Price expectations for a x?

C

Carter

Low Mileage
I have $400 laying around right now.

I really want to get an X.

What can I expect for that price?

I want one thats got a good body. I don't care for an engine. I would like to pick up my own engine later on and put it together to get it running. If it comes with one thats great though.

I really don't want to spend a lot on one, as I am in college, so funds are tight. I plan to pick up one and do body work here and there for awhile until I get it to where I think I want it. Then I plan to start on the engine. Oh and body work means painting it and bondo'ing the holes, nothing crazy. So in a perfect world I want a good straight body.

How are my expectations in regards to pricing?

Any and all help would be appreciated :worship: !
 
Well, my opinion might be a bit

extreme, but $400 will get you a carcass in most cases.
You might get lucky and get something that would actually start, but in my opinion your expectations are high if you expect to get out of a running X for less than $1K, and that assumes you'll be doing a lot of the work yourself.

That work rarely comes without cost. Parts from our vendors are getting pretty expensive now, and X's need a lot of attention before you can get decent mileage out of them.

Just my :2c:
 
I think your expectation of price is reasonable

given what you are looking for.

However, you're asking for a fairly tall custom order - a vehicle in your general neighborhood that happens to be in good condition, presumably with a good interior, but no drivetrain in it. Not that they're not out there, but you may have to look long and hard before you find one.

I think your best bet is to try to find one with a blown head gasket. But even so, the ones I have seen were parked 2, 12, 25 years ago because of it, so be prepared to replace everything else.

If you are looking for a project, then you can buy a car in this price range. But in my opinion, that's the ONLY reason to buy a car in this price range. I guarantee you, if you buy a $400 car, you will have at least $2000 and many months into it before it is on the road and you are enjoying it. For that same $2000 you can buy a decent, running X and enjoy it now. For $4000 you can buy a very nice X where most everything works. And I would wager that to build a $400 X up to the same quality as the $4000 X you could buy, you will have more than $4000 into it, plus all your time.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discourage you. If you are in it for the fun of a project, go for it. But if you are in it to be driving an X as soon as possible, I would not. There is a very good reason something like 70% of car projects are abandoned and sold at a huge loss before they're finished.

Pete
 
+1
I got mine for $800, got it running and driving for sweat. I probably have 2k into now after a lot of work but not much $$. The most important thing is to find one with as little rust as possible. I think you'd have some trouble getting a decent body car for $400, maybe but, a long shot, unless you're willing to travel to pick one up, then you'd spend another $400 doing that!
 
a few years back, you could pick up a decent 1300 cc X with a bad engine (usually broken timing belt) for under $500. I don't see those cars anymore though. $1000 to $1500 is probably more in the range for a starter car. heck, people get $400 for a good set of X19 alloy wheels now.
 
Well, I'm gonna try and hopefully get around $700 to play with once summer gets here. That will be slightly hard since I do not have a job currently (I'm a Resident Advisor on campus, but they don't "pay" you, they give you a stipend basically that voids your meal plan and housing costs, so its not actual cash in my pocket so to speak), but I think if I sell off a couple things here and there and then maybe pull a few odd jobs over spring break I can get around that price point.

I'm not looking for a good interior. Basically a shell with a good dash. I don't care for the carpet or the seats, it doesn't even have to have seats (I'd prefer it without actually).

Basically wanting a good frame/body with minimal rust, a working transmission, and an engine that isn't running. Everything else is up in the air.

I did see a real nice looking one online for around 1k, but it was on ebay and a couple states away from me. I'm sure if I'm patient though I can come across one that is really nice for around my price range, hopefully :grin:
 
College days

Carter,
I don't know what college you are attending. But back when I was a undergrad student I would sign-up for elective units in the auto shop classes and work on my cars there. They had courses in engine/trans repair/rebuilding, brakes, steering/suspension, body/paint, interior resto, etc. Typically you would come up with a project to complete within the duration of the semester for a grade. So by bringing in one of my own cars as my projects, I was able to do a fair restoration within two years. And this was with the use of their facilities, time, resources...and I got credit for it (even though it was not in my major)!
Good luck with your search for an X1/9. Keep your priorities in order with school, but enjoy the "X project".
 
I wish you were in California

I wish you were in California. I Have a perfect body I am trying to get rid of!
 
An X in Tulsa

Carter:
When you contacted me about my 81X, you did not say how much you wanted to pay or in what condition.

I also have a 1975X that will start and run briefly with a dose of gasoline in the carb. To get it running well, you will need to drain the tank and put in fresh gas, blow out the gas lines, put in a new fuel filter and possibly rekit the carb. The interior is ragged. There is bad rust around the windshield cowl, but Matt at Midwest has a cowl for sale for around $150 that could be easily put in. I would sell this X to you for $500. You could pull the engine and recoup most of your money on the engine alone. The nice thing is that this car is only 45 miles away from you. Or, I could store it for you until you are out for the summer and you could pick it up on your way home. I will send you some pictures of the 1975 in a few minutes. Call me if you are interested - otherwise, I will be parting it out now that the weather is nicer and I can spend some time on it.

Allen
 
Already got into contact with him, but I appreciate all the help and support guys! Great community here :grin:

Definitely have given me a lot better insight as to what I should expect for my price. Many thanks for all you X1/9 gods:worship:
 
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