How to market/sell a Pimped-out Car

July 18, 2006 6:57 PM

How to market/sell a pimped-out car?

I recently purchased a 1994 Chevy Caprice, police car, from an auction house for $750, had it pimped out with boat speakers on the back, two amplifiers and subwoofer in the trunk, inverter to run AC appliances in the car, etc. etc. basically put $3,000 worth of both parts and labor into it. It is even equipped to mount a video projector on the dashboard Someone from the show Pimp My Ride even worked on it, so the system design is pretty flawless.

Here is an image: +

Now its time to sell it, but I don't know how to market an otherwise cheap car for the price it is worth ($3,900+) and get a buyer. Its such a niche thing, most people would either only want the parts OR the car I'm guessing. But I don't want to go through the trouble of selling one and not the other. Should I try selling this thing on Ebay or Craigslist? Are there people out there that would be interested in this thing?

posted by dvjtj to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

Customized cars are just that- customized to the taste of an individual. Someone may have to do further work to get it to meet their tastes. That being said, you're unlikely to find a buyer at $3,900+ given that all of the parts diminish in value as soon as the package is opened. I can't find it, but there was something on askmefi or regular mefi about selling "Pimp My Ride" cars on eBay.

Did the Caprice run well when you bought it? I'd be interested in getting one for $750.
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:20 PM on July 18, 2006

vehicle price + parts price ≠ sales price. but you see that a lot with custom cars and motorcycles. usually the ad goes something like "over $10,000 invested" etc etc., but as Frank Grimes said, custom stuff is just that, custom. if you want maximum return, try marketing it as a product of one of the Pimp My Ride guys.
posted by electroboy at 7:32 PM on July 18, 2006

My personal snap reaction is "it ain't pimped *enough*" to push the sales price up to something reasonable.

But what do I know?
posted by baylink at 8:49 PM on July 18, 2006

If you can find someone who wants to buy the whole deal with all the mods, expect to lose at least half of what you put in for the custom work. Thats just how it goes, unless you are one of the few who make their living tricking out cars.
posted by rsanheim at 11:39 PM on July 18, 2006

ha.. i just put my limo up for sale on craigslist... I've put a ton more money and time into it than I'm asking, but I figure the market is kind of limited...
posted by dennis at 1:01 AM on July 19, 2006

It's pretty much all been covered here. The value of the car is not $3900+, the value of the car is what somebody is willing to pay for it. This is why I got out of the car modification scene... You could possibly make more money parting it out and selling it than selling it as-is, but if the subs and amp are all custom work specifically for the car, chances are you'll have to destroy it to get it out, which kinda defeats the purpose. I'm guessing that your $3900+ investment will likely net you between $1500 and $2000, if you're really, really lucky.
posted by antifuse at 2:41 AM on July 19, 2006

I'm into cars modified for performance, not "pimp", but the rules are the same: If you want to get anything near the value of the parts and work you put into a car, strip it and part them out.

If you leave the custom parts on, expect to lose 75 to 125% of their value.

(Yes, possibly >100%, if the modifications you have made are considered detrimental to most possible buyers. If I were in a desperate pinch, I'd buy a Civic with a whale tail and a fart cannon, but I'd only be willing to pay less for it than a stock car.)
posted by jammer at 6:08 AM on July 19, 2006

(Of course, that differs if you're marketing a well-tuned racer, rather than a street car, or a balls-to-the-wall show car. But, well, a Caprice with a $3000 stereo system ain't either.)
posted by jammer at 6:11 AM on July 19, 2006

Hemmings Motor News is the bible of collector-car enthusiasts. If your car has been been pimped beyond it's KBB value due to special effort, this is the marketplace to sell it in.

You should note that "fixing up" cars is the worst investment known to mankind. HMN is filled with advertisements saying, "invested $40k in this car, will sell it for $20k." In your case, even worse so, because your car is not an especially rare or sought after car, and your customizations look (to my admittedly non-pimp eyes) look like they were designed to please your particular taste in cars.

That having been said, Kelly Blue Book says that a '92 4d Caprice Classic with 100k miles in zip code 90014 in excellent condition is worth $2,280, so if you've truly "pimped" this ride beyond "good" condition, you may be able to get some of your money back.
posted by popechunk at 6:24 AM on July 19, 2006

You might try to find custom-car and car-stereo forums. I'm sure that many of 'em have for-sale sections. For that matter, are there 'Pimp My Ride' forums?

(Also--You put $3k in parts/labor into a $750 car, and now it's worth $3900+? I'm no car expert, so I've got to ask--where'd the $150 come from?)
posted by box at 8:22 AM on July 19, 2006

Dennis, I wish I has $2k and a garage. You made an awesome car.
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:06 PM on July 19, 2006