valuation request (sort of)

[CaptainSlow]

Talk about coincidences, a fellow landrover club member has an '82 R65LS - I thought they were rare!   Anyway, he's emigrating to pastures far warmer and sunnier than Yorkshire and has asked me if I'm interested in buying his LS.

The problem is that its in boxes! He stripped it down to restore it a few years ago, and as often happens, he never got around to finishing the job, so I now have the chance of buying a 42k mile LS - conveniently flat packed   My initial thought was to refuse it as space is tight as it is, but the wife is happy for me to get it either as a spares bike, or to rebuild and sell on at a profit.

I have no idea how much he's going to ask for it, but I was wondering what its worth? Its complete, partially overhauled (he's an experienced mechanic) but I haven't seen the bike and have no idea what its like. I'm thinking of offering him £400-500 for it - is that reasonable? He has said that he'll break the bike for parts if he can't sell it complete for a 'reasonable' price...

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Barry]

I suppose you have to consider what it will be worth when completed and work back from that figure bearing in mind if anything expensive is missing. If there is nothing missing or damaged then £500 would be a bargain. A really nice LS has got to be worth £2000+

[Bob_Roller]

Nothing like having a spare 'parts' bike  !!!!

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I would think he would want to take it with him to his warmer & sunnier climes - especially since he is an experienced mechanic.

If he parts it out, he must not be in a hurry to move, because it will take a while and he will possibly end up with a frame to give away in the end.

If it were in good condition, I suppose I would go a little higher, say £650 - 700?
That is approximately $1000 - 1100 USD.

Front-end plastic, dash panel and side covers had all be in pretty good shape, though.

[Lucky_Lou]

The difficulty is that you dont know if there are any inherant problems, i personaly being a tight Yorkshireman would stick at £500 if it is a dog you know you can part it out and get your money back. I saw a few R65 bikes on eBay last year some were asking £2000-2500 buy it now (dont know if they sold)  but the ones in auction were fetching on average £1500 depending on what time of the year.
You could always try IKEA
Lou

[CaptainSlow]

I don't think he'll be in any rush - he's going to the south of the country (Devon) for 12-18 months while he sorts out his finances, sells his house etc, so if he wanted to break the bike he'd have plenty of time.

I just fancy the idea of having a spares bike as much as anything. It gives you options - like having stuff sent off for work while still having a working bike (I'm thinking of the 'big' jobs like having new valve seats here).

I never realised R65s were going for that kind of money! I paid £1250 for mine which I thought was about right. Those must have been mint! I'll have to see if I can do some magic and secure it for £500 lol

Thanks for the inputs fellas, much appreciated as always  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[disco51]

I think the best question is... what's it worth to you?
I personally don't get upset if someone is trying to sell something for an astronomical price (like multiple items on ebay from salvage guys).  I just won't buy their item.  
For a project bike and/or extra parts, you might get a lot of fun out of your money spent.  I like to think of it as entertainment dollars.  At least that's what I tell my wife.

[MR.E]

i personaly being a tight Yorkshireman would stick at £500  

I'm with you on that one.

With it been a basket case £500 is all i'd offer, you have a fair bit of work ahead of you checking and cleaning the engine internals etc.

I'm just about to start the rebuild on the race bikes engine if you want to see whats involved, though it's a fairly simple engine, feel free to pop in.

If you decide not i'll offer the £500, i'm looking for a spare engine to work on, the rest of the bike i'll sell on!!

Regards

[CaptainSlow]

Hi Mr.E, thanks for the offer - I will try and pop up to visit you one day, but things are a bit chaotic at the moment - every 'free' day is booked up solid for weeks ahead Plus the missus wants a new kitchen so I have no idea how I'm going to fit that in  :-?

Anyway, I'm going to offer him £500 for it when I see him next, but as usual for him, he's nowhere to be found lol. He disappears for weeks at a time so goodness knows when I'll see him next! If I decide to pass on it then I'll get an email address off him so that you can contact him directly.

Cheers, Sam

[MR.E]

no worries mate, pop round whenever you're free.
good luck with the bike, if you need any help let me know