Hammer Time: Old Fart Heaven
Just for bowel movements and mirth (PC version), I like to visit eBay’s “No Reserve” section. Where is it? Well, there actually isn’t one, but if you type in a given car or model year and then type “No Reserve,” “NR” or “N/R,” you can actually find some very interesting deals. Clicking on Completed Items will show you the market. The many (Police Interceptors), the few (Oldsmobiles), or the one (Grand Marquis). The ones with the green Sold marks and multiple bids are the ones worth a look and, of course, the deals are all over the map. But a lot of the offerings inevitably hit right around the Average Manheim Market Value. Take for instance this 2009 Lincoln Town Car with 3400 miles.
Town Cars are still pretty popular amongst the livery trade and those older folks seeking a travel car. Not my cup of tea but nothing wrong with that. The one just mentioned sold for $26,600. The average retail value? $26,500. When I looked at 2008 Town Cars, I found only one sold on the Completed Items section with 27,000 miles. The price. $19,700 + $299 bogus fee, so around $20K altogether. On the MMR side, the number of sold vehicles for 2009 was 18. 2008? Over 600. Believe it or not Town Cars are still quite common at the sales.
From there the no reserve offerings on eBay drop off the proverbial cliff with none sold until you get to a 2000 Lincoln Town Car with a dent on the roof and 115,000 miles. Supposedly owned by an older fellow (which can always be confirmed). That sold for $3,050 and if the information in the listing is correct, you can probably take care of said dent and scratch for around $300. Once again. It appears that in terms of bang for the buck, the seven to nine year old vehicle is the way to go. Especially if it’s an older person’s car.
More by Steven Lang
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Bd2 Dark Brandon is doing a great job for the US. I hope he can run for a third term.
- Dave M. My hipster daughter is greatly into it. We watched the race together this weekend. It was interesting but I'm not devoted to it like she is. She'll be at the Austin race in October.
- Bd2 If I had time to watch other people driving, then I would go for LMP.
- Steve Biro There are 24 races on this year’s F1 schedule. And I guarantee you no more than two will be reasonably exciting, Meanwhile, F1’s reception for Andretti reveals the dark underbelly of the sport. I have followed F1 since the 1960s and, frankly, I am running out of interest. I’ll catch a race if it’s convenient but won’t bother DVRing them.
- YellowDuck Been watching since the 80s, seriously since the 90s once we had reliable TV coverage. I'm in Canada though. Hey, and don't forget that the Interlagos race is also in a convenient time zone, as is Mexico. So that's 5 races in the Americas. Absolutely love it, but it takes a bit more interest in the technical / strategic side of things to really appreciate it. It's not just going fast in circles until someone crashes into someone else, while drunk people watch. The US can be proud of what it has contributed - Austin is one of the best tracks on the calendar, Vegas turned out to be much better than anyone could have hoped, and even Miami - a real Indy car-style track - produced a good race this year.
Comments
Join the conversation
@paris-dakar : Nothing better ... carry 4 six foot people in ... a big trunk. There's a burly guy on my street who keeps odd hours, always wears a crisp black suit and dark glasses, and never talks about work. He says the very same thing. =:-O