Yet_another_Tom Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Until two years ago my mother-in-law attended many a classic car show with her now deceased husband and now that he's gone she's decided that without him she no longer wants the car, a 1989 Cordoba. No one in her family, including... no make that especially me, has any experience in the hobby. From my limited perspective, I expect that finding someone who wants a Cordoba is going to be a difficult task. Especially one who's willing to pay anywhere near what her husband paid, $10,000. We have had the discussion with her that she should be prepared for the possibility of taking a significant loss on what her husband told her was an "investment" and she's not pleased with the idea, but she does want her garage and doesn't want to keep spending money for storage. So my first questions are, "Are we right to think that $10,000 is too much to expect if we want to sell the Cordoba this summer?" and "What is a reasonable price to expect" The car is in very nice shape and runs well for what that's worth from someone who doesn't evaluate cars on a regular basis, but all I can think when we talk about selling it is that there's probably a hundred cars a person might think about when someone mentions 'classic cars' and none of them are a Cordoba. We've looked around at a few places for selling and the listings themselves can cost hundreds of dollars. So the second question is, "Where would be a good venue for offering the car for sale?" Just in case it effects the answer, she and the car live in Southeastern Wisconsin. Any advice is welcome. Thank you. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Here on this forum is a good place to sell. You can also go to the WPC Club (Chrysler products) website and try there. https://www.chryslerclub.org/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) Tom, good you asked here. First we all define "very nice shape" at a different level - paint can be faded and need a repaint but car can be in very nice shape. Same for amount of mileage from new a car with 100,000 miles on it can be in very nice shape but one in similar condition with half the mileage will be worth more. To many things to consider - tires, mechanical, interior , vynil roof it it has one. all the rubber door seals, hood and trunk seals etc. Much easier for advice if yo take photos of what I just mentioned , posted here and you will get some very valid opinions but also the usual ones where people comment about any and everything. I am trying to be realistic for you. Edited March 25, 2022 by Walt G (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 21 minutes ago, Yet_another_Tom said: "Are we right to think that $10,000 is too much to expect if we want to sell the Cordoba this summer?" Find out what year it really is first, as the last year for those was 1983, not 1989. There were the early, and then the late body style. The later body style has very little market value at all, the early ones have better prices, but still have limited market value. Get the year and look up web price guides. They give low retail, average retail, and high retail values, and none are anywhere near $10k, even the early versions. This won't end well if she was told that he spent 10k on it. Your situation is far too common when dealing with estate selling. On that type of car, I would never spend much money on a vintage car sales website. Most people look for those semi-modern older cars on Facebook Marketplace, and secondly, on Craigslist. She is going to have to take a very big hit on price, IMO 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 49 minutes ago, Yet_another_Tom said: So my first questions are, "Are we right to think that $10,000 is too much to expect if we want to sell the Cordoba this summer?" and "What is a reasonable price to expect" The car is in very nice shape and runs Tom, I'm gonna guess "No Way" on the 10k. You can surprise me and post pictures of a legit 20k mile original car that has been stored and pampered and I might change my mind. Otherwise I can think of no Cordoba of any year, trim package, engine and colors that will bring 10k. Post pictures and we will tell you within 20% what it is worth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Huston Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Yet_another_Tom said: Especially one who's willing to pay anywhere near what her husband paid, $10,000. Did you know for sure that your father-in-law paid $10,000 for the Cordoba? It is not unusual for car guys to "fudge" the numbers when a spouse is involved. As a matter of fact, it is very common. I have know old car guys who told their wife they paid more than double what a car is worth so that they then have the difference to put into another hobby expense. Family money laundering the old car way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 36 minutes ago, F&J said: There were the early, and then the late body style. The later body style has very little market value at all, the early ones have better prices, but still have limited market value. Expounding on what others have said: All Cordobas have some collector interest, though not as much as some other cars. So, Tom, don't sell your Cordoba short. And the collector market is strong now, so this is a good time. For cars such as that, there will definitely be interest if the car looks beautiful and runs well. Since he took it to shows, it is probably in nice condition and has collector value. Show us the pictures, please. The value may be less than $10,000, but you can get educated opinions here. Some good places to sell a Chrysler Cordoba of any year. The cost of an ad should be much less than you quoted, Tom: ---Hemmings Motor News, magazine and accompanying website. It reaches more serious car collectors probably than any other site. ---The WPC Club (Walter P. Chrysler Club). I don't know whether their website has cars for sale, but their club magazine does. The magazine would take you right to the most dedicated fans of Chrysler products. Some other places commonly used, but in my opinion not as serious: ---Craig's List. Plenty of old cars are advertised there. Serious car fans will likely find it through nationwide search engines. But your car will be listed alongside all sorts of other unrelated stuff. ---Ebay. Put an auction together and list it with a reasonably low reserve price. Sometimes buyers don't pay and can be a problem. All the best to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
63RedBrier Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Hi, Tom! I had to LOL when I read your statement about a 100 cars a person might think of when a person mentions classic cars, anyway, the only person who may be interested, if he is still alive and doesn't already have one would be Ricardo Montalban! All kidding aside, advertise it on every Chrysler forum you can find, then put it on Bring a Trailer, Hemming's, or eBay, at no reserve and it will sell at market price. Try not to get too hung up on what your FIL may or may not have paid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 If its a 79 "300" I would love to have it. It would be white with red leather. Probably touted to be the legendary "no such thing as" Corinthian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I thought the 300 was a model in itself, not a Cordoba. In the later years wasnt the Cordoba and Dodge Magnum the same platform? Mom had new cordoba around the first year they came out, may have been around 1975. I like the early models style. I had a friend in hs whose father owned a chrysler dealership. He got a new corodoba for his 16th bday, ca. 1980sh. It was a very nice luxurious car but he said he felt like an old man driving it. Traded it after about 6 months for a jeep. I am sure there is a market for these, but I would imagine it would have to be the best of the best to garner 10K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) 5 minutes ago, TAKerry said: I thought the 300 was a model in itself, not a Cordoba. You are correct, most don't know this. I saw one for sale in North Portland and one of the rear opera windows was broken out by the vandals and I came along when the owner had had enough and I got it reasonable. For those that don't know these had the "300" script made into that glass, so mine didn't have that correct glass in that one window. It was a great driving car. Edited March 25, 2022 by JACK M (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I really had no idea what a Cordoba is worth here are a couple still for sale, I think you are in the ball park if it is a good running and driving car? If she just wants it gone start at $7500 and see if you get any offers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 2 hours ago, alsancle said: Tom, I'm gonna guess "No Way" on the 10k. You can surprise me and post pictures of a legit 20k mile original car that has been stored and pampered and I might change my mind. Otherwise I can think of no Cordoba of any year, trim package, engine and colors that will bring 10k. An unmolested 300 with factory T-tops MIGHT bring in $10K if its a 20K mile car that's been properly stored. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) 2 minutes ago, 8E45E said: An unmolested 300 with factory T-tops MIGHT bring in $10K if its a 20K mile car that's been properly stored. Craig Properly stored is the key, these tended to get rusty in all the same places. Bottom edge of the trunk lid comes to mind. Edited March 25, 2022 by JACK M (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 And Tom, be aware that asking prices may be totally unrealistic. As shown in the ads above, dealers sometimes ask double what a car is worth-- and double what they just paid. Optimistic sellers, or those who don't know any better, may do the same. When you sell the car, be realistic with your asking price. You could check SELLING prices, or high bids, on Ebay to see what buyers think a car is really worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Try bring a trailer. $10k might happen. All depends on condition. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-chrysler-cordoba/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) She will do a lot better recovering some of the money spent on the Chrysler than she would trying to squeeze money out of golf clubs. That's on thing that makes old cars a good hobby. Remember to watch out for stories you hear about old men buying cars. A lot of the 60+ crowd wouldn't walk across the street to look at a 1970's or 1980's car, much less cough up $10,000 for one a number of years ago. They will buy one if they can steal it and only then. Just from observations over half a century. aA story I would believe is that someone might buy a car like that for around $3,000 and tell everyone they wouldn't take less that $10,000. I am almost 75 and will tell you some fairly (unfairly) high prices for my stuff, but my wife has a list of really low prices if I'm not around. That's just to keep my discretionary toys from becoming a curse when I'm not around. Edited March 25, 2022 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I prefer up to 77 or so when they had round headlights. They are a nice mid size car, had a v8 but I would imagine not much power compared to today. Another one of those I would not mind having as grocery getter, ride around town car, but not high on the priority list to run out and buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yet_another_Tom Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 Thank you all for the feedback so far. If you're worried about me selling the car short, rest easy. I'm not allowed to sell the car. I'm just doing a little "market research" to pass along to the in-laws so they can make all the decisions and I have none of the blame. Got a few more specifics, and some pictures. First thing to clarify. My original post stating 1989 was a typo. It's a 1979. [Oh boy. I just typed 1989 again.] So, 1979 Cordoba [not a 300] -White with grey interior -62,900 miles -All the accessories work including the high fidelity 8-track system. Reading through all the posts I'm compiling a list of all the suggested websites which is very helpful. I also realized from @JACK M Quote Properly stored is the key, these tended to get rusty in all the same places. Bottom edge of the trunk lid comes to mind. That none of us really know what parts of the vehicle are key to photograph for a listing. Here's a few photos that a couple of her kids took. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 That's a good looking Cordoba. The earlier ones with the round headlights will bring more money, but the condition will sell this to someone looking to relive the disco era. I've owned 3 of these including a 79 300 model. A Cordoba with different badges and a hot E 58 360 under the hood. It was a struggle to get $3500 for it. The other 2 of them, a 76 and a 77 in decent shape didn't crack the $2000 mark. This was more than a few years ago so prices have climbed along with all the other old cars. But $10,000 is a quite a stretch. If it were close to me and I was looking for a disco cruiser I would be offering $6000. But I'm not looking and I'm in Canada so my Canadian dollar offer certainly wouldn't cut it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Seeing the pictures now, I think the $10,000 price wasn't unrealistic. If I were selling it, I would perhaps ask $9000 and be prepared gradually to go down to $6000. In today's strong market, you may not have to go down that far. The car on Bring-a-Trailer that evidently sold for $24,000 went very high. It had only 8000 miles and was in the popular color of red with a white top. Low-mileage cars shouldn't bring such a big premium, but someone must have thought it was worthwhile. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Here's what one could buy in Australia in 1979: https://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_ford_ltd_fb And what they sell for: https://www.australianmusclecarsales.com.au/sold/1979-ford-p6-ltd-351-v8-214655 Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3macboys Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I just checked sales on Ebay and the closest that I could find was a 78 that someone had stuffed a 440 into with an NOS system. That car did not present near as well as this one and sold for 9 900 at auction on Ebay 2 months ago, so I would suggest that 10k is likely not entirely out of line. The cars of this age are slowly coming into their own. If the family decides to pursue online sales route, if they can pictures of the underside of the car, particularly the floor pan it will likely help greatly if it looks as good as the rest of the car, as well as the engine compartment. I will caution about using Ebay to auction it however, and not that I have anything against Ebay - I sell about 100 items a month there. The problem is that auctions are only live for normally 7 days so the potential buyers are limited to that 7 day window which can bea real crap shoot with a no reserve sale. With the current fuel/transport costs this is not a car that is likely to attract buyers from across the country and will likely sell to someone relatively local that can pick it up in person. A local auction company that regularly handles "classic" vehicle sales may actually give the car more exposure to an audience that does not frequent those other platforms. One of the advantages of an auction is that it is a hands off sale. In any event it certainly looks like a good, solid, presentable car and should not take a lot of effort to move. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 I bet that if you put it on bring a trailer, in the next month, you will get north of $10k. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 That is actually a pretty nice car. You could potentially start with a 10 K ask, and then take less. I believe none of those cars at the higher prices will ever sell. I would need to see a notarized bill of sale before I would believe it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, John_S_in_Penna said: Seeing the pictures now, I think the $10,000 price wasn't unrealistic. If I were selling it, I would perhaps ask $9000 and be prepared gradually to go down to $6000. In today's strong market, you may not have to go down that far. The car on Bring-a-Trailer that evidently sold for $24,000 went very high. It had only 8000 miles and was in the popular color of red with a white top. Low-mileage cars shouldn't bring such a big premium, but someone must have thought it was worthwhile. Things are crazy. Three years ago this was an $18-20k car. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992-cadillac-brougham-21/ Edited March 25, 2022 by Cadillac Fan (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryankazmer Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 one bit of additional advice - the value is , as others have said, highly dependent on condition, but is the value in today's market - what was once paid for it is completely irrelevant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 Remove the Army sticker from the back bumper so that people don’t think it’s covering up a defect in the bumper. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 These are great driving cars. I had a '78 from new for about 120,000 miles. Great road car and good around town. The 400 cid 4bbl actually gets much better gas milage than the 360 2bbl engine. I could be interested in this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Cocuzza Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 10 hours ago, Mark Huston said: Did you know for sure that your father-in-law paid $10,000 for the Cordoba? It is not unusual for car guys to "fudge" the numbers when a spouse is involved. As a matter of fact, it is very common. I have know old car guys who told their wife they paid more than double what a car is worth so that they then have the difference to put into another hobby expense. Family money laundering the old car way. And here I thought we (car guys) always "fudged" the numbers in the other direction when telling the spouse how much we actually paid for the car. At least I am guilty of that. Maybe I have been doing it all wrong !!!!!!! Nice car BTW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan G Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 A sharp looking car. Ditto regarding undercarriage photos; some potential buyer will be asking you for them soon enough. Remember, when it comes to price, you can always come down. The best season to buy is just starting. You can start out trying simple methods like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace which are cheap/free and do garner a lot of attention. I actually sold my last one via an old-fashioned newspaper ad. It reached the right demographic! No matter where you advertise it, be prepared for the scammers. Don't take it personal, they will contact you, just learn to identify them...and to ignore them. Oh-make sure the title is ready to go. I was party to an estate where one car was titled in a different name than anyone thought, and they never did find out who held the title to another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Some of these guys. Sorry but all of us Gen Xers and Millenials are collecting cars from the 70s and 80s now as that is what we grew up with. Older generations are having a tough time coming to the realization that 1989 was 33 years ago. When my Mustang (1966) was 33 in 1999 it was already long considered collectible and a classic. The older boomers and silent generation are still driving some of the market with their love for tri five chevies and muscle cars. But these 70s and 80s cars (especially ones in nice shape) are going up! case in point first generation Sevilles (not the bustleback) are now in the $9-$15k range, Mark Vs (I could barely dump mine 7 years ago) are in that same range. Cordobas have shot up as well. $9500 with room to negotiate is not unreasonable. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 5 hours ago, MarkV said: Sorry but all of us Gen Xers and Millenials are collecting cars from the 70s and 80s now as that is what we grew up with. Older generations are having a tough time coming to the realization that 1989 was 33 years ago. When my Mustang (1966) was 33 in 1999 it was already long considered collectible and a classic. In 1978, people were already starting to collect 1964-'66 Thunderbirds; a 12-14 year old car at the time. Fast forward 40+ years later, I see very few rushing out to buy a 1978 T-bird. The 1983 & later Thunderbirds appear to have more interest than a malaise era T-bird. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Nice car. She'll find a buyer. Expect $9500(IMHO)as the agreed up price. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, 8E45E said: In 1978, people were already starting to collect 1964-'66 Thunderbirds; a 12-14 year old car at the time. Fast forward 40+ years later, I see very few rushing out to buy a 1978 T-bird. The 1983 & later Thunderbirds appear to have more interest than a malaise era T-bird. Craig True but some models will always be more desired than others. Some make blanket statements like ‘those 70s and 80s cars are not collectible’ etc etc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 (edited) For the past few years the HPOF and DPC cars represent around 20% of all the cars registered for our AACA Nationals with a large number of these being from the '70s-'90s. These cars are great entry level cars for our younger members. I'm also seeing some of our older members moving into these cars because of the need/desire for AC and other comforts as well as the desire to drive to our Nationals. The nice ones are bringing decent money, not huge dollars, but decent money. In the late '70s, I was buying, driving and enjoying '60's Lincolns and Cadillacs even though they were too new to show in a AACA National. In two years, I expect to see a 1999 Honda Insight on the show field. Edited March 26, 2022 by 61polara (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 After a quick look I would think that 10k is not entirely out of line. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, 61polara said: For the past few years the HPOF and DPC cars represent around 20% of all the cars registered for our AACA Nationals with a large number of these being from the '70s-'90s. These cars are great entry level cars for our younger members. I'm also seeing some of our older members moving into these cars because of the need/desire for AC and other comforts as well as the desire to drive to our Nationals. The nice ones are bringing decent money, not huge dollars, but decent money. In the late '70s, I was buying, driving and enjoying '60's Lincolns and Cadillacs even though they were too new to show in a AACA National. In two years, I expect to see a 1999 Honda Insight on the show field. the problem is, in their original form cars before the 60s are increasingly becoming completely outrun in todays traffic. older people can still get into the classic car thing with cars from the 60s and up which can be made to be reliable, fairly easy to find parts with shops willing to work on them and are very comfortable and keep up with highway speeds. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Why has nobody mentioned consignment sales or Hemming Auctions with a $10,000 reserve? Most consignment sellers just add their profit to the reserve and sell it quick. if they don't think it will bring over the 10K they will not take it. If they do, your mother in law gets her money and does not have to deal with all the tire kickers and sharks. Hemmings will not take it either if it's over reserved. Good Luck 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 On 3/26/2022 at 1:07 PM, Paul Dobbin said: Why has nobody mentioned consignment sales or Hemming Auctions with a $10,000 reserve? That's a good idea, Paul. I hadn't thought of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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