10k: Quick Flippers; 1992 Volvo LS1 V8 Swap
This 1992 Volvo LS1 V8 Swap currently offered on Ebay would not have even come up on our radar, save the fact that this
car has been seriously considered and written about by all the DT
Staff. It crushed us to hear that it had found a new home, but you know us…there’s always a catch!
DT Catch of the Day: YoshiFab did an outsanding job with this car as a
test bed for their products which cater to the LS1 swap-loving Volvista and finally sold the car after it failed to reach their minimum in this ebay listing which closed on November 9th (without receiving any bids against a $9,990 minimum opening bid and this DT write up on November 3, 2012) and a later ebay listing which closed on February 6, 2012 (without receiving any opening bids against a lowered $9,000 minimum opening bid and this DT write up on January 31, 2013).
While we were dismayed to hear the car ended up in Ohio, we’re even more
dismayed that its apparently in the hands of a short-term flipper. This seller has borrowed a lot of the text and all of the pictures from the previous owner’s ebay ad, down to the reference to the tires having about 500 more miles of wear on them after the impressive burn out pictured below. They shuffled the pictures and had the good sense not to put a high minimum opening bid on it. The bids are currently at $4,350 with five days left to run.
We’re all for V8 Swaps, we’re all for bargains and we’re all for
flipping; but some believe there is something inherently wrong about not doing
anything and expecting to be compensated handsomely for it. At minimum, the new owner
will have to recover the price he paid plus whatever his shipping/transportation fees were.
One of his lookers, who either noticed the CA plates in the pictures, or recognized the car from earlier auctions, asked if the car is currently located and whether it has an OH or CA title.
The seller responded that the car is now titled in OH. That could present a problem if the buyer intends to bring it back to CA (or a similarly draconian state), because coming in from another state, a visual verification of the VIN and a CA Emissions certification will be required before it can be registered. Formerly exempt from smog, it may now require a trip to a smog referee to determine if the car‘s newer LS1 engine has retained all of its original factory installed smog equipment and can meet emissions for its later model year.
Some of the buyers looking for this type of car, who really like this car, will already be familiar with it; just as we are. Will that help or hurt the pricing, knowing that it didn’t reach $9,000 in its earlier offerings?
This is a great car and deserves a great price. Maybe the flipper is a friend of the previous owner and is helping him out by offering it up for sale in the Midwest, or maybe he’s just moved it there where he expects it to draw a bigger Volvo loving audience. Maybe his added value is in opening the ad with a picture of the LS1 Engine instead of the side view of the Refrigerator White, Slab Sided, Cookie-Crumb Hauler that it’s posing as. Any of those might very well be the difference in him being successful with the car where the builder and previous owner missed. If nothing else, he’s got damned good taste in cars.
What are your thoughts… quick flipper or genius?
If you find a better V8 swapped Volvo Wagon, email us at tips@dailyturismo.com
A short term flipper that currently has 7 cars and 695 parts with a 6300+ feedback. A "pro" flipper more like it 🙂
Hell, 6300 feedback is well into the Chinese ebay retailer territory!
theres always ways around it to bring the car back to california without inspection if originally was a california car,as long as you can get a hold on the previous owner 😉
Well, 3rd time was NOT a charm for this car. I actually feel badly for the new seller. I was hoping there was a $10K bid hiding out there in middle America,but the bidding closed at $9,100 and that apparently represents the top of the market for this car.
Awesome car, but it may just be that a lot of buyers are skeptical of buying a transformed car that they did not build themselves.
If the current owner purchased it cheaply enough, perhaps he'll just enjoy it for the stealthy hoonmobile that it is, for about a year; then, just about the time it will start needing some new tires… try it again
~ the Ford 5liter powered 740s Ross Converse built for Newman and Letterman surely cost several times this car's high bid when built. LSx & 6 speed makes the DT feature car their equal.
. Huns, i doubt the tires will last a year. bet we could burn 'em up in a week.