SOLD - Have Decided to sell my Marathon Blue '73 1.7 $7,250 Options

[jrmdir]

Hi everyone: Please see http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=360275 for pricing.

Viewer Discretion Notice!
In case you find “what’s my car worth” posts to be annoying, be aware this is a fairly long and possibly boring note about my car’s status and my reasons for wanting to sell. But on the plus side, hopefully, at least I’m not a newbie and have been pretty active here in the past 14 months. Learned a ton of things and hopefully contributed a some good stuff as well. And perhaps knowing this car is headed for the market will be of interest to some of you or your friends.



The Background
Purchased locally a year ago. Had been stored for 3-years prior. Was not running
Other than being told it came from Cincinnati before the Seller owned it in Dayton, I have no history
Rust issue fully disclosed, inspected by me and taken into account in the purchase price.
I’m an OCD fix-it guy and wanted a post-Covid project. Also thought it could become my next (final) full on restoration project.
I really enjoyed putting tons of work into getting it running and fixing numerous small issues and some big ones e.g. Fresh Air Fan. (see full list below)
Have turned it into a very fun runabout that looks awesome (from 20 ft.)
Next in line would be rust, body and paint work – but I’ve now figured out this is as far as I'm capable of taking it at this point (and age) And besides, it now seems too nice to think about taking it off the road for such a long time. But it will need to be done at some point for sure.
I could have a lot of fun with it this summer but the time is right for me to let it go
I think it has enough appeal and rarity to do pretty well on auction sites. (even with the rust fully disclosed, of course)
But countering that is the fact that auctions are a hassle so I'm not sure which route to take.

The Ask
Selling it here on the World has a lot of appeal, but I need a price. So with all that I guess I’m blatantly trolling for thoughts & opinions on value/asking price – as well as the best way to market it. I’ll add as many photos as I’m allowed below and questions are welcomed.

The Bad
Hell hole is indeed hellish
Rear third of the passenger long needs repair, as does the rear 1/4 of the driver side.
Same goes for both rear jacking points and the tow hook bracket beneath the drivers foot well
Needs paint and minor body work

The Not Too Bad
It’s easy to beat the 1st gear Synchro (surprise!)
Front shocks are shot. I have a replacement set of used Boges that I’ve yet to install
Both side roll up windows are chipped at the top. PO sourced correct original windows that have not been installed. They are included
A couple of the heater tracks in the rear window need to be repaired with conductive paint (not that I think anyone really ever needs it)
One straight crack in the dash top roll – which seems to be a standard feature on many of these cars. Not much of a detraction - see photo
Vertical crack in the driver's door top roll pad - taped over.
Original shift knob looks good but is cracked at the bottom end.
Original Hella interior lamp with chrome surround and white switch is still there, but shows signs of prior melting (not unusual I understand)

The Good
Marathon Blue! L 96 M
Very Rare Rear Window Defroster
Gurney/Western Wheels with rare Porsche crest center cups
About as original as they come! Engine has never been out, nothing missing except front bumper extensions, rear heat control valves and trunk & frunk carpeting. Original radio replaced at some point with period-suitable push button cassette radio
Currently has larger diameter exhaust pipes from a 1.8 with the HE shields removed. Mated to Sebring/Monza muffler. I sourced a pair of correct 1.7 HE’s in great shape but have not yet installed
Tons of work and $ put in to reviving the D Jet system. (see list) Starts instantly cold or hot. No smoke
PO spent $3,400 on it in 2018, including rebuilding frozen rear calipers.
Only the tiniest amount of oil seepage from above the filter (from the cooler?) Doesn’t drip on the floor
Interior is 7 or maybe better? Only a couple of small separations in the basket weave of the driver’s seat and the above mentioned dash crack. Brand new door cards.
Like new Lloyd's floor mats
Everything works – all lights, switches, latches etc. (except the notorious and long gone seatbelt interlock relay and wiring.)
Floors and front & rear trunks have cosmetic rust only and are very solid (will post more photos when I list it.)
Rear suspension consoles are also very solid
Door gaps are perfect
While it does need to be repainted, it has a nice uniform patina that is almost in vogue? FWIW
Original top in excellent condition
New rear shocks & springs
New fresh air motor and fan
Shifts smoothly, pulls strongly in all gears
All locks + ignition are keyed the same as original
Bodywork is very straight (one small dent in front left fender), Chrome bumpers are awesome!
Clear Ohio title

The List
Flushed and cleaned fuel tank
New filter, tank strainer screen and Bosch fuel pump
New hi-pressure flexible fuel lines
New cap, rotor, coil, condenser, wires and plugs
New PCV valve
New Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) Circuit Board
Rebuilt and calibrated Manifold Pressure Sensor (MPS)
Replaced and/or repaired all vacuum lines
Confirmed proper operation of Auxiliary Air Regulator (AAR)
Adjusted fuel pressure to proper setting
Tested and confirmed all ECU connections and input/output signals
Changed engine oil and filter
Changed gearbox lube
Replaced shifter rear ball socket insert
Installed all new pushrod tube o-rings and seals
Installed new copper exhaust gaskets
Repaired broken left hinge on rear trunk
Cleaned and lubricated all locks and window mechanisms
Restored battery tray/ECU mount and fabricated sturdy battery support
Replaced/repaired door jamb switches and interior light
Repaired Odometer
Repaired both license plate lights
Repaired front left marker/turn signal housing and bulb holder
Repaired horn wiring in steering column
Repaired turn signal cancellation and gauge indicator arrow operation
Cleaned out and restored Fresh Air blower unit with new motor/fan assembly. All 3 speeds work from dash control unit.
Sourced original 1.7L heat exchangers













































Thanks,

Ron

[JeffBowlsby]

Price?

[jrmdir]

Price?

Well, as I tried to explain, that's what I was asking for help with from the Garage forum so that I could then list it here.

Looks like someone moved it here based just on the title?

[jrmdir]

Moderators - is there a chance of getting this put back in the Garage? It is not a for sale post (yet) despite the title.

Thanks,

Ron

[Montreal914]

As mentioned above, the rules are that you set a price.

Although, the interior of the car is in decent condition for it's age, the car will need serious rust repair and paint. Yes, you got it back running with a good "tune-up" job, but the fact remains that this car isn't really structurally safe in this condition.

Although it seems like this car could be regularly driven, I think it is a 1.7 project car.

4-6k$ is my guess but I am no expert. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

GLWTS (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[jrmdir]

Thanks for the input.

And yes, I do know the rules - that's why I was looking for help with the value before listing it here.

Would like to stress once again that I did not post this here - it was moved here by someone else. See http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showforum=2

Ron

[Superhawk996]

Although, the interior of the car is in decent condition for it's age, the car will need serious rust repair and paint. Yes, you got it back running with a good "tune-up" job, but the fact remains that this car isn't really structurally safe in this condition.

Although it seems like this car could be regularly driven, I think it is a 1.7 project car.

4-6k$ is my guess but I am no expert. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

GLWTS (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of metal work will be required to correct the rust damage. Then a paint job at the end. Won’t be cheap to fix it properly. Not financially viable unless someone does the work themselves - someone looking for a project.

Although car looks nice from a distance, it is what it is. It is awesome that you’ve done some work on it and fixed some annoyances. However, sunk costs have no bearing on value.

Probably toward the high end - maybe $7k because it can be shown that it runs and drives?

[Cairo94507]

Well... you asked, I am in agreement with Superhawk996. I think $7K-$8K is about it. It is a shame the rust damage is going to require quite a bit of work to get it done correctly. Otherwise I would say $15K. GLWTS. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[jrmdir]

Thanks people – great input and just what I was looking for to help with the decision. I’m going to post a slimmed down actual FS post shortly and I will be quite happy if it sells in the ranges you’ve come up with. Not worried about sunk cost - I bought it with eyes open about the extent of repair and used much the same argument to get the price down to where felt I wouldn’t regret buying it (and I don’t). And as I said part of the value to me was the fix-it challenge/therapy.

I’ve gone through various stages with this car. Even before I bought it, I spoke with Brad Mayeur and discussed having him fix it. Also looked at buying a welder and explored several rebuild threads here as well as the various metal repair and stiffening kits. But I’ve done enough full-on nut & bolt restoration projects over the last 55 years that I now know better than to take this on at my age. It’s a tempting retirement project but I no longer have the space (or the patience.)

So hopefully someone with more time and experience will appreciate the chance to get a very good restoration target (i.e. – all original and somewhat rare) at an attractive price.

That said, part of me thinks I it would be fun to see how crazy the market really is by going the no-reserve eBay route. If this seller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154975815585?hash=...=p2047675.l2557 can get 9 people to bid that derelict to $3,333 sight unseen, who knows what would happen with my car? BTW, is that not an excellent listing? No interior or engine (1,600 cc??) photos, no mention of the rust that is surely there (30 years “storage” - outside?) and a bonus broken windshield & frame.

But let’s see what happens here first.

Thanks once more,

Ron

[worn]

Well... you asked, I am in agreement with Superhawk996. I think $7K-$8K is about it. It is a shame the rust damage is going to require quite a bit of work to get it done correctly. Otherwise I would say $15K. GLWTS. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

I am in the midst of restoring such a car. It is a long slog. After more than a year of solid half time work i am looking at paint prep as just over the horizon. Still over the horizon. Had i not done the work while retired this would have been work supporting a skilled person for half a year. A big cost. You certainly have not shown us the extent of the rust because it lurks behind every bit of seam sealer. That is the bad part.
The good part is that the payoff is large. Properly sorted, these cars can be both good looking and giggle promoting fun mobiles. I have never driven anything as fun.
I suggest that you pass it on for whatever price you would want to pay for the chance to take on such a challenge. You may be lucky enough to find someone brave enough to rise to the challenge while at the same time willing to rise to the bait.

[jrmdir]

Sale pending!

[Montreal914]

So, basically this car was posted here without any selling price and now the sale is pending? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

I guess rules are meant to be broken... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[mepstein]

So, basically this car was posted here without any selling price and now the sale is pending? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

I guess rules are meant to be broken... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

He had a separate for sale thread in the classifieds.

[jrmdir]

Thanks mepstein

Ron