im looking to pick up this 97' S sol in my area and would like to know what the consensus thinks its worth or would offer to pay for it.

its an S model, 5 spd manual with 102,000 miles. and it runs.

it needs new rear brakes, paint with a little work on some dings (obviously) and im told those are the only defects.

here are the pics i was sent.













she also sent me this, im assuming to say she is the original owner? (original price sticker from the dealer)




what do you guys think? she wants ME to make her an offer.

 

Was it sitting? That's not bad for mileage BUT I'd have it checked out. I wouldn't take her word for it.

 

take off the roof and check the weather stripping. see if its cracking/worn out.

Also. maybe its just the pictures, but the front bumper looks to be in good shape (paint wise). Look into accident history

 

i purchased my 96 Del Sol si 5spd with 96,000 miles for $2900 dollars. mind you the interior was near mint, and the exterior was good. the 96-97 style was considered more rare because they were the last 2 years made and the front fascia was changed. my opinion i would try and stay Under $3000 for it considering the mileage and the condition of it, it appears to have faded paint and a very big key scratch on the side. also it appears the seats were either reupholstered or changed out. i would ask her about that

 

no more than $2,200

 

^spunds about right to me.

I paid $4000. but thats lowered, b16 and fresh paint n body.

 

she threw $2,000 at me...

and it has only sat for 2months...
im goin to take a close look this weekend and take for a spin.

hope this thing drives better than it looks!

 

Two grand is a good price. Just realize like any older car its going to need maintenance. DIY ftw...

 

if it hasn't had a t belt go ahead and knock 500 off

 

I wouldn't pay more than $1500 to be honest. It looks like it could be considered in "fair" condition judging by the look of the exterior.

 

try to lower the value as much as you can, because based on the pictures. you will need money to fix it up... im saying about $1,800......

oh, is that a hole in the front bumper, where the license plate goes?
check for leaks or condensation!!!

 

1500. max. its an s, and even tho the body is decent, the paint is ****.

 

yes, i'll have the money to rebuild it back to clean... i just didnt want to overpay..

her mileage in Poor condition still fetches over 3k on the value websites..

i know that means nothing in a real sale situation.... im just hoping that her lack of knowledge on the car wont make her think that KBB is what she SHOULD get for it..

interior is very clean, no leaks or condensation.. seals were replaced about 2 years ago.

 

Looks like a fun project to build!

 

'96-'97 raises the value at least a bit. As mentioned, the front end changed for only those two years and it's the more desirable front end.

The paint is in really poor condition. If I were her I'd see about what that might take to correct. I don't see any clearcoat separation, but from the pics it looks like there's a lot of oxidation, which possibly damaged the clearcoat by now. Clearcoat paint jobs can't always get buffed out like the older single stage enamel paint jobs. I don't know if maybe, perhaps it could be helped, which would raise the value. Exterior appearance can really affect the value of a car though, so that paint really lowers the value as it is.

The interior looks really clean and more or equally important those seats are not reupholstered after purchase or changed! Those appear to be the dealer option leather seats for del Sols. The deal with those is they're stock del Sol seats which the dealer sent out to have reupholstered in leather. It's a pretty rare item. Sometimes the door panels also have leather, but not all the time.

102,000 miles for a 1997 Honda is pretty low. Average mileage per year for a daily driven car is 12,000 miles. The average mileage of a 1997 passenger vehicle by the year 2010 is 156,000 miles. This car has the mileage it should have had (average) by about 2005-2006.

It being an S means it still has power windows. The S also has the same tight transmission gearing as the Si btw. So even though this car comes stock with a D16Y7, it feels peppier than a Civic CX/DX even though those cars are likely lighter than the del Sol.

For this car though the value is really going to be affected by that paint. I'd offer under $2,000. Maybe $1,500-$1,700. But it likely could be valued at even lower than I'm thinking.

 

I would push it to around 1200 at the most the paint is shot . I wouldnt give two ***** that its a more "rare" 97 its still a 14 yr old car in need of a good bit of work

 

I agree.


If you have cash, tell her 1300 cash.

People will do funny things when you say "I have cash"

I have gotten plenty of good deals useing those 3 words.

 

It doesn't need too much work. Just happens the one thing it needs is pricey (or potentially pricey).
I always think it's funny when I have something up for sale and someone offers me "cash in hand". No ****, you better have cash if you think I'm going to sell it to you. I don't take checks and credit. Do you want to set up a loan? Let me have my secretary look through your credit history real quick.

 

Haha, yea that is true.

 

LOL I mean, I'm sure it works on some people though. We've had lots of people here makes offers like that. I don't think people always think it through.

 

Yep, I Love it when that happens

It's the times, a lot of people are in need of money, and with not many people actually looking to buy things sereous buyers are few and far between.

 

It never hurts to throw out a low ball offer and work from there.

 

www.kbb.com

 

check if the AC works. Compressors are about $400. Expansion valve changeouts are a pain.

 

1st off.. 39 mpg's highway?! didn't know they were rated that high!

this x600,000+obama+2 cans of spaghettios

to anyone outside of our little enthusiast circle.. it's practically worthless. just looking like that is a killer, combined with it's age, 2 seater, stick, and it's a base model.

and OP, regardless of being sat for a couple months.. that car has been outside for it's entire life and never once had a wax or anything. i can imagine the rest of the car has been treated in about the same manner, pay accordingly, as you'll probably be fixing things accordingly.

but otherwise, if you're looking for something to fix up. it's a great start.

lmao, so true