MY76GUTLASS

Hey all you 'Rocketeer's'!

I have a 76 Cutlass "S" (Y-76), ALL NUMBERS MATCHING CAR! Only 46,882 miles on the stock 350. Air Conditioning. Power Steering. Power Brakes. Tilt Steering Wheel.

At the moment the car is in pieces as for the past year and a half, I’ve been doing a “SEMI” body-off restoration. Interior is in GREAT condition, body’s straight and the brakes were just overhauled. This car didn’t need much other than a good cleaning, a few rust spots taken care of and some minor repairs. The car was originally a Colorado car. The car is complete and it does run, it’s just not put together. I have run out of money to complete the project. What with going through a divorce, taking care of my 3 year old son and looking for work…it’s been a little rough keeping up on the car so I’d like to see it go to a buyer that’s gonna complete it and use it for what it’s for…CRUISIN’!

I could sit here and just list all that has been done or replaced on this car but I think it would be easier and more beneficial if I list the things that it NEEDS.

To get back on the road, the car will need the following:

- Oil Sender
- PCV
- Wiper Motor & Washer Pump
- Thermostat
- Miscellaneous Gaskets: Thermostat housing, exhaust manifolds, carb to intake, fuel pump, valve cover and EGR gasket.
- Radiator
- Spark Plugs
- Carburator
- Power Steering Unit
- Rear Tires
- Alignment

The carburetor doesn’t really need to be replaced. It just needs an overhaul OR to be replaced. One or the other. The car has sat for quite some time.

The wiper motor does work, but the washer part doesn’t work.

Now, the things listed above doesn’t include the body work to be completed and paint.

Of course, when I put the car up for sale, I’ll list everything that has been DONE to the car along with the things that the car needs.

Looking at the pictures below, and reading what I’ve listed about the car, what do you think I could get for this car? I know that most cars put up for sale in this condition wouldn’t sell for BEANS…but given that it’s a Y-76, Cutlass “S”, all numbers matching…what do you think?






And yes I know that the paint on the motor came out Ford Blue. That was an accident. I planned on repainting it the correct color.

Thank you for your help!

gearheads78

Probably not what you want to hear but my guess is $1000.00 is top dollar and it will take a while to get that. The mid70's cars just don't have the following to get the bigger numbers. One that is apart is going to have to find just the right buyer.

MY76GUTLASS

Hello gearheads78,

Thank you for this information. I can't say that I don't agree. I can understand what you're saying. I might just put it back together and sell as is. Thank you again.

The advice from ALL of you is helping!

-TNT

jaunty75

The Old Cars Price Guide puts the value of a '76 Cutlass S 2-door coupe in #3 condition (car show quality) at $2570. In #2 condition (showroom quality), it rises to $3990. These values, of course, are for complete cars that run. How much they'll be reduced because the car is partially disassembled is anybody's guess. But remember that whoever buys it will end up with a car that is worth these values, at least according to the OCPG, AFTER they put it all back together, so they'll want to discount the price by whatever they consider the value of their time and labor to do so.

By the way, the OCPG makes no mention of any premium for a Y-76 version. It does mention to add 25% to these values if the car has the 4-4-2 option.

agtw31

the old car price guide is garbage

jaunty75

From what I've read on here, you DO know all about garbage.

Oldsguy

I agree with Richard, you will need to find just the right buyer and that will take a while.

Olds64

x3

$1000 or $1500 if you're lucky.

MN71W30

X4, Get it back together. Can you do the work your self? If not, you better sell it before it drains you. I would consider getting the fenders and hood back on and spray bomb it one color primer. Yes it's crude but it will be more sellable.

gearheads78

The world must be comming to an end. Thats twice in the last month you have said something I agree with.

jaunty75

It's amazing what passes for sound judgment on here. People are always giving what are essentially wild-assed guesses when asked to price a car, and those guesses are always treated with the greatest reverence and respect, even though there is usually nothing more than gut feeling, and sometimes not even that, backing them up.

But get something semi-authoritative, like the Old Cars Price Guide, which has been around longer than half the participants on this site have been alive, and IT's garbage. No doubt about it. How can they possibly think they know anything? A piece of trash for sure.


Yeah, right.

gearheads78

I've been around cars and auctions my whole life. I have personally bought and sold at least 100 old cars and projects over the last 10 years. A car is worth what somone is willing to pay period. I've also been in the new / used car business for over 10 years. All the books other than dealer black books make the numbers up. Black books are last weeks data of real auctions. There is not enough real time data to do the same for old cars other than maybe the to 5-6 most popular ones so yes the old car price guide is a joke.

jaunty75

You hear this all the time, too, and it's useless.

Someone needs to know what's a reasonable asking price when he goes to sell his car. What's he going to use to set the price? He's told to go research the market. Where's he going to do that research?

Someone interested in buying a car wants to know what they're going for these days. Or he wants to know if what the guy down the street is asking for his is reasonable. Where's he going to get that information?

These price guides, whether it's the Old Cars Guide or something else, are useful for this. They're not a joke.

What I'm willing to pay is not a good thing to go by because I don't buy and sell enough cars to know the market, and I would guess that most people, including most old car hobbyists, don't, either. I would like to know if I'm overpaying. Again, the price guides can give some guidance on this. It's certainly better than a gut feeling.

MN71W30

I hear ya,
They may be more accurate on some of the mainstream cars for ballpark figures as Richard stated. But I do agree the OCPG could be used as a tool when trying to buy a car or sell one. I've used them over the years myself for that purpose. I bought my Brother in laws 70 SS454 Chevelle using one and things worked out just fine. I did look up my 65 Biscayne 2 dr post a few years back and it showed it to be just about worthless, IMHO the post cars are higher than listed. I can see that if a guy that really knows the market and studies it the guide is worthless. But for someone who doesn't have a clue it may get you in the ballpark. I would add that it may be nearly impossible put down hard accurate numbers on old cars because they vary so much in condition and the bad economy it adds to the confusion.

MY76GUTLASS

Wow! Thank you guys so much for the useful information. Ok, it looks like I'm gonna have to go and take a look at the OCPG and see what happens.

Thank you guys again.

-TNT

VikingBlue

Smart buyers don't buy without doing some basic analysis of the market: price guides, EBay asking prices, dealer ads, asking around, etc. provide some measure of an approximate value, then one adjusts his/her own view...like "I just want THIS car so I'll pay even more", or "brown ain't a hot color so I'll offer less", etc.

OCPG is just one piece of the puzzle. All info is helpful.

Shizzy

if you can get the car in some sort of shape to be able to be driven around the block can mean the difference between a sale or no sale.

in my eyes an undrivable car is worth less than half what the same car put together is worth.