Does anyone know of anywhere I could gather some information as to what a 1977 Oldsmobile Starfire GT (mint condition) may be worth. My dad has recently redone his and we are looking for a value to insure it. We have about $15,500 in it right now and that is what it is apraised at. Anyone with information or that could help I look forward to hearing back from you.

 

welcome to the site somone will be able to help there are a few guys that have the books that can tell what the cars are worth.I need to get my 67 re appraised as it is worth more than the origional appraisal.

 

thanks, I am hoping to find some information. we tried to get it apraised but the guy (who had been doing it since 1991) actually got out of his car and asked "what kind of car is that". It as funny as he was suposed to tell us what it was worth.

 

The starfire is the sister to the chevy monza and buick skyhawk.
My best friend had a buick skyhawk (blue with white interior). Had poor heat in the winter, and it was claustrophobic. GM really paid for the streamlining effect with that teardrop design. Mind you, niether one of us is a skin and bones 5'4" drop in the bucket.

How did your apprasier come up with a value that was the same number as your investment? The demand for these cars??? I had a really hard time finding any demand searching the web and automotive forums. They were originally marketed as a sports coupe, but were dropped in favor of the Xbody cars in 1980.

1975 Oldsmobile StarfireManufacturerGeneral Motors Corporation
Oldsmobile divisionProduction1974–1979Model year(s)1975–1980AssemblySainte-Thérèse Assembly-
Quebec, Canada
Lordstown Assembly-
Lordstown, Ohio, USAClassSubcompactBody style(s)2-door HatchbackLayoutFR layoutEngine(s)140 in³ L11 I4
151 in³ Iron Duke I4
231 in³ Buick V6
305 in³ Chevrolet V8Transmission(s)4-speed manual
5-speed T-50 manual
3-speed THM-200 automatic
3-speed THM-250 automaticWheelbase97.0 in (2,464 mm)Length179.3 in (4,554 mm)Width65.4 in (1,661 mm)Height50.2 in (1,275 mm)Curb weight2,800 lb (1,300 kg) There were only 125188 Starfires produced from 1975-1980

If you have an appraised value, take that to the insurance company and tell them that's the value. Every 2-3 years, you need to re-appraise the car to determine +/- in value and provide that to your ins co.

Keep in mind that if you decide to sell it, the appraised value is just that. The market will determine the actual selling price. The only Starfires that I've seen commanding big $$ are the early 60's that have been restored to trailer queen status. Even at that, the cost of restoration is likely way more than the asking price.

You might want to check out the Buick and Chev websites to find out what comparible skyhawks and monzas are fetching. I can't find a lot on your car other than pictures and some tech writeups. I couldn't even find anything on this site in previous posts related to your car. Hmmmmmm, maybe its a rare car that has been missed in the market place.....Ask your bank for the book value.....if they have one. Good luck.

 

NADA has a "high retail" from $3200 to $5500 depending on how it is equipped.
I wonder what kind of an appraisal you have? Unfortunately, there is not a high market value for those cars. If you are able to get insurance for the $15K you have in it, great. But make *positively* sure that the insurance company will pay that amount in the event of a total loss. Don't let terms like "stated value" and "agreed value" mislead you as to what they mean. *Especially* in a case where you have it insured for more than market value. After the fact is too late to find out you won't get what you think you'll get.

 

You can ask at this place too. Someone there might be able to help if you get nothing here. Good luck.

http://h-body.org/

 

Thanks to everyone for the help! I continue to look, I sort of thought maybe we had more wrapped into the car than it is actually worth. it a beautiful car and I am trying to get pics of it as we speak. I continue to look forward to any helpful information people may give me. thanks again

 

The Old Cars Price Guide puts the value of a #1 condition 1977 Starfire at....


drum roll.....


$4,100.


That's for the "SX" with the V-6 engine.

If it's the "regular" (non-SX) version, it's $3,900.

Add 5% if the car has a V-8.

What wmachine says is correct. The '75-'80 era Starfire is about as desirable among old car enthusiasts as, it would seem, an outbreak of poison ivy. I'm guessing that's because these were largely seen at the time as Chevy Monza clones created to give the other GM dealers something lower cost and better mileage to sell in the post-Arab oil embargo world.

I'm kind of curious as to what possessed your father to put $15,000 into a car like this. Has he owned it since new? Did he have one as a kid and is reliving old memories? Does he just love the look and the collector car world be dam*ed?

I'm not 100% surprised your appraiser's reaction was what it was. He's probably never seen one. You never see them at old car events, not even Oldsmobile shows. But there was at least one at the recent OCA Nationals in Pennsylvania as a '77 Starfire won a Best of Class. (That wasn't yours, was it?)

 

Hagerty's has agreed in the last couple of years to insure Monzas and Starfires, etc. at values over 7k, so the old car price guide seems to be behind the times. There is a rotessierie restored Monza in my hometown worth 12k-15k easily.

 

I'm not out to defend the Old Cars Price Guide. It's just another data point.

But let's also make sure we're comparing apples to apples. The OCPG does value a '77 Monza at about $1000 more than a '77 Starfire in equivalent condition. Why? I don't know, especially since the Monza has a 4-cylinder engine and the Starfire no less than a V-6. Probably because one's a Chevy and the other isn't.

Also, year matters. You don't say what the year of that rotisserie Monza is, but the first year Monzas, the '75s, are about another $1000 more in value than the '77s, or about $2000 more in value than a '77 Starfire. Value goes down from the first year to the last, with the final year Monzas (1980) worth about half (about $3500) of what the first year's are worth (about $6500).

The drop in Starfire values is similar but not as dramatic, going from about $5000 for a '75 to about $3000 for an '80.

Finally, who came up with the "12k-15k easily" value you quote? Has someone actually PAID that for one of them?

 

I like them. It's not something you see everyday. Corvette guys think the samething about Oldsmobiles....they're for old men. I wouldn't mind having a 1975-79 Starfire GT 5 speed. It would have to be in good shape because getting parts, I imagine would be insane. Besides, as much as I love the 68-72 442's and W30's, I usually pass them by at Oldsmobile shows because I've seen them for years, see them in magazines, they are usually the most frequent Oldsmobile at any show and there are more on the road today than were ever made, so after a while you want to see something different. I'm not dissin' anyone's car, because I wouldn't mind having a 68-72 to cruise in as well, but I wouldn't mind a mid 70's Starfire GT either.

 

I've got nothing against the '70s-era Starfires, either, although I think Oldsmobile did a bit of a disservice to the legacy of the earlier-era Starfires by resuscitating the name after nine years and putting it on an arguably lesser car.

But I agree that it would be fun to see one or two at the car shows to relieve the monotony of row after row after row of teardrop-shaped Cutlasses.

But rarity doesn't equal desirability nor value. If it did, all the four-door F-85 sedans out there would worth more than the two-door Cutlass convertibles because there are so many more of the latter around today. But they're not.

 

I agree with that. Oldsmobile should have come up with another name because the Starfire's of the 60's were quite different. I also agree with you on rarity not equaling desirability. But there are people out there who desire Lada's. Diversity makes for an interesting world. If we all liked the samething, this hobby would get boring pretty fast. There are people that don't like my car because of the year it was made or maybe because of its shape, I don't know, but I don't care either.

I must admit, there are some Oldsmobile's that I thought I didn't like until I came to this forum and saw what the owners here have done with them. There are some stunning cars on this site, and those are the ones I thought I didn't like. I have my favorites, but I must admit, I like them all.

 

Well, this '77 Monza Spyder won Best in Class and Best Street Car at World of Wheels, so I'll go waaaaay out on a limb and say, yes, if this labor of love was ever offered for sale, it would sell easily for 12-15k. It seems strange that there has to be an argument over whether H Bodies can pull good money when people are dropping double these amounts on '70's F bodies without batting an eyelid. And yes, if this attention to detail was given to a '77 Starfire GT V8 or '78 Firenza V8, I believe it would be in the same price range. After all, it takes well over 20k to build it, so they are taking a bath on it at 15k.

 

Sweet car. This car hobby thing is not an exact science. Some people will spend whatever it takes to fix up their car whether they recoop the money or not. Most of us on this sight didn't buy our cars to make an investment, although it seems the cars ARE becoming investments.

A 1970 442 W30 convertible sold for $172,000 at Barrett-Jackson recently. Was it worth it? Yes. Somebody was willing to pay that so the car was worth that. Could you get $15K for your car. Possibly, if someone was willing to give it to you and you were willing to let it go for that. Most car enthusiasts don't own our cars because of the value, we own them because we like them and they give us pleasure. Make sure you get the most pleasure out of her no matter what you think she's worth or what anyone else thinks she's worth. Enjoy.

 

Well said.

 

The original question is "what is it worth?". Obviously the answer is not as simple as "what someone is willing to pay for it" (which is the answer to "what will it sell for?)
I think it would help to put it in context.

1."What is it worth?" for insurance purposes. What it will cost to replace. In this case (as in many others), it would cost a lot more to replace than it could ever sell for. No, the Old car price guide is not behind the times.

2. "What is it worth?" on the market. Even if that Monza would sell for 12k-15k, its not a Olds and just isn't a fair comparison, as Chevies always have a bigger market. I honestly don't think there is a large enough market for these Starfires (in mint condition) to have a "market value", it would all depend on who was interested in buying at the time. Could result is a huge difference in "worth" depending on when it was sold.

3. "What is it worth?" to the owner. It could take 10 times the "value" to pry it away.

If you're not selling, and are getting a value to insure it, just concentrate on the cost to replace the car and forget about market value. Seems to be a little know secret that having a "high value" to car is only good for stroking your ego, and that comes at a price. Other than the ego inflation, the high values are quite destructive to the hobbyist and those of us interested in preservation.
Personally, I'd bask in the rarity of the car and hope they never get *too* expensive.

 

Is this info from Wikipedia? In any case, there are some errors. First, production started with the 1975 model year, not 1974 (though the 1975 models went on sale in fall of 1974). Second, the Starfire never came with a V8 of any flavor - only the Monzas got the 305. These cars gained a reputation for requiring the engine to be jacked up to change the spark plugs. Finally, the H-body cars were replaced with the J-body FWD cars (think Olds Firenza), not the X-cars.

 

We must not have gotten the Oldsmobile version (Starfire) here in Canada because I can honestly say I have never seen one until I just Googled it. Cool car! We did the get it's twin, the Monza Spyder though.

 

Joe,
yes, some of it is from wiki. I had copied some of the info from there. But it didn't show up in my preview pane, so I thought it wasn't there. Yes, I agree production started in 1974 for the 1975 model year, just like they always did it. It wasn't marketed as a 74, it was a 75 production car. The reference simply says that it was manufactured or produced in 1974 for the 1975 year. Same applies to the finish date, right?

My buddies skyhawk had the 305 in it, so I'm not convinced that just the monza had it. Yes, it was a PITA to change plugs. Sorry about the ref to Xbody instead of J body. Although the Xbody did roll into being for the 1980 model year. If I remember right the first one I saw was the Chevy Citation, which grew to include the Omega, Phoenix and Skylark? I bought an 81 Omega Brougham (white vinyl upper, white lower and burgangy interior) NIB. Not a bad little car. Didn't get stuck in snow much with it. Very reliable little car with more than sufficient power and nice options.

 

Actually, it was Buick that never got a factory 305. Oldsmobile offered it from '77-79 in the Starfire and Firenza along with Pontiac's Sunbird. Chevy had it from 75-79. Firenza was just a graphics package, so it could be a 4 , 6 or 8, just like the Starfire GT.
Starfires were actually reasonably popular around here back in the day. In HS there was a '79 Firenza that would drop off his GF during lunchtime. After HS I bought a '77 Starfire SX and at a place I visited for my job, a fellow there had a V8 4 speed '77 GT. There were a lot more Sunbirds and Monzas running around though.

 

Interesting. So maybe Teds skyhawk was a transplanted 305. I know he bought it used from a kid back in 89. He would never buy something new because he didn't want to take a hit on depreciation.

 

It's easy enough to find out. The VIN will indicate the original engine.

 

Wish it were that simple. The car died a horrible death about 14 years ago.

 

All I can say is that the factory advertising brochure for 1977 shows the 140 cu in inline four and the Buick V6 as the only engines available in the Starfire that year. Was the V8 a mid-year addition?

 

OK, I stand corrected. The 1979 brochure clearly shows the 5.0 as an optional engine in the Starfire.

 

'77 was probably mid year. Even stranger is that parts books will show the 260 Olds as available. '77 was the infamous year Olds ran out of engines, so the 260 never made it into the Starfire and the 305 already available....

 

The 76 was available in Canada because my dealership brochure from GM Canada shows it. I have both the Canadian and US new sales brochure. The only difference between the two booklets is the layout, that and the typo in the US version. For the Cutlass S the 1976 US version says "For 1975..." while the Canadian version uses the same verbage but says "For 1976...".

 

I'm the guy with the black 77 Starfire SX at Nationals.

I would suggest you get an agreed value insurance policy - that way you pay for the amount of insurance you want. I use Hagerty Insurance for both my 70 442 & the Starfire. It is a very good deal.

In general these cars are not very highly valued. Most sell in the $3,000 to $5,000 range. But when I insure I consider replacement cost - what would I have to pay to replace it. You might very well have to pay $15K to find one as nice as yours - if you could ever find one that nice.

For anybody considering getting one of these - I would recommend it. They are good little cars and a very high percentage of them have 4 or 5 speeds - unusual for an Olds. Parts are hard to find but they are out there. I can help if somebody is restoring one. Like always - take your time and get the nicest one you can find.

Jeff

 

I'm a little confused here. Why would you have to pay $15,000 to replace yours if all these ever sell for is $3,000 to $5,000? Even the #1 condition examples are worth only about $5K.

I think what we're talking about is the difference between what the car is worth on the market and what it takes to get it to be worth that much. You could easily spend $15K or more on an everyday example that you might buy for $1000 to get it to #1 condition, but when you get there, it's still not worth anywhere near what you spent on it. It's a bit of a paradox, but it's true for most any auto restoration. It just seems to be worse for this version of the Starfire.

 

The discrepancy is because the average Starfire you will find will not be restored to show condition. In the whole country I only know of 3 restored Starfires, and they are all 77s. Mine, the one listed here (when can we see pictures?) and a blue one that has been seen at the Lansing Olds homecoming shows.

People are just not restoring these cars - but they should. They are great cars and fun to drive and like somebody said - when you go to an Olds show Cutlass & 442s are like belly buttons - everybody has one.

So many people cut these cars up and turn them into race cars. Few ever get restored. Many people told me thay have never seen one at a Nationals before. A friend of mine bought one in pretty nice shape and we are restoring it now. A Firethorn red inside & out low mileage 77 sport coupe (base model) V6 auto. Hopefully we will have two at Nationals next year.

 

It was great to see your car at the Nats, Jeff. (I have the black '92 SCX up the row from you.) It nice to see the more unusual cars like yours there. And like the '78 442 next to yours. The '78 being the most "butt-ugly" 442 ever made, it is now quite interesting to see.
BTW, the owner of the '78 said he has quite a collection of "ugly names" for his '78, and he is not the least offended by them.

 

[quote=OldsStarfire;115849]I'm the guy with the black 77 Starfire SX at Nationals.

Jeff: I kept going by your Starfire at the PA Nationals, and admiring it. A very nice restoration, and I remember telling you that you don't see too many of them - true. That's a shame, 'cause they are good looking, and different than most Oldsmobile's that you see. Had a Monza - 4 cyl w/4 speed. Little sucker would run out pretty good!

 

Mike Kulp owns that 78 442. We were joking we had the two most un-loved cars there & both in the same class.

Thanks Kurt & Aron. I'm restoring the dash of that other Starfire right now. It's going to be nice !

Jeff

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1976-...item1c0d70e3e8

 

Interesting auction. When I looked, it was about half-way through a 7-day auction, and as yet there are no bids. Reading the description, it sounds a little scary with little brother banging doors into concrete posts and people backing into it. Makes you wonder what else is wrong that the seller isn't mentioning. Would be interesting to know the reserve.

 

Well, one thing he isn't mentioning, is that the nose is off a '77-'78. He may not know that himself though. The other thing is that the 2 bbl intake on the 305 may have been replaced with an aluminum Corvette 4 bbl intake, rather than the entire motor. It was really common to yank the 2 bbl to get a 4 bbl onto them instead. As they used the same block casting numbers for 305 and 350 during that time, a check of the VIN stamp on the motor, which is hard to see, or the head casting #'s is recommended.