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65 Gran Sport on BaT - Location: Torrance, California

phoemsen

By phoemsen
in Buick Riviera

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lrlforfun 5,000+ Points

lrlforfun

Posted
Posted (edited)

OK Riviera People: Ya want it? 

 

1.Call the seller

 

2. Get a vibe with the seller and ask questions about the car.

 

3. Get the pictures you NEED.

 

4. Re-contact the seller ask for any more clarification you'll need and hone in on an  approximate price.

 

5. Physically look at it, drive it, get it up in the air.

 

6. Be prepared to fish or cut bait. Yes, bring money (determined before the physical look)  AND BE PREPARED TO WALK if it ain't right.

 

 

Anything besides this protocol you're stickin' your neck waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out and if you don't get what you want it's your own fault. Crap presentations are crap because the product could be crap and priced over market....OR BOTH.   BTW, if more buyers were that particular about this procedure we'd have a better, more honest market and much happier hobby.   

 

ALTRUISTIC?  Perhaps, but it's a start!   Mitch 

Edited by lrlforfun (see edit history)
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Jim Cannon 10,000+ Points

Jim Cannon

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4 hours ago, TKRIV said:

Hi Jim, Based on the photos and description what ball park number would you suggest?

$40K, $50K, $60K ?

Cheers

Tom K

Tom-

It's fairly easy to say what a car is NOT worth. 

 

It is much more difficult to figure out what it MIGHT be worth. 

 

Much of that is what the car is worth to you.  You start from recent sales as a benchmark and then adjust up and down from there to account for authenticity, quality of workmanship, condition, options, etc..  It can take some time.

 

There are real restorations and then there are cosmetic restorations.  An expert can help sort that out.  For example, just painting the power steering pump does not renew it, like disassembling it, resealing it, and then assembling and painting.  It takes research and hours of detailed inspection.

 

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Chimera 5,000+ Points

Chimera

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, TKRIV said:

Hi Jim, Based on the photos and description what ball park number would you suggest?

$40K, $50K, $60K ?

Cheers

Tom K

 

I don't see a whole lot holding this vehicle back on the major checklist. 

 

Numbers matching Grand Sport in good condition with mid to high low level desirable color combination and rarity. Options are loaded and with solid paperwork and they boast about the paint job. It probably looks really nice in person. Essentially a one family owned vehicle till 2018.

 

I would not say this vehicle would command the top tier pricing value for a 65 Gran Sport, yet perhaps 65%-90%. Anything Burgundy Mist and lower in paint production numbers might bump the value higher if desirable (Regal Black, special order, turquoise). 

 

No original black California plate, wood needs refinishing, manual roller for vent window (yet some might prefer that?). The exhaust looks a bit rough, minor cracks in steering wheel, Slow power antenna, AC not working, probably at least 120K true miles., so on. Tag on transmission shows early March and body tag has second week in April. Is that right? New head liner...new trunk. 

 

The seller is a professional that is custom to selling classic cars and has sold many Rivieras in the past. So, I would think he would be practical, yet not a pushover. Perhaps the seller might even consider partial trade, being in the business. The thing about a solid 65 Riviera Gran Sports is that they are considered blue chip IMO, yet the given worth can swing from $35K to above $100K, so in that regard it can be a volatile blue chip. For both the potential buyer and sellers sake, it could be un-sagacious to pin down a price on this vehicle, since all the main factors beyond what we know will determine the precise sale price (how much he paid, what is invested, their target acceptable profit, how much the buyers have and are willing to pay, what an in person inspection would elucidate). 

 

 

 

Screen Shot 2019-04-21 at 10.12.09 PM.png

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J3Studio 5,000+ Points

J3Studio

Posted
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8 hours ago, RivNut said:

As good as any car looks and for as long as you've been looking for just that right one, make sure you buy it with your head; not your heart.

 

Yes, yes, yes!

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J3Studio 5,000+ Points

J3Studio

Posted
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6 hours ago, Chimera said:

The thing about a solid 65 Riviera Gran Sports is that they are considered blue chip IMO, yet the given worth can swing from $35K to above $100K, so in that regard it can be a volatile blue chip. For both the potential buyer and sellers sake, it could be un-sagacious to pin down a price on this vehicle, since all the main factors beyond what we know will determine the precise sale price (how much he paid, what is invested, their target acceptable profit, how much the buyers have and are willing to pay, what an in person inspection would elucidate).

 

I had sensed that—thanks for putting it in writing.

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Jim Cannon 10,000+ Points

Jim Cannon

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I can't believe someone would sell a car expecting this kind of money and not even have the courtesy lights working when you open a door! 

 

Based on that, I would expect lots of things to be not working correctly and it will take a lot of time to make them right.

 

Seller mentions slow headlight visor motion... so why not fix that?  And they say antenna is slow (needs lubrication).  No mention of speed of power windows.  I'll bet they are slow, too.  We all know how the grease on these power seats hardens up with age.  No mention if it works either, just that it's there.

 

Am I the only one that thinks that the overflow bottle and hose off of the radiator looks horrible?

 

 

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J3Studio 5,000+ Points

J3Studio

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Jim Cannon said:

I can't believe someone would sell a car expecting this kind of money and not even have the courtesy lights working when you open a door! 

 

Based on that, I would expect lots of things to be not working correctly and it will take a lot of time to make them right.

 

Seller mentions slow headlight visor motion... so why not fix that?  And they say antenna is slow (needs lubrication).  No mention of speed of power windows.  I'll bet they are slow, too.  We all know how the grease on these power seats hardens up with age.  No mention if it works either, just that it's there.

 

I never ever understand not fixing the relatively minor dissatisfiers in a fairly high dollar car of any type.

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Pat Curran 5,000+ Points

Pat Curran

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, Jim Cannon said:

I can't believe someone would sell a car expecting this kind of money and not even have the courtesy lights working when you open a door! 

 

Based on that, I would expect lots of things to be not working correctly and it will take a lot of time to make them right.

 

Seller mentions slow headlight visor motion... so why not fix that?  And they say antenna is slow (needs lubrication).  No mention of speed of power windows.  I'll bet they are slow, too.  We all know how the grease on these power seats hardens up with age.  No mention if it works either, just that it's there.

 

Am I the only one that thinks that the overflow bottle and hose off of the radiator looks horrible?

 

 

You are right Jim.  There are a number of little things that detract from this offering.  It wouldn't take a whole lot of effort to correct some of the issues which should result in higher bids.  It is not a concours condition car but is overall very presentable.  The undercarriage looks solid which is a big plus.  If someone wanted to take this car to number one status, you could easily spend in excess of $20K to do it.  It will be interesting to see the final bid.

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KongaMan 10,000+ Points

KongaMan

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Posted
3 hours ago, j3studio said:

I never ever understand not fixing the relatively minor dissatisfiers in a fairly high dollar car of any type.

IMHO, selling a car with a bunch of niggling problems (especially when described as "easy fixes") is the sign of a seller who is either lazy or mechanically inept.  Either way, it raises a red flag about issues that you don't know about.

 

And when you see something (as pointed out earlier) like using the floor pan as lift points, you probably have to add stupidity to the mix.

 

IMHO, there's enough wrong with this car that it might a gilded turd.  Proceed with caution.

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bodayguy 1,000+ Points

bodayguy

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1 hour ago, Pat Curran said:

It just sold for $78K.

Plus 5% commission. I think that's a strong price. I figured it would only get to $60k or so.

 

There's a 63 on there right now that I'm even more curious about. It has chrome wheels and lacks some details, but if it ends above $22k or so, I'd say that's a great sign for the Riv market.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-buick-riviera-2/

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RivNut 25,000+ Points

RivNut

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25 minutes ago, bodayguy said:

Plus 5% commission. I think that's a strong price. I figured it would only get to $60k or so.

 

There's a 63 on there right now that I'm even more curious about. It has chrome wheels and lacks some details, but if it ends above $22k or so, I'd say that's a great sign for the Riv market.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-buick-riviera-2/

Another one of those rare 2 speed transmission Rivieras. Will the flippers never learn?  Would definitely raise a red flag for me.

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bodayguy 1,000+ Points

bodayguy

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37 minutes ago, RivNut said:

Another one of those rare 2 speed transmission Rivieras. Will the flippers never learn?  Would definitely raise a red flag for me.

 

Bring a Trailer themselves often write the car descriptions with a little help from the seller. Errors are common.

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Pat Curran 5,000+ Points

Pat Curran

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1 hour ago, bodayguy said:

Plus 5% commission. I think that's a strong price. I figured it would only get to $60k or so.

 

There's a 63 on there right now that I'm even more curious about. It has chrome wheels and lacks some details, but if it ends above $22k or so, I'd say that's a great sign for the Riv market.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1963-buick-riviera-2/

If you take a close look at the 63, you will see that all the lower stainless trim has been removed and the mounting holes have been filled in.  Wheel well moldings have been removed as well.  Not a bad looking ride but I would prefer the car with all the moldings in place.

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