I have a car broker that lives in my apartment building. He was to complete three deals for me of which only one happened and now he owes me $9000 (very long story). He is mostly honest but out on the limb like a lot of us through these times and small claims will only rule in my favor, but try to squeze blood from a turnup.

He has a 850 could be i but not ic. 6 speed manual, Blk/blk which he most likely will give me as part of the deal. I've read about the testing and tips to buying on this forum but have to do something or get nothing.

It is non operational now. Maybe if he can smog it and sign the title I may give him $6000 credit. $5 if not smogable. I would turn it around quick if I knew there was interest in this rare 6 speed. Saw one on ebay with damaged front end go for $4500.

Is it worth it to aquire this? He drove it for about a year and for now he drives trade in's from other buyers of new cars. it's sitting on a lot near here.

I have a new Tundra and I might be able to deliever this. I am also having a hard time selling my 04 M3.

I don't want to invest money into this at this time. Any two cents is welcome.

Non-operational usally means big $$ on these cars. Someone knowledgeable might get her running w/o a huge outlay of cash, however that is usually indicitive of poor maintenence which is death for these cars. You might get $4k for it sight unseen as there are far too many unknowns and it could very well be a parts car by now.
Unlikely he'd go for it-most dealers/brokers have a far higher opinion of their E31 merchandise than the marketplace these days. Great car, but she needs a fair amount of love and attention.
IMHO, the value on these is going to continue to go down for awhile and unless he gets lucky your broker might be sorry he doesn't let it go for the 4K I mentioned.
Now-let everyone else chime in and tell me how wrong I am :)

non-operational? Offer him $3500 - $4000 (that's what that would be worth) You can always sell the transmission for almost that much.

He bought it for $16 about a year ago. It is non-operational because he doesn't drive it. Didn't want to pay the registration. What if it runs and passes smog??? How much $$$?

$5000 without service records

if the car means recovering some of your money, then take it...
it's better than nothing. what else does he have?

If it runs and passes smog-could be worth anywhere from 5-10k - still a whole lot of wiggle room in there for some expensive repairs.
IMHO, not a great time to try and flip an 8 unless you get it for free. As stated previously however, something is better than nothing...

If it's sitting because of registration only, Charge it up and see if it drives well, You will be happy to give him 6k for it then! Do a random 13 more posts so you can post pictures of it, Including some under the hood and interior shots, You will probably have it sold already?

At least check it out...may be a diamond in the rough....take pictures and give detailed descriptions about everything. The guys here will help you sort it out.

Thanks Guys, 13 posts coming up, I have one pic now of it parked in our lot. He drove it everyday. Said he bought it from an owner of a BMW dealership. Didn't look cherry though. I could see items under the hood that looked cracked like those small white boxes that look like a fluid resevoirs but were not. near the shock mounts. Interior looked fine. Try for more pics.

Thanks Guys, 13 posts coming up, I have one pic now of it parked in our lot. He drove it everyday. Said he bought it from an owner of a BMW dealership. Didn't look cherry though. I could see items under the hood that looked cracked like those small white boxes that look like a fluid resevoirs but were not. near the shock mounts. Interior looked fine. Try for more pics.

if she was really owned by a bmw dealership owner, then she should be in better condition. might wanna question your friend a little about that owner.
maybe you can find out more about the cars history.

ARG you have said anything about miles!!! Thats most important