'72 CSI @ CCA classifieds

JFENG

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,177
Reaction score
1,393
Location
Bahston (Boston)
Sounds like a complete gamble and a waste of time. For that kind of money, buy a rusted one for 15-20k and put another 30-40 to have VSR restore it properly.



There's a nice white one advertised on the cca site for less $.
Lots of upgrades. NMMA
 

digixjairo

Well-Known Member
Messages
180
Reaction score
0
Location
Los Angeles
That white one is nice. I can't believe it hasn't sold. I like Polaris. That's why I like this one. There's going to be a nice Malaga in 4 weeks. I'm holding off for that one.
 

Carmen

Member
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Location
Lake Oswego, OR
Hi Guys,

Just to update you on this car. I had been in contact with the seller and was going to fly out on Saturday. He also told me that he had the car at Bimmers R Us and that they could do a PPI. I guess I should have known better not to have used his own mechanic to do a PPI.

The PPI found that the front bushings are cracked, the fuel sending unit needs replacing, there has been some touch up on the rear by the muffler. The driver side door needs adjusting. All in all it seemed like worth flying to go seal the deal. I would take the that PPI with caution though and still suggest to have Don or someone more reputable check it out if you are interested.

Well now the seller got greedy and since he has had a lot of calls he is now asking $70k. He had promised to sell it to me for $55k but I guess he feels like he underpriced it.

Good luck to the seller! That is my rant for the day.

Thanks for the information on the PPI. I also talked to the seller. Nice guy and credible. A local dealer told him the price is too low. It will be hard to move at $70K but he may now get more than $55K. The price increase doesn't work for me. It's hard for me to rationalize paying more for an '72 e9 than a brand new 535i.
 

WALTER

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
603
Reaction score
162
Location
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Thanks for the information on the PPI. I also talked to the seller. Nice guy and credible. A local dealer told him the price is too low. It will be hard to move at $70K but he may now get more than $55K. The price increase doesn't work for me. It's hard for me to rationalize paying more for an '72 e9 than a brand new 535i.

Price may by a little high; however, that brand new 535i won't increase in value and you'll see one just like yours everyday, if not numerous times per day. You'll probably be the only one with a coupe in your city unless you're in SoCal and your coupe will probably not decrease in value and there's a good chance it may be worth more than you paid when you sell it. That being said, the 535i is in every way (except looks) a better car, but so is a Honda Civic.
 

Peter Coomaraswamy

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $$
Messages
3,787
Reaction score
896
Location
Austin, TX
Don't want to rant- but need to

From what I understand, the Polaris, which looked like a nice car may have been worth 55 pending a thorough PPI and a long test drive. Someone tells him it's worth more and he raises the price? OK, so what does that say about the seller? Either he does not know much about his product and has to rely on a "dealer" or he's kind of greedy or both. This is the second time this has happened (maybe more) that I remember. e9's are beautiful, no doubt, but the real beauty is in driving them and maintaining them. Personally, I hope they never become part of the "classic car grab" that seems to be going on over the last few years.

To the seller, please forgive me if I am incorrect in my assumptions/opinions above- my intent is not to bash, just add an opinion.
 

amg5872

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $
Messages
148
Reaction score
27
Location
St. Louis, MO
I went and looked at this CSI today. It lives literally one mile from my home. I am by no means an expert but the car is absolutely beautiful. I counted maybe three very small and minor paint imperfections. Other than those, which are hardly noticeable, the paint looks great. Chrome looks great. Seems to have newish seals all around. The interior was pretty near perfect. The blue vinyl looks excellent to me, better than I thought. I drove it for about 15 minutes. The exhaust sounds really cool. What can I say, the car drove awesome. Slight shimmy above 70ish MPH. Also, the idle felt a tad rough, maybe it was just set too low. Really fun car to drive. Nice to have the 5 speed. Having talked to the owner for an hour and seen his home and garage (which also holds an M coupe and Boxter S), he strikes me as an honest and meticulous guy who has the interest and funds to keep his toys in tip top shape. As for the price increase I do not get the sense he's trying to squeeze every penny out of the sale; I think he was told by others that his initial ask was below market and he didn't want to leave money on the table. He had extensive documentation and photos neatly organized in binders, including plenty of detail on the $66,000 restoration. He also showed me the original engine and transmission stored in his garage. I don't know enough to say whether the price is high or low but the car is stunning in person and a blast to drive. Someone here should buy it for the right price.

AG
 

JFENG

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
3,177
Reaction score
1,393
Location
Bahston (Boston)
Well now the seller got greedy and since he has had a lot of calls he is now asking $70k. He had promised to sell it to me for $55k but I guess he feels like he underpriced it.

A couple years ago I would've felt the same way. But put yourself in the seller's shoes for minute.

Let's say you're a nice guy, genuine car nut, but not the type that reads the forum every day and keeps up on auction results. You list a car for sale, and someone you trust tells you that you've left $15k on the table. Let's say you haven't signed a bill of sale yet and nobody has gotten on a plane. What would you do? Are you generous enough to give the buyer that $15k spread and be satisfied that your Karma is now that much better? Would you at least have the courtesy to reimburse a potential buyer that had already bought a non-refundable plane ticket?

And more: Let's say that the shop that did the PPI realized your asking price is way out of line with the market. Would you want the shop to tell you about it or should the shop's loyalty be 100% with the potential buyer? What if the car sold cheap, and you found out later that the shop knew it was way under priced? Would you then be tempted disparage the shop's reputation?

Until the bill of sale is signed, I now feel it's the seller's perogative to change their mind.

And, I was in a similar situation to you multiple times in the last 5 years (2 CSL's and a Delahaye 135m). At the time I was pissed, but in retrospect I can't say I blame the sellers for doing what was best for themselves.

And finally, I've always used freq. flyer miles when shopping for cars, for the simple reason that you can cancel and put the miles back into the account should the car sell before I get there (and I can't the seller to do a conditional bill of sale - on a satisfactory PPI).

John
 

digixjairo

Well-Known Member
Messages
180
Reaction score
0
Location
Los Angeles
A couple years ago I would've felt the same way. But put yourself in the seller's shoes for minute.

Let's say you're a nice guy, genuine car nut, but not the type that reads the forum every day and keeps up on auction results. You list a car for sale, and someone you trust tells you that you've left $15k on the table. Let's say you haven't signed a bill of sale yet and nobody has gotten on a plane. What would you do? Are you generous enough to give the buyer that $15k spread and be satisfied that your Karma is now that much better? Would you at least have the courtesy to reimburse a potential buyer that had already bought a non-refundable plane ticket?

And more: Let's say that the shop that did the PPI realized your asking price is way out of line with the market. Would you want the shop to tell you about it or should the shop's loyalty be 100% with the potential buyer? What if the car sold cheap, and you found out later that the shop knew it was way under priced? Would you then be tempted disparage the shop's reputation?

Until the bill of sale is signed, I now feel it's the seller's perogative to change their mind.

And, I was in a similar situation to you multiple times in the last 5 years (2 CSL's and a Delahaye 135m). At the time I was pissed, but in retrospect I can't say I blame the sellers for doing what was best for themselves.

And finally, I've always used freq. flyer miles when shopping for cars, for the simple reason that you can cancel and put the miles back into the account should the car sell before I get there (and I can't the seller to do a conditional bill of sale - on a satisfactory PPI).

John

I never would have realized how much of an emotional roller coaster hunting for a coupe would be.
 
Top