adding too many miles a year to it. The '06 could last me for the rest of my life! (That's either a reassuring, or a chilling thought!) It was not because I was dissatisfied with my old '96, but with over 200k on the clock, I was concerned that something major might go wrong in the future. If the '96 was my only hobby car, that wouldn't really be an issue, but since I have so many cars, these expenses are starting to get out of hand. That's the real problem, too many cars.
Again the cost of new tires is a big concern. Both my F150 and my Navigator are going to need new tires soon. Both will be at least, 1,000 bucks a pop, probably more. With my F150 it's not too much of a concern because I plan on keeping the truck indefinitely, which will allow me to amortize the cost over the years. With my Nav, it's a bit more up in the air. Will I keep it long enough to justify the expense?
The '06 Mustang has 100,000 miles less on the odometer compared to the '96's 219,000 miles. If I sold the '06, I'd lose the potential 100K worth of future service, as well as the future life of the new tires. And I'd definitely lose money, because the car is not worth more now, than what I paid for it. I only get the benefit if I keep it and use it.
So the economic argument for keeping the '06 easily outweighs that of keeping the '96. Keeping the '96 opens me up to a lot of potential expenses, so selling it has now become imperative.
With old cars it's usually not possible to trade your old car in as a partial down payment on another car. Most car lots are not going to want to take the car in trade. Those that will, usually do it as a ploy. The trade in allowance is already factored into the asking price for their cars.
My stable of cars has gotten out of control over the last few years. This coming year I plan to cut down on that number.
I hope that the '96 will sell soon to a good buyer.
If it doesn't sell with the first listing, I'll have to reduce the price and try again.
Time will tell.
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I am happy to report that I did sell the '96. It was getting to the end of the CL listing period and I hadn't gotten any nibbles. I wasn't too surprised, as the Holidays are a tough time to sell a hobby car. Most people are dealing with the expenses of gift giving and travel, and will delay an unnecessary car purchase until after the beginning of the new year.
Older hobby type cars, usually require finding the right buyer, someone who has a particular interest in a certain type of car. They often have been searching for just the right car, at the right price.
The buyer was a young man, and as it turned out, was already a Ford fan. He told me that he had owned a Crown Vic ex police car, and currently was driving a 90's Ford F150. Definitely a guy into "Panther Love," which also made him a fan of the earlier 4.6 Modular Motor.
We made an appointment for him to check out the Mustang and afterwards, took a fairly long freeway test drive. I showed him the inch and half thick file of receipts. The Mustang had been running like a champ, and he was definitely interested. But he wanted to sleep on it, a sensible idea, and would let me know the next day.
Wouldn't you know it, I got another inquiry about the car that afternoon. The guy wanted to come and check out the car that day. I told him that I had a pending sale and would let him know if the car would still be available.
I received a text from the potential buyer that evening, confirming his intent, and we agreed to meet the next day.
It was a bittersweet moment as I watched the '96 Mustang drive away after so many years of being in my life, but I hoped that the new owner would enjoy owning it. Right after completing the sale I had an hour and a half drive to an out of town family event.
During the drive I got a call from the buyer, the car had stalled out and refused to restart while driving over the hill to the Santa Cruz area! He asked if I had any idea what could have caused that to happen. Needless to say, I was shocked and disappointed, as the car had been running like a champ, up until the moment I sold it. At that moment I couldn't think of anything except that he should have it towed home. I turned this event over and over in my mind during the evening. Later I received a text where the buyer told me that the car eventually restarted and he made it home without another incident. That made me feel better.
That night, I wrote the buyer an email that described how the Idle Air Control valve had caused a similar problem in the past, probably ten years ago. I had initially cleaned it, and that cured the problem until I replaced the valve. He replied and told me that the car hadn't had any more incidents since getting home. I felt that the best thing would be to just replace the valve, they aren't very expensive, and they are easy to reach. It's located in the front of the throttle body.
I had intended to include my Haynes repair manual with the car, but couldn't find it in all the Christmas commotion at my house. I found it a couple of days ago. I decided that I would ship it to him along with a note and some money that would pay for a new IAC valve.
Hopefully this will get the car back on a good footing, and he will be able to enjoy it during the New Year, and for years to come.
I have never intentionally sold a car to anyone that I thought was a ticking time bomb. I have never filled a crankcase with STP, a radiator with oatmeal, or a differential with saw dust. As a buyer of many old, used, and abused cars myself, I know that there are no guarantees with old cars. The only guarantee is that anything can happen, and usually will. I depend on my pre purchase inspection and accessment, and then roll the dice with a fair amount of confidence. If something goes wrong, then I just take it in stride, it's all part of the old car game.
I had owned that '96 Mustang for quite a long time, 14 years. Over that period, I fixed what it needed, and it rewarded me with good service over that time. I will miss it.
However I am fortunate to have a nice memento of that experience.
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| It's only the rear quarter panel, but a Mustang guy knows! |
When my youngest daughter was in high school, she chose the Mustang as the subject of an art class project. The painting is entitled "Little Mustang." It has been, and will remain on display in my den, as a tribute to all the good times.
Happy New Year to all!
