After being unable to sell my 1985 Jeep J10 in California — a place that requires emissions tests and that does not tolerate even minor rust — I decided to ship my truck to Michigan to find a buyer. “This truck is clean,” I told myself. “It will sell in the rustbelt in no time!” I was wrong. Very wrong. Months later, my truck still languishes in The Mitten, with buyer after buyer just kicking tires, my friend growing tired of storing the vehicle, and just when I thought it couldn’t get worse: A tree fell on the Jeep.
The idea was actually not a bad one. My Jeep J10, by California standards, is so rusty and so unlikely to pass emissions that people wanted to buy it as a parts car. The J10 isn’t quite a Bring a Trailer/Cars & Bids quality machine, but it certainly isn’t a parts car — it’s a mostly rust-free (in the eyes of a Midwesterner), low-mileage machine with a perfect powertrain and drivetrain that drove all the way from Michigan to California with no problems. It could be someone’s daily driver. A truck like this is rare in Michigan and tends to command a premium, which is why I paid $1,450 to ship the machine from LA to The Motor Suburb.
And at first, my idea seemed genius! I had loads of interest, with plenty of folks even looking at the Jeep in-person at my friend Jamie’s place in Ann Arbor. One gentleman named Todd seemed very interested; he showed up, took a look at the truck, and then sent me an offer via text. He and I negotiated a little from the $8800 I had the truck listed at, but ultimately I came more towards him than towards my list-price, and he agreed. “I will go the 7250,” he replied.
Hot damn. I had the truck sold! $7250 was a bit lower than I’d hoped for a rare, low-mileage truck. Hop on Auto Trader, and you’ll find a bunch of trucks in worse shape asking way more. But that’s OK; it’s one thing to ask and it’s another thing to sell. Plus, this basically pays for the Jeep Comanche I replaced my J10 with, so I’m happy.
Fast forward a few days, and Todd comes to purchase the Jeep.
“Your guy Todd just bailed,” my friend Jamie messaged me.
“And by bailed, you mean left or literally bailed?” I replied.
“Literal bail. Passed on the sale,” he said.
Apparently Todd had brought his son, who talked him out of buying the truck.
Months later, Todd continues to message me about the truck, but he wants to pay less than $5,000 for it. To a friend, maybe I’d give such a deal, but to someone who agreed to buy a vehicle only to bail? I’m just not feeling it.
Then things got worse. Jamie had sent me this photo with the caption “Bless my neighbor”:
Luckily, Jamie’s neighbor is able to store my Jeep without issue. This seemed great, as it allows me some time to find the right buyer for this niche vehicle without stressing out Jamie or his family. But then, a few days later:
“Carb fine. Slight squish of filter. Running perfectly,” Jamie messaged me. “Thankfully the roof and glass were spared. I’ll pop the hood damage up as best I can. I’m so sorry man.”
I assured Jamie that he isn’t accountable for an act of nature, and that I owe him big-time for storing my Jeep all this time.
Jamie, amazing man that he is, built a jig out of wood, set it onto my frame rails, and gently lowered the hood onto it to pop out the dent:
The results are actually quite impressive, all things considered!:
Anyway, shipping my Jeep from California to Michigan to find a buyer has proven to be been a disaster so far. It’s crazy to think that, had the prospective buyer, Todd, not brought his son to see the truck, I would have thought it was genius.
Alas, I took the risk, and it seems this one may go down in the L-column. You win some, you lose some.
Hey fun coincidence! I had an ’87 Jaguar XJ6 that “ran when parked”. It was about as rust free as the floor of your J10. And a tree fell on it. A couple hours ago I sold it to an FB Marketplace scrapper who paid me the princely sum of $150 in cold hard cash. I could have probably held out for $250 if I could find the right buyer, but it sure felt good to let go ;-).
It’s amazing how something can occupy space in your head without even realizing it and the relief when it’s gone is worth selling it for less than you’d like.
For sure. And sometimes it’s not even just about money. The brain-space I get back from reducing my future-project workload by however many parts I think I’m someday going to salvage off a clunker like this can be substantial.
Yeah, I know that one, myself.
I wouldn’t doubt that the son of the would-be buyer saw the holes in the floor. I don’t know if it’s being advertised as CA car, but expectations are unlikely to match reality if that’s the case. Holes are holes. It might be nice for MI, but it’s still an old Jeep in a condition that isn’t going to pull many people. I think it’s in a weird in between area at that price. The J10 fanatic would probably buy the best one wherever it’s to be found as it’s cheaper than restoring one and your average person looking for a 4×4 would tend to go for newer and newer looking at that price. I’m not saying there’s no buyer out there, but you’re looking for a rare one. I needed a car and bought a Camry during covid and paid $6k for the stupid thing. Ended up letting it go for little more than half that about 8 months later. I knew the timing was bad for me, so I didn’t expect to get the full price back, but I thought I’d do a little better than I did. Maybe I could have waited another couple months for a different buyer, but I figured a guy with some money is better than a theoretical guy that might pay a little more and the car was in the way and liable to collect mouse nests while it sat, so I was glad enough to see it go.
Makes sense!
I’m not trying to be mean here but it’s the price, it’s always the price. Whether the truck is physically in CA or MI, it will move for the right price. People travel hundreds or thousands of miles for the right project car all the time. And yes, while this is mechanically excellent, everything else about it is a project. And honestly that works against you. Lots more people have the skills to mechanically refurbish a vehicle than do good rust repair and paint/body work. And that stuff costs a fortune to hire out these days.
The market has spoken, there’s only been one serious offer in months that backed off upon further examination. This is not about finding “the right buyer,” unless you’re willing to gamble for another six months that you may find a unicorn. But is it really worth the hassle for an extra grand or two? IMO no, it is not. Your time as a new father and husband and editor in chief of this website are too valuable to worry about this.
I get that you’ve put work into this thing and are used to scoring good deals on cars and selling them for a “profit” (when you don’t factor in the value of your time), but that is not the norm. In fact it’s exceedingly rare. You could probably still break even on this thing, but the time to sell it for beaucoup bucks was during COVID when stupid money was chasing after any 4 x 4 that ran and drove. The market has cooled considerably since then and people are a lot more picky. At this point it’s worth it for your peace of mind to just lower the price to $5-6K or list it on BAT or Cars and Bids with a low reserve and see what happens.
Definitely. I’ll gladly rebuild an engine, but rust repair is a nightmare and it’s always worse than it looks.
Yeah, see, that’s the thing about these J10s. If you want a J10 project, this actually IS a solid truck. Every other project has holes in the bedsides, and that’s a bear. Floorboard patches are easy and cheap, relatively.
But, like I said, if it’s me, I suck it up and spend the extra money on a perfect body.
I think a lot of people are thinking like that and it might be too high for the condition. I understand your logic and had the same idea with a 260Z, but the market calls the shots. While you know these trucks, to other people, needing rust repair puts it in the same category of cheaper ones that also need rust repair. Even if it needs less work and would, in the end, be a cheaper buy than a cheaper one that needs more work, it’s not going to be a common person who will see it that way. Or they’ll just buy one that’s already been done/doesn’t need it.
And I think therein is the crux of the problem. I’m not a Jeep enthusiast, but I hang out with a few, and this has never garnered the same love as the CJ5 or old-school Wagoneer. In an era of tight money, project cars are becoming less popular, and the popular projects will always be those that are more portable and usable. I see tons of old CJ’s on the trail. J10’s and J20’s – not so much, to the point that I can’t recall a single one in the southwest in any condition I’ve seen in the past year or two.
Why not just list it on eBay? Or do a charity raffle here – you sell tickets here on Autopian for $20 apiece. Everything over X goes to a charity like St. Jude’s or Primary Children’s or a vo-school scholarship. I’d buy a few.
Very valid points!
Repairing rust is horrible.Everything breaks,spins,or falls apart….and then you take the panels off and it just gets worse.It’s ALWAYS better to just buy the cleanest version you can find because it’s less expensive in the end.
Oh I’m definitely open to reasonable offers. I do think there’s an element of “not finding the right buyer” (I received similar comments to the ones in this article when I was having trouble l selling my i3; in time, I found the right buyer). But it’s different this time in that I’m not storing the car, and as cool as Jamie is (and as useful as the truck may be for him (he gets to drive it)), I’m not trying to be that guy. Facebook Marketplace is tricky, but I’m confident.
You turned down your only real and reasonable offer.
From MA, I went to FL for one project car and to Los Angeles for another.
Why? Because rust is the closest thing to evil I believe in.
At some point during a rusty project, you look at that square foot of primer that took all day and realize that you’re not making progress on a project – you’re just wasting your Saturday keeping a rusty shytbox out of the junk yard.
I have a BMW that would be a nice car if it didn’t have more problems than any sane person would buy into, and I don’t have the time or patience to fix it. I’m strongly considering a Craigslist ad of “Best offer by Saturday takes it”. Then take the couple hundred I get for it and put it towards a Honda that just works and I don’t have to nervously look at the temperature gauge every few minutes.
Ask Mark Tucker to run it head-to-head against a comparable pickup, and see how it does.
You’re a Jeep guy trying to sell to non-Jeep people.
It won’t happen unless you’re pricing competitively against a Ford Ranger.
Unless you wish upon your friend to store this until that special Jeep person shows up at the door, and you’re hoping this article brings attention to your plight.
Around here, Rangers with 200k+ miles are being listed and presumably selling for around $5k. I needed a cheap 4×4 and had $5k as my max price. Just something to plow the driveway, dump runs, use around the property. Beater stuff, you know. Looking was rough. I’d say half of what I saw in that price range couldn’t be safely driven home.
I got a somewhat rusty 97 F-150, 4×4 with the 4.2 V6 for $5k, living on the edge of the rust belt. Only 90k miles though, and the AC works! After months of looking at absolute garbage in that price range I realized that’s just what the market looks around here and bit the bullet. Annual Fluid Film applications are a lot cheaper than dealing with 200k+ miles of of abuse.
If you live in the rust belt it pays to venture out of the rust belt.
David unless I am mistaken you owned the J10 in Detroit and shipped it to LA then moved it back to Detroit. I am from PA I can go take a vacation to Japan but when I return I’m not Asian. Your J10 isn’t a California truck it is a Michigan truck that took a vacation to California.
You know, I thought about that. But the idea of long-distance shopping for what’s going to be a beater vehicle seemed…excessive. Anyway, the edge of the rust belt is a lot better than being in the middle of it!
I don’t want to pile on, but there’s some good advice in these comments.
For sure. The thing about these J trucks is that they’re known for getting rust holes in their bedsides. when that happens you’re pretty much screwed; you’re going to have to pay at least $5000 to have that repaired. to the person who wants a good restoration candidate without spending 15 grand on one that’s perfectly rust free this truck makes a lot of sense, but whether I find that person is another question lol!
I have a certain amount of experience in buying, maintaining, driving, and eventually getting rid of unusual vehicles in poor condition and I’ve consistently found that the numbers don’t work that way. They just don’t.
My preferred method is to sell quickly at a loss so as to free up some space for one or more of my other bad ideas. I recommend this approach highly.
I’ve generally had good luck selling cars; this one is a tricky one given how niche it is, but we’ll see!
Please keep in mind that I’m offering advice (admittedly unsolicited) from a position of some familiarity with niche automotive markets…
https://www.theautopian.com/microcars-saab-stories-and-hondas-triumph-members-rides/
You may actually be overqualified for this.
The old chestnut that you need to remember is “Rare does not always mean valuable”. 🙂 And anything over $2500 is beyond play money that often requires executive approval when it’s not for an absolute family necessity for many people. A lot people that have the money that you want for this truck ALSO have MORE money to just get a more “perfecter” one, it’s already aboe the “real money” mark.
I think it is more it is not as well known so most people don’t know what it is and those that do are shopping for deals
The good will and continuing friendship of the people storing the vehicle are worth much more than finding the right buyer. Make sure you don’t mess it up. There, I’ve piled on, but it’s only because I want to see the best outcome for you.
When I moved to my current place with a barn, relatives were coming out of the woodwork asking me to store cars here. Well, they weren’t coming out of the woodwork – they were coming out of my wife’s family.
I said no to all of them and it caused me a decent amount of stress when doing it. As I figured it, these were cars that these people did not have the time for. They weren’t going to suddenly find the time because it’s stored further from their homes.
So that leaves me with the option of giving them time-limited storage and then fighting with them when it runs out, or just say no now and save myself months of having to navigate around someone else’s project I don’t care about. I took the grief up-front and saved the time.
I’m not saying I would never store a car for someone, but it would have to be a special case and a car I’m interested in.
It’s probably better that you had the gumption to say no at the start. It’s very easy to feel obligated when you’re not and it only creates hard feelings. Hopefully your wife supported you in that, because that could be a problem too.
She’s pretty logical, and one of the requests was her brother wanting to store a pickup he had already left in her parents’ driveway for two years. We also had four cars of our own plus a sudden need to store a riding mower and small outdoor power equipment.
She still wasn’t pleased, but I said I’d have the vehicles crushed if they weren’t removed in time which would put us worse-off with her family than just denying the request at the start.
“I’m not saying I would never store a car for someone, but it would have to be a special case and a car I’m interested in.”
Just charge them a monthly storage fee. And if they stop paying, put it in the contract that failure to pay means you’re free to start selling parts off the given car.
LOL
Sell that thing for the next offer you get! A crêpe truck is a crêpe truck regardless of location.
I like crêpes.
Perhaps selling them from the truck would bring all the boys to the yard.
It already has a sliding side window. Crêpe ready.
Maybe David should offer the next potential buyer free crêpes with the purchase of a ‘clean’-not-clean Jeep J10… like maybe crêpes from this place:
https://thefrenchcowcrepesshop.net/crepes
I WANT the Elvis… But I’d probably get the California. Those look delicious!
Wasn’t there a crepe truck in China on the internet that chose to cook the crepes by lightning the truck on fire and drive it around the city?
Todd saw the car in person. Todd negotiated the price for a later pickup date. Todd, at that point, should have been asked for a non-refundable deposit unless, of course, the seller was prepared to sell it out from under Todd if a better offer appeared in the meantime.
No I don’t do that.
I didn’t think you did but you SHOULD be asking for a deposit to ensure they have some skin in the game while you are holding it for them. It separates the serious buyers from the tirekickers AND removes the last minute haggle reflex that some buyers seem to have on pick-up day.
True!
You can tell you are new here if you think DT would ever do anything like that.
What are you, his mother? Jeez, go away. Moderators, how do you block a commenter, is that a membership benefit? That featyre might actually make me sign up.
“ how do you block a commenter, is that a membership benefit?”
You don’t.
Suck it up, buttercup!
Haha, bummer…
“and just when I thought it couldn’t get worse: A tree fell on the Jeep.”
BAAA HA HA HA HA HA…
Ummm… sorry for your misfortu— BAAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA HAAA.
*clears throat*
Sorry about that… where was I… your misfortune… sorry for your mis… HAAAAA HAAA HA HA HA.
“Hop on Auto Trader, and you’ll find a bunch of trucks in worse shape asking way more. “
They may be asking for more than you, hence the reason why they’re still unsold. “They think they know what they’ve got”… and what they’ve got isn’t worth what they think… especially with how fuel prices recently spiked.
And while you say “This truck is clean”, when I look at the pictures, it doesn’t meet my definition of ‘clean’.. or rust free.
And I have to say that if a family member was looking to buy that truck, I would be exactly like Todd’s son.
Sorry.
I, too, would just tell my family member to spend the $15 grand on the completely-rust-free truck, if I’m being honest.
Have you considered offering some free crêpes with the purchase of a certain Jeep J10?
Or advertise your truck in the Autotrader for the lower price. Do I see a new article coming?
So now the truck has a little more character, not that it needed any more.
Let Jamie sell it for what he feels like, claim $1450 and split the rest with him. At this rate, you need the peace of mind more than the money.
Bro, it’s rusty. Accept it. You can see through the floor. As for selling it, there must have been a reason they didn’t make many to begin with, and I doubt it was really high demand.
When a vehicle needs to go, it needs to GO. Do not be sentimental, do not be greedy just sell the damned thing for whatever you can get for it. Every additional month you own it costs you in insurance, registration, mental energy, and the largess of friends in this case.
You do realize DT doesn’t part with vehicles easily? And if he had insurance on it he could have gotten a payoff for more than he’s asking for the tree damage and sold it for parts.
I doubt it. They would probably want to give him $1000 for the whole truck.
If he’s going to have an ever-changing fleet of cars, a wife, and a kid, he needs to get over that ASAP.
That tree damage was minimal, and unless he had agreed-value insurance they would give him $1000 on a good day. Which come to think of it, might be all that heap is actually worth, so maybe you are correct! 😉
The truck is not selling because you are asking rust-free prices for a truck that is not rust-free…
You cannot advertise a truck as rust-free when there are visible holes in the floor; it is simply not accurate.
My squarebody has solid floors and is SUPER clean for a truck in the Midwest, but I could never advertise it as rust-free because it is not.
That was my impression seeing the actual ad. Maybe it’s the Californian in me but the condition I saw with my eyes didn’t seem to match the words that went along with them.
This.
If I saw an ad for anything that was listed as “rust free” and saw an example like that Jeep, well…let’s just say lying is not a confidence builder.
My bullshit meter would be pegged for sure.
Anything the owner-seller said after that would be the equivalent of me believing a damn word that the Big Orange Turd has to say.
Fool me once, and all that crap…
Instead of advertising it as rust free why not advertise it as a Environmentally friendly weight reduction vehicle for greater mpg?
My buddy just drove half an hour to look at a “rust free” 80’s series Landcruiser for 17,500 that turned out to be a rustbucket. Looked ok from the top, but the chassis and floorboards looked like the wreck of the Titanic.
He said he was lucky it was close but feels really bad for anyone that drives hours to see it. He urged the seller to add some undercarriage shots.
For real, this ad is delusional level of “I know what I’ve got!”
I would never advertise it as rust free. lol.
But for sure, people from outside the rust belt will see its condition as worse than those from the rust belt.
You’re right, you never did say rust-free, that is my bad. I just went there because you keep going on and on about how clean that truck is, and IT IS NOT.
The bed, while in good shape for what it is, shows signs of having issues. Once you see any pops at the seam, you are looking at a bed that is never going to be rust-free and not have chronic bubbles there unless it is completely redone.
That truck is in great shape, but it is simply not the mint example you seem to think it is, and not going to command the money you keep expecting from it. I am one of the few people who has owned more J-trucks and SJs than you have, and it is just not as mint as you seem to think it is.
And I see in other comments you are planning to put more money and time into the truck, having it detailed and the primer removed. Why would you put MORE into a truck you cannot already get the price you feel you need out of it?
The more money you put into it you will only have a harder time accepting the lower offer.
If you hadn’t shipped it across the country, I would say you’re pulling a ‘the wife said it goes, so I am making the price impossible’ scam.
Wait, or did you promise a selling price to get permission to buy something else, and now it’s not working?
What if he put some floor mats in then you couldn’t see through it?
Maybe Michigan is the wrong market. Rust free cars might get a premium but the north east seems to be where you send your rust buckets especially semi rusty jeeps to get top dollar.
It’s funny; a guy from New York was SO excited about the truck. Called it “spotless”! Sadly, he has too many cars to justify buying this.
It’s hilarious how different perspectives can be.
The rust perspective has always fascinated me.
I drove around the country for work a few years ago. In vehicle that has spent most of its life in the DC metro area. It had surface rust and some siezed hardware on the tie rod ends.
I would take it to Walmart for free tire rotations and cheap oil changes while I grabed things. Asking the guys how everything looked ranged from great in the north east to fine in the south. To it much have come somewhere rusty. Or some of my favorites guys from different areas one guy in Oklahoma said it’s not great for Oklahoma but I’m from Pennsylvania and it’s fine.
To most potential buyers (non-Jeep nerds), it’s a 40-year-old truck from a defunct automaker in decent condition. They’re cross-shopping a lot of Fords, Chevys, and Dodges of the same age in a similar condition. It’s only worth what “the market” (one buyer) says it’s worth, not what you believe that it deserves to be worth.
Jeep is a defunct automaker? Kinda lost like any credibility with that comment.
NJK
Jeep, the brand is not defunct. Its manfacturer, at the time (American Motors Corp./AMC) IS, as is its previous manufacturer, Kaiser. (Try getting parts for this truck from a Stelantis Jeep dealership, today!)
When did Jeep go out of business?
American Motors Corp. (AMC) was purchased by Chrysler in 1987.
To be fair, they haven’t made these for over 40 years, there’s not much of a collector market, and they were never that popular to begin with. It’s not like a squarebody Chevy where you can buy literally every part new from LMC.
Maybe you are already doing this, but in any of the listings, are you linking to all of the articles about this car? While many buyers won’t care, there are people who will pay a few bucks more for a vehicle that has a story behind it, especially one with articles that the guy can point to and say “that’s my truck! I own that now!”
It might make the difference between $4-5k and the $7k you want for the car.
Including the one where the speedometer leaked oil on the driver? That’s all I can think of when thinking of this truck. https://www.jalopnik.com/my-truck-has-a-dangerous-speedometer-leak-and-yes-you-r-1843718764/
Man that was hilarious!
Vehicles have a different value in some P-A-R-T-S.
Yeah… in some places, people can S-C-R-A-Pe together more money than in other places.
We all eat the bar sometimes. This is your time my friend.
Surely you’ve met some movie people out there by now who need a functional, macho vehicle for a show or movie. This truck would be great in one of those “Yellowstone” spin-offs. Paging Taylor Sheridan …
Did you buy it for $7-8K or have you invested that much in it? Sell it for the $5K if the guy still wants it with the dented hood. If not, it’ll ware on your friend’s generosity in the long run.
I just don’t wanna drop it too far below other similar-condition J10s. But we’ll see; niche vehicles like this take time to find their new owners. But I’m open to flexing a bit, probably after I have that primer on the bedsides sanded off and the truck detailed a bit.
But as you said – you can ASK all you want – what are similar Jeeps actually selling for in the real world? It’s not pretty but it runs good is a hard sell. It’s really not that much more to get one that is pretty when you consider what paint and body work costs these days. Mechanicals are CHEAP for old American vehicles.
I feel like $5K is PLENTY for this thing. It’s a project, even if it’s a running and driving one. And it has more than enough rust to be a concern to this former Mainah, even if it doesn’t have many holes. Rust in something like this is not that hard to fix. It’s making it pretty after that’s a pain in the ass, and this needs ALL of the making pretty done regardless. If I am going to bother taking on a project, I am getting a *legitimately* completely rust-free one from down south or out west. Or just buying one where it’s all done already for dimes on the dollars spent.
The floorboards aren’t intact, and you’re considering having the truck detailed? To be perfectly candid, any Jeep J10 fan who’s willing to overlook the rust isn’t going to care much whether it’s been detailed or not, as it’s likely going to be a restoration project for them. Save the time/money you would use to get the detailing done, and just sell the danged thing as is, where is.
Niche vehicles? Its a rusty old Jeep nobody wanted when it was new. They sold 40,000 of them in 4 years. Ford sold 1,000,000 trucks in 1978 alone.
Woh woh woh, don’t defile the mighty J10!
You need to drop it to what other similar-condition J10’s actuall SELL for. Unlike ebay or BAT, you can’t search Craigslist or FBM for actual sold prices…But they are surely not selling for their asking price. Every month it’s advertised should take abother 10% off the price.
You need to compare prices based on the price similar trucks in the area are selling for or advertise it to a wider market. Is there a Jeep specific website and are you on it?
Actually if winter wasn’t over I’d suggest a used plow and sell it as a monster plow truck
But are those similar condition J10’s listed at those prices selling for those prices?
Sometimes you just gotta take a hit and the longer it sits the harder it is to sell.
How much is your friend charging for storage?
How much is insurance charging monthly, if he’s keeping it road-legal?
This is another good example of how to ruin a friendship.
Especially the longer this thing lives in his yard, and life…
Oh yeah, I definitely recommend that, if you do this, you check in with your friend regularly!
I’ve seen this truck pop up on Marketplace from time to time. I hate to say it, but it really doesn’t present well, and now.. well.. I think this is really a $2500 truck, maybe a bit more but even with its rarity the audience is small, and it’s pretty rough man.
It’s just gonna need to find its buyer. $2500 in the J10 world gets you a truck with rust holes in the bedsides and a motor that needs work. But we shall see! Definitely needs the primer removed from the bedsides and a bit of a detail.
My concept of a $2,500 truck was completely shattered after a couple of months looking for one under $5k. Most of what was being listed for that price didn’t even run. This is on the lower edge of the Rust Belt, not sure what it’s like elsewhere.
Honestly, this was a Cars & Bids / Bring a Trailer vehicle. Uncommon niche model in decent, but not pristine, condition. Definitely a good base for a build or restore. Especially with being documented on a website.
Agree- I don’t think it would have brought big bucks but it would have presented it to people outside of California who’d make the trek to get it (I myself bid on a W123 wagon in SoCal once because the prospect of picking it up and road tripping it back was almost as exciting as the car itself).
$7k without having to ship it to Michigan is better than $8k or whatever he was hoping for minus the trouble and shipping costs.
Oh definitely, I’m sure it would have sold for SOMETHING.
I took the risk on going the rustbelt route, it nearly worked out! But alas: I publicly proclaim my own foolishness, as I have no shame.
Hindsight is 20/20!
Hopefully as the weather turns you’d get some serious interest.