Should I sell whole or part out 1978 Fiat?

[michaelgough]

I have a 1978 fiat spider that I bought new when I was 21 years old. I have always dreamed about restoring it to original grandeur, and my wife dreams about getting it out of the shed! I haven't cranked it in a while, but when I quit driving it, it was running great. Since it's been in the shed varmints have destroyed the interior and there is considerable rust in the kick panels from when we lived in Georgia.

So I am asking the experts -should I sell it whole or part it out?

[SP3]

Depends on how much space, time, and effort you are willing to expend to (attempt) to get max money out of it. The 850 I am parting out was hoped to be made into my son's first car knowing that it was a complete gamble. I got it cheap and have gotten far more out of it than I paid. But, I'm on year three and still have too much of it left for my liking. I would love to have (more of) my garage back.

[spidernut]

The car as you describe it is a $500-$750 car. The real issue is regarding what good parts are left. Parts like original inner door panels, arm rests, upper and lower consoles, dash pad, dash wood, tail lights, sun visors, steering wheel, clock, certain gauges, certain chrome pieces, rocker panels, mirrors, etc., can earn you about the same.

If you're in an area where there are enough local people looking for parts, the doors, certain wheels, hood, trunk, windshield, transmissions, differentials, and the early style header bow will add to what you'd earn for parts. Shipping is always a problem on large items.

The worst part is that you have to disassemble the car, clean up the parts, take photos, list parts for sale, answer questions then box and ship the parts to others, and still have to deal with the hulk left behind.

Honestly, it is all a matter of what good parts you have left.

[TX82FIAT]

Seems like the answer should also be based on the last time you cranked the car. If the car has sat for more than a couple years without being cranked the buyer would most likely will need to clean out the entire fuel system and may need to replace some rubber bits. Chances are the buyer will have a lot of other items on the to do list as well. An informed buyer will never get the money out of it that they put in to get it running and looking good. If you can find someone to pay a couple thousand dollars for it then I would sell it whole. Parting out a car is a PITA and you still have a carcass to dispose of.

[johndemar]

I'm guessing that if you don't have time or the inclination to bring the car back to life, you may not have the desire to part the car.

I had a good time parting out a "parts car" about 10 years ago and selling things off of it I would never have guessed would sell. The rubber nubs on the heater control levers went for stupid money in my opinion. I made money on the effort, if my time and labor were excluded.

But the thing is, I enjoyed parting the car almost as much as I did restoring mine.

[michaelgough]

Thanks for all the great input. Still undecided. I think I will drain the fuel system and see if I can get it running well. Stay tuned.