Selling Advice

[Demps]

I've been around these cars for a while. I've always been better at buying than selling. I've also watched most of the crazy scams and online shenanigans. So a few questions for the folks that sell a bunch, that I hope are here as well as Facebook. It's time to thin out:

1) preferred site or advertising way to sell? BAT is appealing but seems slightly cumbersome to get listed.

2). Stock seems to bring more money and interest but thoughts on a 1995 415 that's just completing at Marc Haibeck's?

3). How to best protect oneself from scams or money transfer/thefts?

Thanks,
Ted

[RedThunder]

What color is that bad boy at Haibeck's Ted? Sure hope it's not yellow.

BTW, I remember the last time I saw a yellow ZR-1...it was on a trailer in Cheyenne WY next to a white '95 on it's way to Kansas City.

Dumbest move I ever made but it took me almost 20 yrs to realize it. However, I'm back now with a 12k mile red/gray '90 and would love it if you'd PM me or send me an email (my old email address still works.....as opposed to your old Vader email). That last was said with a smile.

Sorry to hijack your thread as I was just checking in on the Forum after a long, long absence and was pleased to see your handle. Looking forward to hearing from you. Oh yeah, my favorite way to move a ZR-1 is via a trade.

[Mikey]

Sell it to "Stuff" Miller! He needs a proper Chevy..

[Demps]

Stuff sure does!

Jerry, yellow car came back in October. This is red/red. I also will attempt to sell my original low mile cars (white/black, red/beige, & [maybe] yellow/beige). Hard to sell my blue car or my LPE385.

Ted

[Young1]

Sell your most expensive one first so a big money buyer does not settle on a lesser one. Use BAT for the low mileage pristine example. Cost you only $99 and put a reserve on it. People spend some crazy money on BAT. A year ago a 91 Quasar with 200 miles went for $111k on BAT. Consider Hemmings for your prime car too.
For average cars advertise on our Registry and Facebook marketplace and Craigslist for free and it?s easy. Request initial contact to be by email. That eliminates some crazy.
No car leaves your possession without confirmation of funds in your account. Wire transfer preffered. If buyer comes to see with a cashiers check go to your bank and have them process it while you wait for confirmation of transfer of funds.
It takes time and can be tedious. I suggest to sell one car at a time.
If you are wanting easy peasy have Contes/Marty pick them all up and wait for your check. Marty has experience with the international market.

[WARP TEN]

Ted, you raise several good questions which could take more time to thoroughly answer than I can offer. While I am by no means an expert, I will respond to them in a limited, but hopefully helpful, way.

First, as to scams and related concerns I have attached three recent articles from Sports Car Market magazine by their legal analyst John Draneas. One is on scams, one on how to deal with auction issues, one is on paperwork. SCM primarily covers auctions, both in person and online around the world. Certainly if you have concerns about a buyer's ability to complete a deal, you might look into having the process managed by a local attorney and closing it in escrow. Sometimes a local bank will help but sometimes they worry too much about liability. And when I worked in my early retirement for seven years at a local BMW/Mercedes/Land Rover dealer, I know that any cash deals required a Fed Wire transfer (not an ACH, which can sometimes be reversed) prior to title transfer. A Fed Wire is the safest way to insure you have good funds in your account when you transfer title.

Second, as to selling your 415 vs stock cars, I suggest you talk with Marty (DRM500RUBYZR-1) as he is very knowledgeable about this subject. (BTW I saw your car at Marc?s shop yesterday when we met for one of our roughly monthly lunches). My thoughts: The best buyer for a 415 modified by Marc is likely a forum member or some other person very knowledgeable about C4 ZR-1s and their mods. At the right price, I certainly would buy your 415 but a less knowledgeable person might have second thoughts and concerns about a modded car regardless of what we all know about Marc?s reputation. As you note, well maintained stock cars that are 25-30 years old are often easier to sell than modified ones due to a potentially bigger audience. I believe you will likely not recover much or all of your modification investment. My own experience with my 510 HP Marc-modified ?95 was that I sold it for about $37k in 2016 but had a total of about $50k in it by then. (The loss was well worth the Perma Grin amortized over the time I owned it!). I would suggest that if you plan to sell all but one of your ZR-1s that you hang on to the 415 and sell the rest. It will represent what they call an ?Unrealized Loss? until you sell and will be great fun while you own it. But when you sell it certainly start with the various forums where the knowledgeable folks lurk.

As to venue, I am sure there a lot of good opinions here and on other forums. Online auctions have come a long way but as an old school (and simply old) guy I have not utilized them. One way to deal with BAT or other good ones is to utilize an experienced broker/presenter and pay their fee; many are well known in the auction community but I don?t know how much they charge. Given my inexperience with auctions, were I selling a collector car I might choose that method. With a BMW 5 series a couple years ago I had surprisingly good luck with the local Facebook marketplace. It generated a quick sale from a guy who lived nearby and was a friend of our friends, making the sale easy using a personal check. Not sure it would work with a ZR-1. I have also had good luck with Hemmings over the years. They have print, online and auction formats available. I actually found my ?95 on Hemmings (print) in 2012 and when I advertised it there several years later, that is where I got my lead on its sale.

Anyway, my $.02. As I said, I believe that Marty would be a good resource for you on this. Good luck. And I hope you get to enjoy that 415! --Bob

[WARP TEN]

Hee's the last article on Paperwork due to upload limitations of our forum. Also
I am including a recent SCM article on the ZR-1 market in general which I posted earlier this year. --Bob

[Demps]

Bob,
Thanks as always. Lots of good advice and references. We think alike: sell stock...enjoy modified.

I've been so excited about this 415 (Red): stock cammed, coilovers, Brembo/Porsche brakes. I plan to drive & enjoy it if someone doesn't have to have a turn-key car. My other 415 (yellow) is a little rowdy in normal driving with the big cams.

Ted

[Matt B]

Ted, is there a 93 in your collection? I'm not really on a hunt but intend to get a 93 to accompany my 91 one day. Bone stock car in driver quality preferred over any modifications or trailer queens...

[Demps]

Matt, no '93s.

95s: 2x 415s, LPE 385, SGC 350 cammed, bolt-on, exhaust & gears, 2x stock
91: SGC 350

Ted