my ex wife is trying to claim my 1/2 complete 1969 firbird ragatop is worth 10k as is. its drive train is almost done , posi doesnt work, convertible top not working or installed , there is no interior either. Still has crappy rims and tires.
I valued is at no more than 5k as is. because i can buy really nice ragtops DONE in really nice condition turn key for 10 to 11k


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.101942253160052.4169.100000328323334&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=330909096930032&set=a.101942253160052.4169.100000328323334&type=3&theater

Nobody ? just pretend im selling it , what would you offer in the condition as seen?

it was hard for me to come up with a market value as i wouldnt sell it for 20k.
I based my value on what i saw selling on ebay , i mean actual sold cars, not asking prices. As you guys know its hard to put a value on a project.

How about put it on Ebay with high reserve and see where the bid goes. Then use that as the basis of value. My guess is it won't go for much because project cars don't command a lot.

Sell it for 5k to a good friend.

people are funny , i get the same thing when i ask a general question at work. they either read more into the question or make lots of assumptions.
I dont need or want to SELL IT. The ebay idea isnt bad though. I just thought this forum would be a good place to start. Seeing as we all know about FGF. I guess i was wrong.

Ebay is where i got my ballpark figure from , i looked up completed 69 firbird ragtops that sold. most that are in nice turnkey condition not trailer queens. They are in the $9,000 to $13,000 range . rolling shells 1200 to 2500.

Cerberus, when you want to find out what an item is worth , you recommend selling it? then what ? try and buy it back ? LOL

I Guess that could work. take the selling price and buy back price add them together and divide by 2. that would give me the average buying and selling price. What do i do if they dont want to sell it back ? or worse i cant afford it?

I think that's why he put the 'good friend' part in there. Sell it with the understanding that it would be sold back for tha same price at a later date.

how does that help me determine the value of the car ? like i said i dont need to or want to sell it.

oh and im not trying to trick anybody or pull something off. it was a pretty straight forward question.

I'd say no more than 5, tops.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/3192405611.html

As for me, it's beyond money. After all, I was the fool that paid $150 for my 9 in 85.

If Ex-wife is wanting a higher value, it's because she wants more money in some portion of divorce settlement...right?

Or maybe I'm reading too much into this also.

If you don't intend to sell, and parties need to know value in the interest of a divorce settlement, then the simple answer is to just pay to have the car appraised and let the unbiased appraisal answer all questions.

As for my opinion, I do think your $5k is far more realistic than her $10K. That's based exclusively on my interpretation of your verbal description, with no knowledge of pedigree/PHS info, no photos, body condition, history, etc...

And my opinion, as well as yours and your ex's opinions, are of zero value in divorce court.

thanks , guys ,firebob, thats the number i came up with and exact way i stated it. 5k tops if i find the right buyer. Actually i found out today she stated it was worth 20k! i wish.. but i still wouldnt sell it , i agree its beyond money. i should have cut my losses and parted it out when i got it in 04. it was full of bodo, fiber glass, rust. a 301 and a broken th350 did i mention rust?. it did have nos front fenders on it.I ended up building the car from a catalog. only thing left when i stopped removing bad panels was the windshild frame,cowel/firewall, convertible braces and the tail panel. i pretty much replaced everything from the firewall back.

No , i dont mind saying, it was kinda part of the divorce. she ran up 50k in debt . took 30k from my savings , i had to live out of my house for almost 6 months during my divorce , mean while she sat in my house , never paid any bills . i did keep paying my mortgage. when it was all said and done i had to file bankruptcy. In the divorce she had a stupid lawyer and wrote up a debt owed to her 16k so i included that in my bankruptcy. i had to list my assets. she objected to my asset list to mess with me. Someone told her if she got the judge to see that i was hiding assets he would make me sell the bird and pay her off.

I agree. I was in a similar situation a year ago. I put it on Ebay 3 different times and averaged the value. The highest I believe was 4.9K. It costs 9 dollars per auction. I think in bankruptcy, you are allowed to keep one car not more than 5.3K. Not sure though.

Don't hide assets though, because selling the firebird at that point would be needed to cover the defense attorney when they send you to the big house!

Unless there is some other controlling doc. the court see a 43 year old car.
NADA value - zip. - Been there done that

You need to do ALL of this thru a aggressive divorce lawyer.
How do you know an aggressive lawyer?- they cost alot up front.
a good divorce lawyer knows ALL of the divorce/bankruptcy options - No- body you have talked to does

There are no cheap lawyers just ones that are cheap at first and then cost you the rest of your life.

And believe me having been once married into a family of intramural sue-happy nuts there is nothing you can hide from the courts that a your lawyer cannot find.