Valuation help.

I almost didnt want to post this, since I desperately want it (and dont want you to bid!!).... But I have no idea whats its really worth and dont want to get in way over my head price wise.... (have to get better cost idea for SWMBO)

81 Volvo, 2.5L red block turbo, ~350hp, mega squirt, "legal" cage. Its awesome, I want it. Its on the opposite side on the country, I can either fly and drive (~$1100 costs), or ship (~$1500, waiting on quote). Some rust, rear rockers mostly it appears, a little on the cowl, but otherwise a seemingly sorted car.

Anyone have a clue what to expect price range wise?

Is that a log booked cage for anything? It matters value wise because a stripped caged car is only as good as having a place to race it.

"a custom SCCA- and NHRA-legal six-point cage was TIG-welded from DOM tubing by SVR" no mention of logbook, but I doubt it. Its still street legal, that's why I am interested.... I would love to do a track day here or there too.

There's the rub. You're now into the realm of "what it's worth to me" because it's a pretty crappy street car and it's not yet a race car. It's very hard to predict the value of a car like that. I would bet it's not much above what a clean stock version of that car would be, unless you somehow get two people who really want it bidding against each other.

This is true, Im looking for a "stupid car" I can drive in the summer, autox or have fun at a track if I wanted. Not wanting to be competitive per say. Its a very build motor, but yeah whats the value on that. Owner is hoping for 8k.

Its was doing the US drift circuit, and has a GRM number plate on it in some of the photos..... Im guessing the cage would meet SCCA road course standards, it was shop done, but who knows if its never been looked at.

Its not logbooked....

Is it T5 swapped yet? You can't beat on the stock trans in one of those at that power level.

BrokenYugo wrote: Is it T5 swapped yet? You can't beat on the stock trans in one of those at that power level.

Yes mustang T5

details here.... dont bid!!

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-volvo-242-2/

So there's a LOT of work that's been done to that car. It's still hard to value. You really need to see where it fits in the world of street driven drift cars, because that's really what it is at this point. Conversely, what could you get parting it out? If you started with a clean shell could you build it for $8k?
The paint is also worrying saying it's below race car quality. It photographs well, but I bet it's annoying to look at.
If it's not beat to absolute hell and back (and it's a drift car, so probably) I think it's closer to $4k than $8k, but maybe used drift cars are worth more than I think.

It is an awesome car, but on value, they hit the nail on the head with the log book.

If it doesn't have a book and the cage is no longer viable, it may be worth less than having it as removing a cage is a big painful job.

Cage requirements can change every year, so even if it was started with a legal cage a couple years ago and then never booked, you won't be able to get it booked now unless you can modify it.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Yeah a lot done to it.... motor work is 15k easy my guess. But parting, no clue. Im looking for a fun car, but yeah, it would at least need paint on the rust areas.

In reply to former520:

it was built a long time ago, so cage requirements have likely changed. How much I dont know.

For track days, people simply take street cars out, does the cage need to be certified if just doing something like that?

The other issue im running into is its about as far as you can get away from me, fly and drive or shipping will add ~$1500 to the costs, meaning it needs to sell even cheaper to make the value work.

I've done many "track days" and have never seen where the group putting on the event cared if the cage was "SCCA" "NASA", etc. legal. Safe - In a general way, yes. Legal for any type of "real racing", no.

In reply to jimbbski:

That's what I always thought, I highly doubt I will be doing any "real" racing.

For 8 large you can build one from a west coast rust free candidate (if you are stuck on Volvo)(see turbobricks forum).

8 grand is trailing edge Corvette/Porsche/AMG/BMW territory.

I'll take AMG for $8000, Alex.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/5473826725.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/5471043733.html

I wonder how much a manual swap would be for this?

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/5476022626.html

Or this 525 http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/5476017998.html

In reply to bentwrench:

Not sure I could build a copy for 8k. (I wouldn't touch it for 8k anyway, 5500-6k is as much as I would ever think of) but again adding on shopping gets its stupid spendy.

Amg is cool, but I want something "stupid" fun to drive, I have a DD.....

Yeah, shipping probably won't come cheap either. IIRC, La Plata is halfway down the Eatern Shore close to absolutely nothing. Already up to $4.2k bid, too rich for my cheapskate wallet...

That first AMG has a freshened up motor I think it wants some chemical power adder. That would put you in the silly fun zone.

The Kompressor would be happier at autoX. Sway bars shocks and stickies and you could call it an AMG.

Ok when I say stupid, I'm looking at vw sandrails I can get titled.

Fast, raw driving, something you don't see etc.

Amg doesn't do it for me...

I'd love that car for 5k,but I doubt that's doable. I

Highly modified things like these won't have many comparable sales to make valuation easy. So, I think it's worth what somebody is willing to pay for it. Bid as much as you'd want to pay for it and let the chips fall.

Without a log book and any information on what the cage is constructed of, consider it to be an ornament. Unless you can get someone to look at it.

I was considering a project Golf that I was aware was available - I had someone look at it. Cage was 1.5"X0.90". For rally stuff the main elements have to be 1.75"X0.90", therefore the cage was junk = No thanks.

In reply to NGTD:

Its stated "dom" but thats about all i know, it was built by a shop, so im sure I could get more info. Im not too worried about the cage as it would really just be a track day toy and summer fun car.

I crunched some numbers and with shipping its just going to go for more than I want to spend. As much as it would be a fun and awesome car, its just too far away. With a cheap 5-6k car, adding 1500 in shipping is silly. Something 30k that much in shipping is change. It just doesn't work with a cheap car.