Selling my '81 Fiat Spider Convertible

[BeNiceToSpiders]

It's time to part with my Cherry Red '81 Fiat Spider. However, I am not sure how much it is worth and I am hoping you folks can help.

It was in running condition 3 years ago. (I replaced the fuel line and it had an issue with a coolant temp sensor) Since then, it has been sitting in my driveway. It was covered for that time, but the cover tore and so there is some rust around the side mirrors and bumpers.
The top has a rip in the rear clear plastic. The interior carpet would need to be replaced. Previous owner put some seriously pricey rims on and new tires.

I, of course, checked the blue book calculators, etc., but they don't really give a value for a project car like this that isn't in running condition. What do you guys think would be a reasonable price range? And would it be worth more in parts?

Also, if anyone is interested in purchasing, I can email some photos.

[riverdadd]

this is a tough question. when i look to buy, i look past wheels and shiny bits. I focus on structural integrity, which is to say, is the under body intact or does it look like swiss cheese?? a person with marginal skills can swap out an interior, and put on a new top, but if the shock towers are crumbling, paint peeling, and not mobile.......then its a parts only car in my opinion. I have purchased several fiats in this category and usually spend less than 750 per car, running or not. I remember back when you could by 3 fiats for 500 bux......nobody wanted them, but those days are past!
you may realize more if you sold the wheels separately.

one last consideration is that the summer is ending soon. not a good time to sell a boat or a project fiat!.... anyone looking for a convertible will want to use it right away to leaf peep!
Maybe keep it over the winter, throw in a new top and carpet set and come spring you would see maximum return

thats how in is in my area, and only my .02
hope that helps!

[RRoller123]

Getting it running again would be huge. The loss of value of a car that can't be demonstrated to run is really high. If not a great effort, it would be good to invest some time on that. I agree about the seasonal effects; I am trying to sell my RV now, with no luck . BUT, I bought my Spider in November of 2011, so we Winter project buyers are out there.

But also in support of what Riverdadd said regarding rust versus cosmetics. Mine was an utter mess, but had absolutely no rust, so it was worth (to me) what seemed to be an exorbitant price. In retrospect, I don't think I overpaid too much, because now, 5 years later, I have a pretty well sorted car, still with zero rust.

If you can get some photos posted, it would certainly help us in guidance, fwiw.

[spider2081]

I think it is good to show where the car is located in a post tat way if someone in the area is interested they can just look and see