My friend’s mom is selling her 2004 Toyota Avalon xls with 75k miles in great condition for its age. In the past month, they’ve done a lot of work using all OEM parts:
timing belt
water pump
inlet gasket
camshaft seals
crankshaft seals
T-Stat
T-stat gasket
timing belt tensioner
drive belt
power steering belt
front brakes and rotors
spark plugs
intake gasket
battery
engine air filter
cabin air filter
What would be a reasonable price for a car with all this work done? They have receipts for everything. I’m in California, so prices tend to be a bit higher here.
I’d offer her 7k and see how she feels about that. It has low miles and has been recently serviced, plus you trust the seller. But remember, it’s still a 21-year-old car. Seems like a solid daily driver, but going above 7k might be too much.
Edit: KBB suggests prices around 3500 to 5500 for a car in very good condition. Since this car is known for being reliable and comfortable, 7k seems fair considering its potential life left. You could start with that KBB value if you wanted since no one would argue that it’s a reasonable point.
@Sully
Thanks! I’ll definitely try that. The tricky part is that in the 5k to 7k range, the cars usually have high mileage and aren’t in great shape. I’ll see how they respond.
I’d suggest 5k and see how they respond. It’s odd they’re not just listing a price. You shouldn’t have to set the price for them. 5k or even 5500 seems reasonable.
CarEnthusiast said:
I’d suggest 5k and see how they respond. It’s odd they’re not just listing a price. You shouldn’t have to set the price for them. 5k or even 5500 seems reasonable.
Yeah, they’re still talking about it. I was trying to get some insights first. I feel like they might be thinking more around $8k based on our conversations.
@Smith
They did a lot of work, which is nice, but you shouldn’t be expected to pay extra for that. They chose to do all this instead of pricing it right. Personally, I wouldn’t pay 8k for that.
Back in 2021, I bought my daughter a well-maintained Toyota Solara with 53k miles for 7k. Unfortunately for me, she got her license when prices were skyrocketing.
Why do they put in so much work? I drive a 2001 model daily and haven’t needed any of that, and I’m in Canada where winters are rough. What’s going on?