Has the GN value REALLY gone up this much?

[batmansbuick]

The writing was on the wall with GN's years ago. Love to hear how many are still titled vs. production numbers, just that statistic alone would probably inflate prices more and take more of them off the strip and into the garage.

A good TR buddy of mine thinks these cars are going the way of the Chevelle of the early 70's where even the grandma non-muscle Chevelle is desirable, will that happen to the base V6 Regal?

I think its great the value is going up, except its effect on parts prices. I know of two TR's owners who have hoarded garages full of used parts, things most would consider junk (bad MAF's, bad Powermasters, original exhausts, etc.) they think it will be gold.

 

[tzque]

I just purchased a GN and I think the value of these cars is nostagia . I am 40 and this is the car I couldnt afford but wanted when it was new . I agree the cars are worth what people are willing to pay and how much profit your are going to make based upon what you paid for it . I dont think I will ever loose money when I sale my car . I was offered a grand more than I paid the day I brought itrhome . Baseball cards have a different allure . They dont do burn outs and have a turbo that kicks in. I never drooled over a baseball card . When my friends see my GN it takes there breath away .
Regarding hording parts . I have been holding on and collecting my share of parts . I stopped posting them on this site because I had no idea the demand would be so great for the things I have. I now have to figure out what they are worth . One mans trash will always be another man treasure .

 

[notacarlo]

Guess who's on the board of directors for NADA.

Richard Lassiter. You can write him a letter and thank him for re-sale values.

 

[eric86]

Like everyone else, I have checked KBB and was amazed. Now that I am selling mine as a #2-3 condition car, none of those principles apply. The people with #1 cars will get their money back. I wish all the people with #2,3,and 4 condition cars the best when they sell. I am sure not getting what they say. But you win some and lose some!!! Eric

 

[VadersV6]

Like I said, the actual market isnt looking like this. But, if TR owners who are in the market to sell, educate themselves...run blue book values and use it to their advantage, the better off we'll all be when we want to sell. Its really up to us to make the actual market reflect what the blue books show. At least we have the blue books in our corner to back up our ridiculous asking prices. Selling these cars to a dealer would have been a big mistake in the past, but now with this happening, the dealers may be the place where we can get top dollar for them. My wife's uncle is a general manager at a car dealer (makes 20k a month take home!), said yesterday that the market value has gone up ALOT on grand nationals and that most are going o be running for 20,000. And this is minutes before I called my wife and told her what KBB said..strange coincidence. My wife hates this car and said "you'll be lucky if you get 4,000 for that POS"...so she brought this up to her uncle and he said no way...those cars are going for alot of money..then at the same time, 50 miles away, I was randomly running a blue book on my car...I didnt even know she was over there or talking to her uncle. This was enough for her to reconsider and give me a little more slack when it comes to holding onto it for a little while longer.

 

[Welby]

Its really up to us to make the actual market reflect what the blue books show.

Ultimately it's up to what the buyers decide. If they decide the prices are too high, then you'll see a bunch of people with Grand Nationals, just sitting on them as they gather dust because nobody wants to pay their inflated prices.

 

[VadersV6]

Ultimately it's up to what the buyers decide. If they decide the prices are too high, then you'll see a bunch of people with Grand Nationals, just sitting on them as they gather dust because nobody wants to pay their inflated prices.

Im sure some people said the same thing about the boss 302's, yenko camaros and novas, the hemi cars, the shelby cobras, the 55-57 Chevys, etc. Even if the prices are inflated, If people WANT a car, they will buy it. Especially people with deep pockets. If one GN costs 7k and one just like it is 19k, of course they'll buy the 7k one. If they're ALL 19k, people will pay 19k. It may take longer to sell, but the people who buy it will be more likely to learn about the car and take proper care of it. It will be priced out of range for all the people I wouldnt want to sell it to anyway. Ive had so many gang banger greaseballs come up and offer to buy my car, then ask if Ill take payments, like Im a savings and loan. Or Ill say I want 12 for it, and they say, I can borrow 1200 from my grandma, or whatever. Then I laugh and say 12 THOUSAND and they walk away. You ask them if they know what a turbo is, and they say, yeah it makes it go fast, or ask them if they know what alky injection is and they say its nitrous. So I ask if they know what nitrous is, and they say yeah..it makes it go fast. I would never sell my car to any of these people cause they'll blow the thing up the same day they bought it cause they've never heard of fuel pressure, or tuning, and never will know cause they dont want to know. They just want to slap 20" IROC rims on it, or some 10" diameter, 15" wide rims with the wrong offset so half the rim is sticking out the side, torch the springs or add hydraulics and throw a bumpin system in it, fill it up with 87 octane and then roll through the hood and blow a head gasket and keep driving it until it melts or run the thing into a wall. No thanks. I know its not my car anymore, but these cars deserve respect. The value on these cars WILL skyrocket, regardless of whether or not we want it to.

 

[Welby]

You ask them if they know what a turbo is, and they say, yeah it makes it go fast, or ask them if they know what alky injection is and they say its nitrous. So I ask if they know what nitrous is, and they say yeah..it makes it go fast.

lol !

The value on these cars WILL skyrocket, regardless of whether or not we want it to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I just worry about parts cost down the road. But hey, I own a Limited; in 15 years when your GN is worth $40,000, mine will be worth $2,625 'cause it ain't black

 

[Renthorin]

I took it upon myself to ask someone in the know. I asked a UofM economics professor I know the following question:

"Is 'value' defined as what someone is willing to pay for something?"

He responded:

"...it is not as simplistic as that. There is a median that is eventually reached between the two parties. On one side you have the seller who sets a price for his product. On the other side you have the buyer who knows what he is willing to spend for the product.

If the product being sold is at too inflated a cost the buyer does not purchase. If the offer for the product is too low the seller does not sell.

Transaction occurs when both parties agree upon a price that is mutually beneficial.”


soooo........ as long as we slowly raise the price of our cars the public will hopefully buy them at those prices.

 

[turbosam6]

Believe it. My 85 appraised well above 15K by a professional appraiser. My 2 cents. Brad

Doesn't mean anything. About all thats good for is insurance purposes. You'd never get $15K out of a hot air car unless its got like 10 miles on it.



One thing that pisses me off is that you guys are talking about how the values have skyrocketed and you're all happy but you guys bitch when the older musclecars go for big $$$. All these huge prices are doing is making it impossible for enthusiasts to buy their dream car.

I personally cannot wait until the bottom drops out of the musclecar market and all these idiots who paid six figures for older mopars can't get half their money back. I'll be laughin' my ass off.

Another reason TR's aren't selling like convertible hemi 'cudas on BJ is that the generation that can afford the expensive musclecars wants cars from the 70's and earlier.

 

[corymc]

All of these rare cars people talk about being worth so much is kinda funny. I dont think that there where 20k plus yenko's produced, for an example. Another reason why some cars are worth so much is becuase many people didnt take car of them and only a handful show quality cars still exsist today. Also with everybody on this board so obsessed with the price of their cars and how much they can get for them is getting crazy. You shoul dhave a car to drive it and enjoy it not to let it sit there collect dust becuase you think its going to be an investment of a life time. Also with this many people talking about saving their original parts and saving their cars so they are gonna sell for tons of money. I dont think they are going to be worth all that much becuase they are just not going to be that rare. Once reality sets back in on classic cars.

 

[VadersV6]

Doesn't mean anything. About all thats good for is insurance purposes. You'd never get $15K out of a hot air car unless its got like 10 miles on it.



One thing that pisses me off is that you guys are talking about how the values have skyrocketed and you're all happy but you guys bitch when the older musclecars go for big $$$. All these huge prices are doing is making it impossible for enthusiasts to buy their dream car.

I personally cannot wait until the bottom drops out of the musclecar market and all these idiots who paid six figures for older mopars can't get half their money back. I'll be laughin' my ass off.

Another reason TR's aren't selling like convertible hemi 'cudas on BJ is that the generation that can afford the expensive musclecars wants cars from the 70's and earlier.

I hardly see a reason to get "pissed off" about anything. Who's complaining about the price of musclecars? The bottom isnt going to just fall out. The only way the prices will drop on everything thats inflated now is some sort of major economic disaster brought on by a stock market crash, war, plague, famine, locusts, flaming hail falling from the sky, etc.
I got my first car, a 64 Nova, in 1983 when I was 12. We paid 200 for it. The car had been grossly neglected, but it had never been painted or anything. I also bought my 63 Nova for 50 bucks when I was 17. Same as before..straight 6 that barely runs...interior trashed...but the sheetmetal was in immaculate condition and was a perfect project car. Go price a 64 Nova now, in ANY condition. My 50 dollar car was running 2500 bucks by 95. Has the bottom fallen out yet? No. The musclecar world keeps rising and rising. Great for people who bought low and can sell high. Not great for people who want to get into it a day late and a dollar short. Same with the stock market, real estate, etc. Just the way it is, and its not going to change. People have been screaming that the real estate market is going to crash. Ive had so many people tell me to sell my house now cause itll be worth nothing in a few months...well its been 2 years now, and even though I bought high...349,000 on a house that was 180,000 before the market skyrocketed..now its at 420,000. Man I should have sold while I had the chance.

 

[TurboDave]

Im sure some people said the same thing about the boss 302's, yenko camaros and novas, the hemi cars, the shelby cobras, the 55-57 Chevys, etc. Even if the prices are inflated, If people WANT a car, they will buy it. Especially people with deep pockets. If one GN costs 7k and one just like it is 19k, of course they'll buy the 7k one. If they're ALL 19k, people will pay 19k. It may take longer to sell, but the people who buy it will be more likely to learn about the car and take proper care of it. It will be priced out of range for all the people I wouldnt want to sell it to anyway. Ive had so many gang banger greaseballs come up and offer to buy my car, then ask if Ill take payments, like Im a savings and loan. Or Ill say I want 12 for it, and they say, I can borrow 1200 from my grandma, or whatever. Then I laugh and say 12 THOUSAND and they walk away. You ask them if they know what a turbo is, and they say, yeah it makes it go fast, or ask them if they know what alky injection is and they say its nitrous. So I ask if they know what nitrous is, and they say yeah..it makes it go fast. I would never sell my car to any of these people cause they'll blow the thing up the same day they bought it cause they've never heard of fuel pressure, or tuning, and never will know cause they dont want to know. They just want to slap 20" IROC rims on it, or some 10" diameter, 15" wide rims with the wrong offset so half the rim is sticking out the side, torch the springs or add hydraulics and throw a bumpin system in it, fill it up with 87 octane and then roll through the hood and blow a head gasket and keep driving it until it melts or run the thing into a wall. No thanks. I know its not my car anymore, but these cars deserve respect. The value on these cars WILL skyrocket, regardless of whether or not we want it to.

I couldn't agree more!! Doesn't matter how bad I might want to sell either of my GN's. I would never sell to anyone that doesn't have clue what they're getting into, and I'd also make sure they can prove to me the car would be going to a garage equiped buyer. I've put 20 years into these cars and would hate to see them go to crap in a year or so.

 

[r_beaudette]

r beudette, no offense but theres no way they said $32,000. I just ran my car through KBB and with 30k it said $24,000 for excellent, and $22,000 for good. I think it really matters on the car. A low mileage GN with say 20 or 30K on the clock with original paint and in excellent condition could definately go for what KBB is quoting IMHO, maybe more.

No offense taken, but do you think I just made that number up? As they say, the proof is in the pudding, whatever the heck that means. Have a look

Kelley Blue Book - Error

You must have not gone to that same area. Try looking up retail instead of private party or trade in...

 

[r_beaudette]

Previous link didn't work, I copied and pasted below...

Also, Sidewayz... yours is an '86 mines an '87. Maybe they are rating '87's more valuable.




Condition Value


Excellent
$31,930

Suggested Retail Value Assumes Excellent Condition... More

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Vehicle Highlights
Mileage: 41,000
Engine: V6 3.8 Liter Turbo
Transmission: Automatic
Drivetrain: RWD

Selected Equipment Change Equipment
Standard
Air Conditioning AM/FM Stereo
Power Steering Alloy Wheels

Optional
Power Windows Tilt Wheel Cassette
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Blue Book Suggested Retail Value
The Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value is representative of dealers' asking prices and is the starting point for negotiation between a consumer and a dealer. This Suggested Retail Value assumes that the vehicle has been fully reconditioned and has a clean title history. This value also takes into account the dealers' profit, costs for advertising, sales commissions and other costs of doing business. The final sale price will likely be less depending on the vehicle's actual condition, popularity, type of warranty offered and local market conditions.
Vehicle Condition Ratings Check Vehicle Title History Excellent
$31,930

"Excellent" condition means that the vehicle looks new, is in excellent mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. This vehicle has never had any paint or body work and is free of rust. The vehicle has a clean title history and will pass a smog and safety inspection. The engine compartment is clean, with no fluid leaks and is free of any wear or visible defects. The vehicle also has complete and verifiable service records. Less than 5% of all used vehicles fall into this category.
* California 2/14/2007


Blue Book Retail Value Assumes Excellent ConditionThis value assumes the vehicle has received the cosmetic and/or mechanical reconditioning needed to qualify it as 'Excellent'. This is not a transaction value; it is representative of a dealer’s asking price and the starting point for negotiation.
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© 2007 Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Jan-Apr 2007 Edition. The specific information required to determine the value for this particular vehicle was supplied by the person generating this report. Vehicle valuations are opinions and may vary from vehicle to vehicle. Actual valuations will vary based upon market conditions, specifications, vehicle condition or other particular circumstances pertinent to this particular vehicle or the transaction or the parties to the transaction. This report is intended for the individual use of the person generating this report only and shall not be sold or transmitted to another party. Kelley Blue Book assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. (v.07016)

 

[QUIP'6']

r beudette, no offense but theres no way they said $32,000. I just ran my car through KBB and with 30k it said $24,000 for excellent, and $22,000 for good. I think it really matters on the car. A low mileage GN with say 20 or 30K on the clock with original paint and in excellent condition could definately go for what KBB is quoting IMHO, maybe more.

it said 27,000 for 30,000 miles

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

After reading this thread all I can say is that most of it is BLAH BLAH BLAH. The reality of our cars value is the number of A quality cars available. My 85 GN appraised really high because it is an A quality car despite my mods. The fact is that there are fewer and fewer of our cars left. A good example is GBODYPARTS. Brian is scrapping our cars which are not A quality right and left. It is only a matter of time because threre will not be any restorable ones left. The 60's and early 70's muscle cars have a 15-20 year advantage on us. Remember-our cars are the last muscle cars built in the U.S.. Personally, I really do not care about the value because I will not sell mine. I only want to have my car insured for it's real value. I love it when I take my car out and other drivers give me the thumbs up signal as I pass them by-PRICELESS. Brad

 

[Quiky One]

Show me 20k and I would sell mine, then buy a low mileage stocker and rebuild...Someday the prices will go up.

Jason

 

[r_beaudette]

After reading this thread all I can say is that most of it is BLAH BLAH BLAH. The reality of our cars value is the number of A quality cars available. My 85 GN appraised really high because it is an A quality car despite my mods. The fact is that there are fewer and fewer of our cars left. A good example is GBODYPARTS. Brian is scrapping our cars which are not A quality right and left. It is only a matter of time because threre will not be any restorable ones left. The 60's and early 70's muscle cars have a 15-20 year advantage on us. Remember-our cars are the last muscle cars built in the U.S.. Personally, I really do not care about the value because I will not sell mine. I only want to have my car insured for it's real value. I love it when I take my car out and other drivers give me the thumbs up signal as I pass them by-PRICELESS. Brad

Amen, I will not sell mine either-I bought a low mileage, stock GN that I've wanted since '87 but could not afford then. I finally bought my dream car in 2005 and I'll keep it from now on. BUT it is nice to know that these cars are going up in value. It's only a matter of a few years that they will bring the prices of the '60's camaros, mustangs and mopars..I would bet that it will happen sooner than those cars appreciated only because there were not that many of them to begin with...

 

[VadersV6]

Amen, I will not sell mine either-I bought a low mileage, stock GN that I've wanted since '87 but could not afford then. I finally bought my dream car in 2005 and I'll keep it from now on. BUT it is nice to know that these cars are going up in value. It's only a matter of a few years that they will bring the prices of the '60's camaros, mustangs and mopars..I would bet that it will happen sooner than those cars appreciated only because there were not that many of them to begin with...

There have been very few cars like this made and there will probably never be another one like it. Im a firm believer that these cars will bring in crazy numbers at some point. Not yet, but the ball is in motion. Im just trying to convince the boss (my wife) to let me hold onto this thing a little while longer. Itll be the first car I ever bought that increased in value. My cobra...after interest and the down payment...I payed over 40k for it. By the time I sold it, I could only get 12,300 for it. Thats another car that I think will go up in value, but not before a huge depreciation. Selling that car is a huge regret. A heavy car with a little N/A 281 that passes smog tests with incredibly clean numbers, where if you throw in a live axle with 4.56's, do some bolt on mods, you have a low 12, high 11 car that gets 20+mpg...some have gotten 26mpg with 4.88 gears. Not a bad deal. But I think the 03-04 cobras will bring in a hefty premium someday. Slap on an air filter and a small pulley, and you have 460rwhp. The stock bottom end has 6 bolt mains, has manley rods and forged pistons, and awesome cooling and oiling system, can be shifted at 7500rpm with stock valvetrain parts and still get good mileage. Im getting off track here.