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It is interesting that the Starfires seem to come up for sale a lot more often that the Super 88's do. I think it has to do with the survival rate. There were slightly over 6,000 of each manufactured. Hemming Motor News will have the Starfires listed from time to time but rarely a Super 88. There is a Super 88 on ebay right now but it has been relisted a number of times. Both of the above cars are very nice but I think overpriced. Then I might be wrong.
I think they're overpriced, too, but what's interesting is how close to each other the asking prices are. One's $90,000, the other $92,500. Either there's some collusion going on or they're both using the same reference to set their asking prices.
For what it's worth, the Old Cars Price Guide lists the value of a '54 Starfire Convertible in showroom condition at about $50,000. A '54 Super 88 Convertible at the same condition level is shown as $44,000.
I checked the Hagerty Valuation Guide and they listed the Starfire in #1 condition at $98,300. This would be a concours condition car you could drive on the course at Pebble Beech. I doubt either of these cars are #1's. #2 Excellent is $67.800 and that is probably where these cars are. #3 Good is $47,100 which would be a nice driver. The corresponding values for a Super 88 convertible are $75,600, $51,000 and $35,700. My 54 is a pretty nice car and I consider it a strong #3 and have it insured for $40.000. A lot of it becomes what somebody' definition of a #1 - #3 car is. Hagerty shows the values to be flat on these cars since January 2014.
I've heard Hagerty values cars based on what their members insure their cars for.
My 1971 Olds 98 4door hardtop is insured for $12,000. That's at least $4,000 more than it's probably worth. Of course, it's only a few dollars a month difference in the premium between $8000 and $12000. I'm glad I don't pay the premiums for one of those cars.
I try to track the mid fifties convertibles somewhat and it seems they are SLOWLY rising in asked price (who knows what they really sell for after negotiation). They all took a big hit after 2007. One of the problems in getting good pricing is that the amount of cars sold is so small it's hard to get a good feel for the market..... Tedd
Tedd, you hit the nail on the head. There are too few of them and the sales are too far apart to really develop any trend in values. Maybe the guys with these two car figure they will start high and work their way down to what the market is.
Looking for a 1954 98 Starfire Convertible
