About that time of year for some Craigslist sales

[mstewart440]

I've had fun wrenching on these two antiques I bought this year. I'm thinking about picking up some of these cheap end of season deals and working on them over the winter to sell next spring.

94XP, 40psi on one jug, $200: http://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/4608357717.html
94XP, needs exh gasket and pump work, $500: http://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/4611246605.html
95XP, really clean but has "dead cylinder", $600: http://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/4610623429.html


What I really want is a late 90's GTX though. There's a nice one nearby for $1,000 but that's not cheap enough for me just yet.

 

[LouDoo]

Well, personally, I like the third ski on your list. My first ski was a 95XP 717, I really loved that ski, probably the most trouble free ski I have ever owned. I often thought about getting another one. Hmm, I'm not that far from Nashville, just kidding.

Lou

 

[mstewart440]

Me too...its alot nicer than the other two. My GTI has the 717 motors and I like it...I can imagine that in the smaller lighter hull. I reached out to him to see if he has any more info. Wouldn't hurt to go look with my brandy new compression tester. I do have to consider the spousal consequences of dragging another one home while I still have a non-running one in her parking space though.

 

[68ragtop]

the toughest parts with the old skis is, if you want to fix them right you might end up with more in them that they are worth. I took a loss on two skis so far for that reason. But, I have a tendency to over do everything too. So some of that is my own fault.

 

[mstewart440]

yeah, I think the trick is to understand the difference in "fixing" and "restoring". lol

I mentioned being interested in a late 90's 787 GTX and low and behold, a clean 96 popped up on the local CL last night for $500. Guy says this morning that he was told it needed crank seals but he can't tell me why they think that. SBT crank kit is $275 so if he's right so I'd still only have $750 in it. Anther guy has a really clean 97 GSI for $900 that lost an oil line and seized a piston. He has freshly bored jugs, pistons, and gasket kit to go with it, but its disassembled.

 

[Brian J]

if you want to fix them right you might end up with more in them that they are worth.

That's been my experience, I like restoring an old neglected X4 but to do it right you might find yourself making per hour about what you could flipping burgers at Mcdonalds.

The guy's that make decent money doing a "correct resto" are buying them real real cheap.

Or there's the guy that just gets them running and passing them on to the next guy. Twice this summer I've seen one go on craigslist with advertised motor issues, then disappear, then reappear the next day with a big price tag simply stating "Excellent condition, runs great". Shady stuff.

 

[purple_people_eater]

I've had fun wrenching on these two antiques I bought this year. I'm thinking about picking up some of these cheap end of season deals and working on them over the winter to sell next spring.

94XP, 40psi on one jug, $200: http://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/4608357717.html
94XP, needs exh gasket and pump work, $500: http://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/4611246605.html
95XP, really clean but has "dead cylinder", $600: http://nashville.craigslist.org/boa/4610623429.html


What I really want is a late 90's GTX though. There's a nice one nearby for $1,000 but that's not cheap enough for me just yet.

this is how it starts. how i started at least. the trick to making money is buy up all the good ones you can find. even the one that cosmetically look horrible. cause while the hull may be gone the internals are prob still good. so you buy a nasty ratty 96 xp for 500 bucks, but now you have pretty much all the parts you need for any carbed 787 ski. mpem is worth 200-300 bucks alone. and having everything there at your finger tips is awesome and time saving. you'll also start to learn what parts interchange etc. there's money in ski flipping but you've got to know your market for your area. like here if i buy a 96-97 gtx, i know around here they go for 3000 in PERFECT condition. it takes me ~1200 to make a ski cosmetically perfect. so that plus 300-400 for getting it running. so i know my buying limit is 300-400 for a nice profit. i am making profit along the way, but that's shop time that i could be working on other skis so i don't really count that. the money is in 3 seaters and 4-tecs so if you're staying 2-stroke pretty much any spi,pre 97 spx,sp gs, etc 2 seater should be looked at as parts. the only 2 seaters that sell in my experience are x4's, xpl's, and gsx's. but they do sit a while. basically, just use you're head and learn the market in your area and you can make money doing it.

 

[mstewart440]

I'm probably too busy and have too little storage space to try really making money. But if I could gradually upgrade my toys and have the process fund itself, that'd be good enough for me. I'm curious what you spend $1,200 on related to cosmetics? And have you found that they have to be "cosmetically perfect" to sell?

 

[purple_people_eater]

I'm probably too busy and have too little storage space to try really making money. But if I could gradually upgrade my toys and have the process fund itself, that'd be good enough for me. I'm curious what you spend $1,200 on related to cosmetics? And have you found that they have to be "cosmetically perfect" to sell?

thats my "shop time" estimate including materials. its a high estimate, but thats the way i think when ever i get into a ski: "what is the absolute worst case thing/s that i need for/could be wrong with this project?" so i always estimate high.

as for cosmetics, its the same on everything condition sells. think about it if you where buying it. if you found 3 96-97 gtx's on CL, one looks like hammered hell but runs great they want 1500 for it. the next one looks show room but has an unknown issue where it doesn't run right, they want 1600. the last runs great and looks showroom and they want 2300 for it. if you where in the market and had the money,which would you choose? this might not be the greatest example but you get the point.