Value of a '89 CRX SI?

My wife owns a 1989 Honda CRX SI that is in fantastic shape. She is
the original owner, and the car has been garage kept since 1992, so
the interior, body, and paint are in very good condition, with only a
few parking lot dings. All maintenance has been done regularly
(including paint sealant every 6 months) by the dealer. She only
drives a few miles back and forth each day, so the car has only around
51,000 miles. She has begun to have problems with arthritis and is
having difficulty with the steering and using a clutch. Therefore she
is considering selling the car to purchase something with an automatic
transmission and power-assisted steering (perhaps the new Civic
Hybrid). We are aware that the CRX SI model has become something of a
classic, and considering the superb condition of this car for its age,
we know the usual sources of used car prices would not be accurate. We
wondered if folks out there have suggestions about what price to ask
in selling the car. It's black, with grey interior. Thanks in
advance for any input.

 

Do you count www.edmunds.com among the "usual sources" for appraising used
cars? It seems about as precise a resource as may be had for your needs,
being organized by year, mileage, condition, color, etc., and geographic
location, among other things.

 

yup. id be interested, if it was in the los angeles region. ive always
loved those cars.

 

I would atleast pay $10,000 for this car.

 

Sorry, we're on the opposite coast. By the way, we have checked
Edmunds, and we don't think that represents the true value of the car.
That's why we're interested in the views of people here.

 

I checked Edmunds yesterday, and I can say I personally would pay more than
the top price (the retail used car price, not more than $3k for my area)
that they said was the average for your car. I wouldn't pay $10k. Maybe 33%
more than what Edmunds states for the retail price. Otherwise, I'd think the
seller was seriously trying to gouge me. Fact is, I'd only be interested
because I know this vintage of Hondas pretty well at this point. That's
worth something to me. The typical used car buyer does not have this
knowledge and has only Edmunds to go by. That's leverage on the buyer's
side. S/he doesn't have to trust you about what a great car it is. You're
only one person, and the (biased) seller at that.

But set the price at a value that makes sense to you, with room for
haggling, and see if you get some interest. Maybe have documentation on why
this is such a great car.

 

for a rust-free, uncrashed, clean title california car with all the
docs, i'd say $6k. maybe a little more on a good day. you'll have to
figure out how yours compares.

fyi, there's a guy that advertises on craigslist here in the bay area
several times a week for such a car. he offers less, but he's been
advertising for 2+ years, so i'd say he'd pay more for the right
vehicle. people will fly to collect. you have a good digicam, right?

 

This might be a good car to sell on eBay.

However you sell it, be careful of funny transactions such as people
offering more than your asking price, people outside the countries,
etc. Iv'e heard there is a lot of fraud of this type going around.
You might want to research this point before you sell.

 

hm. id also check:

ebay
CRX club sites
would it be too new for something like hemmings?
google should give some ideas, too.
the "dealer resale" price on edmunds is higher and more accurate.

i know what you mean about that. my cars only "worth" (according to
edmunds) $4500 or so as a trade in, and the dealer resale price would be
something like $6000, supposedly.

in reality, i know dealers would ask $8000, and id could easily get
$6000 from a private party.

 

if its "all that and a bag o chips", id say $7990 would be a fair firm
asking price. a thourough detailing and visit by a paintless dent guy
would help.

who knows, though. might find someone who has fond memories of that
being their "first car/car they drove in high school, college, etc/lost
their virginity in/whatever"

theyd obviously pay more. after all, $12k will get you a nice shiny
hyundai, so i wouldnt expect more than that.

this is all assuming its had at least ONE timing belt/water pump, and
the tires are recent.

yup. theyre only going to get top dollar if they sell to an enthusiast.

 

ive sold 2 vehicles on ebay. its easy to set the stipulations you want.
i asked for and got a buyer willing to pay cash, and that would come to
my area to pick up.

one came to long beach california from san diego, one from texas. both
were happy.

 

East coast means winter. You will get a better price in spring.

The best price will come from someone who knows this car and wants it.
Trying to persuade someone who doesn't know it that it is a great car is
a losing proposition. The model and its condition will determine its price.
There are few CRXs around that are in good unmolested condition. Most
are just old cars or have extensive mods that are of questionable value.
Dan

(This account is not used for email.)

 

Car salespeople persuade the naive all the time. The difference is that, in
this instance, there actually are reports documenting what a great car the
c. 1990 CRXs are. Probably can't beat the fuel mileage (for the dollar
amount paid) either. If the guy has documented maintenance on the car, even
better.

If one is honest-sounding, not pushy, and documents his/her claims, this can
be very persuasive.

 

The true value of the car is what a buyer will pay. Is autotrader available
online for your area?

 

(Original Poster, here.) We appreciate your and everyone elses input
on this. We do indeed have all maintenance records, including that of
a recent timing belt and water pump. No modifications, no accidents,
though there is one very small parking lot dent. As we suspected,
finding the right buyer is going to be key. Fortunately, we are in no
hurry to sell, so we can wait for the right buyer. Since we have no
experience with E-bay, Craigs list, etc., we may start with an ad in
the Washington Post. Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

Not to drag this out too much, but in 1991 when I was determined that my
next set of new wheels would be reliable, I went to Consumer Reports April
car review issues and confirmed all those bright, fully-filled in red
circles for the Civic (CRX too) in the reliability section. They confirmed
what I had heard from many people and sold me. Maybe have a set of those for
years CR years 93-97 (of course the 89 CRX will be in there). Point out that
those surveys are based on a few thousand cars per model.

If I had a god-awful accident with my 91 Civic tomorrow, rendering it
undrivable ever again, and a seller with the car history and documentation
you claim was standing fast at $4k or even $4.5k for this 89 CRX, and
assuming a few other things like it's a manual tranny and the seat folds
down, then it would be a perfect fit. After checking Edmunds, I think I'd
stealthily ('cause that's the kinda consumer I am) still leap on it and
probably pretty happily hand over $4.5k. But again, that would be in
desperate circumstances. Otherwise, I'd move on until I found a seller for a
similar car not exceeding Edmunds retail price.

 

However you sell it, be careful of funny transactions such as people

yup, happened, to me (didn't get taken though, luckly) the guy sent me 4
postal money orders of 1,000 each. (selling price of the car was 3100.)
well, money orders were fake (as soon as I saw them, I KNEW they were fake,
I brought them to the post office the post master said "nope they are real"
I then told him "ok, let me cash one" and sure enough I'm told "yep, your
right, they are fake". point fo teh story MAKE SURE to have any checks clear
(preferbly paid by bank check or good ole cash if possible) before they
drive away. my friend had one of those (I think it was a 1990) and MAN did
that care move, that thing was a blast to drive.

 

(Original Poster, here.) We appreciate your and everyone elses input

I would say to try autotrader or cars.com, when I sold my maxima, I used
both of them and got 4 or 5 responses in a week. autotrader also goes in the
magazine as well as on-line and cars.com also lists with a few other sites,
just a thought.

 

the old car dealer talk-down tactic. dude, i sold a beaten up old crx,
admittedly clean title, but several wrinkles, 320k miles and a blowing
exhaust, for more than you're offering. clean, uncrashed, original crx
si with low original miles? like hens teeth. price accordingly.

 

I'd give you $2K for it. I'm on the east cost. Let me know if you want to
sell. Those miles you talk about are on the motor. That motor is $300 bought
used with less mileage than the one you have right now. Nice shell/auto body
is alright. I'll give you $1200 for shell and $800 for motor+tranny.

Some of you have gone mad with $6000 for an 89 CRX even amongst enthusiasts
like myself. It's just an old, Honda CRX after all. You can repaint an older
car and get it to look brand new. You people have gone out of your minds.