Riviera value?

[Barberman831]

I have a 1984 Riviera convertible ttype that I am going to be selling. I'm just curious what you think it could be worth. It's runs and drives and is rust free. It has a few dings and scratches here and there, but overall it's in decent shape.

[Pat Curran]

Please post pictures of the car to include interior, trunk and engine compartment.  Also, please tell us what works and what doesn’t work.  Mileage is required as well.

This is the only way we can provide a fairly accurate response.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Pat Curran
Update content. (see edit history)

[Barberman831]

This is all I have on my phone right now. Everything is working. It has 90000 miles on it. Thanks

[Barberman831]

[Barberman831]

It won't let me post more. I hit the size limit

[NC1968Riviera]

You can post more pictures in subsequent posts. 

[Barberman831]

[RivNut]

T-type turbo charged. In the, last issue of the Riviera Owners magazine, there were a number of convertibles for sale.  From $1,800  to $20,000.  Price will be determined by condition, options, and mileage.  At 90,000 miles you're ahead of a lot of other sellers.  You should figure out how to cut down the size of your photos, get the car detailed, and post lots of pictures.  The better you present it, the better your chances of getting a decent price out of it.  There is no real "guideline" for pricing 35 year old cars.  You just have to find someone who wants one.

[Riviera63]

18 hours ago, Barberman831 said:

It won't let me post more. I hit the size limit

 

Edit your photos before you try posting them. I right click on the photo, click on Edit, click resize and decrease the number of pixels. I normally decrease to 1500 (just a number I chose that seems to work for these purposes) on the top number and the bottom number auto adjusts. Save the photo. There is another adjustment there also that you could use to resize. I have found doing this will allow me to load 10 or more pictures at a time. Each of these pictures started out as over 7MB each. At this size I could only load 1 at a time. I resized them and now the first one is 1.66MB, the second is 874KB and the third is 1.75MB. At these sizes I could load all 3 and easily be under the maximum of 9.77MB for the post.

 

Bill

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Riviera63
revise text (see edit history)

[Pat Curran]

If you can, post a picture with the roof up as well.  Buyers will want to know the condition of the roof.  There weren't many T-Type turbo convertibles made which makes it a bit more valuable, but at the end of the day, the overall condition will dictate its true value.  If the A/C blows cold, you should point that out.  If it is mechanically sound with a fully functioning turbo, point that out as well.  The bumper fillers are always looked at on this generation Riviera.  If they are still good or have been replaced, note it.  All these items add up if they aren't up to standard.  Are you the original owner?  If not, how many owners has the car had?  Any paperwork available?  

The car has some desirable features like the wheels and sport steering wheel.  

As stated above by Ed, have the car fully detailed and provide as much information as you can.  

[60FlatTop]

I seem to have developed the habit of buying some sort of car at least every two years. When I make a distance call the questions below are part of the first conversation. Each one has a specific reason for asking. None are trick questions and at the end one will have a very good idea of what they are buying. I have thought of writing a booklet explaining each question in detail, but the focus becomes fairly obvious with a couple practice runs.

 

Might not be a bad idea for some Forum members to take the same objective look at their own cars. Not everything I own would fair well.

 

When I sell a car most are  addressed in the advertisement.

 

1. Do you own the car and have legal proof?

2 Is the paperwork clear and free of liens, unbranded?

3. How long have you owned the car?

4. Is the car currently licensed and insured?

5. Can it be driven on the road, legally, today?

6 Is the car in storage? If so, how long has it been stored?

7. How many miles did you drive it during the last 12 months?

8. Have you done any major work on the car since you have owned it?

9. What and when was the most recent service or repair?

10. If you decided to keep the car what improvement would you consider important?

11. Would you feel comfortable handing your wife the keys and sending her out to pick up a gallon of milk?

 

Bernie

 

[bodayguy]

Unfortunately very few American cars from the 80s are proving to be collectible. There’s the Grand National/GNX, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and low-mile Fox body Mustangs are starting to catch on ... and not much else. It was the malaise era.

 

I think you can clean this up and have a kitschy convertible that may attract someone but there’s not much value right now.

[EmTee]

4 hours ago, bodayguy said:

... and not much else.

 I'd add the IROC-Z Camaro to that list, but it's hard to think of too many others...

[60FlatTop]

Since the topic came up based on the Riviera in question it might be helpful to apply a few or all of the answers to my list of questions. I kind of thought that might be a response to posting the list.

Bernie

[Seafoam65]

On 4/7/2019 at 2:29 AM, bodayguy said:

Unfortunately very few American cars from the 80s are proving to be collectible. There’s the Grand National/GNX, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and low-mile Fox body Mustangs are starting to catch on ... and not much else. It was the malaise era.

 

I think you can clean this up and have a kitschy convertible that may attract someone but there’s not much value right now.

You can add the 89 Indy Turbo 3.8 Trans Am  Pacecar, Monte Carlo SS and the Delorean to the list.The big problem with 80's cars and 90's cars for that matter

is that there is zero repro parts support for them and that will always be the case, and the parts cars were crushed long ago. Adding to the parts malaise

is that the cars are made of plastic that crumbles with old age and no nos or good used parts exist to replace the stuff. For these

reasons if you are gonna own an 80's car it needs to be a primo low mileage example in mint original condition. I just realized, nobody has answered the original question regarding what is the car worth? If it has no mechanical issues and runs and drives very nice I'm going to guess somewhere around 6-9 thousand, as it looks like a driver number 3 to 3- condition car from the photos.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)

[Turbinator]

On 4/5/2019 at 10:44 AM, 60FlatTop said:

I seem to have developed the habit of buying some sort of car at least every two years. When I make a distance call the questions below are part of the first conversation. Each one has a specific reason for asking. None are trick questions and at the end one will have a very good idea of what they are buying. I have thought of writing a booklet explaining each question in detail, but the focus becomes fairly obvious with a couple practice runs.

 

Might not be a bad idea for some Forum members to take the same objective look at their own cars. Not everything I own would fair well.

 

When I sell a car most are  addressed in the advertisement.

 

1. Do you own the car and have legal proof?

 

2 Is the paperwork clear and free of liens, unbranded?

 

3. How long have you owned the car?

 

4. Is the car currently licensed and insured?

 

5. Can it be driven on the road, legally, today?

 

6 Is the car in storage? If so, how long has it been stored?

 

7. How many miles did you drive it during the last 12 months?

 

8. Have you done any major work on the car since you have owned it?

 

9. What and when was the most recent service or repair?

 

10. If you decided to keep the car what improvement would you consider important?

 

11. Would you feel comfortable handing your wife the keys and sending her out to pick up a gallon of milk?

 

Bernie

 

Sharp.