How to determine fair price on classic car?

[Guest]

I am a complete novice when it comes to older cars. However, I'm kinda smitten with a really nice '67 Skylark convertible I saw in Alabama. 89K orig. miles. Brown vinyl or leather interior in pretty good shape; exterior (light yellow) appears to be flawless. Top in great condition. At used car lot (probably NOT best place to find good deal on this car, but...) asking $9500. Like I said, I'm a novice, but that price seems high. Any advice out there on how to determine a fair market value for such an automobile? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Clay - Stone Mtn, GA

[Guest]

Clay,<P>I live in Marietta and bought a 67 Skylark Convertible in September. Its metallic blue with blue interior and light blue convertible top. Car was in very solid shape. Everything works, Interior is flawless except for the carpet. Needed tuning up, new radiator and some detailing. It has 70,000 one owner miles and I paid $2700 for it. Given this, $9500 seems way too high unless its a GS. If so, then its probably worth the money if its matching numbers and in good shape.<P>Alan

[Guest]

Alan - Thanks for the info. As a novice, I have to ask what's probably a dumb question... what do you mean by matching numbers? Thx, Clay M.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Alan Faircloth:<BR><B>Clay,<P>I live in Marietta and bought a 67 Skylark Convertible in September. Its metallic blue with blue interior and light blue convertible top. Car was in very solid shape. Everything works, Interior is flawless except for the carpet. Needed tuning up, new radiator and some detailing. It has 70,000 one owner miles and I paid $2700 for it. Given this, $9500 seems way too high unless its a GS. If so, then its probably worth the money if its matching numbers and in good shape.<P>Alan</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>

[Guest John Chapman]

Alan,<P>You stole that car! Good on you!<P>John

[Guest John Chapman]

Clay,<P>'Numbers Matching' has several levels of meaning and is frequently misused in advertising a classic car. <P>The most common meaning is that the engine/trans, chassis and body are the original production items. On most Buicks of '60's vintage, the VIN number is stamped on the body tag and the engine block. Some cars have a VIN stamp on the frame.<P>When you get into a full-on restoration, numbers matching extends to correct casting numbers/date/part numbers, correct inspection stamp dates, correct date codes on wiring, belts, filters , correct manufacturing dates on lenses and glass, etc. Needless to say, this can be a time and money consuming proposition.<P>A good source for this info is the Cars and Parts ID Numbers Books. They are done in a decade format (50/60/70) and they also have some specialty cars by themselves (Camero, Vette, GTO). Included are VIN decodes, trim info, paint colors, etc. <BR> <A HREF="http://www.carsandparts.com/Hotlinks.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.carsandparts.com/Hotlinks.html</A> <P>For pricing guides and general info, Old Cars Magazine (Krause Publications) puts out a seasonal Price Guide. Cars are priced by condition 1 (show condition) to 6 (parts car), model, etc.<BR> <A HREF="http://www.krause.com/cars/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.krause.com/cars/</A> <P>Both publications should be available at the better book stores. I've gotten mine at both Barnes & Nobel and Borders.<P>By the way, I spent my early years stomping around the Decatur/Stone Mountain area. I remember the mountain BEFORE the park, when the sculpture was, er... dormant. Used to hike up the rock to the aviation beacon on the top. Remember when Claremont Road was two lanes...LOL<P>John<P>------------------<BR>John Chapman<BR>BCA 35894<BR>1965 Skylark Convertible (Some Assembly Required)<BR> jmchapman@aol.com

[DugsSin]

Clay surf around there are a number of sites where you can list exactly what you are buying and it will price it out for you. Go to AutoTrader and compare prices on that year car. Tons of research can be done easily. LOVE Stone Mountain, HATE the traffic reminds me of home. <BR>

[Guest]

Thanks all. This is really helpful info. Clay

[Guest]

Georgia Clay,<BR>You can research the price indexes on <A HREF="http://www.nada.com" TARGET=_blank>www.nada.com</A> and just follow the menu. Go to classic cars, Buick, select year and model and ask for Value quote. This should help you. You can get up to five free quotes. Good luck. Bob W.