94 Intrepid ES 3.5L - What's the most profitable way to get rid ofit?

I didn't want to put any money into the Intrepid, so I bought another car. I
was toying with the idea of removing the airbags and premium sound system and
selling them on ebay and then junking the car. Do you thing I might get more
money doing that rather than selling it?

169,000 miles. Current list of things that need fixin'.

1. New A/C evaporator needed.
2. New transmission needed (leaks like a sieve, cold weather causes limp mode
sometimes, reverse doesn't work).
3. Old timing belt.
4. Old water pump.
5. New front brakes needed.
6. Old tires.
7. OLd battery.
8. Fuel gauge reads way too optimistically (I have to keep track of my miles
between fills).
9. Paint keeps flaking off roof.
10. Clear coat on the black plastic c-pillar covers has deteriorated (again!)
11. I'm beginning to get that inner tie rod bushing clunk again.
12. Windshield old and pitted.
13. Drivers side seat adjustment (back/forward slide) is broken (I hear dealer
will fix for free).
14. Vinyl on passenger side air bag is shrunk/warped.

 

Some non-profit organizations will take cars as a donation, allowing
you to deduct the fair market value for tax purposes. You could try
"parting it out," but what remains may be hard to dispose of.

-KM

 

Is the engine good?
If so the car is saleable,
I wouldn't put any effort into parting it out.

The items you list are just wear and tear, but have accumulated on you.
Only the transmission is critical to fix/replace.
A buyer could get a transmission from a wrecker,
the A/C evaporator I wouldn't fix if I owned it.

 

Not any more. The govt got tired of missing that money.

You could try

Quite the opposite - any scrap yard would be glad to have that, just to
crush. Metal is sky high. I think it might still be worth more to a junk
yard, though, than it is for scrap. It not all that old.

It's funny, I have the exact same car here, but everything on it works
except reverse. Even though it only has that one problem (instead of 14),
it's still not worth fixing that transmission, at least not to me. I'm not
sure what I'm going to do either. Reverse actually works on it after I
drive it, but then when I park it and start it up, no reverse. Boy, that's
when you really need it, too.

I don't think you can sell a car with no reverse for much money. Maybe
$400.

 

Not for the airbags, those are cheap, cheap. The premium sound system is a
different story, though. As long as it's factory. The reason is that the
factory
premium sound systems are very valuable because insurance companies
buy used ones, or get sound shops to buy used ones, all of the time to
replace ones that were stolen out of their customers vehicles. If it was
my car I'd definitely sell the cd player out of it, but I'd leave the rest
of the
sound bits, they aren't worth much. The part that is in the dashboard is
what
get stolen, that is what's worth a lot.

If it were my car I'd pull the radio out and sell the entire thing. As long
as
it can be driven away under it's own power, you can get at least $200 for
it, probably more.

Ted

 

Sell it to someone who will put $3k into it and they'll have a
good-as-new car that will last another 170k miles.

 

That 3.5L engine probably will run forever. There's an oil leak, around the
valve cover I think, but not something I ever felt I needed to repair. In
Southern California the A/C is a must, so the evaporator would have to be
replaced. Thanks.

 

Actually, the "reverse" problem on my car is similar to yours. It seems to be
somewhat temperature sensitive. On chilly mornings it sometimes doesn't go
into reverse, but if I push the car out into the street and drive for a while,
reverse works. Lately it goes into reverse if I am patient for a minute or so.

 

It's a factory premium sound system. There is an amplifier with " auditorium
effects" the trunk. Also, the 6-CD changer is in the trunk. What's the best
way to sell it. Ebay? Thanks.

 

What's the breakdown of your estimate?

 

Tranny first and foremost- you could go with a wrecking-yard trans for
under a kilobuck. The evaporator is actually the real PITA- figure
another k-buck there, almost all of it labor. The other mechanical stuff
is DIY backyard stuff. Fuel pump/sending units on LH cars are so easy
its criminal (no need to drop the tank- you can do it through the access
panel in the trunk floor), part cost is about $150. Timing belt/water
pump equally easy- parts are another $150. Get a seat track set from a
junkyard- 4 bolts to the floor and 4-bolts to the seat, good to go for
$50-100 tops. Brakes- if you spend more than $30 on new pads, you paid
too much. Inner tie-rod bushings require a little contortion, but no
skill. And they're cheap. And finally, screw the cosmetic stuff

But you may *want* better cosmetics, which is why I said sell it. I feel
pretty sure someone would pay more than you can get as a junker for it.
I can't see anyone paying more than $100 for a sound system and airbags.