SO...how much.... DO YOU THINK...your VX is worth???

[JoFotoz]

I've had an interesting few days...
...being HOTLY chased by a guy wanting to buy the ORW !!

He chased me down on the street...we chatted..he asked if the ORW was for sale.

Well..anything is for sale at the right price..or so I thought!

So I said..sure..$25,000...and he was still interested.

And he still is....
He's coming over again this afternoon to talk.

Here is my dilemma....

Basic 1999 VX..with only 30428 miles.................................$ 15000 ?
Paint............................................. ........................................$ 3000
Wheels/tires............................................. ............................$ 2000
4.77's and lockers........................................... .....................$ 2500
Misc ( HD links/tow bar/RR/sliders/cold air intake etc)........$ 3000
Custom Rock bumper............................................ ..............$ 2200

Thats $27,700 !! ... and MANY hours of my time fabricating etc.


Granted those prices are full retail.(.not what I paid).....BUT..valid replacement costs.

I was shocked when I figured this all out :eek:

In my mind I'd thrown out $25,000 ..thinking YAH!!..I can rebuild her for $18,000...
....and pocket $5-7 K

WELL..I guess I could...BUT... finding a 30K mileage VX to buy...
....or the agony of parting with the ORW!

So...I explained this to him...and told him " MAYBE" $35,000 ..
.....and this includes the crashed one I have.

He;s coming back this afternoon...and I'm SO messed up thinking about this :confused:

So...whats your bottom line to sell???...

....what would it take for you to part with your VX.


Jo

[vt_maverick]

I would take $35K without even thinking about it, pocket a ton of that, and then buy another VX. Sure you might spend most of that by the time you upgrade it back to the way you want it, but it's not like the upgrade process isn't fun - otherwise none of us would do it in the first place. And you'd have the advantage most of us don't have, namely that you have all the money you need (well probably) up front.

I won't speculate on my VX's worth until I get a crazy buyer on the line too (feel free to forward your guy's info if you pass lol). :yesy:

[JMNY]

He needs to have cash because he could never get a loan. So if he really has cash and really wants to spend 25k and up.....you probably have to sell. You can buy another one at half the cost or more and do some stuff and still have extra cash and another VX. If you dont need the cash and cant part wih your VX then that is different. But again.......talk is cheap and a verbal agreement is worth the paper it is written on! Either way.....good luck but until it becomes much closer to reality....dont stress.

[JoFotoz]

He has cash...he just sold an H1 and owns a bakery...
( cash business..brown bag full of $100's ! )

Finding a replacement 30k mile VX to buy...diffcult !

Build another..YUP..FUN..and wont repeat newbie mistakes/costs!

Knowing/Loving and TRUSTING the ORW....pretty much Priceless.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But yea...until he plonks the CA$H on the hood...

...its all moot.

But I have to be prepared to say yes...if he does.

:_brickwal

jo

[VX KAT]

coming soon - - - ORW2 - - the sequel! - - maybe!

IMHO - if you're realistically going to spend all or close to the $35k to get you back to where you are now - - which is what you WANT no doubt! - I wouldn't sell it.

I think the big issue would be what's the history on the replacement truck - was it well taken care of, abused, one of the many seemingly random ones that gulp oil? You KNOW your truck and it's history, she's the devil you know.

What if she's a dog and you spend all $35k trying to get her back to the equivalent of ORW1? Then you're going to be kicking yourself - - and still have a dog to live with.

And is doing all that work all over again, really all that much fun??? :_thinking


For me, knowing someone wanted it that badly, and for that much, would be just really enjoyable/fun to know, just like when you get heads turning or peeps asking questions about it - - - - but I would't sell.

of course, just my 2 cents! :thumbup:

[H3_VX]

I would sell mine for double what I paid. That's it.

[JoFotoz]

Sue...it wouldnt cost me $35K to re-build another "ORW Part deux!".

Thats the price I think I VALUE the ORW (and the crashed one) at....

...rather than replacement value.

And yea..i agree 100%..better the devil ya know...than a dog that cant be trained!


Jo

[VXorado]

For $35K, go for it Jo. Figuring out the mods is more difficult the first time around, next time you just have to duplicate. Additionally, you can do things a little differently the second time around to fit your "vision" a little bit better.


...and you off road the ORW. I don't think you need a 30K mile VX to replace her.

All my opinion, Sue has a good opposing argument.

...I would probably sell for $12K :p --- well maybe not.

[JoFotoz]

Yup John....given the ORW does mostly Off Road...

...a good 80-100k VX would be fine.

I do about 3000 max a year...so in 10 years I'd have a low mileage one anyway!

(Silver Bullets?????)

And I agree 100%...doing things a little differently...
with experience/tricks / knowledge gleaned...

..would make it even better.

I'm thinking maybe a compromise....
He's more about looks than Off Road action.
So..maybe adjust price...after taking off some of the serious Off Road goodies...
...but he wants the bumper !

I guess we will see if he is REALLY serious later today...


Jo

[Jay Dunford]

If ya get 35K, I know where there is a well built and tested wrangler. And you can still pocket some cash!:bgwb::p

[ABDragonVX]

In my experience mods don't increase the value of the vehicle being sold. That said you'll never sell a vehicle for what you put into it (well you might have the opportunity haha), factor your maintenance after your done adding up mods....still if your looking for a chance to do something different or start new then this could be a good opportunity. I bought my 01 vx with 57,000miles last year November for $13,000 and now with 73,000miles wouldn't sell for less then $15,000 because I need a vehicle to drive everyday and getting anything less wouldn't be worth trying to find a new dd.....unless of course they offered me 12 to trade on an evo.....then id think hard.

[JoFotoz]

Mods are an interesting one..price wise.

I'd agree, you usually dont get your money back...maybe 50%

However..custom mods..unique ones..that a buyer wants.....
...command near 100%..or sometimes more, in my experience.

Cost to maintain doesnt really figure for me..its there with any vehicle.

He litterally just rang...and is 20 mins away............

:eek:

Jo

[JoFotoz]

Thanks Jay....

I'll keep that in mind.............................................. ........NOT!


:jump:

jo

[ABDragonVX]

The advantage you have is that you don't need to sell. My done up 2010 ram took forever to sell and even the custom stuff didn't help me lol. It was a tight position going back to school and having a ton of money tied up in a vehicle didn't help

[ABDragonVX]

Goodluck with everything

[JoFotoz]

Thanks Jay....

I'll keep that in mind.............................................. ........NOT!


:jump:

jo

[Marlin]

That is a tough one! I would take it. Buy another VX, spend half of what I have spent over the last 5 years, as you said, avoiding the newbie stuff. I would also buy a beat up amigo, and make it a trail truck!
Good luck, that is a sticky situation!

[Vendetta]

Jo, the ORW is your labor of love. The value you place on it is your own, and completely justified. If it's perfect to you, then I'd say keep it unless the money is way above the value you've placed. If there are things you'd improve, then I suggest you sell it for as close to your value as you can (which is still above cost, per se), and rebuild.

Good luck, bro.
-V

[JoFotoz]

Thanxs for all the input...and wise words :thumbup:


However..in a way, this thread kind of wandered from my initial intent....

My real conundrum was very simply...how does one value ones own VX.

This has been my dilemma over the past three days...

Suffice to say...he came..we chatted.....and he arrived with an "expert"...
...who initially kept calling it...

...a Suzuki.

But got his head on straight after a few choice words from me......
....and was essentially drooling.

The "potential" buyer is not interested in REAL off roading.
He's moving to Maine..and wants better MPG than an H1..and good bad weather safety...
...plus he likes a "Unique " vehicle.

So.....my bottom line was this:-

I remove....

The 35's...and fit 33's
I remove coil spacers.
I remove the 4.77's & lockers...fit OEM Diffs ( which I have)
I remove front lockable hubs..( replace with OEM...yup, I have)
I remove all HD links/tie rods etc..and fit OEM..( Umm..again..yup...I have..)
I remove the custom rock rails...end of story.
I remove roof rack and rack cross rails....DOHH!
I remove the MorganTech cold air and replace with OEM (ditto!)

...and he pays $23K

So..back to "What do you value your VX at"

I think that would work for me...so..I have found a "value"


OR....as an alternative.... I build him one....which I REALLY LIKE.

The balls in his court.

He seems genuinely serious.


We shall see what transpires!

jo

[angeno]

Several issues that would be top of mind if I were confronted with a similar dilemma. First, I've poured SO MUCH into getting my VX as close to perfect as possible. The list would be too exhaustive to reproduce here. But the idea was to get the VX as close to perfect as possible. I'm sure you guys empathize.

Then there is the fact that some parts are getting harder and harder to source. A couple of weeks ago I bought the very last OEM shifter Merlin had in stock. How many other replacement bits and pieces are essentially gone? So if I sell Monsty and buy another VX, whose to say that I'd be able to put it together as well as I have the current iteration.

Then there's the sentimental value. Fact is, I love this truck. My little boy loves our truck. My wife won't go near it but two out of three ain't bad. Also, I've managed to get it looking exactly the way I wanted it to look. Stock wheels with a 3.5" lift. 34" mudders and not too much else to take away from the OEM / Show car vibe. I know I'm prejudiced, but I think I now happen to possess one of the coolest looking vehicles ever produced. And the lift kit and mudders do for this truck what a short skirt and CFM pumps do for a beautiful woman. Guys, I know you're with me on this. :yeso:

No matter how far away in the lot I park this rig, invariably I find somebody parked next to it on either side, and usually both. I know they just want to check it out up close, but man that gets me frustrated. Don't you hate it when you go to all that trouble to park in as isolated a section of the lot possible only to find yourself surrounded by a pair of yahoos who pulled up inches from your door? I hate that.

But I guess it goes with the territory. And at least once a week I get the "looks like a giant Tonka Toy" compliment. There really is nothing else out there like these machines. And with each passing day they're becoming just a little more rare, aren't they. When was the last time you guys passed a VX on the road?

In northern NJ, there is precisely one other VX that I've seen and it is a box stock '99 Ebony that sometimes parks on RTE 17 in Mahwah. Aside from that one, my Monsty is the sole example of his increasingly rare breed. So, as to the question of how much I would take for my VX... Well, I dunno. Right now, I'm sure it would be a much bigger number than most folks would be willing to pay. And that's perfectly fine with me. In about ten years, I'm handing Monsty's keys to my son and after that the VX is his to keep or dispose of, at his discretion. Till then, I guess we'll just call this one "Not For Sale!"

:bwgy:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/photo-31.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=22365)http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/photo-31.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=22365)

[JoFotoz]

I have no idea...


And the lift kit and mudders do for this truck what a short skirt and CFM pumps do for a beautiful woman. Guys, I know you're with me on this. :yeso:



...what youre talking about :p

Well put sir!

jo

[VX KAT]

Build one for him - - That sounds like a great idea! Best of both worlds!

[ALC1717]

To Me I Guess I Am a Little Crazy like all the other VX owners as far as what their VX is worth to us ! In The Immaculate Shape Mine Is In and All The Custom Modifications To It About $20,000 - $25,000 Not A Penny Less or I Would Not Even Entertain An Offer. I Guess Deep Down Inside I Love My Irreplaceable 2001 Kaiser Silver VX, Would Not Want To Sell It, And Maybe I Am Crazy Like The Rest of The VX Owners What They Are Worth To Us? My Only Regret Is That I Might Have Liked Red Mica Better Than Kaiser Silver, However, Using Pinnacle Souveran Canuba Paste Auto Wax Gives My VX An Unbelievable Finish !

[WormGod]

You value the VX by simply throwing a ludicrous number out there. These things are easily not worth what their sticker was in their showroom days, but of course, they are to US. There is always someone out there who missed the VX train when it first rolled in to the station, and they have to pay the piper now. ;)

I was offered $20k cash about 3 years ago by a well-to-do gentleman. He went on and on about how he always wanted one, but was too late in jumping on the wagon. I am pretty sure he was good for it since he and his wife jumped into an Aston Martin when they left. Long story short, I never brought myself to calling the guy's card. Even at $20k, I couldn't bring myself to let her go.

[Cobrajet]

I was offered $20k cash about 3 years ago by a well-to-do gentleman. He went on and on about how he always wanted one, but was too late in jumping on the wagon. I am pretty sure he was good for it since he and his wife jumped into an Aston Martin when they left. Long story short, I never brought myself to calling the guy's card. Even at $20k, I couldn't bring myself to let her go.

I've never entertained an offer to sell my VX... I'm not DEAD YET!! :)

[orion]

I value mine at around $6,000 for drivetrain and whatever scrap metal price is for the rest......:_shrug:

[tjh]

I would dump mine real quick for 25K. 35k no problem. Why build another one ?
I would by another one and keep it mostly stock. Then buy a beater fj40 , Samurai, or something of that nature to play with off-road. But that's just me. :)

[Triathlete]

I would dump mine real quick for 25K. 35k no problem. Why build another one ?
I would by another one and keep it mostly stock. Then buy a beater fj40 , Samurai, or something of that nature to play with off-road. But that's just me. :)

X2

[Triathlete]

Or build the hovervan! :D

[RickOKC]

Yikes, tough question!

Anyone who is honest about being a car guy/gal will admit that there is more love (heart) than brain (logic) when it comes to vehicles.

I was going to bring up the investment in time you spent finding your 4.77's and the value from the time and research, but as you mentioned in the last post - that is among the items that are "keepers!"

I think my VX is realistically worth about $5k, but I would have to get an offer of double that to even pique my interest.

[JoFotoz]

OK!!.hold yer horses their on the $25-35K !!

As I explained...thats for BOTH VX's.

The ORW..which has $10k plus of Mods....and only 30k miles.
And
The crashed one with a perfect engine and copious spares!

OF COURSE I'd sell for $25-$35K if we were talking a lightly modded 100k vehicle!!

So..as it stands now....

I offered him the ORW .....less all the hardcore 4X4 gear , and sitting on 33's .....
...but including Custom Bumper and Line-X (DOHH!)...but NO BARBIE DOLL :p

For.... $23k

OR

We talked about working together to buy him a good VX...
....then I would do all the mods to his specs.

Balls in his court...

Jo

[RickOKC]

OR

We talked about working together to buy him a good VX...
....then I would do all the mods to his specs.

Balls in his court...

Jo
Your truck is just too much of an awesome labor of love to sell, so I'm hoping you build him an ORW Part 2. Just make sure his balls pay up front. (I'm sure I don't have to remind you about that renter from a while back ............) :freek:

[tom4bren]

This whole discussion is why I was so pissed when the insurance company totalled mine back around Christmas .... & were FAR from assessing the value at what I thought it was worth. Luckily I was able to keep her & fix her back up without losing too much on the deal.

Best of luck Jo on whichever path you head down. If the deal goes down the toilet, mebbe you should point him to the thread on the shop in Aberdeen, MD that dropped the 5.3L in a VX. That kind of custom shop could probably build him a really nice ride out of a beater VX ... if he has enough scratch.

[gunbarrelvx]

$6500. In fact, it is for sale. ;)

[pbkid]

Personally I Think With $35 In Hand You Could Build The Exact Truck You Want. I Know For Fact $35 CN Get You A Basic Sas, All The Armor Your Heart Desires, And The Tires You Like. Plus I Think The Value Of Doing It All Over Again, But Better Would Build Me A Truck I Was More Happy With In The Long Run...

[89Vette]

Personally I Think With $35 In Hand You Could Build The Exact Truck You Want.

Yeah....one with a V8!

[princejazzbo]

from the time i brought my vx home i have people stop and ask if it is for sale at least once a week. because let's face it everything is for sale. most of them don't seem to like the price i give them though. i decided after the first few attempts to make my asking price go up everytime somebody tries to buy it from me. currently i'm asking $25,000 and actually have somebody interested. it should be amusing if they come up with the money because i will sell it to them. buy another one and do everything i've done to mine all over again.

[VXD959]

As said in another post, the value is directly proportional to what the parties are willing to sell / buy for !!!

(S + B) / (HB + T) = Final Sales Price

S = The value that the SELLER is willing to sell the product for (perceived value)
B = The value that the Buyer is willing to buy the product for (perceived value)
HB = HOW BAD the Seller wants to sell and/or HOW BAD the BUYER wants to buy - this is usually link to emotions.
T = Time

So is someone is willing to pay $25K-$23K for your VX and you are willing to let go for that price...Go for it!!! Personally I don't think you will find many people interested in buying a VX for that amount. I think is insane, despite all the mods and effort put into it. Doubt you will find someone else at that $$$ level any time soon.

[VXD959]

currently i'm asking $25,000 and actually have somebody interested.

If you are not willing to sell at that price, please send the potential buyer to me. I will sell in a heartbeat!!! And for a lot less!!!!

[etlsport]

Jo, if you go the route of building the guy his own VX make sure to have a document drawn up to protect yourself from any potential liability if he has any issues. Any shop would have a good amount of insurance to cover themselves against anything going wrong. I'm not saying you won't do a fantastic job, but I would hate for the guy to have an accident and then try to blame it on you for installing larger tires or something.

[JoFotoz]

Heard from "buyer" last night...

He is chewing over the $23K for a stripped down ORW.

...but he is leaning towards me building him one.

I really like the "build him one" option.

I have the crashed one with a great engine/tranny...

...so I need a good bodied one with blown engine/tranny

( maybe the one in Austin..I've contacted him.)

Put the two together...make one good one and have a bunch
of spares left over for me from the crashed one.

Thats serves a dual purpose...in that I get to keep the ORW ..

...and it brings another VX back to life.

As for covering my -A*$*$- liability wise...good advice on that...:thumbup:
...and YUP...it is something I've considered and will make sure I'm "safe" !

Jo

[TheGanzman]

One thing to add, as a guy who's built 23 vehicles from the ground up - if you're building a vehicle for SOMEONE ELSE, that "someone" has carte blanche to be PICKY AS HELL, and work you to DEATH getting it "just right"! From where *I* sit, you're FAR better off taking the money NOW for a finished vehicle, "As Is-Where Is" - then building EXACTLY what YOU want for YOURSELF. J'es sayin'...

[JoFotoz]

Yup...wise words Ganzman.

I've built a few vehicles..2 & 4 wheeled....

..and building for yourself is a whole different ball game
compared to building for another person :eek:

(I built a 2 stroke trail bike way back when, for a guy in the UK..
..my sisters boyfriend :eek:...lectured him on oil addition etc..
...he still seized it...and blamed me!)


My gut says youre 100% right...

..and better to build up / modify a donor vehicle...that he supplies.

That would cut the "mechanical" aspect down to intake/exhaust and lift....

...which is fine.

Jo

[Scott Larson]

Lots of sage advice Jo. My two cents? Wouldn't build it for a friend or a stranger, too many potential problems. There's not enough incentive or legal armour-plating to cover your arse. You build a vehicle to his specs, you assume responsibilty for it's driveability and his safety. You sell a vehicle already built, even with many custom features, and it's "buyer beware". The difference is he contracted you to build him a safe and reliable vehicle versus buying one that is completed, putting the responsibility of a thorough inspection on him...just sayin'!! Best of luck no matter what your decision.

[Y33TREKker]

Tough call. Given current market prices, if I was offered THAT much for my low-miler, I could sell it, replace it with a similar albeit most likely higher mileage example (including similar replacement mods) AND add another toy to the garage that I've had my eye on. It's simply a matter of what kinds of modifications your personal preferences/hobbies dictate and how objectively you can view your level of emotional attachment when making the decision.

[LittleBeast]

I have lost count of how much money I have invested in the LittleBeast. I guess it is enough to allow me to not sell for anything close to what someone would be willing to buy it for. I would only really rather be driving, well a car that would be $50k plus, so realistically I probably would not go through the trouble of selling if the offer was not as high as the price for a different car I would more prefer. That is a short list and like I said starts well above $50k.

[JoFotoz]

Yea....I hear you on the "lost track" Ryan!!

This 'situation' actually prompted me to take an inventory of costs over the past 8 1/2 years...:eek:

It came to more than I thought...but no real surprise there!!

Jo

[FenderBender]

I was recently asked to sell mine also. $6k is what I would need to let it go. I still have it. ;)

Jo, Maybe there would be less liability if you Helped him build one instead of building it for him?

[Etfren]

I dunno about you Jo, but no amount of money could get my VX away from me. It would be hard to turn down $20-30K for it, but I would. Even though mine is a trashed old pile and no one would even offer me $5K for it, I wouldn't get rid of it for anything. Its mine and it just wouldn't be the same driving a different VX.

I've only got about 8 grand invested in mine so far, but I'll probably have $15K in it by the time I get most of the mods I'd like to do to it finished. I think finding a good bodied VX with a trashed motor is the way to go and build up from there with your wrecked parts truck.

[Baldwin]

Proton Sr would be hard to sell. It was my first car...and up until Proton Jr. came along, my only car. Proton Jr. was a piece of work that I've poured a lot of $$ into to fix up. That along with the mods, I was asked a few times if I'd be willing to sell. One person offered me $12k. I'm kinda attached to Jr. more now since he's kinda the project car that I've helped through rehab...so I think I'd have to be offered $15k to part with him. But Proton Sr?....Maybe I'd part with him for $50k....after I hit 200k miles. He's nearly perfect! But that's a big Maybe. This car's gonna be a classic remember?