As some of you know from many of my past posts, I lost interest in my Rallye 350 years ago. I simply did not have the money to build it the way I really wanted to back in 1999. The car is a nice car but it is not what I want. It is my first car that I got in 1990 and I have a lot of history with it. I am not attached to the car much at all but my wife would like for me to keep it. My oldest girl also don't want me to sell it. (Renee is only 9 and don't want me to sell anything) The car is to nice to take all apart and do over but still not restored to the level I want. Now that I am building my W-30 I am building it exactly the way I want it because my Rallye 350 taught me that. The W-30 will be built exactly the way I want it so this will only make the problem worse for the Rallye 350. At this point I feel it is only taking up space that I could use for something else. I will not sell the Jetfire and do not plan to sell the W-30, Both of which are what I want. If I sell the Rallye it would open up other car related opportunities I would much more enjoy than the Rallye 350.

I have had 4 guys over the past 2 years that are either interested in or want to buy My Rallye 350 (not just talkers). My wife said I can do as i want but if i sell it I have to list it on eBay and if it don't sell there then I can sell it as i wish. She thinks it is worth more than i do and thinks that I am low on my figure because I don't like the car and that i am nitpicking it.

I have to say, The reason this has come up again is that there are a couple other cars i am interested in. I would have to sell the Rallye 350 to consider either one of them. Even if I was not able to work something out on one of the two cars i would like to sell the Rallye.

Any opinions?

 

I would sell the Jetfire before I'd sell the Rallye, but then again, I've never been a fan of the Jetfire.

It's obviously your choice, but if it were me, I'd keep the Rallye until the W30 is finished. That way you still have the feeling of the bigger car. I'd be willing to bet if you sell it, there will be one of those times down the road that you'll say "I wish I'd never sold that." Another good reason to keep it would be that you don't want more projects until your W30 is finished. It sounds like the reason you want to get rid of it is to make room for another project.

 

It sounds like if you are not careful you'll have extra space in the bedroom!

 

From what your saying, I would sell it. If you arent as attached to it as you say you wont miss it. Ive let go of a few cars and only truly miss one. It is also good that you want to sell it to fund another car, instead of something un-car related. That makes me feel better about selling a car. It sounds as if you know what you want but are unsure how its going to be once done, I do that with my nova all the time.

 

I agree.

 

Then you could buy a olds wagon lots of room in their for guests !!

 

Eric,
You and I shared a lot in the past and I can appreciate what you must be going through. There's been some tough times and I think you're past the worst parts now. The Jetfire has to stay no matter what because it's such a cool car and I remember when you were going through the hunt and buying on that. So here's my take on your quest.

The Rallye is a nice car, but not the car you really want. So IMO it's just taking up space, not getting really any more valuable, and the $$$ you could get for it from a seriously interested buyer would likely put the completion of the W30 and any other projects in a financially better situation. If I was in your position, I'd sit down with the wife and discuss one or 2 of the offers you've had in the past. Come up with a $$ value that you'd like to see from the car and see if they're willing to do that instead of the headache of listing, waiting, answering countless questions on eBay, CL or whatever. Getting the ask is really what you want and anything over the top is cream. Only thing about CL and eBay I don't like, and you've had this before too, you could easily get a non paying bidder, or a lot of tire kickers that you know are going to beat the authenticity of the Rallye to death. Price it, sell it privately if you can and be done with it. Crap, if I lived down anywhere close to you we'd already be shaking hands and transferring title because I do like the Rallye 350's. I thought they were cool as hell back in the 70's and there weren't too many of them driving around here in Edmonton, but there were a few.

Make it perfectly clear to your wife that you don't have any sentimental attachments to the car and it's basically a source of $$. She might understand that more. You've already made your mind up that the Rallye should be for sale. I think all you need is the push to list it - so I'm giving you the push. Good luck my friend.

 

Eddie, I would sell all of them before i sold the jetfire. Something about that car has really left it's mark with us. Even my wife wants to go to car shows with it and that has never happened before. As for someday wishing i never sold it, I am sure that will happen to some degree at some point. In 2000 i was faced with having to sell a 16,000 mile 72 442 W-30 or this Rallye 350. I decided to sell the W-30 and it is a decision that I have regretted from that very day. That W-30 should have stayed and the Rallye 350 sold. I think this is part of the reason I have never been happy with this Rallye 350.

bigoldscruiser, That would be true if i sold "her" Jetfire.

youngolds, When I bought out the barn find, It was to make money to pay down the house and not gain a car. We ended up deciding to restore the blue W-30 and keep it. That makes it so that I should sell the Rallye 350 and put it on the house. We want to be debt free but to do that we would have to sell them all. With that said, If the house was paid for i would never mortgage it to buy a bunch of cars... so why keep the cars that would pay it off. Just something else that is running through my mind.

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

 

Sell it Eric.....everyone told me to sell my vista before selling my cutlass. Glad I listened to myself....I get a lot of enjoyment with the vista.

 

You already have a project car, and your women want you to keep it. Unless you don't have a space to keep it, there's no reason to sell, other than to acquire another project.

I don't believe in "sell this to buy that." One should manage his finances so that one can buy and sell independently of each other, thus maximizing your freedom and money making. In other words, if you want another project, save for it. If you don't want this Rallye, sell it. Don't relate the two, it will only upset you and others and make less money.

 

Great car, tough choice. I tend to keep more than I sell and am running out of room because of it. In 93 I sold a 69 W-30. My wife told me I needed to grow up now, etc, etc. My next CAR was a new 96 Z/28. I drove it home w/out permission to buy it from the wife. She was not happy. I have bought all my cars that way since. The only ones she liked were the Typhoon and the 65 Caddy convert. Both of which are long gone. IMO the Rallye is the least desirable of your stable. Good luck!

 

I feel your pain Eddie. I struggled with a similar dilemma selling my Charger to buy my current Cutlass project. I had owned the Charger for 20 plus years and kids had grown up around it. Wish I could have kept it and had my cake and eat it too. Good luck with your decision and whatever you choose is not a bad route......there are a lot of people who would like to have your dilemma

 

I get what you're saying. I think I would've rather kept the W30 over the Rallye. It's hard to tell, I love Rallyes as much as the W30s. It's not about value to me, it how cool it looks and both are pretty damn cool!

Difficult choice there....

 

Yes, I VERY much like Rallye 350s as much as W-30s. I even like the fact that you can get one for MUCH less than a W-30 and most of the parts are not that hard to find. My issue is mostly condition. I used NOS front fenders, a third style trunk lid, the bottom side was rubberized undercoated and the list goes way beyond that. I don't like these things but like I was saying, The car is way to nice to take apart and redo. If I was to do that I need another Rallye 350 and restore it. I know i am nitpicking and i also know my W-30 is not going to be perfect when it is done but at least it will be as close as i can get it with the funding I have available to me today. My 72 was as close to showroom condition as i could ever have and that is closer to the condition I want now.

I am rambling now but i look at the Rallye 350 and see what i wanted it to be and it is not ever going to be that. I did build it to be driven alot but I never did.

I think it is just time to move on to something else or even put it on the house like i should do.
Thanks for all the thoughts, It really is helping.

 

It sounds like you are at peace with selling the car. Make sure wife and kid are. My old man's mechanic has his rusty old CJ7, the car I learned to drive on. Even though Dad has a better old woods car, 67 Bronco, that I can have to restore, I still want that Jeep too.

 

Sell. Having the extra money and space gives you the freedom you need to build the dream car you want. I have been down this road. I sold my 80 cutlass 88 mustang and a 69 cutlass to extend my garage and finish my 81 project and have room to keep it running. Its hard but liberating.