Hi to all the fellow "Oldsmobiler's" out there. I'm a newbie and need a little help with this one. In 1965 both my parents and my grandmother purchased matching Dynamic 88's. My parents logged close to a 100k miles and was later sold. My grandmother's car however has remained in our family and resides in her garage as it always has since being bought. I have recently decided to sell the car so I have kinda re-discovered it. It seems to be a valuable find but I'm not sure of the value. If it were a Corvette,Chevelle,or Camaro I would know from experience and past restorations I've done. Long story short, it has 31,872 original miles, matching numbers, never wrecked or out in the weather, 425 Rocket, TH transmission with posi. I am also lucky enough to have both the original owner's manual and service manual with the protecto-plate. Also have delivery papers and warranty paperwork. If it were a Corvette and had this documentation it would be worth a mint, but it's not. Like to have some feedback on what you feel this car is worth. Thanks...

 

The car runs, correct? You don't say that it does or that it doesn't, but I assume it does. What is the body style? Also, what is the condition of the body and paint? Does it look good and shiny, or is it faded and the car in need of a repaint? Any rust? Dents? Collision repairs? What is the condition of the interior? Given that it was your grandmother's car, I assume it's in pretty good shape, but these kinds of things are what people are going to want to know.

The Old Cars Price Guide lists the value of a 1965 Dynamic 88 4-door sedan in showroom (#2) condition at $8,400. In #3 condition ("car show" or "20-footer"), it's $5,400.

If it's a 4-door hardtop, these values are $11,550 and $7,430. A 2-door hardtop's values would $12,250 and $7,880. If it's convertible, the values are $14,700 and $9,450.

If the car needs any significant work to restore it to show condition (meaning it is currently in #4 condition), the values would range from about $2,500 to about $4,200 depending on body style.

Please post some photos.

 

Thanx Jaunty, Car is a 4 DR. Celebrity Sedan. Color is Lumina Mist with two tone blue vinyl interior. Car ran perfect when last driven. Problem is that was about fourteen yrs. ago. I really feel with overall condition of car and the way it was maintained, after fresh fluids, belts&hoses, battery, tires...it would be again. Car is under lot of dust but paint is not faded or rusted. I'm trying to load some pics pronto. I have anoffer in the 4k range. Does'nt the documents and protecto-plate add value?

 

Running/not running makes a big difference in value unless the reason it's not running is something simple like needing a new battery.

But 14 years is a long time for a car to sit undriven. Was it ever even started during that time? If it hasn't been, there is a possibility that the engine is seized, and you'll want to make sure it spins before trying to start it. Or, at least, you want be very careful to just touch the starter to make sure it cranks before turning and holding the key in the start position to crank it.

Before trying to start it, though, in addition to making sure it's not seized, you'll want to change the oil, put in new spark plugs, make sure there is fluid in the transmission, make sure there is brake fluid in the brake fluid reservoir, and give the underhood and under-car areas a good looking over to make sure animals haven't eaten through any wiring or hoses and that there aren't any big puddles of some fluid under the car. Another common suggestion is to remove each spark plug and squirt a little motor oil into the cylinder for additional lubrication before trying to start it.

Anyway, getting it cleaned up, running, and getting the major mechanicals in working order or at least checked out to make sure they're in working order would go a long way to enchancing the car's value and making it more easily sellable.

The fact that it's a 4-door will "hurt" somewhat as the 2-door styles are historically more desirable and more valuable. But there is a market for the 4-doors, as small as it might be, and the fact that the market for this car is small makes it all the more important that you get it into the best shape you can before putting it up for sale.

The original documentation, protect-o-plate, one-owner-ness of the car, etc. is cool and will certainly add some value. But in the end it's the car itself that sells. One thing in your favor for sure is that any buyer can be pretty confident that the car IS all original and hasn't been molested in any way over the years.

 

Again Jaunty everything you say is spot on and correct. For sure due diligence will have to be done on my part to bring anykind of reward. To be honest, I always knew the car being a sedan and no options out weighed the fact of its originality and condition therefore I didn't have much interest in it until now. If my grandmother had liked the Cutlass with the 4-4-2 option it would have been a whole new ballgame. Hopefully I can get my pics to upload and at least people can view the car in its present state. Thanks again for all your input.

 

$2500 if you get it running

if not,it's a parts car

 

if you have a real offer in the 4 range, take it , and don`t look back.

 

Thanx Ragtop....I'm gonna follow up real fast on my 4k offer. I've about decided anything close I will probably accept. My first hunches were correct, even if the car was perfect it wouldn't bring much.

 

Well guys, I guess I "done good." I showed the '65 Dynamic 88 to a friend and longtime friend of the family today and he really liked it. I didn't do a thing to it except put some air in a tire. Also told him car hasn't run in about seventeen years. He still wanted it and I told him I was asking 4k. He counteroffered 3500.00 and I accepted. So all in all it went well. He lives close to me so I can drive it when he is finished with some work. Thanks to all who gave me advice and insight and who knows, I might someday get another olds.

 

he gave you $3500 for a car that hasn't started in 17 years?

lmao

 

He's buying the potential.

 

Congrats on the sale; since you came here looking for help trying to sell the car, I hope you might be willing to share some photos of it even if as it turned out you didn't really end up needing the help.