So nobody wanted GNX #498 that was for sale on Ebay. Do you think if it was in stock trim without the mods it would sell? I thought it would have sold. It could be finished back to stock with little effort at this point. Its a very solid car that has been enjoyed, but not trashed. New PPG paint and fresh power. The owner has just moved on to some bigger projects. At this point Ill just finish the car then he can sell it. How about some feed back on this. Thanks.
Since you asked, I think that 498 has the potential to be a super nice car, but fresh paint with mere reassembly / reinstallation of worn, non-stock, or non-show quality components does not make a $50K or $60K car. Plus, it's still a high-miles car no matter what. Conversely, if everything were gone over from stem to stern and refinished to a high standard, then you'd have something and the 80K miles wouldn't matter as much-- after all, it's first and foremost about condition (we've all seen 60K mile cars look like 20K, and vice-versa).
As I mentioned to you before in PM, I think the failure of the auction is primarily due to the "in between" status of this car. It's not an honest "unrestored driver" and it's not a garage queen, either. Let's face it-- she's an abandoned restoration which still needs reassembly and cosmetic work to get it "back" to even be enjoyed at the local show-'n-shine which presents a dilemma-- redo everything (except the paint) or button it up and enjoy now?
The bolt-on mods do not scare me personally, but the importance of having the original block, trans, and original turbo cannot be overestimated.
In addition, the description was not sufficient to determine exactly the extent of intervention/redo that would be needed by the potential new owner. And the pictures did not support the "90% restored..." claim unless you were referring to a "paint job only" restoration. I think if the car were detailed carefully and stock components were reassembled to a reasonable standard, you'd have no problem getting the $40K, and probably a fair amount more.
In the end, having a complete, driving car will help a lot. And if it takes such little effort ("90% restored...") then finish the job and relist it-- you'll probably have much more success. She's a fine car, I'm sure, but the rest of her needs to reasonably approach the condition of the body and paint at this point.
Good luck!