Don;t worry its not another, how much do you think my car is worth thread :)
I was just wondering if these cars are getting to the point where they are becoming historic, rare, desired, or classic (what ever you want to call it) in that they can command increasingly higher prices. I know there are a select few who prise these cars, but is the market getting to the point where a mint condition 88 Thunderbird is worth $5000?
The reason I ask is; locally there is an 88 T-bird and an 83 Cougar for sale for around $5000 each. They are both in decent shape but have high miles and are no where near "show cars" exhibiting normal wear and tear for something 20 years old. However, I thought the rarity of these cars (at least around here) is commanding prices double the blue book price.
No, I dont believe these cars are at that point yet. 5k for anything less than a very good conidition, almost show quality car is a rip off.
A "rare" model isn't even really worth that yet. Ot us the cars are worth more as we respect them and know what they are. To everyone else they are just a few hundred dollar beater.
I see turbo coupes advertised in the $2500-3500 range here all the time. The only cars commanding high prices at the moment are the pristine, super low mileage cars, although some people seem to think otherwise...
I think these carshiznit bottom a few years ago and are slowly, SLOWLY climbing up the ol' respecto-meter. You can see it in prices the cars and their parts are commanding on eBay
I'm not sure if any of you are from Canada or not, but I live in Ontario and our cars are VERY VERY hard to come by. Getting parts for them is a big c, at least anywhere near where I live. I was lucky enough to find the one I have after my first one being destroyed in an accident. It took me over a month. Although, with that in my mind, they are cheap. Just ask any insurance company. When my first one got backed into, the value they gave me was $2100. The first one was in amazing condition and I got it for $1000 and the one I have now was in even better condition (having NEVER been winter driven) and it was $2000. If someone is asking more then that they'd have a hard time finding a buyer. I had mine appraised about a year ago at $7400 and I have no intention of selling it either! LOL
Agreed. But also remember, everyone...the uncommon and the higher-performance cars (read: TC, XR7) are always going to increase in value first, then the rest of the cars will follow. It's just going to take awhile. You'd think that, with most of these cars being over 20 years old (and some about to turn 25) that interest would have increased by now. That sort of worries me a little. Because if we don't have interest now, that doesn't bode well for the future. On the other hand, maybe not being valuable is better in some ways. Theft rates have to be extremely low; insurance is mostly acceptable; most parts can still be found. It's give-and-take, all the way...personally I like the obscurity. Still, when these cars start getting print and recognition on the Web aside from our little corner, it will be a great day.
I dunno Eric, THREE TC's have SOLD for over $10K in 2007 already. WHat used to be $100-$400 parts cars are now $500-$1000 parts cars. "Nice" TC's could be had for $1500 and now can't be touched for under $3000. Sport's and XR7's used to be $1000 for clean examples, now they are $2500. I've confirmed 17 sales of 83-88 TBirds or Cougars in WA of over $5000 in 2007 already. I think the demand on these is definately rising. Calls on parts have quadrupled with no additonal advertising. I had my best month EVER in March ($2000 in sales!!) and I'm doing pretty good so far in April. Things are HOT right now, and I for one would LOVE for them to just get hotter.
Wow, thats good news...in some ways :)
Again, Mike, it all depends on where you live. I'd love to see more stories like yours happen throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Problem is...eBay is starting to get just as bad as the Barrett-Jackson auction when it comes to pricing. People are asking quite a bit for opening bids with little or no justification. Is that a reflection of what the market can bear? For some people--the ones doing the buying--I suppose so. But that doesn't do jack squat for the rest of us. Until KBB and NADA guides start reflecting the true, actual rise of values, all this eBay stuff is just a fluke. In your case, it's in the positive direction...ride that wave as long as you can!
None of the above mentioned were involved with eBay ;)
I think the rise in parts demand alone is showing the rising interest. I have new customers call daily moving "up" from Mustangs.
Eric, I think one of the main things holding these cars back value wise is that they were ahead of their time. Yes, they're 20-25 years old, but they don't look it. Park an '87 Monte Carlo next to an '87 T-Bird or Cougar (or even an 83-86) and you can see which car actually looks like an 80's car. A lot of the inherent value in old cars is in the time they represent. People our age are starting to look back on the 80's with nostalgia, much the same as our parents look back on the 60's. Hell, our local "Oldies" radio station plays 80's songs almost exclusively, and I listen to it regularly. Even when I hear a song I didn't particularly like (Michael Jackson's Beat It, for example) it brings back fond memories of hating that song :D
The problem is that these cars were so "futuristic" in the 80's that they don't represent the 80's very well, if at all. None of the classic 80's cliches (boxy lines, square dashboards, etc) were present, except maybe their lack of horsepower and the digital dash. They are not drawing their value from people that associate them with when they were new, they're drawing value from people that bought them as cheap beaters at age 16 in the mid 90's - people who had them as first cars. That "First car" association is likely what's starting to drive their value - people seeing one, saying "I had fun in one of those when I was a kid".
Another big factor holding them back is that they were never seen as an enthusiast's car. They weren't exciting back then, in a period that not much was, and they're not exciting now in an era when a base Hyundai Accent would give one a run for its money. Yes, a modern Camry will run away from an '87-93 5.0 Mustang, but the Mustang was perceived as fast for its day. So were G-Bodies and F-bodies. The Turbo Coupe was marketed as a sophisticated performer, but it was severely overshadowed and outgunned by the Grand National.
In short, these cars had the looks of a 90's car with the performance of an 80's car. 90's cars are too new to be excited about quite yet, and 80's performance sucked. And thus we have a car with a limited following.
http://providence.craigslist.org/car/304412395.html
someone should jump on that thing it to me looks to be worth 2500
In all reality, the value of them is what someone is willing to pay. ;)
You have to have someone willing to pay what you are asking for it, if they won't pay that, then it's not worth that to that particular person.
That's my dad's theory anyway. LOL
Well it will be a great day for us since we're all enthusiasts of these things. To many others, it will be more of a "oh no, now they're comparing those things to 60's 70's muscle cars by giving them historic status"
That's something that I think about from time to time. When I'm in my 50's, what will I see at the local cruise? Hopefully not Taurus' and Foci. However, our cars are seen that way whether we think so or not. Nobody truely cares to see our cars at the cruise in.
We are here to say, look, these things are worth something, they are worth appreciation, they are worth preserving. That's one reason why despite subtle protests from car show viewers, I proudly take my car.
It will be a great day for us as enthusiasts because we will be the ones saying
I told you so. If these things ever reach rock star status, we'll have the satisfaction that we loved them way before that happend.
Like watching sports, there is a satisfaction sticking with a team that does poorly. If the time comes that they become consistant winners, we aren't the ones who are jumping on the bandwagon to say we like them because they win. We like them because we always liked them.
Couldn't agree more. Although one of my professors thought my car was from the early 70's :rollin:
Oh, I've been getting into 80's music a ton since I got my Sirius. Brings back memories of watching MTV at 3 years old laying on the floor playing with Hot Wheels. And true, you do find yourself listening to songs you never really liked. I'll beat it all I want, I don't care :p
Thanks for all the opinions on this topic. I guess its safe to say that these cars have past the point of "bottoming out" and are slowly climbing their way to classic status.
I was just talking to my neighbor about another of my all time favorite cars: the 77-78 Trans Am, and how 10-15 years ago they were just $500 beaters, and look at their value now.
The fact that they are mod able, and they are just so underestimated makes them cool!
I can personally vouch for that - my first car was bought in 1990, and it was a 1978 Trans Am. I paid $600 for it. Sold it for $1700 after fixing it up a bit, and bought a very nice, near mint '80 Formula for $800. You couldn't even get a basket case for $800 now. And I seem to remember that parts were just as hard to come by for those back then as they are for our cars now - harder, in fact, since there were no messageboards or eBay (or, indeed, an internet as we know it now)
Right now my brother is restoring a 1973 Trans Am 455 (not SD). He bought it like 15 years ago, drove it for a summer, then decided to tear it apart for whatever reason. This year he finally decided to redo the whole car; it's at the body/paint guy's garage as we speak.
Anyway, my bro told me about the values of T/A's and their parts are going way up. Some of the parts he's got laying around--what we might consider unusable or too far rotted--are going for majorly big bucks, especially from Gen2's. Like fenders...if you can find a repop new fender at all, it's going for $1200 US and more. Even used, decent OEM fenders are well over $500 each. His taillight bezels are original GM and 10 years ago, his only choice was to get his rechromed. Well now there are replacements made from original GM stampings, and I guess they're so nice that the OEM parts dropped in value. So it's kind of funny to see what is valuable now, and what isn't...it's usually never what you think. Those T/A's used to be a dime a dozen; now they're so scarce that the values shot way up.
Is that our fate also? Makes ya wonder...
We haven't been in the star light like the TA though.
...
Smokey and the Bandit 1+2
Hooper
Rockford Files
The closest we've been is Stroker Ace.
Values of TAs are going up. My cousin has been offered nearly 30K for his. It is an all original low mile car though.
Even Camaros are doing the same. I had a '76 that was nothing better than a parts car. Floors, all fenders quarters rusted, plus a puny 305 that wouldn't even start. The trim was all there as was the interior and all was in decent shape. Sold on Ebay for $500.