I have a chance to buy a Tresser quattro coupe turbo but I am really interested in what is a fair price. The problem is the car hasn't run in years. It was put into storage and before the guy put it up the engine was not running right. The owner and another guy tried to do a tune up but never got the car to run right. So the car is in great shape for the most part but it doesn't run.

 

First off, I don't think that there are ANY true Treser ur quattros in the US. Yes, there are cars with a Treser bumper, steering wheel and rear spoiler, etc., but it is not like an Alpina BMW where the car actually got its own serial number, etc. They were some Treser 5000s that were brought in by a dealer in AZ, that got the whole body kit, wheels, interior bits, etc., but not ur quattros (AFAIK). So, I wouldn't say that a car with Treser parts is necessarily worth more than any other ur quattro.

The value of any ur quattro depends upon its condition. A car that hasn't run in years wouldn't be worth more than $2500 unless the rest of it is absolutely beautiful and in excellent shape. I know of a car that is in a shop here in CO that sat for 10 years under a cover, but in a very humid environment. Although it looks beautiful on the outside and has only 22k miles, it took $9k to get it road worthy (all new hydraulics, brakes, cooling system, bushing, steering, suspension). Word is that the new owner bought it sight unseen.

So, if you can't drive the car and check it out, don't pay alot for it. If the seller says that it will only need this or that to get it going (like that car in CA that said it just needed a $10 fuel pump relay), have them fix it and tell them you will pay $10 extra for the relay. If not, consider any non-working system (like the engine) as needing replacement or rebuilding and subtract that cost for the value. Considering what it will cost to repair anything on the car if you don't do the work yourself, non-running cars are not worth much at all.

If you look, you can find nice running ur quattros for reasonable prices. If you want to learn about the cars, and don't mind paying to learn, then get something that needs a lot of work. Chances are, it will cost much more to revive a rough car, than to just buy a good one to start with.

Just my $.02. YMMV...