Selling my 1987 GT -CANADA (Ottawa)

Hey gang,

I don't have privileges to post in the classified section (not sure why), so I thought it was worth a post here.

I'm selling my 1987 Escort GT hatchback. Dad gifted it to me 5 years ago (car has spent its whole life in BC until that move). It was his project car and my project car and here's what's been replaced or redone:
-new fuel pump
-new gas tank
-new tie rods and ball joints
-new radiator & heater core
-new alternator
-new tires
-new lights, including the plastic housing for the lights
-new windsheild
-new fancy stereo system that a car stereo guy was really impressed by but I honestly know nothing about.
-I'm sure there are another dozen things that my dad rebuilt or replaced that I know nothing about. An old lady who never drove it owned it before my father. The two of us have put all of the km on it driving it back and forth between Vancouver and Toronto.

My dad redid all of the electrical, which included moving the battery to a closed panel in the trunk. He also redid the dash panel, and we've added some weird touches like wooden knobs and a wooden cup holder that sits in front of the passenger on the dash.

There are a few things that don't work: The lights on the ceiling above the rearview mirror. I could never find bulbs that would fit, so I don't know if they're wired in any more. My dad redid the paint and some of it needs to be touched up. It's white, and he painted the chrome handles black and that is peeling. It needs a new muffler. And I had to move the headlight switch because the plastic backing for the knob broke and I couldn't install it back to where it usually sits without it. One of the seatbelts in the back doesn't work because my dad spilled a gallon of grey paint back there and it filled the seatbelt housing.

There are just over 200 thousand clicks on it.

And, the big bad: Some idiots stole my car. They messed up the hotwire job and screwed up the electrical. I took it to a garage, they told me they couldn't give me an estimate. Rewiring the starter didn't work and I was about to get married and didn't have the time to deal with it. This was late September. The car wasn't damaged beyond some dents on the door where they pried out the lock. I suspect they got it started and then couldn't get the lights on, and ditched it immediately. They put it in my neighbour's parking spot and we found it the next morning. Idiots. Anyway, we had to get a new car, and I'd rather this go to an enthusiast than anything else. I'd also rather not take it apart and sell it piece by piece. Once it's been rewired I'm sure it'll be a great car again. I miss it. I've had people chase me down in parking lots to tell me how much they love it.

I'd like 1500$ for it, which seems fair because so much of the car has been replaced in the last few years and I've put so much into it. But maybe you've got other opinions on that.

And if there's a moderator that could move this to the classified section that would also be helpful.

If only you were closer. I bought an '89 LX in Ottawa about 6 years ago.

Back in 2012, I tried selling my '90 (body was a bit rough in spots), for $2000, then lowered to $1500. This was after new suspension, brakes, cooling, engine, clutch, bushings, fuel pump, lights, and a host of other things, plus a huge box of spare parts. It sold for scrap. Not to shoot down your hopes, and to say that I don't know the social norms of your area, but without a magical buyer, all people will typically see is a "disposable" car from the 80s, and basically want to pay nothing for it. It's a grim reality with owning these things.

Hey Unexploded Cow. No hope dashing. I figure that may be the way it goes. If that's the case I'll probably just tow it again and do the electrical work myself and see if I can get her running again. But! No harm in seeing if anyone is interested. Sorry yours went to scrap!

This is true, and it's good that you're not totally set on selling. If you do, I hope it goes for what you ask, and to a good home. Too few of these cars are around. I actually haven't seen an 80s car where I live in at least 3 years. 90s aren't all too common, either, and the 2000s are looking ragged. People just don't care for things in the larger city rust-belt, it seems.