good deal or no?

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perschkeb
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good deal or no?

Post by perschkeb » Mon Jun 15, 2015 8:20 pm

I've had a firehawk/ws6 on my radar for a while now and I have some money so if the right deal pops up I'm jumping on it. However I need to know if what I'm looking at now is worth the money. Since there is no real good blue book that will give me the "market" value of these limited production cars I wanted to see about getting a general consensus. The car is a 2002 Transam firehawk, sunset orange t-top cope with a t-56. The only mods are a cam, a tune, full exhaust, air intake and subframe connectors. It has about 55,000 miles on it and going. The owner drives it everywhere even when it's pouring down rain. (It's in my home town). It's in pretty good shape with the typical 4th Gen issues (window motor, cracked door panels, and a couple other minor cosmetics). It's not a 1LE or anything special and the guy is asking $18,000. I think this is too high, but I know there aren't many sunset orange 6 spds out there. So what would you guys pay? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

PontiacFan
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by PontiacFan » Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:36 am

A seller will tell you that's too low.
A buyer will tell you that's too high.
:lol:







:roll:
With those mod's & driving it to enjoy everyday, ..., In my opinion, I think it could be a bit less.
Modifications will not help the value & in many times be detrimental.
If it were mostly stock with minimal visual mod's, & in excellent condition, it would definitely be higher priced.
What other 'SLP second sticker' options might it have? Chrome Wheels? Auburn? Bilstien?
Does it include the OE floor mats & deck mat?
New clutch? Or should I say does it have a good condition new clutch?

Door panels are costly to find/replace.
Window motors can be replaced, but time consuming.
As you can see from the questions, ..., There are many other determining factors too, ..

In general, WS6 pricing isn't that far off of the standard Firehawk option.
Some people will say add a thousand or two, or a few percentage points.

perschkeb
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by perschkeb » Tue Jun 16, 2015 12:50 pm

Thanks man. As far as mats and other hawk options it pretty much has them all. I also forgot to mention it does have an aftermarket clutch. However it has a very aggressive cam. Some .628" of lift with tune it's putting down an estimated 420 to the wheels on a stock t-56 and diff. That concerns me because I feel that diff is just waiting to break under a good launch.

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BLACK-HAWK
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by BLACK-HAWK » Tue Jun 16, 2015 7:32 pm

I would have posted my opinion but those who know me know I want a SOM ta bird... Just can't afford one yet.. If I had the $$, that guy would probably get his $18k.
2001#194 (Unicorn)

PontiacFan
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by PontiacFan » Wed Jun 17, 2015 2:48 pm

Then that car will just end up costing you more money down the road, ..., Just ask Bryan! :lol:
If you're going to 'launch', or race it in some manner, it may be a fair starting point.
But after a few launches, ..., you'll be investing $$$ in the clutch, rearend, suspension, tires, ..., etc., etc., again & again, ...

Firebrian
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by Firebrian » Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:16 pm

Compared to a regular Black or Red WS6, figure an extra 5-10% for the Firehawk option ($1K-$2K) and then another 10-15% or so for the SOM premium ($2K?). If the car were totally stock and very nice for 55K miles it could be in the $16K to $18K range. On a 10K to 20K mile car I'd figure the SOM premium at 20-25%.

55K miles is getting a bit up there for premium collector status. Once over 60k miles and then 70k miles things change more drastically. It's more of a driver now. A decent black 2002 55K mile WS6 M6 should run about $12K-$14K these days. Add the above premiums to that. Fwiw you could probably buy a 15K mile 2002 WS6 M6 for $18K. And for at most $1K-$2K more probably a FH at $18K-$20K. Most buyers up here in the $18K range will probably want a more stock version and preferably with <30K miles....even if it means spending up to $20K to get it. There's a pretty big vacuum for modded vehicles in the $15K-$20K range. They need to be something special to bring that kind of money. I'd prefer this car at $16K vs. $18K. The big cam and performance clutch could be a pain the butt to you. The weak rear end could cost you another $2K when/if it pops. If you're just gonna cruise the car then the rear end may not matter. All this assumes the car needs nothing right now on the drive train, suspension, brakes, tires, etc. It's not very often that owners of 55K mile cars driven in all types of weather sell them when they need "nothing."

If it helps I'd probably figure a 1 owner 15K mile SOM 2002 FH M6 in the $22K-$23K range. Others might have a different range. Subtract from there for the mileage (-$4K), mods (-$2K?), etc., to arrive at what the 55K mile car is worth to you. More previous owners, less documented maintenance all play a role.

FIRSTLAST
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by FIRSTLAST » Thu Jun 18, 2015 5:20 pm

some finished comparisons off ebay:
listed in order of mileage match:
38K miles 14500
31K miles $19877 offer was accepted below that.
38K miles $12400
49K miles $12500
58K miles $14500
97K miles $9301
89K miles $10760

None were SOM color. All were hawks, at 02 or near.

SOM desireable, so pay what you are willing to afford IMO. I wouldn't be concerned about the rain driving for those miles. But is it a salt free region? Not worth a lot if they exposed it to winter crud.

If you want unusual, look for a SOM Formula Firehawk. There weren't so many of those.
2002 Firehawk 1111 NBM

perschkeb
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by perschkeb » Thu Jun 18, 2015 8:34 pm

Thanks guys. And that's just the thing for me. I'd rather have a complete quality build then worry about a specific color. I'm just looking for a fun solid car that looks decent. Doesn't need to be SOM. I'm not about to pay an extra 2-3 g's for something just because of the color rarity. I almost picked up an 01 stock hawk with 32,000 with The camel seat interior option for 16,500 that was a steal but unfortunately I was unable to get the logistics of the purchase underway before it got bought out from under me. The exterior was midnight blue. Still a very nice color.

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Maplehawk
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by Maplehawk » Wed Jun 24, 2015 9:39 pm

Some good info there.

I'd say $18,000 is too high. $14,000 as most folks don't want the cam and likely any associated use.
55,000 miles is not low. The low cars are well under 10,000 miles which do tend to get over $20,000 lately.

Good luck! Thanks for sharing.
Mac Logan
1992 Firehawk #05
1995 Firehawk #C04
2018 Mercedes-Benz C300 Wagon
Proud Member - Firehawk Association of America
Author of Firehawk - Fiercest of the Firebirds

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BLACK-HAWK
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Re: good deal or no?

Post by BLACK-HAWK » Thu Jun 25, 2015 11:56 am

PM me the sellers info please :D
2001#194 (Unicorn)

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