What's the deal with these cars? Lately there seems to be a lot of them on the market and the values seem to be droppping. From what I see, an average HO sells for 7 - 10K. Just a couple years back, seems like they were all 12 - 15K. I know the economy has a lot to do with it but their value seems to be dropping faster and further than 60's - 70's. Is it because the cars from the muscle car era will always be more collectible? Are these mid 80's HO's ever going to increase dramatically in value? With the Hurst heritage and the low production numbers, I would think they would be more sought after but they seem to be only slightly more desireable than the Monte SS which ain't saying a whole lot IMO. What do you guys think?

 

I don't agree with that... I bought my car (which was decent) for $5500 6 years ago. You can always find nice (with higher mileage) cars for $7-9k. A $12k car will pretty much always have less than 40k miles on it. Been that way since I started shopping for these things.

The only cars that have ever pulled decent money are the low mileage, unrestored ones. Now, I have seen a few cars that have been painted getting over $10k a few times, but it's rare.

Basically, I don't see the values on these cars having moved much the last few years. At times, it seems that a few cars will go high, and others just can't be sold. Nobody wants to buy one of these things that is a complete dump, b/c there are minimal restoration parts out there.

Of course, most of the car market is down in value right now all the way across the board.

 

Out of the 80's group, I would rate cars in the following order for desirability. Buick GNX, Buick GN, Olds Hurst, Olds 442, then the Monte SS last. Just my opinion.
The Olds is the best looking, but won't ever be fast like real muscle cars without motor upgrades. (please don't send me hate mail)

 

68conv455, i have to agree with you. the thing i see the most on these is the chevy and buick are rattle traps and the olds is more solid. i know they were all similar but i see more of the olds that when you shut the door it just shuts. the others you hear the windows and hardware rattle around. i see this many other places on the cars. does anyone know if the olds had better built g body cars or is it just me that see this. i am not being biased because i like olds, it is just what i see.

 

If they were not the same car, Buick would have been "more solid".

The GM "Pecking order" was Chev, Pontiac, Olds, Buick, and Cad.

Norm

 

The economy right now does have something to do with the drop in price simply because you are seeing more cars on the market. There are some sellers who would not sell but for the fact that they really need some money. they may have multiple cars and are selling off their less desirable ones , but if they need the money then they have to offer them at a good price. as far as if the value of these cars will increase in the future I am sure they will but it may take a while for that to happen. if you plan on purchasing one you really need to find one that is very solid and does not need a lot of work ( as in replacing parts ) and reasonably low milage. Keeping a car as a collectable requires that it not be used as a daily driver especially in areas where salt is your worst enemy. Even in dry northern climates the car should be stored in a dry warm garage. I am in a east coast northern climate so my car is stored in such a garage and will only be driven on nice summer days. I plan on keeping the car for as long as I can and at the same time slowly restoring it to it's former glory. a 1969 - 98 convertible is not in the muscle car class but it does have the 455 and in my opinion has really nice lines. The car came from Saskatchewan which is a dry prairie province which does not use salt in the winter so the frame to the floorpan to the trunk is surprisingly solid. I plan on keeping it that way and doing so will increase it's value especially if I continue to the restoration as I can afford it. Bottom line is if you can afford to purchase a mid 80's H/O then I would , but I would definately be looking at the car in person to see if it is a good deal or not.

 

That's more a function on how the car was used than anything else. I've been in GN's that were whisper quiet while my Olds was a rattle trap. Driven several MCSS's that were much quieter than mine as well. Mine has gotten much better after I replaced the body bushings. Being a T-top car doesn't help.

Buick had the Regal set up with missing bushings to isolate the cabin the most, followed by Olds... however, as those bushings wear and get loose, the whole body starts moving/flexing and rattling that way. Poly body bushings quieted mine way down, believe it or not. Ride quality is 10 times better.