to part out or not to part out?

[Raggleflaggle]

so, i have my B210 up for sale in the classifieds, as well as CL. 
gotten a few buyers, off and on. nobody really wants it despite it being such a good deal...(1/3 what i paid for it)
and i've said i'm not parting it out. despite this, a decent number of people have come to me and asked for dibs on parts should i change my mind.

i'm at the part where i may change my mind.

how i see it:

PROS of parting:
-more money than i am currently selling the entire car for.
-I get rid of the car. (PRIMARY GOAL)
-i have free(ish) time to do this now.
 

CONS:
-i have become somewhat attached.(would you part out your dog? rip it limb from limb and leave the carcass in the yard? kinda like that)
-parts and shit all over the place.
-disassembled car is useless.
-possibility of only selling some parts.

any advice from anybody who has done this? is there a particular way to go about it?
should i get a paypal?
who do i ship parts with?
how long does it take?
was it tragic to rip apart all your time, money, blood, and sweat for the highest bidder?
hardest/easiest parts to sell?
how bad is the mess?

any other "i wish i had known that before i _____" information.

should i part it out, or not?

[LeviGideon]

If the car doesn't have a title/a way to get a title I say part it and potentially save other dattos from death. A lot of the small stuff will be hard to keep track of/get rid of so it may be a good idea to sell certain parts from certain areas of the car as a package.  For the tranny, you could probably get 600+ from an MG guy, but I'd say sell it to a datsun guy at datsun prices and keep it in the family.

I still wish I could have picked up that 5spd from you before I headed back west. :no:

[Raggleflaggle]

but you would have wanted it for "datsun prices"!
if i'm going to part out then i'm going to most profitable route.
this being said, i know that what i have isn't worth much.(or even remotely near what i paid)
see, i agree with your title statement, but i can get a tag and drive it legally in AL. i have a BOS.
how can i sell sections of the car? you mean as in entire engine, entire driveline, etc?

another downside is this would be a cashing out point. i have sunk an INSANE amount (considering my income) into the car. i'd never get it back out, because the parts i've replaced/bought are nothing you can't buy elsewhere. i've justified it thus far by saying, "at least it's cheaper than a new car." it's coming up on being that much.
i really just want someone else to buy it for cheap, and part it out while i pretend it's getting driven around.
and lastly, WHY DOES NOBODY BUY THE CAR FOR 500 IF THE TRANS IS WORTH 6? WTF?

[LeviGideon]

but you would have wanted it for "datsun prices"!

if i'm going to part out then i'm going to most profitable route.

this being said, i know that what i have isn't worth much.(or even remotely near what i paid)

see, i agree with your title statement, but i can get a tag and drive it legally in AL. i have a BOS.

how can i sell sections of the car? you mean as in entire engine, entire driveline, etc?

another downside is this would be a cashing out point. i have sunk an INSANE amount (considering my income) into the car. i'd never get it back out, because the parts i've replaced/bought are nothing you can't buy elsewhere. i've justified it thus far by saying, "at least it's cheaper than a new car." it's coming up on being that much.

i really just want someone else to buy it for cheap, and part it out while i pretend it's getting driven around.

and lastly, WHY DOES NOBODY BUY THE CAR FOR 500 IF THE TRANS IS WORTH 6? WTF?

 

Of course I would have wanted it for Datsun prices. That's one reason why I drive a Datsun.

 

If you can legally drive it, I say drive it til it quits. It's an a-series, have fun with it. There's a guy in Bham that I met at the pull a part a few times that's got a few 210's and a b210. Alabama can be just as easy to find/sell parts as out west. You've just gotta go out and find all the old enthusiasts.

 

As far as sections, I meant all the little knick knack stuff like knobs and switches and relays and trim, etc. My brother parted out his 620 a few weeks ago and it was/is a mess with all the small parts laying around even with  trying to be organized. I know other people that have parted cars out and just have half their garage stacked up with parts. Eventually they get sold. Eventually.

 

It's a Datsun without a title in Alabama. The tranny is only worth what someone will pay. $600+ is ebay pricing. A more practical find is in the $250-$400 range.

 

BTW, does the car have a factory tach or is that a clock?

[Raggleflaggle]

i wish you could connect me with that guy. or anybody. i go to the pull a parts about once a month, and it'd be nice to have someone else looking out. 
or at least a ******* driver's side door handle.

it'd be not too bad at dirttracking or something. still, it's been on CL for months. it's just... an entire car. chassis and all. functional. it's very difficult to bring myself to part it out.
i really don't feel like dealing with it just to throw out so much of it come October. it's sounding like parting is overly painstaking.

[hobbes_the_cat]

Parting it out will probably be more profitable but may take just as long to sell all the main parts as waiting for a buyer for the whole thing. I have heard that those transmissions are a hot item with MG guys so maybe market towards them. Mention MG in your craigslist ad. Maybe lurk an MG forum classified?

[Raggleflaggle]

if it takes as long as that, and is as easy, then why not just sell it?

[monkbonk]

I have contacted you on two separate occasions in regards to the b210 through craigslist. Both times you promised to send me pictures of rust yet you never followed through. :mad:  (This was when I had the monies to buy it).

[datzenmike]

Sellers remorse.

[Raggleflaggle]

i sent the pictures, man! i just checked an hour or so ago ( this is totally out of the blue) to make sure that i had responded to all my messages!
please buy the car! don't make angry faces TAKE THE CAR!

[Raggleflaggle]

Sellers remorse.

remorse from debt incurred from money spent on car > sellers remorse.

[67_1600]

Parting would be more profitable but definitely more trouble. Expect to have lots of shipping to do since the best bang for your buck will be listing on eBay. Shipping smaller parts isn't so bad but definitely takes time. Larger items (like the transmission) can be a pain as you can't simply package them up and drop them off at the local Post Office (which is what I'd recommend for most things). When I've sold larger items, I typically list them as local pickup only on eBay or put them on CL.

 

If you go the CL route, be prepared for a ton of lowballers as it seems that most people feel that anything listed with a price on CL is worth at best half of that price. CL is also very limited since you have a much smaller audience. There are Datsun and MG owners who might scour CL outside of their immediate area, but then you run into the shipping issue again. You're also hurt by the fact that there just aren't as many Datsun owners where you are - not much you can do about that.

 

I'd suggest setting up an eBay account if you don't have one already if for no other reason than to see completed/sold listings for B210 parts. If you don't have an account or aren't logged in, you can only see active listings but it's the sold listings that will give you the best idea on values for your items.

 

Bottom line is if it's about the money, part the car out. If you're not worried about making anything, lower your price until it sells and maybe even call an auto recycling company to see what they'd pay for it.

[bananahamuck]

I hate parting cars off craigslist,, they will call and beg for a day you don`t want to do it and then not show up.. Or buy the side windows , then no one else will ever call so you end up buying a tarp to cover,, till tarp wears out and destroys interior.. or buy A strut ,,then how do you move it around? Give them a great deal on parts and then they want you to throw in extras ..  Lots of pitfalls come with the extra cash that can be made... And that is why i hate parting cars on Craiglist.

[Justin]

Quite a dilemma-   :crying:

 

On the one hand, you are supplying fellow "Datsun-heads" with parts they need-  :rofl:  :thumbup:  :hug:

On the other, you are destroying a unique & precious piece of history.  :sneaky:  :devil:

 

Not only that, but parting things out takes WAY long, and in the end you are usually left with an unwanted husk/shell of the former vehicle that no one ever wants to buy, is very difficult to move and must be dragged off to the "recyclers" for chump-change...   :blush:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I fill my "emoticon quota" for the day?  :sick:

[Raggleflaggle]

my biggest concern is that it's not a 510.; if it's not a 510 or L-series motor there's not as many people who'll need parts, and therefore, less buyers. if i sell even one primary element of the car, it is no longer complete and that alienates anybody who'd buy thee whole thing and save me the trouble. 

[Justin]

Well, if we are making it "personal", I say "hell no don't part it out,"

 

But I also understand, sometimes, "a little bit is better than nothing,"

.... But still!

Parting out a datsun...

                                    makes me sad :(

[Raggleflaggle]

my thoughts exactly. that's why i want someone else to buy it for cheap and part it themselves.

[Ranman72]

i wish you could connect me with that guy. or anybody. i go to the pull a parts about once a month, and it'd be nice to have someone else looking out. 

or at least a ******* driver's side door handle.

 

it'd be not too bad at dirttracking or something. still, it's been on CL for months. it's just... an entire car. chassis and all. functional. it's very difficult to bring myself to part it out.

i really don't feel like dealing with it just to throw out so much of it come October. it's sounding like parting is overly painstaking.

do you have a pic of the handle you are looking for as I might have one 

I think the one I have is from a 74 B210 

[Raggleflaggle]

if it's from a LH door it should fit.

[darrel]

A car is not an investment. You will never get out of it what you put into it. If you have room to part it out and don't care how long it will sit around not moving then by all means part it out. But be prepared to watch it sit and eventually not moving since you have already sold off the things that keep it mobile.

[Raggleflaggle]

well, i'm wanting to get what i put in by getting miles of transportation, but i now work on the other side of a huge hill, and the main point of the car is decent mileage and the ability to get me there on time.  it can do neither. 

[Duncan]

I had a '79 210 that I grabbed the entire drivetrain out of.  I put an ad on CL stating to bring your own tools and grab anything off the car for FREE.  1 guy showed up for the mirrors and that was it.  The entire car minus engine, trans and rear axle was free. 1 taker only..

[Raggleflaggle]

gah, i'd have taken advantage of that! i dig the '79 facelift. especially the coupes.

[datzenmike]

So why are you getting rid of it then?

 

well, i'm wanting to get what i put in by getting miles of transportation, but i now work on the other side of a huge hill, and the main point of the car is decent mileage and the ability to get me there on time.  it can do neither. 

.

The B210 is good at both, why isn't yours?

[Raggleflaggle]

because of the hill. the thing is huge. and eveybody down here like their 2500 HD's and their suburbans to go 80 on the highway up and down the hill. po' little datty just can't keep up, can't even maintain speed limit uphill. it's literally illegal for me to drive it to work. 2000 lbs vs 5000lbs just isn't going to end well one day when somebody has to LOL at some facebook post or something.
and, as a side note, i'm broke as ****. if it stays in my yard i'll keep spending money on it.