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Hey guys I'm on the fence about selling my SAS Cabriolet. Currently it's insured for $42,000 by Grundy. It's probably the only 356 mid-engine Cabriolet with automatic transmission. The car was built in 2008 and the engine is 2.5 Subaru from a 2005 Impreza. It has power windows and cruise control and new tires. I haven't raised the top for a while so the canvas and plastic window are pretty stiff. I was going to sell it a couple of years ago but couldn't part with it then, but now at 81 it's easy getting in but oh so hard getting out. I'm not greedy or needy so I'm asking what would be a fair price to ask, oh nearly forgot comes with the old SOC and Corpse grill badges.

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Last edited by Theron
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Definitely a seller's market for real estate here on the Emerald Coast of Florida.

We normally have over 10,000 homes of one sort or another listed, we currently have less than 1900. Anna and I sold the last of our current listings just before the new year. We will have several coming on board, but having none at any time is remarkable. Buyers.....we've got plenty.

A very large percentage of our market here is military as we have more retired and active duty military in this congressional district than in an any other in the nation.

Because of COVID the military has elected not to re-assign people to new permanent duty stations, so that segment of the market has dried up until this is over. The retired military folks aren't moving either.

Many people who own short term rentals but live in large cities like Atlanta have taken their rental properties off the market and moved down here forsaking the crowded and restrictive lifestyles imposed upon them. We know some who are simply selling their first homes and planning on staying here permanently, telecommunicating for work.

The upside is that there are too many half baked realtors around who will go back to whatever they were doing before because of the market conditions. This is an easy business to get into, but the bar is pretty high if one wants to really be successful.

New home builders can't keep up with the demand. They also are hesitant to build anything they haven't gotten a sales contract on already.

So it is a mixed bag, and as always, the pendulum will swing back.

i really didnt want to sell my rental, perfect tenants for 10 years,they bought  another house, low interest rates...house was tired, needs paint, carpet, water heater, a/c,roof 25 yrs old, heater and on and on...I cashed out and got another problem out of my life..now I gotta deal with TAXES come April...I was rich for awhile..

I think there are lots of folks out there that no longer can push the clutch do to leg/back issues.  My wife can drive a MT BUT simply won't.  The AT cuts # of folks that would be interested BUT will appeal to those who want "effortless" cruising so they maybe willing to pay a premium.  Nolan gave me a ride years ago at Carlisle years ago - a nice ride - love the color.  I know I asked about trans but for what he said - is it an Audi or maybe T4 trans?  I don't think it was a T1 semi-auto - but the shifter looks normal with no PDR visible.  Those that actually got that SAS car got a great car.

Nolan’s car is a Subaru Impreza underneath - engine, automatic transmission, suspension, 4-wheel power disk brakes, power steering front end, power top(!) mechanism, everything is Subaru.  The engine is sitting mid-ships and driving the rear wheels.  Just think that it’s a full front wheel drive assembly sitting in the back seat.  No VW stuff anywhere.  The transmission is at least an automatic 4-speed but may be a 5 or 6 speed.  @Nolan would know that far better than me.  

Beautiful car, Nolan.  Best of luck with the sale and remember that while Lawing may have a less than stellar reputation, the cars he delivered were very good, very reliable and very special.  

Sorry but no power steering, brakes or top, those were on one of the last cars SAS built.  The car is very reliable as I've driven it from Florida to Carlisle three times without any problems. As for the insured value of $42,000, it Grundy's annual increase of out original agreed value of my purchase price which was lower.  I not looking for anywhere that much and would consider most offers.

Jeez---instant thread drift with piling on.  Sort of rude I'd say.   Sorry for Nolan who was looking for help from the soc folks.  Damn.  Any thoughts about a selling price for Nolan?  I have ridden in this car and it is sensational.  I agree with Marty about the AT but surely there are a lot of folks who would love this feature.  Troy is the best car marketing expert --send him a PM and get his thoughts, Nolan

So, is Alabama gonna kill it Monday night?  (Just kidding!)

@Nolan posted:

Sorry but no power steering, brakes or top, those were on one of the last cars SAS built.  The car is very reliable as I've driven it from Florida to Carlisle three times without any problems. As for the insured value of $42,000, it Grundy's annual increase of out original agreed value of my purchase price which was lower.  I not looking for anywhere that much and would consider most offers.

@Joe Bednarik was looking for a Speedster with an automatic transmission a few years back. If he hasn't found one he may still be interested. Your Speedster is a bit of a unicorn in the sense that it will likely appeal to a smaller audience but that audience would be VERY interested in the car. The used market is quite strong, just look at the recent prices on BaT. You might even consider BaT as their opinion on replicas seems to have changed dramatically. Whatever route you go I'd hire a professional photographer to take hundreds of photos to help sell the car. Decide what the least amount you'd take for the car and price it above that so you have room for haggling as everyone seems to think they're a shrewd negotiator.

List it at $40k. It's worth more than that, and if you don't really want that much, let folks negotiate you down.

No one needs power steering or a power top in a speedster. My god!

But a modern auto trans and 2.5 Subaru with 170(?) hp put that car miles ahead of most builds, for any buyer except the dreaded stickler for authenticity—and we all know what bores those guys are!

These types of cars are worth what people are willing to pay for them. It's hard to figure exactly what that is sometimes but you can fish for free.

Post on Craigslist for $45K and any other free sites you can find. If there is no interest, drop it a few thousand every few weeks until interest picks up. Meaning, people call about it. Whatever that number is, make that your asking or a bit higher to cover the negotiators.



Delete this thread where you said you would take low 30's. You can give someone a reasonable deal but don't give it away.

Hi @Nolan

I have john Eastman's SAS Cabriolet.   John sold it to a guy in Arkansas who was in line for an automatic from SAS.   He bought it to tide him over until he got the car he really wanted with an automatic ransmission.     He heard he was next in line from SAS, and listed the Eastman Cabriolet.  I snatched it up.

I don't think he ever received his automatic.   I can give you his name if you'd like to contact him to see if he's still wanting an SAS with automatic.

Your SAS cabriolet is well documented, and in my opinion, is worth every bit of $40,000.

Back in November a nice Beck with auto trans and AC engine sold on BAT for 52k. @Nolan your car is that and then some. Don't sell yourself short you have a very unique build. The is someone out there who will pay top dollar for the ease of use/reliability of the suby and has leg issues that cannot row their own gears.

Here is the BAT listing and it only takes 2 people who want it

https://bringatrailer.com/list...ster-356a-speedster/

Hi Nolan---you know I hate to see you Speederless as I loved you're being part of the SE caravan to Carlisle for many years. ( Same as Hoss.)  I agree with Tom's post, above and add that heading into spring is the perfect time to market the car.  $44,500 and not a dime less.  That's a fair price and will get the sale done if that's what you want to happen.  Overpricing and grasping for the last dollar is your enemy.  Good luck, whatever you decide and Alice and I will look forward to dinner with you and Jan at Aubrey's on the way to Carlisle this year.

Hey guys and gals, thanks for all your replies and suggestions.  I will be putting my Cabriolet on BAT as soon as the weather here warms up and and can get some pictures to post. Selling online seems a little scary but I suppose BAT is safer than Craigslist. I scanned BAT's website to get some info how it all works. If any of you has done business with BAT let me know if there's anything I should know. I did sell my 550 Spyder through Auto Trader without any issues. And Jack, looking forward to dinner at Aubrey's if Carlisle is still a go this year. ps: Scheduled for my COVID vaccination next week.

I’ve bought once on BAT and attempted to sell once on BAT. Buying was easier than selling. BAT requires a lot of details and photographs, which is great, but they take a lot of time to put everything together. The finished product for my listing looked really good, and I was happy with it. However, for the $100 listing fee, you still have to put a lot of your own work in.

When the listing goes live, that is when the fun begins. The car will be listed for a week before auction closes. During that time, you have the fun job of fielding everyone’s questions, dealing with the critics and “experts”, and anxiously awaiting bids.

I was happy with the direction my auction was going at first. A few guys who seemed genuinely interested kept outbidding each other. At the very end of the auction, a dealer from the United Kingdom placed one bid and was the top bidder. The auction then ended with the top bid a little under my reserve. With that, BAT gets you in contact with the top bidder only. At that point, you can try and work out a deal. The UK dealer failed to communicate with me any further, which was fine, because I was not thrilled about working with someone overseas to get the car shipped to them. However, one of the guys who consistently bid on my car expressed he had an issue with the site at the end of the auction. BAT has this sort of thing happen fairly frequently. Despite this, BAT would not let me or the prospective buyer communicate or exchange information.

That same night, I listed my car on Craigslist for 5 bucks which took all of a few minutes. Within less than 24 hours, my car was sold locally for asking price (which was $2,500 more than my reserve on BAT). I had cash in hand, didn’t have to worry about working with shippers, and had a flawless in person transaction.


BAT customer service was poor and they were not helpful. If your car doesn’t sell, they don’t care and don’t help you get in contact with people who are interested. This is because if the auction doesn’t meet your reserve, BAT doesn’t get their 5% fee the buyer pays.

Take it with a grain of salt, as my experience is just one. My recommendation would be to try and sell locally first. If that doesn’t work, then maybe consider paying the $100 listing fee, putting in a lot of work, and anxiously waiting for an extended period of time. It is a grueling process. If the end result isn’t what you hoped for it is very disappointing too. I had BAT delete my account and let them know I won’t be doing business with them in the future. I haven’t looked back.

Last edited by TwinCitiesSpeedster

@ALB Yes, they initially lowballed my reserve, but we met halfway. BAT is all about getting a sale above reserve, because the buyer pays 5% to BAT when they win an auction.

@Stan Galat BAT does appear to bring top dollar for a lot of cars. Speedster replicas appear to do well. Most foreign/import cars seem to be popular on BAT. American stuff doesn’t seem to do as well.

Again, this was just my experience. If you haven’t done it, imagine watching bids and reading comments on your beloved vehicle for 7 days. Yikes 😳.

Has anyone had any luck with the forum classifieds? We have one here, TheSamba, Pelican Parts and Rennlist. (Not positive PP and Rennlist will list replicas)

I sold my 911 on PP in less than two hours to the second of five guys that emailed within a half hour of listing it. (After the first guy ran into money troubles). Yes, I know, I know. I listed it for $5K too little.

Last edited by dlearl476
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