86 Honda Spree... worth 500$????

[butteryunit]

Howdy y'all...

I was a spree owner many years ago and loved it. Been following the forums on here gathering tid bits of info here and there.

I was curious about something. Got an offer for a 86 spree for 500$. It's got 2050 miles on it, new tires, carb just cleaned and looks pretty descent over all. And the title is included.

Not sure if it's really worth shelling out 500 clams though.

Any thoughts? opinions?

Cheers

[Bear45-70]

Does it run, have a good battery, what shape are the tires in? How about the plastic, cratched up, any cracks? It depends if it is in good shape and whether you want it. I wouldn't pay more than $300, but I've had my 1985 Spree since 1985

[ANDREW]

Im paying 200 bucks for a 1984 tomorrow not running but mint shape with only 3700 miles on it it just needs the carb cleaned but i still say even 200 is a lil to much for a non running spree 150 is more like it , i sold my 1986 for 300 mint shape and it needed nothing, so 500 seems pricey.

[noiseguy]

Eh. Price gets debated a lot here.

In NW AR, last year, I was selling running Spree at 100% function for $400. I really couldn't get a dollar more for them (and yes, I tried). Low or high milage, didn't matter. At that price, I could sell them in 1-2 weeks, turning away a couple low-ballers that showed up in person. By my definition, that's the marketing clearing price.

That means everything worked and everything was there, with original finish. Not a rattle-canned bike, missing parts, that "just needs the carb cleaned." If the bike does not run, is not complete, or is heavily damaged, it's worth much less money than a complete runner. A lot of guys can't get that through their heads. Shop prices to restore a bike will quickly put you upside down on it (invest more than it's worth.) Pointing this out to the seller may or may not be effective. My problem with non-running "just need the carb cleaned" bikes is that there can be hidden problems... on a motorcycle, for example, it could have a trashed transmission... hard to diagnose without running the bike around a bit.

States vary on prices. Bikes are cheap in MI, expensive in WA. Some guys in WA were looking for these and couldn't touch a runner for less than $500. AR was on the low end. Your state may vary. If $500 is high where you're at, it's not by much. Find some comparable sales and negotiate.

[ANDREW]

Trust me i have learned from buying non running bikes, i bought a yz 80 of a Yamaha mechanic that i have been going to for parts for years now, he sold me a bike and said it needed a new stator he said if i get that it will be running and ready to ride, well me (a 16 year old backyard mechanic) though it was a little weird for a bike to need a stator because i have never seen one fail so i tested it showed it was grounded somewhere or shorted so sure enough i pull the shrink wrap down off the wires going to the cdi and coil and someone had sabotaged it by shaving the wires down then twisted them all together and pulled the shrink wrap back over it, and i wonder who did such a thing, well once i fixed the wires the bike got beautiful spark so i put gas in it and fired it up as soon as it was running it was apparent why someone didn't want it to run, clutch was completely gone, top end was so looses it sounded lick a machine gun from piston slap and all the bottom end bearings being toast then to top it all off the transmission was screwed up, and i bought the bike of a yamaha mechanic that works at a cycle dealership were i have been getting parts, it really shows what some people will do to make a few bucks, i hope he enjoyed making one kid very unhappy after i saved all my money for this bike.

long story short i have looked at the spree that i am gonna buy it has great compression and spark but its not getting gas so thats why i say a carb issue which should be no big deal, plus the guy i am buying it off is not mechanically inclined thats why he cant fix it.
my dad usually preaches to me when i talk about a bike that apparently only needs one little thing and thats why the seller sells it for cheap but my dad always says if it such a little problem why wouldn't they just fix it and sell it for 5 times as much, well i now realize that its true they would fix it and sell it for more but there is a bigger problem, i wish i had thought about my dads saying when i bought the Yamaha but even my dad thought such a nice man that we have known for years would be good for his word but i guess not.

[AGrace]

Hey ya'll. I didn't want to start a new topic, seeing as my question was similar to this one. I'd appreciate some feedback!

My friend is moving to Thailand and is selling his '86 Honda Spree. He has the title, key...the usual. It's in great working condition and he just bought a new tire for it not too long ago. He said it has around 5K worth of mileage on it and that everything is in fine condition. He's also asking $500 for it. Is that a fair price? I've personally never purchased a vehicle and I thought I'd do some research on here.

I'd really appreciate some feedback. Thanks!

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

If it's in exceptionally good cosmetic condition, people have paid as much as that $500 price. The question is do you want to pay that much for a minimally-modifiable scooter whose top speed is unlikely to exceed 40 without spending at least that much more for an engine swap?

[motormike]

My area too, Nashville, Tn., sees the top end money on Spree as $500...$400 for complete good-runners...Anything more than $200 for a non-runner is risky for those who will be required to pay shop rates for repairs. this exact situation of getting "upside down" into a Spree is occurring presently with a clients bike sitting in my friends shop....and now sitting, til whenever or to be given over to the shop for bills unpaid.

[spree picker]

I pick up dead and forgot about sprees for $50 to $200 give them a little loving and then $360 to $500 depending on the condition.