ClassicOldsmobile.com - View Single Post - How rare?? is my 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire

Starfire61 · November 28th, 2007, 04:15 PM

I concur that the '63 Starfire is not a particularly rare car- Olds built 21148 Starfire coupes in '63. All of them had 3.42 gears, the Starfire engine, & a console tach as standard equipment. Given that the Starfire was marketed as a personal luxury car, most of them were very well-optioned with comfort & power accessories. If anything, it would be more unusual (rare?) to find one with few such options.

Remember that rarity & collectibility do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. You could have the nicest Rambler Sedan Delivery in the world & still find yourself waiting for the phone to ring when you try to sell it for what YOU may think it's worth. On the flip side, Chevy built something like 40000 Bel Air convertibles in '57, & folks today pay insane money for those cars.

While not a particularly rare car, the '63 Starfire is quite collectible, & fine examples are becoming pricey. Condition is everything with these cars, as restoration costs will quickly exceed the value of the finished car- especially for a coupe as opposed to a convertible. Very few reproduction parts are available, & the premium materials used on the interiors are brutally expensive to replace. If your Starfire is rough, it's likely collectible only for parts! Please post a few pics when you get a chance.

November 28th, 2007, 04:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
Starfire61 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 76	I concur that the '63 Starfire is not a particularly rare car- Olds built 21148 Starfire coupes in '63. All of them had 3.42 gears, the Starfire engine, & a console tach as standard equipment. Given that the Starfire was marketed as a personal luxury car, most of them were very well-optioned with comfort & power accessories. If anything, it would be more unusual (rare?) to find one with few such options. Remember that rarity & collectibility do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. You could have the nicest Rambler Sedan Delivery in the world & still find yourself waiting for the phone to ring when you try to sell it for what YOU may think it's worth. On the flip side, Chevy built something like 40000 Bel Air convertibles in '57, & folks today pay insane money for those cars. While not a particularly rare car, the '63 Starfire is quite collectible, & fine examples are becoming pricey. Condition is everything with these cars, as restoration costs will quickly exceed the value of the finished car- especially for a coupe as opposed to a convertible. Very few reproduction parts are available, & the premium materials used on the interiors are brutally expensive to replace. If your Starfire is rough, it's likely collectible only for parts! Please post a few pics when you get a chance.