akr17

Hey Ive had a 1972 cutlass supreme 4 door with a 350 rocket for a few years now and i was wondering if the 4 door version is rare or not. Ive been trying to look around for similar types but i cant seem to find any. From what I'm aware most of them were scrapped. Also possibly how much would it be worth.

Thanks

oldcutlass

Welcome to the site, post some pics of your more door. This is a time where rare does not necessarily equate to valuable. Not knowing the condition of your car its hard to determine value, however I will say your cars current value is whats it worth to you.

Olds442redberet

Post some pictures. I'm sure people will chime in and give you some valuable insight.

Allan R

Depends on condition. If it's rough - cheap; like 1000 or less. If it's in reasonable shape anywhere from 1500 - 3000 sight unseen assuming it has AC and no significant rust. There's a guy up here looking for a car like this. Post some pics and I'll send him the link to this thread.

jaunty75

It was rare in 1972, relatively speaking, and it's even rarer now. Production of 1972 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Sedans (4-door hardtops) was 14,955. By comparison, production of the 2-door version was about 7 times that, or 105,087.

Given typical scrappage rates, about 1% (plus or minus a large error bar) of a typical car's original production is still on the road 25 years later. So there might be 150 '72 Cutlass Supreme 4-doors still on the road today, plus or minus a large number. The point is though, your lack of luck in trying to find another one is not surprising. They were not popular back in the day, and people tend to be more interested in the 2-door coupes and convertibles today, so there's not much demand nor interest in them. That does affect value.

In "car show" condition (one step down from "showroom"), the Old Cars Price Guide values your car at about $7,900. By comparison, the 2-door equivalent is valued almost $4,000 more at about $11,700. Personally, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone willing to pay almost $8,000 for a four-door Cutlass, but who knows?

Allan R

You're assuming it's in car show condition with your valuation. There's no mention of options, mileage, body condition, interior etc. You might be right, and you know as well as I do that people tend to overvalue the condition of their cars at times.

Why not list out the other valuation numbers like you used to do instead of just giving the top dog one?

akr17

Thanks everyone for the help I guess I should include that it has power steering, power windows, power seats, power doors, ac and heat. The condition is fair however it does have some rust around the fenders. And the original fabric is a little ripped on the drivers side. It also read 50000miles. Im not really looking to sell but i would like to know its approximate value

Fun71

Hmm. The 1972 convertible production numbers were lower than that at 11,571 so the 4 door wasn't extremely unpopular.

oldcutlass

Nice car.

jaunty75

Convertibles are a whole different ballgame and always sell in much lower numbers than any other body style. I could have as well included production numbers for the other versions of the Cutlass besides the Supreme, but I deliberately did not do that, either.

Arguments about rarity are always relative and depend on what is used as the basis of comparison. In my opinion, I think it's more meaningful, if you're going to talk about relative rarity, to stick to cars that are more similar to each other, such as, in this case, the two versions of the non-convertible Supremes available that year, in making my comparison.

jaunty75

It's a very nice looking car, but it's a four-door.

Olds442redberet

That's a beautiful car and four doors offer the family a more comfortable and convenient cruising experience since getting in and out of the rear seat is so much easier.

As for the value of any specific car it is important to know the value of the car in various categories:

Replacement Cost or book value which is normally gained by looking at resources such as Kelly Blue Book, NADA, ETC

Actual market value, based on the most recent sales at both traditional and online auctions. Much the same way a realtor figures out an asking price for a home being placed on the market.

Actual cash value, what one can expect to get if he actually tries to sale the car within a reasonable timeline. A reasonable timeline for me would be 90 days but some people need to sell their vehicles much quicker and as a result sell their cars for much less than its worth.

Values also vary depending on where the car is located.

I have seen many really nice cars being advertised for extended periods of time due to what is IMO, very high asking prices. Normally based on somebody watching to many classic car auctions on TV. Be advised, most auctions do not televise the vehicles that cross the block during the mid-week, these are the cars that most reflect the actual market and actual market value of the cars that most of us are driving. The most desirable cars with full frame off restorations sell on the weekend and normally sell for much more than the cars we normally see like the base model cars, driver quality 442s, amateur restorations, etc.

Your four door Cutlass is much like my 1969 two door Cutlass Supreme. Very cool but not really sought out as a collectable car. As a result the actual cash values for our cars are much lower than the actual replacement values.

They're very nice cars with a lot of value for the dollar. Great performance, nice ride and plenty of style and curb appeal. I am sure you are constantly receiving compliments on your car along with request to sell it.

I don't believe I could sell your car for much more than $6000 in my part of the country. Although I believe it's worth more.

joe_padavano

Once again, rare does not equate to valuable.

People who were not of driving age in the 1960s and early 70s don't understand that two doors outsold four doors back then by a wide margin. More-door cars were unpopular then and remain so. Few remain on the road because the low value didn't make it economically feasible to keep them running or restore them. Many also became donor cars for restoration of musclecars. You'll also note that there are almost no four door repro parts (at least ones that are not common with two door cars) because no one restores them.

Lately, people have been building four doors from that era because they can't afford the coupes. If that's what you want, fine, but don't expect this to become a collectible.

jaunty75

I didn't say it did.

joe_padavano

My post was not necessarily for your benefit. It isn't always about you..

jaunty75

I realize that, but you did quote my post.

joe_padavano

Because you said it was rare. I was just pointing out the oft-overlooked fact for everyone else.

Did we forget our meds this morning?

jaunty75

Yes, I did. But then you, with your "once again" comment, and quoting my post, proceeded to say that rare does not equal valuable as though I had made that claim, and nowhere in my post did I do that. I'm just defending what I said and correcting any misinterpretations people may have.

joe_padavano

oldcutlass

rocketraider

I say let's not get hung up on rarity, value and all that other effete crap that gets in the way of enjoying an old car, and concentrate on what is a nice example of what most people actually drove back then.

Four door cars, either sedan or hardtop, were way more common when this Supreme was built. They're rare now because they got used up in the used car pipeline and because no one bothered to save them.

Four-door hardtops were top of the line in their day. Not much outranked them except convertibles and wagons. 'Course for close to 30 years wagons weren't cool either.

I learned long ago to not obsess over what other people thought was cool and to enjoy what YOU like, and to hell with what someone else thinks of it. Especially if they're not contributing anything to its purchase or upkeep...

Octania

What's it worth?
Driver in any good condition here is $2k or more
Figure you might get 1 yr more use per $1000 car price these days with computerized FailCars.

What is that grin worth you get every time you drive it?

THAT's what it is worth.

btw, 4-drs make easy ElCamino-esque conversions.

Cut and weld!

AzChevs

Very beautiful car, rare options that most 4 doors didn't get. Keep it like it is, I would buy some correct bias ply tires and take it to shows.

joe_padavano

But THIS is even easier...

oldcutlass

I don't normally make fun of cars, but every time I see that pic^^^^^^^^I expect to see Shriner Clowns running around it on unicycles.

Allan R

Couple of things to note:
1. The odometer on these old cars only goes to 99,999 miles and then rolls over again. You would need some documentation in terms of repair history to show it is 50,000 original miles. This car could easily be 150,000 miles.

2. The drivers side headlight bezel is on wrong. (upside down) If you look at the passenger side - it's on properly. When properly installed the adjustment screws for the headlights are accessible.

3. Can you post some pics showing the problem areas in the fabric and the rust condition on the quarters?

4. Do all the options still work? Looks like it may have had SSIII wheels added? Or did they come with the car. Check the VIN or Cowl tag. If this is a Freemont or Arlington car you might be able to find it's build sheet on top of the fuel tank; and Fisher broadcast cards under the seats or carpeting.

5. If you really want a valuation on the car? Call an appraiser and have it done professionally. Make sure you get someone who actually knows about these cars instead of the fly by nighters.

Good looking car. Not a fan of the color though.

Fun71

I agree. This reminded me of all the times back in the 80s-90s when folks told me to get rid of "that old car" and buy a new one. These days everyone likes it now that it's a classic. Same car, same people, but with a different perspective - but mine has been unwavering for the past 35 years.

724drcutlass

We have had it for 24 yrs. We bought it together soon after we met. We have spent way too much money on it but we have enjoyed it. We will probably never sell it.