Sorry if this is in the wrong area...i wasnt sure where exactly it should go. anyway, i have an 04.5 enthusiast i was looking to sell soon. its low miles and pretty much in perfect shape except for one thing. my rear bumper was hit last year and it is cracked. its not god awful and you cant even see it from like 20 ft or so away, but it definitely needs to be fixed. My question is...is it worth fixing out of pocket to get a higher value for my car or just to trade it/sell it as is and get less out of it. i think i can get a bumper painted for about 700 dollars and i can install it myself....i would think i would get hit for a couple grand on trade in....your thoughts? tia

 

I think it is worth fixing first before selling it to get more money.

 

Yes. If you are selling 1990 Honda with 150,000 miles, a bent bumper is OK. It’s a fixer-upper.

A 350Z is a different story. A buyer expects the car to be in good condition. Make the Z presentable. Fix the bumper.

 

thanks guys...anyone else?

 

I agree with dave, if you expect to recieve a respectable offer, deliver the car ready to sell. If you bring a project car to a dealer, they are going to bend you over just for the head ache of it. Personal buyer, unless he is a trooper or had a previous 350z, they would be moving onto the next Z over that cracked bumper.

spend the 700-1000 on the new bumper, and you will recieve that money back on the offer. if you dont get it fixed, expect it to cost you twice that much on the low balled offer.

 

It would probably be a good idea to get it fixed so that who ever the buyer is can't hold that against you.

 

The crack may imply other damage, reducing the sale-value even more than the cost ($800) to fix bumber. So get it fixed. Note: the only downside is if you get it fixed, and shop does lousy job with paint-match/finish. It could actually look worse than it does now. So, ask-around for a good body/paint shop.