Yes, another noob question...geeeezz

[Johnnie]

Another " car value " question, so please pardon my "noobness ". My car is put up for its winter slumber, so I have a lot of time to ask stupid questions .

To me, these TB's fit in the class of "classic muscle cars" and by watching tv auctions such as Barrett-Jackson and Mecum , and checking prices online we all know the $values are steadily going up for muscle cars , in general. ( I almost cry when I see a '66 Chevelle SS 396 4spd convertible like the one I sold just before I married my first wife fetching almost a hundred grand . )
The "stock-unmolested" varieties also seem to have a sizable chunk of the interest of prospective buyers.
What I can't figure out is that I've seen cars with "patina" going for just as much (or more) as ones that have been repainted to showroom quality. I guess because they are no longer "unmolested" or stock ? And what is the real definition of "unmolested" anyway?

If I replace my rear upper and lower control arms with UMI parts and if I replace those danged body bushings and problem-plagued powermaster brake system does my GN lose some value as it's now "modified" ( I do plan on keeping the old control arms and powermaster parts ) I know, I know, it's my car and I can do what I want with it. I also know I don't plan on racing it, but having it handle and stop a little better sounds reasonable -- and safer.
It's just that driving a "time capsule" to a car show for display is kind of cool. The car does look like it just rolled out of the new car showroom -- especially underneath the body ( it was "ziebarted / rustproofed when new) and in the door jams and under hood.

BTW, I have it insured for an "agreed value" of $35k. My insurance agent didn't bat an eye on its value.
I would appreciate your opinions, especially from those with stock TB's or collectors.

 

[rodruckus]

Remember, it's only new once. Survivor cars as you see are becoming more widely accepted as superior to complete restorations, even in judging at major concourse events. Take a look at old guns and coins. Think of all the people who have had their hearts broken when they find out that their item is worth drastically less, because they cleaned or polished it. Recently, I even heard a well respected car appraiser compare a car to a painting. He said, "Would you tell me that a painting by Michelangelo is now worth more, because it has new paint?"

An "unmolested" car is a reference to one that hasn't been touched and remains original/unmodified. With these cars on an original, you would actually want to see hazing/chalking of the bumper fillers. Even the headlight buckets oxidize over time. These are both signs of an unrestored, original car, it's the nature of the original materials used to build them.

Now when it comes to your modifications, you have to decide what kind of car you have and hope to preserve. I would say you're ok upgrading parts/components, as long as you're not hacking up the car in the process and they simply swap out. Just make sure to hang onto everything, so you or a future buyer can put it back to original at any time.

Below is my original(including paint and fillers) 9,800mi GN.

 

[regan j]

Everything is only worth what someone is willing to pay. As long as you are satisfied and the kids and wife are happy, the rest will fall into place.

 

[INEEDAGN]

Don't forget the possibility of plowing that pristine front end into something, which would kind of negate the appearance of the power master under the hood. It's not like any normal person would know the Diff anyway. Mod that bitch

 

[fastblackracing]

Unfortunately our T/R have not gone up in value like the pre-1972 cars have......unless you happen to have a very low mileage GNX.

With minimal mods that are easily reversed I do not think the value is impacted much if any....one reason being whoever is going to buy your T/R is all ready well versed in these cars and knows the reason for the mods you have done. The buyers of the older classics that have the big bucks to spend typically only know that "original" is worth more and may not really be a gear heads like your typical T/R owner is.

Maybe one day our cars will catch up in value as we would like to hope for....after all there are only like 35,000 Turbo Regals made? There are a lot more classic muscle cars than our buicks by far.....It is nice that they have started to come up in value some the last few years..

 

[6cylboost]

Don't forget the possibility of plowing that pristine front end into something, which would kind of negate the appearance of the power master under the hood. It's not like any normal person would know the Diff anyway. Mod that bitch

 

[SPOOLFOOL2]

This "All original" wholly grail thing still baffles me. I don't dispute that there isn't a market for it.
But, it is kind of laughable to ponder that an original Turbo Buick, with stock chip, fuel pump and injectors, that could take out a head gasket with a few WOT passes, is more desirable than a slightly modded one, that will live a long life.

And, what do you say to the guy who never drove his car, only to loose it in a house fire or flood?

These cars are carnivorous. They need to go out and eat other cars to be truly happy. Don't make them sad...

Good thread.
Mike B.

 

[Dialtone76]

I think it depends on your goal. The buyer determines his value in anything he wants to buy. Most of the cars I have seen actually sell , go to people who want to drive them and want reliability/performance or want to bring one back to life. Neither audience would I categorize in the paying 'top dollar' category. The 'collectors' GNs I have seen never seem to sell, except on ebay and they always seem to get relisted later. In my humble opinion , and very limited exposure to market of genuine collector car purchasers, those willing to pay collector car prices generally either know everything there is to know about the model of the car want to buy, or they know very little. Sure there are exceptions, in addition well funded impulse buyers, but if you are depending on selling to one of them, you will need some luck, timing, and it won't matter what ya did to the car.

The ones that know very little won't recognize the subtle changes you want to make, nor the bolt on mods that most already do and can be 'sold' on the car either way as long as it presents extremely well. The ones that know everything about the car will chisel away at your price using any and all information you give them. 99% original means no matter what, they are not gonna pay 100% of your stated market value even if the parts you change improve reliability. If they uncover aftermarket parts on the car that you did not reveal, again they hammer your asking price. They don't want 'driver' quality, they want 'collector' quality. Mix in the listing/seller fees that you or the buy would incur by selling at Mecum/Barrett Jackson and it will come down to what it always comes down to. How long are you willing to hold on to the car as a seller before letting it go for the price a buyer is willing to pay for it.

Just my two cents.