Classic car price valuation

[Fairlane Fan 57]

Has anyone used the Car Collector price guide as a reference for buying these cars? What other sources have you used to get an idea for prices?

[abe_lugo]

You basically figure out the model you want and see what the price ranges are.

Factor in power options and drivability
Also what you are expecting from a vintage car if you have never owned one.
Last factor in a mechanic or time and money for repairs if your don't do your own work.   

There are great deals to be had if you don't mind a car being a four door.  Most all models except the Ranchero and Skyliner can be found as four door. 

Also depends on what your end game is, you want a cool vintage car to drive and not worry so much.  Find an old restoration.

Most times the value is in the experiences you get serving and owning the car, so when passing it to the next owner you are not going to get a lot of your investment back.   

Also revisit your check book and with the wife before talking to sellers.


If you are looking to enjoy now your will spend more.

If you want something to tinker on and move. You can find a lot of reasonable deals. 

I have a few and even with little issues they all drive.  We drive our cars.

[djfordmanjack]

If you are knew to the classic car hobby, it may be better to spend a bit more on a driver car. You can drive it instantly, and find out whether or not you like its roadholding, performance and such. You can then even make plans of upgrading, keeping as is or plan on cosmetic details. Worst thing you want to do is spending a medium amount on a project car, spent another 10k and 2 years on having it rebuilt and then find out you don't even like how it drives... pricing can vary a lot between classified ads, insurance appraisals and collector guides. Always try to go for the more solid or 'better' car in general.

[RICH MUISE]

Here's a useless post...........Looking at it from the other side is probably even more difficult. How do you price a car for resale? I figure it's a lot like a house........curb appeal is very important, and costs for building a car have skyrocketed in recent years (paint especially). If you can do your own bodywork, a primarily rust-free car has got to be worth at least 4-5 k over a rusty car, and much more if you have to farm it out. Some models  are more popular than others and can affect price. It's the same with build style.
People tend to have opinions based on what they are accustomed to IN THEIR AREA. For example, Abe (in SOcal) might look at a rustbucket as not worth the trouble, but our Mass. friends might look at the same car as more desirable because it is restorable. An example: a few years ago, an acquaintance here in Amarillo had a 4-dr parts car I bought a control arm bolt off of. Six months later, he told me somebody from Connecticut bought the whole car and had it trucked there!
Mine is for sale at $40,000 It's an older body-off restoration with tons of mods. Built to be a dependable driver, I put 77k miles on it in the past 7 years. it's insured for 55k, and I always had my fingers crossed that nothing ever happened to it because I don't have another build in me, and I couldn't have it replicated for double or triple that money. I had it for sale last fall for 45k, have since unexpectedly put another $8,000 in it, and have lowered the price to 40.
I got off course, sorry.

[Ford Blue blood]

It has been my experience that prices for any given make/model vary so much it is impossible to nail down a "fixed number".  An example of this is the 58 Edsel I did a cosmetic restoration on.  It was a solid rust-free car with 47K on it.  I paid 6K, put another 6K in it and sold it to a fellow for 15K.  He in turn turned it around to a fellow in MA for 20K who ended up with it on line for 29K.  I assume it sold as it is no longer anywhere to be seen.

For me it is a hobby.  If I break even I'm happy!  If I make a buck or two I'm even happier!  Bottom line if you have something a person can't live without you can nearly name your price.  Best gauge is look at various sale sites and see what prices cars are actually selling for.  You can ask anything but selling for that number is fairy tale land.....BJ and Mecum are not good gauges IMHO!

[Lou]

Having spent 40 years of my life (1975 to 2015) as a licensed automotive appraiser ( 80% of my work was done for insurance companies & banks)  specializing in antique and collector  cars the one thing I learned is a collector vehicle is worth only what the next owner is willing to pay for it. and that can very greatly where the vehicle is.