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I've had a 1967 Tahoe Turquoise Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Holiday Edition Hardtop 4dr Sedan in the family since new. Its got 33K Original miles on the odometer and I know for a fact that accurate and its never been rolled back. It's on original trans and engine and it runs beautifully, I've kept up on the maintenance with the exception of the fact that I need to replace valve cover and radiator. Its got the 330 cu in 5.4 L Jetfire engine paired with the automatic transmission. The paint is in decent condition, with very little rust (few quarter-sized spots on lower parts of quarter panel) and the interior is immaculate.I don't really drive it much anymore and I was looking into getting a 68s Camaro or a Vette , So here's the question, what are anyone's thoughts on what the olds is worth. Its very difficult to find any pricing info online about this car.
6 to 10 thousand. You may get more from the right buyer, but 4 doors are not in demand, and it's a sedan and it's light blue. An automatic 442 in that condition would bring low 20s, and that's after all the 2 door Cutlasses. You'd almost make more parting it out and selling the desirable parts, but that would be a shame and a lot of work. The ideal buyer would be an oddball kid wanting his first car who will respect it, but that kid won't have good money. I think this is going to be a "find it a good home" sale. the old car price guide, which I use and others disparage, has a #3 condition "Saturday Night Cruise In" car at 5200 and a serious car show winner #2 car at 8000. Your car looks and sounds like a good #3 car. Perhaps a sign in the window as you drive it with phone and X price OBO would do it.
Here is the much-maligned-but-we-like-it-anyway Old Cars Price Guide entry for the 1967 Cutlass Supreme from March-April 2020 issue. The six columns of values are conditions 6 through 1 going left to right.
Below this is condition guide provided by OCPG. Remember that no car is exactly a #3 or exactly a #4 or exactly any other number. Most cars are somewhere between these condition levels depending on their exact condition.
Remember, also, that these numbers are no prediction of what you'll encounter when you try to sell the car. Doing that will be the real test of its value as you see what interest you get when you post an asking price.
Last edited by jaunty75; April 29th, 2020 at 09:05 AM.
Hey jaunty75, I was surprised to see your price guide for the 1967. I own a 1969 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Sedan, do you know if they make a price guide for it?
Thanks, Noel
I own a 1969 Cutlass Supreme Holiday Sedan, do you know if they make a price guide for it?
Of course they do! It wouldn't make much sense to produce a price guide for only a single year, would it? The Old Cars Price Guide is a bi-monthly magazine that has values for pretty much ALL makes and models covering a certain range of model years, depending on the issue. For the March-April 2020 issue, the years covered are 1930 to 1975. For the previous issue, it was 1910 to 1984, and the one before that was 1935 to 1980. Every once in a while they'll have an issue that covers years into the 1990s (the last one was May-June 2017, which covered 1920 to 1991), and one time in the time I've been a subscriber (since 2012), they had an issue that covered model years as recent as 2006. That one was the January-February 2014 issue, when the years 1941 to 2006 were covered.
Here's the latest issue's entry for the 1969 Cutlass Supreme.
Here's the cover of the current issue, the table of contents, and a feature that appears in this issue about the 1971 Cutlass Supreme. Note that the story about the '71 Cutlass Supreme is mentioned on the cover.
Here's what they have to say about the '69 Cutlass Supreme followed by their condition guide. They have only five categories as compared to the OCPG's six.
People will often quote prices listed at the Hagerty Insurace website. Hagerty is a large, well-known insurer of collector cars. Unlike the others, their site is not complete. They do cover many models, but not necessarily every model year of every model nor every body style of every model year.
For example, they cover Cutlass Supreme for only 1967, 1970, 1971, and 1972. No '68 or '69. Hagerty's values are apparently based on sales they actually know about through their customers who actually report sales numbers. So the completeness of their list depends on what their customers report.
I clicked on the '67, and, not surprisingly, they show values for only the two most popular body styles, 2-door coupe and convertible. Nothing for the 4-doors.
I also went to another often-quoted source, the NADA Price Guide. They list values in a different way, with three categories called "low retail," "average retail," and "high retail." I've never understood exactly what these mean, and I have never been able to find a guide to these categories at the NADA site. I presume they're related to condition with "low retail" being a typical value for a car needing restoration, "average retail' being a car in better condition, and "high retail" being a high-quality show car.
There's always a few old soreheads on this site that, every time price guides are discussed, roll out the trite comment "a car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it" in an attempt to dismiss the value of these guides. This comment, while of course true, misses a major point, and that point is illustrated often on this site.
Someone who wants to sell a car needs to know what is a good asking price for the car. It is one of the most commonly-asked questions on this site by people looking to sell a car. Immediately all kinds of experts jump in. Many want to see photos of the car, which is a legitimate thing to ask. Others want to know options down to the color of the caps on the tire air valves, which is an unnecessary level of detail that affects value plus or minus $1. Within a category of car (Cutlass, 442, Delta 88, etc.), what matters is overall condition, major options (mainly what engine), and body style. This will lead to an estimated value to perhaps the nearest $1000 or $2000. Any more significant figures than that are unnecessary in establishing an asking price for anything more than a parts car.
No one looking to buy a car wants to see an ad with no asking price (which is why it's a good thing that the rules of this site require one in the "cars for sale" forum). A seller doesn't want to price a car too low and take less than he might otherwise be able to get, but he doesn't want to price it too high, either, and listen to the cricket noises coming over his email system. These price guides help in establishing a starting point. No car actually sells for exactly any of the prices shown above. They're just averages, sometimes extrapolated, and sometimes they're not much more than wild-assed guesses, but at least they're WAG's by people who have some familiarity with the old car market and who make those WAGs in the context of the cars around them.
So I think price guides serve a useful purpose. Plus, they're fun to look through. And it's fun to see, every time they're talked about on here, people like Joe Padavano bend over backwards (see above) telling us all the reasons that they're useless. Some of his points are valid, but they don't discredit these guides to the point of uselessness.
And it's fun to see, every time they're talked about on here, people like Joe Padavano bend over backwards (see above) telling us all the reasons that they're useless. Some of his points are valid, but they don't discredit these guides to the point of uselessness.
Yeah, cause when they show a 25% premium for a one-of-none car like a 1969 Supreme with the 400 motor, THAT doesn't call the accuracy of the rest of the info into question at ALL...
And it's fun to see, every time they're talked about on here, people like Joe Padavano bend over backwards (see above) telling us all the reasons that they're useless.
Originally Posted by joe_padavano
Yeah, cause when they show a 25% premium for a one-of-none car like a 1969 Supreme with the 400 motor, THAT doesn't call the accuracy of the rest of the info into question at ALL...
See what I mean?
These sites or publications are keeping track of thousands of cars. The fact that they might not have every last option on every one of them correct doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Last edited by jaunty75; April 30th, 2020 at 09:20 AM.
Joe, the bottom line is, I don't disagree with any of your criticisms of the price guides. But I still think they have a value greater than zero. In a perfect world, we would know the dollar amount for every car sold. But we don't. So we take what we do know, couple it with a little Kentucky windage, and come up with values that are not unreasonable and that can serve a purpose. Plus, like I said, the guides are fun to leaf through!
I came back hoping to see some back and forth with you two, and you certainly did not disappoint!
I've owned my Starfire for over 20 years, and it wasn't until I joined here that I learned a vast amount of info. To your point, Joe, about some guides showing options that never existed: I was confused for years by one particular guide that showed if my car had the 330, it would be more valuable. That was always confusing as hell, because why would a smaller displacement be +10% value over a larger displacement??
Not to mention that the 61-64 Starfires only had one engine, the 394.
So, what's the lesson? Use the guides, and join a knowledgeable group that will help fine-tune the value.
Thanks guys, I didn't know those guides were available. I was acutely surprised my car was worth that much. Last time I had it appraise was close to 20 years ago and it appraised a $5,000.00. It is now in better shape so I carry $20,000 on it, since I have put more into it than what it is worth. I have some sedimental attachment to it.
For some reason the BOP cars outside of the performance models, do not get the love they deserve and the selling prices reflect that. The big girls and 4 door Abodies are virtually sale proof at a respectable price vs what it costs to restore one. Unfortunately, these cars are bought specifically for the love of a particular model, the desire for an entry level car hobbyist with limited funds, or worst case as donor cars to repair 2 door cars. This is nothing new, its been going on for as far back as I remember.
The guides are just that, however I fault no one trying to get a reasonable amount well over and above what the guides reflect. If that happens it will push the prices up a bit.
April 28th, 2020, 09:23 PM
