How much do you think this is worth...?

Hey guys…

 :dontknow: HOW MUCH SOULD I ASK FOR MY SPORTLINE? :dontknow:

I have recently been contemplating putting my sportline up for sale. It seems that the perfect time to sell is just around the corner, and i want to ensure i get the very best price for it as i have splurged a hell of a lot of money on it over the past year.

A few details…

1781 cc GTI Sportline in Black (one of only 28 i believe!)
82,000 miles,
Totally standard APART from clifford alarm, 'big brake' front disc & caliper conversion, and cd player and speakers,
4 previous owners,
Very comprehensive service history - mostly @ VW garages,
Tonnes of old MOT's, receipts for work, etc etc,
Recaro interior & all interior in excellent condition - no wear on bolsters,
MFA and nearly NEW electric hood in fantastic condition (no leaks) - comes complete with original hood cover,
Standard bbs ra alloys with black centres (a few minor scuffs on the outer lips),
Engine & mechanics overhaul 9 months ago… including…
New clutch,
New clutch cable,
New gear box bush kit,
New rear brake shoes,
New rear bearings,
New air intake hose,
New cam belt,
New Timing belt,
New fan belt,
Fully waxoiled & full service on top!

HPi Clear Certificate.

The car is in fantastic condition, and drives superbly. There are a few slight imperfections to the paint work here and there which are unnoticeable, but i'm a bit of a perfectionist!


My beloved j plate sportline in black:




I plan to put the car up on autotrader, and would appreciate it if you could give me a rough guide as to how much to ask.

I love the car dearly, and would be sorry to see it go, however i need a more practicle car, with a bigger boot for work (im a builder).

I have seen red sportlines advertised at ?4,500, and black ones advertised at anything up to ?6,000 in the past.

Please advise!

Many Thanks,

Mark

Yeah but did they sell? I'd say ?2500-3000, the problem is MK3 Golf convertibles are plentiful around ?2500, also there's loads of other makes/models, such as Ford Escort, Vauxhall Astra, etc all around that age at ?1000 or so.

Good point Paul, however i have been keeping my eye on sportlines over the past year, and i have seen red ones being bid up to atleast ?3,500 on ebay.

Advice is so conflicting, i'm just not sure… that's why i've asked for everyone's help.

Also… it's a very rare car.

Regards,

Mark

p/s - EVERYONE knows the mk3 convertibles are pathetic, sluggish excuses for volkswagens, so there's no competition really!

also… the car has just had it's MOT (flew through), and will have 6 months tax.

Thanks again guys for any advice you can give me!

 

Mark

hi mate if your planing on putting it on ebay just put a reserve price on it of what your after for the car as thair will always be someone out thair willing to pay what your after

Example

i brought myself a mk1 escort project for ?350 and then sold it on ebay for ?700
only sold it as i never realy had the space on the drive in the first place  ops:

Cheers first golf for the info!

Does anyone else have any advice… please?

I'm not overly keen on ebay for selling cars because… well… most ebayers are dishonest, and won't come up with the cash - leaving you with no sale and a bill due to ebay!

It's a con IMO.

Mark

paul_c said

Yeah but did they sell? I'd say ?2500-3000, the problem is MK3 Golf convertibles are plentiful around ?2500, also there's loads of other makes/models, such as Ford Escort, Vauxhall Astra, etc all around that age at ?1000 or so.

Come on paulc… Nobody wants a mk3 cab really do they? I bought one years ago.. the Avante garde, top of the range GTI… It drove like a bag of washing and I got rid after only two months… You always seem to under value cars just because you personally would not be prepared to pay that much for it… So….

In MY humble opinion… Based on what I have seen cars go for last year… And believe me I watched lots, even a black "L" reg sportline… I think if the condition is excellent, then in April you could expect realistically to get ?4,000….. So much depends on condition.

If it were only deemed to only be in fair to good condition then I am with paulc, around the ?2,500 - ?3,000 mark tops!

Walt…

I agree with you. avantgarde's ARE wet! …they are completely shameful excuses for volkswagens!

My sportline IS in fantastic condition. Thanks a lot for the advice!



Any more advice from anyone? Has anyone tried to sell one at all?

Many Thanks,

Mark

Timing will be everything to get the max price for it.  When the sun starts shining and the air is warm, that'll be the time.  It's a good looking car and it's a shame you have to sell.

Wait a minute Black Sportline  Hmmm…..tempting.

btw Mk3's suk!

Thanks for the comments EW!

Given the wait for the warm weather, etc… What do you recon i should realistically be asking for and, in turn accepting…?

Mark

IMO if the car was in prestine condition, then i would attempt to sell at the higher price range of around ?4000-?4500

If like walt said that it may be in average condition then your more then likely gonna get ?3000-?3500.

You must have an idea in your head of how much you want for it. And i myself have seen these for sale for up to ?6000, but then a few months later seen the same car still for sale for ?4500, so i very much doubt they ever go for that much. They are rarer then the reds but it again all depends on the time you sell and the condition.

Agreed kenno…

I guess i just wanted to reassure myself. It IS a fantastic car, and ideally i would like ?5000 for it, as i have seen others, with higher mileage advertised for elsewhere.

But, as everyone says… do they EVER sell for that much?

 :dontknow:

Its practically impossible to put a price on a car without seeing it in the flesh. It does come down to what someone is prepared to pay, how much you are prepared to accept, and how long you can wait for the right buyer to come along.
I'd go along with Walt's prces too. I've been watching prices for a long time myself.

And check this…

… I have an old parkers guide that has some figures in for sportlines and Rivages. I wouldn't say the 2nd hand prices are at all anything to go by really but its is a bit useful! The price new is nice to know.

Prices from July 2000


Prices from Jan/Feb 2002

ew said

btw Mk3's suk!

What all of them? :wink:


Just a Glimpse of my Highline VR6 :roll:

cheers ross…

that helps too!

the ?4,500 mark seems a common pinacle asking price!

anymore viewpoints or comments are gratefully appreciated!

Mark

seriously though i would aim for around 3.5-4k for it, when i was looking for mine i saw so many that were far to highly priced, and some were not very nice cars to be honest! yours does look stunning so i reckon you could realise that sort of money, it just depends who sees it and how bad they want this particular "rarer" model, incidently i always thought they made 1/2 and 1/2 red and black sportlines? although i did read somewhere only 50 black ones were done? anyway i would of paid more for mine than i had to if it was priced dearer!!!!! if you get what i mean? i only gave 2k for mine, but that was in december! and it needed new shocks and top mounts and few other odds and ends doing, passed mot today no problem at all, i wouldnt sell it even if i was offered 5k now!!!!!!

Topoftherange said

ew said

btw Mk3's suk!

What all of them? :wink:


Just a Glimpse of my Highline VR6 :roll:

The sixpot IS a great engine and the purple is particulerly nice, but the shape doesn't do it for me….sorry  

8) full purple leather interior too :wink:  i do know what you mean though! mk3 went a bit "rounded" and less character, still an awesome vdub though, does double the speed limit and a bit more 8O , i wouldnt want to do that in the cabrio!!!

topoftherange… good input mate!

everyone's looking for a bargain nowadays though. not really sure what to do really. everything's been done to mine, and it's a wicked car. might just keep the thing! ha!

i wouldn't buy a mk3… unless it was a vr6 highline… in black! Your purple monster on bbs splitties does look nice tho matey!

btw… the figures for the sportline are correct… red ones ARE far more common than black ones. i do like both of them tho! (blacks a little more than reds - ha!)

TBH this will only really appeal to people in vw circles that can appreciate the rareity of the car.  The average person could look at a black clipper  cab and a black sportline cab and see a price difference of 2-3k.  What will they be thinking???

Realistically I would think you could expect to pocket around 3.75 for a generally good but not concourse car at the height of the buying season unless you're prepared to hang it out for the long haul in the hope that someone will be prepared to pay more.  All depends on how quickly you need to sell.  The higher your asking price the less people will show interest, a fine line between tempting folk into the driving seat and them moving on to view the next car.