86 Corolla GTS *moved*

[zzCorolla]

I am trying to find out how much my 1986 Corolla GTS (5 Speed/Hatchback) is worth.

It has 200K (I've personally had it since 1989 when it only had 30K). Less than a year ago, a hose burst and it had a huge oil leak and the engine was destroyed. I actually had the engine and the clutch replaced (with a newer after market engine from Japan). So, it drives even nicer now, but the body is beginning to rust around the wheel well.

Lots of people tell me they want it, but nobody is telling me how much it is worth. Since I have spent so much on it, I don't want to "give it away".

What do you think it is really worth?

[lucky ducky 7]

go to NADA.com and click on consumer then click on used car prices then enter what the corolla has and it will tell you the price of it and if you sell it the put it on auto trder.

[Zenshi]

could probably get 2k ~ 3k for it, just my guess. :)

[statick]

wut motor was put in it?

[DonJuan]

Pics would help in the estimation process... Which pic does it look more like?
#1 in which case $100 bucks

[DonJuan]

Or like #2 in which case I'll give you $100 bucks right now!:D

[FrostyLight]

I actually own a functional 1986 Corolla, and while it does not look as great as the #2 pic that DonJuan posted, it runs quite well.

Now, the thing is, a stranger came up to our house last week and asked if the Corolla was for sale. We told him no, but got his number and my family is wondering what the price of the car might be. This has happened 2 times before.

KBB places its value at $300, but the law of supply and demand states that when there is high demand and low supply, the price goes up.

So, what would be reasonable? Is $10,000 too much? Heck, I think it is, but hey, how often do you find an 86 Corolla, (AE86) with a clean title and the works? Never been in a crash or whatnot, well maintained, etc.

Question to DonJuan - there's a piece of paper in front of the hood on #2 - but I cant read it from here. Do you know what it says, or at least the price on it?

[GTS Jeff]

ask 3 grand. if u have some patience ull find a buyer that will pay 2500.

[DonJuan]

there isn's a price on it as far as I can see, it's just got an extensive list of sick mods done to it.:drool:

[zzCorolla]

Sorry, I'm a bit clueless here...

1st- It's a 1987 model GTS not a 1986!

2nd- I didn't notice my post was moved here, so I reposted in the Market Place

The replacement engine is a 4AGE.

Must admit, the rust level on mine is more than the average Corolla GTS I see driving around Vanouver...dunno why, we have so little snow.

It looks OK, except that around the wheel wells, the black plastic trims are starting to peel off. It's had 3-4 fender benders over the 15 years, but nothing major. I'll get pictures over the weekend.

If it looked like #2, I'd never try to sell it, because with the "new" engine it runs quite well. I am told a good paint job will be about $5K. Is that right?

[statick]

:werd: to wut GTS jeff sed.....3 grandish is more realistic

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by zzCorolla
Sorry, I'm a bit clueless here...

1st- It's a 1987 model GTS not a 1986!

2nd- I didn't notice my post was moved here, so I reposted in the Market Place

The replacement engine is a 4AGE.

Must admit, the rust level on mine is more than the average Corolla GTS I see driving around Vanouver...dunno why, we have so little snow.

It looks OK, except that around the wheel wells, the black plastic trims are starting to peel off. It's had 3-4 fender benders over the 15 years, but nothing major. I'll get pictures over the weekend.

If it looked like #2, I'd never try to sell it, because with the "new" engine it runs quite well. I am told a good paint job will be about $5K. Is that right? well heres my good deed of the day so listen carefully.

ppl are gonna try to screw u over, telling u that its an old car and that its not worth much and that u should sell it to them for cheap. NO! corolla gts' from the years 85 to 87 are all very desirable. just type "ae86" into google and u'll see why. a lot of ppl want it for racing purposes and a lot of kids want it so they can be wannabe-drifters. theres a whole cartoon/comic series based on this car for fucks sake.

now the replacement engine u got is probably the same thing as the old engine, but newer. its nice, but not a big deal as a selling point. it might make the car worth a few hundred bucks more. the fact that it has rust doesnt matter. these cars are so rare now that finding a rustfree one would be crazy. if your car was rust free, ppl would pay 6 grand for it. all that really matters is that the car pulls and that it hasnt been in any crazy accident. that alone makes it worth around 3k.

when u are posting your for sale ad, be sure to include "ae86" in the title and mention that the car is lady-driven. uve totally lucked out by buying a car thats value has gone wayyy up.

[DonJuan]

I agree with you Jeff, but since the recent price increace do you think they are worth that price? With the prices so inflated now, are they still gonna be the #1 choice by drifters because of cost and effectiveness as before? I guess what I'm meaning to ask is wether the cars are STILL worth the hype they generate.

[FrostyLight]

It seems at this time, the AE86 model car has tons of hype surrounding it and a good number of people want the car.

As the saying goes, "strike while the iron is hot"

meaning, when the hype dies down, it will be next to impossible to try and get 3k for the car, so it seems to be the best idea to try and sell it for a good price, or keep the car, assuming it would be modified later on.

Jeff has good points though, if someone wants to buy my car, thats fine, but since theres so much demand for it, naturally I'm going to put the price higher than usual. Economics class taught me a thing or two.

Of course, at the same time, it'll be tricky to find a buyer who wants the car bad enough to pay the price, on top of modifying it.

It seems that 3k is about a fair price for one of these cars that is running, and possibly more than that if it has never been in a crash or fender bender.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by DonJuan
I agree with you Jeff, but since the recent price increace do you think they are worth that price? With the prices so inflated now, are they still gonna be the #1 choice by drifters because of cost and effectiveness as before? I guess what I'm meaning to ask is wether the cars are STILL worth the hype they generate. yep

[FrostyLight]

So, if they are worth the hype they generate, it's perfectly fine to sell them at "the" inflated price? :poosie:

[Redlyne_mr2]

I dont think theyre worth anywhere near what they are going for. Theyre sloppy handling, rusted out pieces of tin with weak engines. With the right mods however they can be made into very capable little cars. People who ask 3K for a stock rusted ae86 with 300K are on crack. The only people crazying than them are the ones paying that much for the car.

[FrostyLight]

Thats fine with me. I'm concerned about that aspect as well - so I was just getting some ideas about what price point to look at.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by FrostyLight
So, if they are worth the hype they generate, it's perfectly fine to sell them at "the" inflated price? :poosie:

u can sell at whatever price u want. im just saying that someone will probably want to buy the above car for about 3k.

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
I dont think theyre worth anywhere near what they are going for. Theyre sloppy handling, rusted out pieces of tin with weak engines. With the right mods however they can be made into very capable little cars. People who ask 3K for a stock rusted ae86 with 300K are on crack. The only people crazying than them are the ones paying that much for the car.

meh its not that crazy to ask a high price if people are gonna pay for it. like yea, the car is old and shitty, but there are many reasons why ppl would still pay lots for it.

[zzCorolla]

Thanks for all the replies.....special thanks to GTS Jeff for the "good deed of the day"!!

I have car pictures, but they don't seem to show up. I tried jpg and gif and tried both explorer and netscape.

[bcrdukes]

Sorry I hate to move a bit off topic, but wow!

$3000 for a GTS? That's cheap!

Here in Vancouver, we're asking $4000 - $6000 with lots of rust!

You can thank Initial D! :)

[rd_rex7]

email me about the car and your address. i live in surrey and i`m interested. [email protected] thankx

[bcrdukes]

^
I see we have a buyer already from BC! :D

[FrostyLight]

heh heh heh!
This was bound to happen one way or another!

Email sent.

[statick]

Redlyne_mr2, didnt u buy a cheap one, bring it back to near mint, then sell it and make some money off it ?

[bcrdukes]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
People who ask 3K for a stock rusted ae86 with 300K are on crack. The only people crazying than them are the ones paying that much for the car.

Wow!

Lots of people here on the West Coast must be on crack paying $4k - $6k. :D

[zzCorolla]

If anybody paid me 6K, I'd sell it right now and take the bus to work!:eek:

[ex1z7]

Speaking of inflations.. Not even a year ago Nissan Silvia S13 Q's were going for 2 - 3K here in Australia, now they're 8-10-15k ................. an AE85 Trueno is going for 10+k, Chasers are considerably less, around 6k....

The rust can be repared or replaced, the engine - if you add "JDM 4AGE" you'll get more, put "AE86 JDM 4AGE GTS 1986 F/S @ 7k ono" and see what you get :P add some pics and presto.

If you'd like me to put the pics up on a webspace I can do so - send em to my e-mail - [email protected]

[ex1z7]

Sorry it took so long to upload these, I was out of town for a day or two.
http://www.eccentrix.com/members/ex1z7/carfront.jpg
http://www.eccentrix.com/members/ex1z7/carleftside.jpg
http://www.eccentrix.com/members/ex1z7/carrightside.jpg
http://www.eccentrix.com/members/ex1z7/carrustanddent.jpg

*edited, eccentrix doesn't let me post pictures like that, click the links instead..*

Info I've received...

Toyota Corolla GTS 1987
JDM 4AGE (That would be "Japanese domestic market" I.e. from Japan)
Clutch newer than 1 year
A bit less than 200K Km
No major accidents
Runs well - trouble free
Red
Some rust and one dent (rear left) outside
Inside pretty clean
Almost exclusively used for commute to work by female driver for past 15 years

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by statick
Redlyne_mr2, didnt u buy a cheap one, bring it back to near mint, then sell it and make some money off it ?
I did but I went through new engines more often that I did oil changes. PLus it pissed me off hwo there was alwyas a tiny bit of rust hiding somewhere

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by statick
Redlyne_mr2, didnt u buy a cheap one, bring it back to near mint, then sell it and make some money off it ? lol redlyne mr2 is the perfect example of how ae86s are FARRRR from cheap.

like any old car, theres a ton of shit that needs fixing. ive replaced just about everything on my car and just last tuesday my car quit on me again (fuckin dead fuel pump). these sorts of things u dont need to worry about on newer cars.

another thing is that if u want to use the ae86 for more than just grocery getting, its even more pricey, cuz stuff is so old that itll break as soon as u are hard on the car. not to mention the cost of modding on top of repairs. for a lot of corolla owners, an important goal is getting their cars back to spec, not even above. it can be super lame to spend a grand rebuilding your engine so it puts out factory rated power, then spend another grand on suspension to replace worn out bushings, then another 5 grand on bodywork so the car is rust free. when everyone else is worried about putting bodykits on their cars, the corolla owners are thinking about replacing a rusty fender :rolleyes:

[statick]

i hope u dont mind me asking ( cuz evrybody has their own reasons), but whyd u get an ae86 , if its so much trouble ?

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by statick
i hope u dont mind me asking ( cuz evrybody has their own reasons), but whyd u get an ae86 , if its so much trouble ? well the reason i bought it is cuz at the time i was sick of looking for a crx, but the reason ive kept it and put money into is very simple..

its so much fun to drive. its the funnest car ive ever driven.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by statick
i hope u dont mind me asking ( cuz evrybody has their own reasons), but whyd u get an ae86 , if its so much trouble ?
If it was my only car I would have loved it and wouldnt have minded all the work. It was fun to drive and attracted quite a bit of attention. The parts though were just ridiculously price for what they were. $350+ USD for jdm redline tailights ..wtf? $600+usd for old school 14inch rims that arent worth anything. I put thousands and thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours into that car, thats money and time that could have gone into my mr2. Damn thing lol. GTS Jeff's car rules though, its how an ae86 should be built

[statick]

yea, well i cant say whether its fun 2 drive or wut. but i imagine a unibody, lightweight, RWD car would be quite fun to drive.:thumbsup:

[Arz2003!]

So what are the odds of me finding an AE86 Trueno here in L. A.? I whant one :cry:

[zzCorolla]

I sold it to a nice guy who wants to clean up the body and keep using the car to drive around (no drifting).

This makes me happy since after 15 years I wanted my baby to go to a good home.

Thanks for all the help.:love: