I was hoping you guys could give me a rough idea of what to expect for a sale price for my car. It's a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass, 55k original miles paint was done a few years ago (pretty good job), 350, with an automatic, non A/C, runs and drives like new, 4 wheel manual drums, manual windows. I added a picture to give a better idea (it is not a 442, I bought it with the emblems on and haven't had a chance to take them off yet) the interior is in near perfect shape (bench seat), no body rust at all or even bubbling, trunk floor is perfect, floor pans are in very good shape, does have a few small holes in the drivers side foot area...

My second question.. what would be the increased value if I installed the factory 4 barrel intake (non # matching) with a new carb as opposed to just including it with the sale and have it sold as a 2 barrel? I would have to spend an extra 3-400 to finish this with a new carb, linkage, fuel line etc... so I was wondering if I would see that time and money back

 

It's a nice looking car. Nice to see you're not representing it as a 442. If you're planning to sell it, DONT spend any more money on it - period. You may as well let the next guy decide if he wants to upgrade or keep 2 bbl. The Cutlass badging is wrong too, you know that too?

Your comment about holes in the drivers floor pan bothers me a bit. If it's rusting there, it's bound to be rusting elsewhere that maybe just hasn't shown up yet, or has been covered over with bondo/paint. If you have documentation that shows it's a 55k original, it might be worth more to someone who is looking for a car with provenance. Have things like proof of title history, protecto plate, original bill of sale, window sticker, broadcast card, build sheet available and you would likely get a better price.

No offence, but pics and on site evalution help determine valuation way better than 'your opinion of mint, or darn near perfect'. They mean different to everyone - even appraisers. Post more pics that show the detail of how good and weak the car is.

 

Hard to price a car from a single pic. Without "seeing" the whole car, I'd hate to even venture a price. Looks very presentable though, besides the emblems None the less, personally I wouldn't think of any gains on final sale price by "upgrading" to 4bbl. I'd leave it as original as possible if trying to sell it and let the new owner "personalize" it the way they want it. But there again these are just my opinions no more, no less. As far as helping the sale, documentation that supports the fact of the low mileage, documentation such as window sticker, build sheet, protect-o-plate, etc... can only help add to price.

 

Thanks for the quick responses. No I didn't know that the Cutlass badges were wrong. I do have all of the registration and repairs paperwork with dates and mileage and it all seems very legit to me. When I sell it I would say that I believe it to be the original miles and show all the documentation but clearly not gaurentee it as original (but I trully do think it is). Sorry for the lack of pictures but it is in storage still and that's the only one that I could find on my computer. i figured it would be better to just keep it 2BBL but figured I would ask. I really didn't see any rust anywhere else and I did an extremely detailed search before I bought it and used a magnet etc... I removed the carpeting, seats etc and it all appears very solid except two small holes around the drain plug area. Without any more pictures at this time; do you think asking $7500 would be a decent starting point? Anything over $5k is a profit towards the next project but I don't want to be unreasonable

 

I think if it's very clean like you suggest, $7500 isn't a bad starting point. Being a Cutlass the engine&carb probably isn't that important to a buyer who may upgrage or rebuild and is just looking for a good body and clean interior to start a project.

My 'for sale' ad for that would say $7500 obo...

 

You can certainly start there if you feel it represents the value of the car. You know that if you put an ad out, prospective buyers will want more pics and info.

It would be wiser to state: True mileage unknown - period. These old cars only use 5 digits to represent mileage, unlike new cars. Unless you can prove the mileage, I wouldn't even get into what 'you believe' the mileage to be. That just opens a can of worms to some buyers. Well something like this.....

 

Thanks guys, yea I won't be selling it for a month or two but wanted to get a general idea so I will have more pictures at the time

 

I think I'd add, 'shows 55k - unconfirmed' somewhere!

Most car guys could tell + or - 100,000 on any car!

 

This sounds like a great advertisement.

To the OP > I wouldn't say it's only got 55K , just because it's a 5 digit odometer.
There's enough people out there making these false claims, no need to be another.

Like others have said.....one picture isn't going to help anyone guess a cars condition.
I'd take at least 60 pictures and weed out the bad one's and keep it to 15-20 pics showing everything.

 

were is the car at? Are the emblems stick on ( I hope so) I think that car would look nice with steel wheels and hubcaps with that paint combo.

 

The fact that the badges aren't even close, shows me little effort or forethought went into the final product of this paint job, and it is possibly hiding a LOT of mistakes.

If you didn't know the badges weren't even close, it automatically negates your expert body work assessments or "magnet tests".

Those are my thoughts on it.

 

The silver Kryloned chrome mods are a red flag for me. It just screams corner used car lot Macco special when I see that. Might as well go to Walmart and buy there chrome hub caps.

 

I'm not fond of the wheels, but $7500 should be a fair price.

Remember a car or anything you sell is only worth what someone is willing to write a check for.

Good Luck!

 

The little info thing under his name says Maine.

 

Is it truly just a Cutlass, or is it a Cutlass S or Cutlass Supreme as all three were available as 2-door hardtops in 1971, and there is some difference in value.

The Olds Cars Price Guide, June 2012 edition, lists the value of a '71 Cutlass 2-door hardtop in #4 condition (runs and drives but needs complete restoration) at $3300. In #3 condition ("car show" but not showroom), the value listed is about $7,4000. For a Cutlass S, the values at the two condition levels are slightly lower in both cases at $3,000 and $6,700. For the Supreme, the values are $3,800 and $8,500.

It's interesting that the plain Cutlass is valued higher than the Cutlass S. That may be because fewer of the former were made originally and thus they're now rarer today?

Now your car sounds and looks to be well better than a #4, but with rust holes in the floor, it's certainly not yet at #3. There's a pretty wide range between the values at those two levels for all three models, so at least according to this guide, you'd want to establish an asking price probably somewhere in the $5,500 to $6,500 range? Just throwing numbers out there.

While it's true that, in the end, you'll get whatever someone is willing to pay, you still need to have some idea of where the market is so you don't establish an asking price that's so high you get little interest or so low that you're giving the car away.

 

Maine street? I missed that .

 

I am in Northern Maine near Presque Isle.

I'm not sure how me being unaware the badges being wrong has anything at all to do with knowing about body work or using a magnet; that was kind of a jerk response IMO; also if you could point out where I claimed to be an expert body work assessor I would greatly appreciate it so I could fix that

I'm not a fan of the wheels either but they came with it, I have been looking for some Cragar's but no luck so far

 

The photo shows the car as a fastback. The only way to know if it's a Cutlass or Cutlass S is to see the VIN. I agree that the ask has to be reasonable, and IMO the 7500 start point is just that. He's open to best or reasonable offer as far as I know. Your suggestion about price break on the Cutlass vs Cutlass S is interesting. Still not sure why the higher trim Cutlass S would be 'demoted' in terms of pricing. Like you say though, a lot of this is subjective between buyers/sellers and likely even the folks who compile the price guides.

Suggestion: though you don't like the wheels, I wouldn't spend $$ on them if you're not planning to keep. The car presents itself nicely and when the right buyer comes along - they can customize whatever they want, including the wheels. They look like aluminum, so I'd take them off and buff the heck out of them with aluminum polish, then wax overtop. They'll gleam like polished steel. Then put tire dressing on the rubber to give it that crisp black look. I've found that Mothers 'Back to Black' works great on anything you want to look like 'original clean".

My comment about the emblems were just intended as information and not to stir up a hornets nest. Anyone who buys the car either doesn't know the difference, or will know right away. Either way, you have an easy explanation - that's how you bought it. Another project for the owner IF they want to undertake it. The wrong emblems do NOT devalue the car, they just aren't the right ones. Know what I mean?

 

Just post it on Craigslist for 7500 with a lot more pics and see what happens. Good luck with the sale. I wonder where those odd "Cutlass" badges came from.

 

Looks like the ones where you can mix and match the letters and make the word 'cutlass' and '442'

 

The wheels are not aluminum they are chome steel mods that have been spray painted silver. At that price point wheels can make or break a deal. Even a set of clean stockers will be 300% better. Think of it like a ratty old peeling door on a house you are looking at buying. Lots of people will not even stop to look when they see that as a first impression.