Toddiesel

I just got a job offer in Colorado and while the Z will be fine right now, I probably won't be able to drive it by the time November rolls around. I'm wondering if I should just try to sell it now in SC before I move, sell it in Denver as soon as I get there while it's still summer or if I can actually wait till winter time and sell it then to get a few more months of enjoyment out of it. I'd obviously prefer to do the latter, but I'm worried I'm going to take a bath on it if I try to sell or trade it at that time. Does anyone have any experience with selling a Z06 in the snowy months that might could offer some advice?

m3incorp

Why sell it? Colorado has a whole lot of sunny dry days in the winter. Depending on how long ago, you bought the car will possibly determine how big of a bath you will take on it. Again, I ask why sell it? Is it your only vehicle? Even if it is, I'd say keep it and buy you something with front wheel/all wheel/4 wheel drive, as we all tend to have at least one of those for the "real" winter days.

SilverGhost

Run the numbers from the kbb, and nada. Do it for both zip codes. i found when pricing my trade that the NADA eastern edition valued my trade-in vette quite a bit higher than the NADA central edition, both editions for May 2019. Found similar price reductions for the midwest using dealer website buying programs.

If Denver trade-in pricing is higher than SC, take it to Denver and sell. If SC trade in pricing is higher than Denver, use the KBB instant cash offer before you leave.

Your Z06 depreciates daily. The C8 estimated production start in the fall, coupled with the start of cold weather in the fall will do nothing to add value to your car in six months. You are figuratively and literally in the "hot" season to sell a sports car

m0t0man

Is it your only mode of transportation? You can easily find cheap 4x4s here if that's what you're worried about for snow or cold. Mainly you just have to watch the forecast to determine if you wanna take it out. If you have the Cup2 tires, gotta watch out for temps. Anything colder than 32, you slide all over the road if you lay into it. Or watch out for road melt and the mag chloride/ gravel...

Or is it more about housing prices? Cause that'll murder anyone's income.

Toddiesel

Yes, it's my DD. I've never been someone that wants to have 2 cars, but I would keep it and buy a WRX or something like that if I could afford it. The housing thing is definitely a concern for me. Looks like out there to get the same thing I have here, my mortgage payment is going to be about 3x what it currently is so that's going to eat a massive chunk of the pay raise I'm getting. I don't have Cup2s, I have worse. The R888Rs. I'm pretty sure they will actually crack in the well below freezing temps that come around in January time frame. I'm already paying about $1700 a month for the Z between payment and insurance and I just don't think I could swallow getting a second car and paying $2500 or so a month in cars.

@SilverGhost thanks for the tip on running the numbers for both zip codes. I also considered calling some dealerships out there, but I have a strong suspicion they'd just say "bring it in and we'll take a look" and I'd say "well I'm 2k miles away" and then they'd tap dance and not give me even an estimate. Had that happen more than once.

I'm still trying to figure everything out with the logistics. The offer was pretty quick in coming and they want an answer basically right now. I was able to stall a bit saying I wanted to fly out there and check the campus out and meet the other engineers I'd be working with to make sure I mesh with the team and all that, so I'll be doing that on wednesday. I just have so much to figure even beyond the normal concerns that I'd like to cross the "easy" ones like what to do about the Z sooner rather than later. Thanks all for the input and if anyone has any other advice I'm all ears.

Toddiesel

Another thing I have to take into account with it is that I have a custom 3 stage paint job and EVERY carbon flash exterior piece has been replaced with carbon fiber, which was about a $10k tab. I also have had it paint corrected and have a clear bra. I feel like all that should bump me up at least a couple grand, BUT some asshat backed into my car in a parking lot at some point last weekend and while it's not terrible, the bumper cover is cracked so I either have to pay to have that replaced and repainted, or try to sell it as is, so that's kind of a pain in the *** either way. Obviously if I keep it, I'll fix it. There's a video of it in this thread, if anyone wants to see what I'm talking about. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-showcase.html

I did also check on KBB and it shows same trade in value of about $66k for both zip codes. I requested an instant cash offer as well but apparently that takes some time. We'll see what they say, but I have a feeling that will be a low ball offer. Maybe not, who knows.

SMG1

I'm sure you know this already, but the mods you mention mean little when it comes to trade-in value. A dealer isn't paying extra for custom paint, paint correction, and XPel. If you do decide to sell you should definitely go private party, as you'll be taking a bath on the $10k paintwork plus the car's normal depreciation (you didn't mention what year, but I'm guessing it's newer based on your payments?)

BooSSted

With the money you have in the vehicle you're going to lose out. Id recommend keeping the car and buying a cheap winter beater to get you through the 2 months of off an on winter. The money spent here will be less than what you could lose out on by dumping the vehicle. Unless you find that perfect private sale scenario.

Toddiesel

Yeah, I do know I won't get anywhere near what I put into it, but was hoping it might help a tad. It's a 2016 with 10k miles. The biggest issue with payments is my insurance is over $500 a month because of the $30k claim that paid for most of that work ($40k of work with $10k out of my pocket). I'd definitely prefer to go private party, just won't have the time if I sell it in SC as I'm going to have to move out to CO in 2-3 weeks. Maybe I can sell it once I get out there. If I sell it private, I'll definitely have to get that bumper fixed and I have a custom corvette shop here in Charleston that will be able to handle it. Might get raped on repair costs in Denver. So annoying that it can't just be simple!

Yeah, maybe I can do that. I'm just going to be so deep in debt with this move as it's going to cost me about $12k just to move, then I have to pay for a place to stay out there while I'm still paying my mortgage here until my house sells, plus I have no equity in it so will have to come out of pocket to pay the 6% commission and other fees, then the gf has to move out here when it does and quit her job and she may not have one for a while so we'll lose an income. I just don't know if I'll have 2 red cents to rub together, much less $5k or so to buy a beater. What you're describing is what I'd ideally like to do though. Just wish I had exact #s on all that scary stuff I just listed now so I know wtf to do.

m0t0man

Damn, i'd look into new insurance. I pay 180 a month out here even after a 30k stolen truck claim which then I proceeded to get my Vette with said money. Another option is to consider Refi your car payments and try to get them lower.

But you are looking around 2000 a month for rent for a 2 bed apartment with a garage attached or detached in an okay area might luck out and find a out to rent for that price in the mean time until your actual house sells. You may be able to find cheaper on the outskirts like in Arvada, Brighton, Longmont, Castlerock, Golden and have a little commute depending where the job is, though traffic is getting worse by the day, they've started several major road projects all at once. Housing starts high 300k and only goes up. You can usually find some houses cheaper, but they are 40ish years old and need work.

I'd go to a bank and see if they'd be able to give you a loan for a used vehicle or personal loan and go to one of the hundreds of small dealers and buy a cheap 4x4 or awd or try craigslist.

Toddiesel

I had USAA and they dropped me after that claim. Shopping around, Progressive was the cheapest with that rate and that's with a $2k deductible. I do also have a couple tickets on my license and I'm not married so that's part of it too. I've only had the Z for about a year and a half, so I'm not sure a refi would pan out in my favor, but it's certainly worth checking into, so thanks for that suggestion.

Yeah, I've noticed the rent was $2k minimum for something decent. I have 2 cats, so I also have to find a place that allows pets and since they're indoor/outdoor, I have to find a place in a quiet neighborhood (no busy streets). As far as housing, I've talked to a few realtors and between what they said and just what i've seen looking on flexmls and zillow, it's minimum $500k to get anything that isn't a crack house.

Again, I'd love to just get a second vehicle, but another loan and more insurance is something i REALLY want to avoid since I'm not sure if the gf is going to be able to provide a 2nd income or not yet and she makes almost exactly what my pay raise is going to be and i know for sure I can't afford to increase my housing payment by 2 grand AND add 3-500 a month in a second car on our current incomes, so without her income, there's no way I'd be able to do it out there either.

I heard back about the KBB instant cash offer and they want to do an "inspection" before giving me a quote so I'll swing by this afternoon and see what they say. KBB says the trade-in value is $66k and I only paid $64k for it. If I can get $70k on the instant cash offer, I'll just go ahead and take it. If they try to low ball me... well I guess I have more thinking to do

m3incorp

Todd, I'm sure you have run the numbers to see if the higher paying job really works out to more money in your pocket. A big mistake is to take a job somewhere that pays more but the cost of living in the area and other associated costs eat up the pay raise and more. Other things to consider are taxes (mortgage, property, etc). If your girlfriend comes out and can't get a job making pay comparable to what she is now making, may really put you in a bind.

TXshaggy

Man this whole thread is a financial hot mess, dump the car now it’s a depreciating asset.

Don’t know why you expect to get more than a similar condition stock car after $40K repair bill..likely less, much less with that significant damage. You may like the carbon fiber add ons and full paint, but finding someone who shares your view will be difficult.

Good luck in Colorado it’s a Beautiful state.

Toddiesel

Yeah I always consult a cost of living calculator when looking at jobs out of state, but the housing cost is way more than the calculator said. It's still i significant enough raise that I'll still come out on top, plus I've been wanting to move out of Charleston for some time now and Colorado is one of the few states out west that doesn't have garbage gun laws. I digress. Yes, it's still a financial gain over all and I would like to keep it that way by not tacking on an additional car payment and insurance.

The repair bill was only about $30k and I added an additional $10k of bonus ****, but you're right that it's worth way more to me than to anyone else.

I did get an update though. I took it in to get inspected and when they pulled the carfax and saw that it had an accident they said they wouldn't buy it, at least not at a price that wouldn't insult me. Even worse, he said even with a clean carfax they'd only give me about $53k which seems crazy to me since the trade-in value I got from KBB was $66k. After talking with the finance manager about it, he basically said with all that I've put in it and how much I'd lose and that he could tell I didn't want to sell it, I should just keep it. The gf has been approved by the CIO to work remotely when we move, so assuming HR approves, she'll be keeping her job and since she's working remotely, I can just take her car to work. I would hate to leave her without a car during the day, but it's only a few months, so that might very well be the solution

TXshaggy

Yeah, the KBB buy it now price is usually wholesale so not surprised at the low offer. Typically been seeing Zs retail in the low-mid 60s, so 20% markup leaves room for negotiation and options... to include auction.

23/C8Z

trade for a 16 Z06 3LZ A8 right now you are in the $60-65k range depending on miles and trim obviously clean title and no accidents. so higher trim and around your miles you're around $63k. lower trim your miles you're around $60k double the miles you are losing around 3500 more give or take...

hope that helps..

and the dealer's job is to screw you remember that.. they aren't going to start high and go higher... if you catch my drift.

Toddiesel

Mine is a 3LZ as well and I'll never drive an automatic if I can help it. Also, maybe you didn't read the post that I started the thread with, but the only reason I'm considering getting rid of it is that I can't drive a Z06 in the snow, whether it's manual or automatic. It's looking like I'm just going to keep it and drive the gf's mazda 3 in the winter. Still waiting on official confirmation that she can keep her current job out there and work remotely though to verify that.

Mr. Gizmo

You didn’t share a lot of detail about the new job versus the old job — why you want the new job , why your leaving the old job— etc etc. — here are some thoughts
You have 2 Choices.
1. It looks like taking the job has a lot of financial burden along with it and if Your still employed & current job is reasonably ok, stick with it so your not paying rent and mortgage plus moving costs plus all the other incidental costs along with stress of relocation and elevate your concerns regarding all the potential costs to the new employer and say it’s just not feasible and maybe they will provide some additional financial assistance. When I have relocated a new hire and it was someone that was a very good fit for the company if they brought up these concerns and I didn’t want to lose them I would work through the issue. It’s a reasonable thing to ask if you as the new hire have other choices to fall back on. Tell your employer you can’t afford your mortgage plus the rental apartment while your trying to sell your house. Ask for 6 months of apartment rent while your trying to sell your house and ask if they would pay for the commissions to the real estate broker to sell your old house or ask for them to split the difference. It’s reasonable to ask and as an hiring manager I have provided these things.

2. If you really need this job because your unemployed or you just want to move to Colorado for whatever reason Sell your c7z06 and take your lumps on car depreciation and the superfluous odds and ends you added to the car that never return anything on resale unless you hold out for the unicorn buyer. You want to get out of as many monthly payments as possible. Whether it’s car payments , payments for subscription services etc until you get your feet planted and ideally have 24 months of living expenses saved up. Cut out all that little crap that bites you financially in the ***. Suck up your pride . You don’t need to drive around a fancy car that you’ll have payments on along with expensive insurance Buy a 5 to 10k reliable beater and carry high deductible collision and comprehensive insurance or only carry liability.

Toddiesel

No, I didn't share details in the beginning because it was more of a question about the vette, and not necessarily the life change. I make into the 6 figures now and this job is a 50% pay raise on top of that, though the housing market makes it a little more like a 20% pay raise. My gf badly wants to get out of Charleston and while I could stand to keep living here, I'm more than happy to gtfo. I 100% want to move out of the townhouse I have now. It was fine for me 10 years ago when I bought it, but now I just hate that "up your ***" neighbor relationship it brings. I'd like to find a place with some land to not only have separation from my neighbors, but enough to be able to set up a gun range in my back yard. Don't need a lot, just 2-3 acres. I've seen a number of places east of Aurora in Bennett and Elizabeth that can accommodate that. I do admittedly have a good chunk of credit card debt and not a lot in the way of liquid savings, but even when I get my CCs paid off, I'm probably never going to keep anywhere near 2 years of living expenses in savings. Sure, I'd love to have it, but I just like my cars and guns too much and keep buying ****. As far as whether it's a good idea to take the job or not, I'm still not 100% sure. We've discussed it at length and considered all the factors involved, but there's still a few unknowns. The close friends I've talked to about it have all said it's most likely a good move for me. I'm flying out there today and tomorrow will be meeting my team and touring the campus. I'm really hoping I either love it and it locks me in or I hate it and know to pop smoke and disengage. Most likely I'm just going to think "yeah, it's ok" and it won't help my decision at all. BTW Gizmo I'm surprised you didn't say I should trade it in for a C6Z since they can fly and are amphibious and can handle any weather you can throw at it! j/k

Mr. Gizmo

for your case I would say take your lumps sooner then later getting out of the c7z & get a used Toyota or Honda suv.

The old lady wants us to get a new Range Rover but that’s where I draw the hard line. C7z06 is tolerable . . Range Rover = NO F’in Way — I’ll stick with my 9 year old suv. I let her have the little wins she thinks are the big wins .