by "Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
Published 03/15/2017 at 17:16
by "Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
Published 03/15/2017 at 17:16
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STARS: 0
My wife has been wanting to sell our freestyle for a while, and get herself something newer. Recently the AC compressor jammed up with little bits of black stuff, and somehow both locked up to cause the serpentine belt to break and sent shreds of metal throughout the system, making the conversation about replacement more immediate.
The car is a 2006 Ford freestyle with AWD(which increases the kbb estimate by nearly $1k!) that has been well cared for (I guess except for the ac). It’s just over 150,000 miles and kbb tells me a range of $3,000-$3800 for private party sales depending on condition. It is more or less up to date on service, new serpentine belt, decent tires, has a replacement throttle body that’s on warranty(only big problem with those cars), no big gouges or dents. But dead AC.
The AC system though, is dead. And I’m not going to lie about it to potential buyers. Google tells me it’s a $700-1,500 fix depending on who you ask(and the shop I use was at the high end) and how much they think should be replaced versus flushed.
So, assuming this car would otherwise be worth the $3,500ish KBB recommends, what would be a fair asking price with a completely inoperable AC system? I’m thinking $2,800 asking price. I mean someone is not going to care about ac, right?
And to those thinking I’ll have new exciting things to post about, my wife has ignored everything I’ve ever said about GTIs, CTS wagons, and instead really likes the C-Max Energi. Hmmm...
"E90M3" (e90m3)
03/15/2017 at 17:20, STARS: 4
Ask for 3500, mention the AC problem and then negotiate from that. If you start at 2800 you’re not going to get that, it’s fine if you get that but I wouldn’t start there.
"Phatboyphil" (justphil)
03/15/2017 at 17:21, STARS: 0
Tangential question. What preventative maintenance, if any, can be done to avoid this? Because this sounds super shitty.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
03/15/2017 at 17:22, STARS: 0
I would say $2800 to $3000. This sounds dumb on the surface, but there is value in having to fix the air conditioner and knowing for sure it works like new.
"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
03/15/2017 at 17:24, STARS: 0
Seems like fair advice. Just be completely upfront about it. Realistically, I would expect to not get much more than $2,500
"PatBateman" (PatBateman)
03/15/2017 at 17:25, STARS: 2
"BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind" (briangriffinsprius)
03/15/2017 at 17:27, STARS: 1
Take it to CarMax on a cold day and see what they give you.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
03/15/2017 at 17:30, STARS: 1
I mean, I wouldn’t expect to get much more than that either. However, if you start low they’re still going to want money off for the AC being shot. So if you start at 3500 and then are like well I can take 500 off for the AC.
I have no luck trying to sell my 128i, so I don’t have experience negotiating car prices.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
03/15/2017 at 17:35, STARS: 0
You might want to just go ahead and fix it - get 2 or 3 estimates. That way a buyer can’t use it as a negotiating tool.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 17:35, STARS: 0
I actually don’t know for sure, it’s not uncommon on fords and hondas, apparently. I should look into it though since my wife’s leading candidate is another Ford. If you google something like “ac Black Death” you’ll find lots of info.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 17:37, STARS: 0
Last I checked there was no car max nearby. Wemight trade it in, and I’m not sure what I’d say but I feel like it’ll still end up in some persons hands if I lie to a dealer or car max.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 17:39, STARS: 0
Yeah, if someone has a better relationship with a shop than me, they could get it done on the low end, and know it’s actually be done right.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 17:42, STARS: 0
I should say, I’m hoping for anything over $2,000. It’ll give us a down payment sufficient to buy a C-Max and keep the payments where we want.
And I’m guessing the market for a 7 seater AWD domestic suvish wagon thing is quite a bit broader than a German coupe. Not that a 1 series isn’t cool but there is lots of people looking for something to haul people or stuff for little money but only a few looking for a RWD coupe.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
03/15/2017 at 17:45, STARS: 0
I would still start at 3500 and let people talk you down. If you’re really only expecting to get 2k, anything over that is a plus. You can also start there and then lower the price if you’re not getting any hits.
You’re right, the market for a domestic hauler is a lot broader than that of a small RWD German coupe.
"RPM esq." (rpm3)
03/15/2017 at 17:50, STARS: 0
I see Oregon plates...how far are you from Portland? There are CarMax locations in Clackamas and Beaverton.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/15/2017 at 17:54, STARS: 1
$2800 is a good asking price. I’d probably ask for $3k and take the first $2500 cash that crossed my palms. If it doesn’t sell in a week or two, then start lowering your price. It’ll be a hell of a lot easier to sell now, than in a couple months.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 17:55, STARS: 0
Yeah, I’m on the fence.
I’m thinking some people in the $2000-3000 car market might just not have AC as that high of a priority; lots of cars on Craigslist sell without working AC. And we are in the PNW, so it gets hot but not Washington DC hot, or Las Vegas hot. Second, I know there is a lot of stuff that gets pulled for replacing some of the ac components, initial estimates aside, I’d hate to be staring at a bunch of “look what we found” or while we are in here things. The other part of the equation is that it would make me feel warm and fuzzy inside to be done with this car and I was thinking sending it in for the repair is just more time.
But on the other hand, like you said, I now know what’s wrong so I can really effectively cross shop repair costs and find someone to get it done cheap. And then just list at kbb and it will eventually sell.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/15/2017 at 17:56, STARS: 1
Counter-point. If you start too high, it’ll just sit. A car with no AC is a lot easier to sell now than in a couple months.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/15/2017 at 17:58, STARS: 1
If you’d be happy at anything over $2k, then I’d start with your $2800. More than anything you want to sell it before it starts getting warm or humid.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 17:59, STARS: 1
Eugene! I actually may be in Portland this weekend though. Might be worth a shot to drive into a carmax.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 18:00, STARS: 0
Very true, Oregon doesn’t have awful heat in the summer but it’d be a tough sell in July or august anywhere in the country.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/15/2017 at 18:04, STARS: 0
Yep. It’s easy to tell yourself you don’t care about AC in March. In July when you’re sweating your nards off, it’s a whole different story :)
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 18:04, STARS: 0
The other reason to “strike while the iron is mildly warm” so to speak is that there aren’t many freestyles on Craigslist in the area right now. One private seller with a non running car at $1,800; and then a bunch on used lots for $4,000-6,000 depending on miles, etc.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/15/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 0
That’s easy competition then.
"MylesD" (mylesd)
03/15/2017 at 18:08, STARS: 0
That same exact thing happened with a 97 Explorer I owned. Black stuff out of AC and then serpentine belt goes kaput, sends metal all throughout, resulting in additional repairs.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 18:28, STARS: 0
Well they didn’t fix it in the 9 year s after your car was made. I think it’d be less frustrating if it weren’t so catastrophic. Serpentine belt, and the ac compressor was jammed up, and the rest of the system is contaminated.
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
03/15/2017 at 19:05, STARS: 0
Drop the price $250 if you are in an area that doesn’t regularly use AC, $750 for someplace like Phoenix.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
03/15/2017 at 20:00, STARS: 0
I’d knock off 1000. Finding someone to buy a modern car without working AC is a PITA.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
03/15/2017 at 20:02, STARS: 1
Good point. Now would be the time to sell it.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
03/15/2017 at 20:03, STARS: 0
My wife’s Sable’s compressor also exploded...
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
03/15/2017 at 20:43, STARS: 0
Feel confident doing it yourself? Did a hose once, and recharging is easy, but I have no idea how difficult it is to get to the compressor in that thing. And - recommend one to a buddy some years back - did you have any transmissions issues?
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/15/2017 at 22:53, STARS: 0
It’s actually got a decent compressor(I got a disassembler unit because my old one couldn’t even serve as a placeholder) the problem is that every other piece in the system is supposed to be changed because they get filled with metal and of course, the Black Death. I’m focusing my wrenching efforts to other, more fun, things.
I never had a transmission problem, in my general forum perusing, most people seem to mistake the bucking and acceleration issues from the throttle body which is very problematic(but pretty cheap) with transmission issues.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
03/15/2017 at 23:00, STARS: 0
Figure it’s worth a grand to fix, so knock that off your real sale price and knock less than that off the asking price, the $2800 figure is good. What are they going for in your local area? Check the local market for those cars and Price it a couple hundred less and see what happens.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
03/16/2017 at 01:16, STARS: 0
OK ... thought it was a bolt on thing with a new compressor (or a rebuilt one).
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
03/16/2017 at 01:22, STARS: 0
Dealers are at 4000-6000. Private include - One not running for 1800 but they say “easy fix”, one fir 2800 with bad motor mount and looks not well kept, one for 3600 that’s fwd but otherwise similar