Help, Original Sand Rover.

[Heliman 3]

I was wondering if anyone can please give me some advise on my original Tamiya Sand Rover.  It is all original and still in great condition, firstly I was wondering if it was worth selling and if so what price may it fetch?  Or maybe it's not worth selling and I should put some time into it and fully restore it? I have attached some pictures, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Fuijo 880]

That looks really nice. It's tricky to tell from your photos, but it looks like the front suspension, front bumper and the front body mount are all intact. You have all the old radio gear, batteries and charger, and even the MSC looks

unburnt. Does it all work?

I would say this is fairly desirable. Value is tricky because different people are prerared to pay different amounts, depending on how much they want one at that time. So all I can tell you is that if I didn't

have one already, I'd be prepared to pay something between 200-400 USD depending on how much of it still worked.

Note that even if the batteries are dead, the casings can be opened up to hide a modern battery inside while preserving the vintage look.

As restorations go, that looks like a fairly simple one.

[Heliman 3]

thank you, really appreciate your response. I'm sure it still all works as it was always well looked after.  Any idea where would be the best place to advertise it and sell?

[Fuijo 880]

Well there's ebay, and there's probably a more local auction/sales site depending on where you are. Try to avoid using paypal to sell it in case of any potential dispute or scam, and the buyer collecting

and paying by bank transfer or cash would be preferable with something like this that isn't easy to repair or replace if something goes wrong.

[jonboy1 2943]

That looks great - I'm sure you'll have o trouble selling it.

My first option would be to try selling it here - you have a captive audience who know what they are looking at!

[KEV THE REV 2307]

The vintage Rover is a classic , the re-re doesn't come close . The only issue you might have is finding the rear tyres at a good price . I would still say restore it

[mongoose1983 3335]

3 hours ago, KEV THE REV said:

I would still say restore it

Yes, definitely!

[Heliman 3]

Many thanks again for all your advise. I have some concern that if I do restore it that it may site in the cupboard for many more years and not be loved. Selling it may be the best option. 

Thanks again

[KEV THE REV 2307]

Ok , fair enough , but restore it first and you will probably fall in love with it , and if you did sell it you would easily get you money back

I thoroughly enjoyed restoring my Holiday Buggy , just my SR to do now

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=90656&id=5280

 

[Nobbi1977 1793]

A very light restore without destroying the patina will add value and also make sure you are selling something with no broken parts. A little modern heat shrink on the wires would do no harm.

Have a go before you sell, you might end up “investing” the money in newer kits

[ddaenen1 278]

That was my first Tamiya ever and i regret having sold it many many times. I do have to say though that the MSC on mine at the time was an older model (with the winded resistor).

[SuperChamp82 743]

I’ve been tempted to sell mine on a number of occasions - because they were basic to run back in the day, haven’t improved with age + will never be a good investment after re re fixed most of the flaws. 

The thing is I can’t ...

A well restored Sand Rover is just stunning - and as iconic as your old Atari for early 80s nostalgia ! 

And, on a dry day with dry sand, just about as much fun as you can have with your pants on at the beach