1985 Buick Century Limited - Car Value

[Shane1902]

Hi everyone I bought a 1985 Buick Century Limited and it’s almost in perfect condition just need to fix the radiator fan, and I want to do a quick flip. But I have seen mixed prices online I was wondering if anyone can give me a price range that’s realistic.

 

It’s has 140,000kms /2.5L 4cyl on it and I just did front and back brakes brand new and high temperature black painted callipers and engine is strong. 
 

Any help would be must appreciated it’s my first older car I’ve worked on many I do are newer fix and flips so not in tune with pricing.

 

Shane and I’m in Canada.

[TerryB]

Price you paid for car + cost of repairs + 30% markup over paid for amount plus repairs should get it moving along.  The 4 cylinder engine could impact its desirability. 

[bryankazmer]

in spite of being 38 years old, I think this sells on transportation value, not as a collector car.

[TerryB]

A mid-80s car like this Buick has not reached much of a point of collectibility in the US for sure.  The old rule of age plus desirability comes into play. Perhaps a nice driver for someone who wants an 80s vibe over a Toyota Corolla comes to mind.

[Bryan G]

Those cars were in production a long, long time (until 1996) with only minor changes. The supply/demand tilt doesn't look great to me. Many potential buyers may choose to go with one of the newer cars for reliability sake. I will say, earlier models don't seem to show up much anymore. I'm just not sure where the market is.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

With those miles, $1500.00 daily driver. On a GOOD day

 

Ben

[joe_padavano]

Sorry but I drove a lot of these FWD four door GM A-body cars as rentals when they were new. Not the greatest cars GM ever made. There is nearly no following as a collectable - purely transportation appliances.

[60FlatTop]

Since my early teens I have been on the eternal search for the uninformed buyer. Don't get greedy and use lots of sizzle. And practice making them think they are taking advantage of you. Avoid the collector car people.

[Df824]

Low mileage. In good condition you might around $2,500 American. The 4 banger does hold it back a bit. There is a community to likes those cars. 

[bryankazmer]

1 hour ago, Df824 said:

 There is a community to likes those cars. 

But most of them are too old to drive

[Df824]

7 minutes ago, bryankazmer said:

But most of them are too old to drive

Nah. You would be suprised. Go

to the Facebook gm fwd page and there are tons of people. Mostly younger who want reliable transportation that they can work in. I myself have an 86 Lesabre

[60FlatTop]

And I have an '86 Park Avenue.

[joe_padavano]

17 hours ago, Df824 said:

Nah. You would be suprised. Go

to the Facebook gm fwd page and there are tons of people. Mostly younger who want reliable transportation that they can work in.

And who are unlikely to pay collector car prices for one...

[60FlatTop]

1 hour ago, joe_padavano said:

And who are unlikely to pay collector car prices for one...

I can describe him. He is about 60 years old, under 6', and close to 200 pounds. He wears brown perma press dress slacks and a tanish large check shirt. Sometimes in suspenders. Always has a somewhat rumpled fedora. He is often seen in the company of widows who he protects with fervor.

 

He wouldn't cross the street to look at most of the cars he has owned. If he gets just the hint that he thinks he can "steal" it from you he will be on that car relentlessly. That is how he got the hat.

 

Collector car prices are very subjective. I bought my car in 2011 for $500. I more than double that investment getting it to New York from Racine, WI. I have about $9,000 in it now and figure another $3,000 in some cosmetics will have it right where I want it.

 

Actually I drove that one the most this year. It was a perfect convertible summer. I only took it to one car event in the 12 years I have owned it. The car was so poorly received by the all-knowing automotive gentry I never came back. But it gets a lot of attention in small towns and family restaurant parking lots.

 

My intent was to have a Buick convertible that got around 25 MPG to drive into the next few decades. I keep telling my wife I plan to sell it but that is more of a test to see if she still believes everything I tell her.

 

There are  lot of good cars out they that get overlooked. Read back and see I used the word subjectively and not objectively. It benefits me.

[Df824]

3 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

And who are unlikely to pay collector car prices for one...

No. They generally aren’t rich geriatrics. They just want something to go from point a to b and not go broke doing it 

[Df824]

3 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

And I have an '86 Park Avenue.

What’s the background on the vert conversion?

[joe_padavano]

13 minutes ago, Df824 said:

No. They generally aren’t rich geriatrics. They just want something to go from point a to b and not go broke doing it 

The OP is trying to do a quick flip on this car for a profit and is coming here for a free appraisal rather than paying an appraiser. The information was provided - these cars are not particularly desirable for anything other than basic transportation and don't bring much money.

[Df824]

3 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

The OP is trying to do a quick flip on this car for a profit and is coming here for a free appraisal rather than paying an appraiser. The information was provided - these cars are not particularly desirable for anything other than basic transportation and don't bring much money.

I believe that’s what i had said in previous posts. 

[60FlatTop]

20 hours ago, Df824 said:

What’s the background on the vert conversion?

I will open another topic of my conversion and others of that era when I get a chance. Mine was done by Car Craft who took over Hess & Eisenhardt in the mid-1980s. Prior to this car I had a 1982 Cadillac Eldorado H&E conversion. The cars were quite similar in execution although Car Craft stepped up quality in a couple of places in my opinion.

 

Yes, significant structure changes had to be made. In was delivered on a car hauler and the truck driver was very animated in describing "the whole frame put under it" when he was unloading.

Here is the $500 car the Saturday morning it was delivered.

 

I will attach a link to the new topic.

 

My Eldorado, another I should have kept.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Shane, I hope you're not too disappointed by the

forthright answers you received.

 

All cars go through a period where they are unappreciated.

A 1985 Buick Century is part of General Motors' history,

and deserves a good home where someone will preserve it.

There aren't many of these left.  Driving it as an ordinary car

will degrade it until it is gone forever.

 

Cars once common may now be very scarce.  Everyone

loves a 1985 Riviera, while those cars that aren't sporty or

glamorous gradually disappear while even serious Buick fans

fail to notice.  That happened with station wagons;  it is

happening with 4-door hardtops, and many, many models

that aren't preferred by collectors.

 

You could pose your pricing question in the "Buick--General"

section of the AACA forum;  and then to sell it, list it

in the "Buick--Buy/Sell" section.  Price it realistically, and

sell it to someone who will appreciate its history:

 

 https://forums.aaca.org/forum/10-buick-general/

 

https://forums.aaca.org/forum/12-buick-buysell/

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)