My WS6 search continues

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-03-2009, 07:56 AM

Well friends it has been a year since i first set out upon my quest to purchase a WS6 of my own. Three times I came within inches of buying one and three times defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory. On this day I am still without my bird....

Funny thing is I'm noticing something after being in the market so long. I'm starting to see the same VIN's over and over. many times at different dealers than I last saw these VIN's with. Is this a common phenomenon with firebirds? Why are dealers so insistant on getting prices so far above book value that they simply never sell the vehicles.

I personally encountered this phenomenon twice in person, uncountable times online. I currently find myself face to face with the first bird I ever pursued. The first time around there was simply no talking to the owner. this time around the car sits on a lot only about 1,000 more miles on the ODO, only miles away from where i last saw her. yet 1 year older and 1,000 miles more under her belt and the asking price is unchanged from 1 year ago. The poor car has sat unloved on this lot for nearly half a year with no change in the asking price. The only difference from last year is that she no longer sits in the garage of a private owner but on the cold harsh lot of a car dealer.

She calls to me, cries out my name. I feel her begging me to save her.... To bring her home. Yet my financial condition leaves me powerless to help. Even long after our first encounter I heard her voice in the night. Her memory clinging to me and refusing to be forgotten. Why must life torment me in this way. When will she be mine? How many owners? How many times must she be passed around before someone ANYONE will release her to me. This can't go on she must be mine! If distance and years have not yet separated us I know this to be true.

I now know what you have all told me.... the car WILL choose me. I have never touched her metal. Never felt the vibration of her engine. my eyes have yet to fall upon her graceful lines, yet I know this is right. For over a year she has waited for me, refusing to be sold. Through two sellers she still sits WAITING for ME!!!!

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OK maybe I have a problem..... please someone help..... yes this story is true.

**third_shift|studios** · 02-03-2009, 09:35 AM

cliffs notes?

**Silver Streak** · 02-03-2009, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by third_shift|studios

cliffs notes?

Its called reading...

Anyway... sounds like its meant to be... there is no way of borrowing some money from family maybe?

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-03-2009, 09:46 AM

hmmm.... short version???? i won't be buying any emblems in the immediate future

actually i'm just saying how i have crossed paths with this car more than once and even though i have only seen it in pics I can "feel" like it should be mine. why else would it keep finding me? ok maybe i'm crazy

@Silver Streak. Its a bit more than I can reasonably ask of a relative. I pride myself on not having any debts. its just so tempting to dive in up to my eyeballs for this one. I need to really think it through though..... In this economic climate taking on a large financial burden is not a prudent course of action.

**GULLETT17** · 02-03-2009, 10:59 AM

i think you may have to give us some numbers to give you suggestions. . how much are they wanting for this bird? the mileage? year? have you put an offer on it? . . by the way good writing lol

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-03-2009, 11:10 AM

2002 6spd with 20k on it..... they want an arm, leg, left nut and my first born with the contract signed in blood...... that or about 5k above KBB value. otherwise known as 19k. I have not made any offer. My only fear is that although she has held out for 6 months with this dealer, she may end up changing hands before I can prevent her title from once again being violated. At the moment I simply can not come up with the kind of ransom they are holding her for. I've considered selling a kidney and getting a platinum membership at the local sperm bank but i'm just afraid i don't have the stamina to raise the capital in a timely fashion. My only hope is that she can be strong and hold fast until I have enough of a down payment to make financing the rest a somewhat bearable option. For now.... the price is simply too high. The risk too great..... {sigh}

Of course if they were asking book val i'd prob march down to the dealer and pick her up around the end of the month. Its that extra 5k that REALLY kills me.

**Silver Streak** · 02-03-2009, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by LSCyaL8R

2002 6spd with 20k on it..... they want an arm, leg, left nut and my first born with the contract signed in blood...... that or about 5k above KBB value. otherwise known as 19k. I have not made any offer. My only fear is that although she has held out for 6 months with this dealer, she may end up changing hands before I can prevent her title from once again being violated. At the moment I simply can not come up with the kind of ransom they are holding her for. I've considered selling a kidney and getting a platinum membership at the local sperm bank but i'm just afraid i don't have the stamina to raise the capital in a timely fashion. My only hope is that she can be strong and hold fast until I have enough of a down payment to make financing the rest a somewhat bearable option. For now.... the price is simply too high. The risk too great..... {sigh}

Of course if they were asking book val i'd prob march down to the dealer and pick her up around the end of the month. Its that extra 5k that REALLY kills me.

After working at a Stealership, I learned quite a few things. One of them would be that they rape you on used vehicles. There is a HUGE amount of play room in that price. Go in there with a down payment, and say I will give you X amount for it. When they hem and haw, tell them thats all you're going to pay for that vehicle and that its sat there for x amount of months.. blah blah.. bring in a KBB print out and if they still say no.. start leaving.. the managers don't want you to leave.. DON'T accept that price as set in stone..

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-03-2009, 12:02 PM

its funny because last year i tried something similar. I went to a dealer that had a 2002 with 70k on it. when they first got it they were asking 18k but by the time i got to them the asking price was 15k i had cash in hand and told them i'd pay 13,500 which given the cars condition was all i would say it was worth. I let them know my offer was serious and i'd be paying in cash, at the time i actually had the cash. They said fat chance it'll never go at that price. ok fine.... here's my # call me when it will go for that price. I kept my eye on it and they eventually had the car listed at 13,900.... on the principal of the matter i wouldn't offer them 13,900 when they could have had my 13,500 weeks earlier. The windup from all that? the car ended up being sold at auction.... there is no way they got 13,500 for it at auction when they couldn't get 13,900 on the lot. This wasn't the only time i've faced dealers that were this thick headed on pricing of firebirds..... I guess up here in the north east these used to be worth their weight in gold. Every punk wanted one and would pay pretty much whatever a dealer was asking for them. Problem is that the economy sucks people don't trust gas prices everybody is out of work car sales are falling through the toilet (GM posted a 49% drop in sales today, Ford posted a 40% drop Toyota posted a 32% drop and Honda posted a 28% drop) Those numbers are based off an already sucky 2008.... they are saying teh entire car market in 2009 may be less than 10 million vehicles when 2008 was 13.5 million..... grrrr it gets me so angry that they think they can get a premium on a used car when you need to put mountains of cash on the hoods of new cars to even get people to LOOK at them..... not even buy them because obviously they aren't.... can you tell i'm frustrated?

**GULLETT17** · 02-03-2009, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by Silver Streak

After working at a Stealership, I learned quite a few things. One of them would be that they rape you on used vehicles. There is a HUGE amount of play room in that price. Go in there with a down payment, and say I will give you X amount for it. When they hem and haw, tell them thats all you're going to pay for that vehicle and that its sat there for x amount of months.. blah blah.. bring in a KBB print out and if they still say no.. start leaving.. the managers don't want you to leave.. DON'T accept that price as set in stone..

exactly what i was gonna say . . when you make an offer and show em that kbb print out. theyll start lowerin that price quick.

**Silver Streak** · 02-03-2009, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by GULLETT17

exactly what i was gonna say . . when you make an offer and show em that kbb print out. theyll start lowerin that price quick.

But don't be afraid to walk away... tell them straight up as you walk in, you want that car.. for this amount of money.. you have this for a down payment.. and KBB says is should cost this much... what are you going to do for me?

If they say they can't help you, turn and walk away.

**GULLETT17** · 02-03-2009, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Silver Streak

But don't be afraid to walk away... tell them straight up as you walk in, you want that car.. for this amount of money.. you have this for a down payment.. and KBB says is should cost this much... what are you going to do for me?

If they say they can't help you, turn and walk away.

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-03-2009, 12:24 PM

BAH!! i didn't think I'd be in the game so soon in 2009. Why must my foul temptress present herself to me at such an inopportune time!!! I haven't even been formally introduced and already she is messing with my head! Time to start figuring out where I can get money from.... I have about 1k in Lincoln parts laying around from when my Lincoln kicked the bucket. dem factory HID's are worth a pretty penny since they don't make them heh heh. if i bust my ass i could prob corral a good sum of cash before Feb is over.... end of the month is a better time to hit up a dealer anyway yeah?

By the way... when i say same car i mean SAME CAR... like... VIN # = same. she really is following me

**Silver Streak** · 02-03-2009, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by LSCyaL8R

BAH!! i didn't think I'd be in the game so soon in 2009. Why must my foul temptress present herself to me at such an inopportune time!!! I haven't even been formally introduced and already she is messing with my head! Time to start figuring out where I can get money from.... I have about 1k in Lincoln parts laying around from when my Lincoln kicked the bucket. dem factory HID's are worth a pretty penny since they don't make them heh heh. if i bust my ass i could prob corral a good sum of cash before Feb is over.... end of the month is a better time to hit up a dealer anyway yeah?

By the way... when i say same car i mean SAME CAR... like... VIN # = same. she really is following me

Yep.. usually the stealerships are more apt to cutting deals at the end of the month and when the new models are rolling in... They have to make their numbers so they get their bonuses... Its a HUGE money game.. and the customer is the one that gets screwed.

**blackmetal** · 02-04-2009, 05:45 PM

Try and find a few other similar cars on the net for sale and say "look I've got these here on my radar" If they thimk you may go buy a car from someone else they may be a little more willing to negotiate. Especially if the others are cheaper.

**noxside** · 02-04-2009, 06:13 PM

Have you tried talking them down? Mine had 15k and was listed for 28g, i eventually talked them down to 18 with a 2 year warranty.

**mpfranks** · 02-04-2009, 11:32 PM

if you wait till the end of the month, dealers are always willing to cut bigger deals due to monthy goals. and honestly 19k really isnt that much for that car. i know what kbb says its worth, but its all about what people are buying them for in your area. id say $16,500 or $17k is more like it, and the dealer would prob take that. that car is worth way more than $14k.

i know the market is driving down the cost of these cars, but only two years ago i got my 2000 ws6 with 12k miles on it for $17K, which at the time was a steal. if you want a low miles car youre gonna pay for it....

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-05-2009, 06:48 AM

I don't think people have the type of discretionary income to go out and buy these cars... I was just watching TV and saw a report on how a thrift store had a line of people trying to get jobs because they were hiring for 22 positions. Hundreds of people showed up fighting for 9 bucks an hour. they are saying the unemployment rate might pass 10% this year. China now has a larger car market than the US. Things REALLY suck right now. I honestly shouldn't still be in the market. It's not the intelligent thing to do right now.

I actually did find another one for sale at another dealership its also an 02 pewter WS6 6spd and it has 39k miles on it. Also a 1 owner car and that dealer quoted me at 16,900... so 18,900 for a 21k mile and 16,900 for a 39k mile both at dealerships.... so now there are 3 cars on my radar....

2001 pewter WS6 6spd 1 owner 50k asking 12,900
2002 pewter WS6 6spd 1 owner 39k asking 16,900
2002 pewter WS6 6spd 1 owner 21k asking 18,900

can you tell what i'm specifically looking for? lol

@mpfranks: I understand where you are coming from as far as the value but I happen to know for a fact these cars haven't moved from these lots for as long as 6 months. remember the 21k mile car has been for sale for OVER 1 year. first from a private owner asking 19,500 now from a dealer asking 18,900. Its a new world where govt is bailing out everyone and everything. where home sales are at all time lows where foreclosures are at an all time high. where unemployment is soaring, where 10's of thousands are laid off daily. January car sales hit the lowest level since jan 1963. in other words... most of us have never lived through such slow auto sales. Things are so bad they are considering removing GM from the dow jones industrial average.

Finally.... anyone know of any 2000+ pewter 6spd WS6's in the NY tri state area please pass them along. i'd like to cast a wider net than 3 cars. A4's need not apply... select white and black birds may be considered.

**Durango** · 02-05-2009, 08:06 AM

Just buy the 01 with 50k it's a fair price and you will probably put no more than 10k miles a year so it will last you a long time plus offer 11500 and stick to your guns that way if you want to mod it you will have money and if something goes wrong and you need to sell it quickly you won't loose any money or no much money anyway. If the market falls lower on these cars you will always get 10k for a ws6

Good luck

**LSCyaL8R** · 02-05-2009, 08:14 AM

yeah.. i don't know why i'm so hung up on mileage.... the thought has crossed my mind on dropping one of those texas speed 427s in there

I guess my issue is that i want the chassis and interior to be as fresh as possible. maybe i should go take a look at the 01.... of course the 16,9 02 seems to be the best balance since 02 was the year i had my heart set on and 49k is not a lot o miles