Advice on selling my celica?, To sell or not to sell... Options

[twofoldjunk]

Ok 6gc'ers, I need a little advice/wisdom here, hope you can help.

I've got a teal green 96' celica gt hatchback. Manual transmission. Has 170k miles. Daily driver, I've put over 100k miles on this thing in the last seven years. Clearcoat is peeling, leather driver's seat is torn, antenna is broken, dings in the side, a broken radio, and all the usual issues of a 15 year old car. New clutch and tires. Some smog issues, probably needs a new cat. Idle is a little rough, but no major mechanic issues I'm aware of. She runs and I still drive her.

I'm thinking about selling her, but not sure if it's worth it.

First question:
If I sold my car, what price could be reasonably expected? (In other words, what do you think I'd be able to make on the sale?)
- Edmunds tells me ~$1500, but looking online shows actual prices from 2000-4000.
- I live in Orange County, CA.

Second question:
Should I spend money to fix up this car in order to sell? (Main issue is the paint, teal green isn't exactly popular, but painting is expensive.)
- Paint? New radio? Seat covers?
- If I fix it up, how much should I spend? What will be the cost vs. expected sale price increase? Am willing to do work myself, but am not a mechanic.

Third question:
Maybe I should just fix her up and keep her?
- Upside: I'm emotionally invested. I've had this thing for seven years and it's my first car.
- Downside: I'm emotionally invested. Putting the sale price toward a newer vehicle would probably be a better idea?

I've spent a lot of time on this site over the years and really appreciate and respect the opinion and experience of 6gc'ers. So, I'm open to hearing what you have to say.

Thanks in advance,
Eddy

[jimmykay]

I'm nearly in your boat. I'm needing a new car. Not because mine is dieing on me or because its too expensive, but rather, because I need 4 doors so I can more easily carry two car seats. I can't tell you what you should do, But I can tell you a little of the decisions that are influencing how I am proceeding.

I am going to trade in my Celica when I get a new car. I don't really want the hassle of having to sell a 13 year old car on craigslist/newspaper/online. For the difference in what I expect I could get in a private party sale, i don't see it being worth it.

Why am I even getting rid of my car? Honestly, I don't want to clutter my driveway with a 3rd car. I already have a SeaDoo taking up one spot, I don't want to start piling extra cars in there too. I don't want to bother paying the extra insurance for it. I really don't have the time right now to fix it if something were to break. I'm not so financially strapped where I need to keep it.

That being said, generally, any money put into your car will not be returned. Other than a good detail and wash and wax that is.