budg

I am new to this site and am an Olds enthusiast, but looking at my first classic car purchase. I was looking for a 69-72 cutlass model and stumbled across 2 Rallye 350s in my area.
Questions are 1) are these cars somewhat rare?
The 2 that I looked at were different in that one had the cutlass S markings and the other had a cutlass emblem with a F85 on the glove box with posts between the front and rear side windows.

The non post one didnt have ac or matching numbers and was asking 16k .It seemed to be in great shape minus a few paint chips here and there . The undercarriage seemed pretty good. Mileage was unknown.

The second was a numbers matching with a solid car inside and out .The only mod seemed they added a water temp guage and an oil guage . Also speakers mounted in the kick panels. They wanted 24k for it.I understand that there were around 160 of the "post" cars made.

Are these decent prices and in the ballpark for these cars?Thanks in advance.

jharsh

budg,
As far as the Rallye 350 being rare, I am sure others will weigh in but there appears to me to be quite a few of them up for sell. The problem is finding a documented one. Here are some numbers:
There were a total of 3,547 made.
F85 Sport Coupe (model 3277) = 1,020
Cutlass Sports Coupe (model 3677) = 160
Cutlass Holiday Coupe (model 3687) = 2,367
The first car you looked at should be a Cutlass Holiday Coupe as it is the only Rallye that had no post, the second should be an F85 Sport Coupe if it was a post car and had the F85 emblem on the Glove Box.
From what little you have said in your post it would be hard to put a price on the cars, if possible get a picture of the VIN, cowl tag, and some pictures of the cars. Maybe some others on here will chime in.

budg

Thanks for the info. As far as the lower priced one, it got sold after I left. Not a big deal as I was meh about it and owner couldn't answer very many of my questions and didn't have much of anything as far as documentation.

As far as the other one , I checked the VIN and it is the real deal. Numbers support it being one of the 160. He is getting me info on the documentation . I may get to the point to test drive it if I am interested. I have to decide if I drop 24k here or keep looking. When I get home I will try to find some links. It does have the f85 on the glovebox too.

jharsh

What is the first part of the VIN, if it is 336770 then yes it would be 1 of 160 Cutlass Sport Coupe's made. If it is 332770 then it is 1 of 1,020 F85 Sport Coupe's. The reason I am asking this is because you said it has the F85 emblem on the glove box, which would be correct for the F85, the Cutlass Sports Coupe would have a Cutlass emblem.

Diego

Checking the VIN does nothing in confirming it's a Rallye.

It also should be pointed out that it's normal for F85 Rallyes to have Cutlass badges on the front fenders (I'm guessing it was a branding thing, but still strange).

jharsh

Diego,
You are correct, but the point of the conversation was not to determine if it was actually a Rallye 350 or not, only documentation will do that. Checking the VIN will tell him if it is an F85 or Cutlass S. Also he said the F85 emblem was on the Glove Box, I suppose the Glove Box door could have been changed, but without knowing the VIN it raised a question in my mind, because he stated it was a 1 of 160 car, which does not make since.

jharsh

He also stated the second car was a post car which would mean it could not be a Cutlass Sports Coupe or as he stated 1 of 160.

Diego

I'm merely explaining that the glovebox door/fender badge not matching is normal.

budg

Thanks guys. It seems to be confusing for sure. I havent been able to figure the link yet. The VIN has the 33277 in it . So apparently the person is wrong . It appears to be the F85 Sports coupe which is why it has the F85 on the glove box I am guessing . Not as rare as he thinks, so maybe I can use this to negotiate a better price .

jharsh

Do you know if he has any documentation on the car? It would be nice if he did. Also I don't think you said, what transmission is in it? Would love to see some pictures of the car. Good luck.

RetroRanger

IMHO I think the ralllyes tend to be valued higher by sellers than the actual market dictates.

I'm not rallye bashing I like them, but I think in terms of value and resale 16 or even more so 24 k would be better spent on a 442.

Of course if you love the car it is what it is.

budg

I am going to pay them a visit by the weekend . Hopefully they do have some documentation.

As far as the 442 , everyone has different needs . I am looking for an Olds in that price range that is pretty much ready to go . In my area the 442s are much more pricier unless you want an unrestored or partially restored one.

Here is the link for the car . I hope it goes thru.http://classics.autotrader.com/class...lass/100020714

droptopron

X2...IMO


Nice cars & unusual but I don't get the huge premium they draw over a comparably equipped Cutlass.

jharsh

Here is a link to more pictures of the car you are looking at. http://www.corvettesandmusclecars.co...s/Details.aspx

IMHO while it may be a nice looking car, there are definitely some things that are not right and it would take $$ to make it right if your goal is to have a true Rallye 350. With that and the fact that they appear not to have any documentation, I would not pay $24,900 for it. That car has been for sell for awhile. I remember seeing an ad for it back in March.

RetroRanger

That rallye looks nice, I did see snap on ctr cap rims, which are probably from a later model, I would assume they are 15" rims if not the only reason to have them is they're cheaper than the original Bolton ctr cap rims.

I looked quick on cl in your area and saw this S https://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/5826354174.html
While not a 442 it is half the price of the rallye and I think presents at least the same value for money spent at half the price.

budg

Thanks guys. I saw some things under the dash that would take some work to clean up. I also see where the ram air is missing. I didn't know it had been for sale for that long. That makes a difference. I also saw that green cutlass and may take a ride out to check it out.

budg

Thanks everyone for your help. It was very educational. I actually did end up buying the 72 listed on CL that was shown . It was a great deal and the car really represents well. I owned a 72 cutlass around 1980 and it started my love for Oldmobiles. It only appropriate that I return to where I started.

RetroRanger

Good deal, was it the one I posted a link to? I should have included a pic as the posting has now been deleted. Congrats on your new olds

budg

Yes it was the car you linked . That was a good call.https://images.craigslist.org/00Q0Q_...U_1200x900.jpg

jharsh

Glad to hear you found what you were looking for. Post some more pics when you can. Its a nice looking car.

RetroRanger

That is a clean looking car. Is the color baroque gold? It's an interesting color that is not quite green gold or brown. Is the interior as clean as the exterior?

budg

Yes it took me some investigation and it is indeed baroque gold. Very eye catching IMO. The interior has all been redone at time of restoration and is very clean.