How much $ for a 80 Spitfire?

[burt87]

My wife's friend has an 80 Spitfire that she wants to sell. She tells me "It's got to be worth a lot on money, It's a John Deere". It's been sitting for about 15 yrs. 1334 miles It's not running. The motor seems to have decent compression, all the fuel lines are cracked, the seat is torn, the windshield is there but cracked. At a quick glance the track seems ok, but hard to tell at this time. I'm just wondering what is a realistic price. I would like to have a sled for my kids. I know it will need some work to get trail worthy. If I decide that I don't want it I will post it on here for her. I have pictures, but it says file too large. Thanks for any help. Rob

[burt87]

I can email pictures.

[burt87]

Sorry Matt, I meant to post this in General Talk. Feel free to move it. I figured out how to change the file size.

[80spitfire]

Personaly, I wouldn't pay any over $400-$500 for it. The reason I say that is because I recently restored that same sled and when I bought mine it was literally perfect. The seat was good, the windshield good, it ran great(until I overheated it) lol, and it only had 650 miles. With all this goimg for it I payed $600 for it. So with those issues it has, I don't think I'd personally pay any over $400-$500. I would definatly buy it if I were you though. They are a great little sled.

[jdrob]

Ok i have to open my mouth and add my .02 cents I wouldn't pay 400-500 for a spitfire in the "crate"... I just got another one tonight for 2 guns i traded a 22lr and an old beat up 16 gauge bolt action shotgun!!! i have like 6 of these spits now 80-82 and haven't paid over 100 bucs for any of them!!! Finding a good track is the biggest problem!! Man if you looking to spend that much you better be buying a running sportfire or trailfire ??? Granted these are a neat little sleds, but 1 sitting for 15 years that would be a complete do-over !!! Just my .02

Rob

[burt87]

$50 to $100 is what I was thinking . No offence 80 spitfire, I wouldn't spend that kind on money on one that needs the kind of work that this will take to be a nice rider.

Rob

[80spitfire]

$50 to $100 is what I was thinking . No offence 80 spitfire, I wouldn't spend that kind on money on one that needs the kind of work that this will take to be a nice rider.

Rob

Oh don't worry man, none taken. I was actually thinking about saying less but I didn't wanna offend other Spitfire guys. Also I agree with the other guy that this is basically a complete do over, so you better get it cheap.

[ChickenRat]

Just like any vintage sled, a Spitfire can go for next to nothing up to who knows where. I have given Spitfires away for free and I have sold an absolutely pristine 1980 Spitfire for $2,000. One of the things to me that is most important when looking at a Spitfire is the bellypan. If it is straight, you are in a good place as these are kids sleds and most of them are all bent and banged up. If you have a straight chassis, you can make a really nice sled out of it. The mechanicals are simple on these and you can go through one in no time. I see most Spitfires in average condition going for between $200-500.

Robb

[johnnycyclone]

Personally I feel the track is the key. Good tracks are not easy to find, which to me sets the value. Tracks can sell for $100-150, by themselves. Most other parts for this sled are easy to find. If the track is junk, then $50-75, good useable track $100-125, excellent condition $150. Remember this is a non running sled which even with a good track brings the value down. If the sled runs, then it would go up into the $350-500 range. Fully restored, or a nice low mileage original $750-1000, closer to $750 around here. Good compression is not necessarily a sign on whether the engine is good or not. I've seen engines with good compression, that are messed up pretty bad internally. There are a lot of other unknowns with a sled that has been sitting for 15 years. The unknowns usually end up costing more money.

But there are other factors to consider, how bad you want the sled, what sleds are available in your area? Or what do you plan on doing with the sled, restore, or something to beat around the yard with? All of which changes the price willing to pay.

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Another words it's just my opinion, others may not agree.

Terre

[SpitfireKing]

The 80's up here in the great white north are almost becoming more common then the 77-79, and the other members have pointed out the main problem..if that track is even a little pooched then walk away. Even most used tracks you find won't be in great shape and until stretched you may not be able to see the damage around the cleats.

I have an 80 I traded for a seat from a 97 FIII and all my others have been $150 or lower...except the one my wife bought me for $500 that she got hosed on...was a nice gesture but it was a POS except it has a great track!

[haymaker]

A like the spitfires, anything with 1 carb is easier to keep running well. you can have $200 in gas and travel money real easy, if this sled is close by it is worth a lot. Most of us have way more in these sleds than they are worth by the time they are running right, but there is a lot of satisfaction in getting a 30-35 year old sled to run. If spitfires are what you like, buying one local at a higher price is much cheaper than searching for one. Have fun Bryan

[burt87]

Thanks for all the feedback on this topic. It looks like I'm the proud new owner of an 80 Spitfire. Yesterday I explained to the lady what ya'll been saying about the machine as in what she could expect to get for it and what would be involved in getting it in a trail worthy riding condition. Today she called and told me to just come and pick it up, she's tired of seeing it sitting on her driveway. I told her that I really didn't want to buy it, and she explained to me that it was FREE and if I didn't take it that she was just going to give it away to somebody else. So, I guess I have a new project to work on. It really isn't in all that bad of shape, but I guess I'll find out when I start to tear it apart. I think that my wife isn't really too happy that I'm getting it. After tearing the Liquifire apart and putting it back together, she knows that when I tell her that "I swear that's the last part I need to get it going" really means that their is probably going to be a lot more trips to the salvage/parts store before it's done. Now I need a service manual

Rob

[80spitfire]

Now that I would have to say is definatly the perfect price.

[80spitfire]

Sorry I forgot to add that the Technical manual is really expensive but totaly worth it; you can still get it from Deere. The fine tune manual is really good too and there's actually one on ebay right now.
The parts catalog is well worth it too, you can download that one online. You can the Tech Manual too, it's just so big that it's a lot to print.