don't shoot me down here, I'm new to the community and the whole Oldsmobile lifestyle. My question is why don't our cars have the value that similar cars of the muscle car era has?



Thanks Rod

 

That is a great question.
In all honesty, before I found mine, I was just looking for a 68-72 GM A-body convertible. I didn't really care which. It turns out that the Olds Cutlass was the most affordable. It doesn't make sense, since the Olds cost way more than the Chev, back in 68-72, and there were way more Chevs (and Pontiacs, and Buicks). My theory is that the scarcity of the Cutlass made them less desireable. The most highly produced one- has the most survivors, the most recoverable bodies, and the most nos spares. So poeple went for them. So then the new parts suppliers catered to them. Eventually, most of the expensively built cars were Chevs, and the Cutlass was largely forgotten (except by us).
Anyway, that's my working theory.

 

I think it all comes down to a numbers game with older muscle cars. More people drove Chevelles and Camaros back in the day, so there's still a large following there. These same folks keep interest high in those cars and the prices follow that. Availability of restoration parts hasn't hurt either.

In this regard we're lucky that we can enjoy vintage Olds muscle without paying the premium that the Chevy guys do. (and still surprise 'em at the stoplight too!)

 

The decent Oldsmobile musclecars sell for more than a comparable furd, poncho or chebby, buhogs even go for more? My '68 GTO convertible isn't worth anywhere near what a 4-4-2 would be and even the rare Ram-Air engine versions just get to around the nice 4-4-2 numbers. They made so many Cutlasses that they are relatively cheap and are one of the most common cars around at the cruises, but they aren't musclecars.

 

Actually it boils down to good old fashioned supply and demand. Even though the supply of Olds are less, so is the demand.
Personally, I'm not blinded by high values. I'd rather see less demand and more reasonable (read that cheaper) prices. I'm a fan of Oldsmobiles, not the high prices and all the problems that high prices bring.

 

dont feel bad.

big block Fords are dirt cheap compared to GM and Mopars.

you could find a real nice late 60's 428 Torino for 15-20 grand.

 

Restoration parts for vintage GM (a bodies) has definetely kept their values high. You gotta admire the guys who restore anything else.
Sheet metal for Mopars only became available a few years ago
and there's nothing for Fords unless it's a Mustang or T-Bird.

 

I disagree. I believe restoration parts have kept the values down. At least lower than they would be without the restoration parts being available. Basic supply and demand. For example, '66 442 values were getting what I consider stupidly high. There are a number of '66 442 exclusive parts that were costing big bucks to get. Most are reproduced now (for less than the originals were costing), and '66 442 prices have softened.

I've always felt that the ideal value for Oldsmobiles (because that is of my interest) is just barely high enough to justify reproduction parts, and not any higher.

 

Change that to 64-67 and that's exactly how I ended up with mine

 

I see your point, but beg to differ here. People will restore just about any old Chevelle, just because it's a Chevelle in hopes of cashing in on the market. But a similar Torino or Satellite will languish because parts aren't as common. The same arguement could be made for Impalas vs. Galaxies or Nova's vs. Falcons as well. Just watch a few hours of Barrrett Jackson and see what crosses the block and follow the values. I think there's a direct corelation between the prices of these cars and the availability of repops.

 

Point taken. But the languishing is due to the softer demand. The repops exists *due* to the demand. The repops don't *create* the demand. Yes there is a correlation, but for what reason? Don't think you'll create an appreciable demand for a Galaxy by repoping parts.

 

I agree w/ all the posts above, but I for one, believe the Olds market may actually do better eventually for the very same "numbers game" referenced earlier. Mopars skyrocketed because they are relatively scarce compared to GM, Ford and Pontiac counterparts. Hemi cudas being the extreme with some models in the teens for total production!

I think the 442, Buick GS and AMC Scramblers are "wild cards" going forward. Relatively low production numbers, and overlooked for decades. To find rare, prime examples now, I think pull better and better money. Just my opinion.

Just enjoy your olds for now!

 

The more I read this thread it reminds me of the "which came first, the chicken or the egg debate". Mopar parts were scarce until the values took off. Now you can actually find a grill or core support for your 'Cuda. Meanwhile the guy doing a Ford project struggles for parts and less return in the long run.

Being an Olds guy is sort of a double edged sword thing. We all like the low entry fee to get started but quietly hope ours will appreciate in value. (c'mon admit it) When I recently went to the Pomona swap meet
there were aisles of Chevy and Ford parts and a sprinkling of Pontiac and Olds stuff. But only one vendor catering to the Mopar fan. Does this make a Road Runner worth more than a Chevelle? I think not.

 

Well I'll be the first admit, I hope mine appreciates in value. My first though before I started this thread was should I spend the money to restore the car to as new condition or be happy with my daily driver. I debate over the subjuect because I'd hate to sink so much money in a muscle-era car and never seen the returns. Besides not having an orginal 442 makes the decision even tougher.


Rod

 

well I bought my cutlass a long time ago, I was looking for a 69 goat 4 speed convertible couldn't find one at the time that was decent and I could afford came across what i thought was a 442 and knew that they were strong cars ( one of the few cars that beat my previous 69 4 speed convertible goat that got smashed LOL)

I do think what keeps chevy's/fords popular is really the availability of crate motors right from the factory and compared to an olds really cheap! I think you could have bought a 5l ford for what 2500 bucks??? they are reliable, tons of spares in the bone yards, tons of upgrades, corporate motors really didn't do oldsmobile any favors ( not even the 403 in a trans am!!) when you can get the drive train done relatively cheap, then everything else kinda looks easy, find a chevelle, decent shape, drop in one of these for under 4k http://paceperformance.com/index.asp...&ProdID=251356 and off ya go... plus gobs of go fast goodies, lots of folks just want it easy... there is something obviously wrong with us...

 

Ditto to what Eddie said about Olds guys being a little different from the rest. I don't think a lot of the guys on this fourm are in it to turn a profit with their cars. It's great if that happens, but I don't think were in it to make money. (it's usually the opposite) Guys either love the brand, or have an old attachment (i.e. dad drove one). Or like me, never got that Cutlass convertible I wanted when I was a kid.

So fix 'em if you got 'em, and enjoy the ride 'cause you never know where the road's gonna end.

 

I think the the only way the "chicken or the egg" analogy would fit is if you ignore the laws of supply and demand. It doesn't even make sense that anyone would start reproducing parts where there is no demand. Create demand by producing parts? It just doesn't happen that way.
It's pretty clear to me what came first and why.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, I take it you don't think Mopars are worth that much. Quite the contrary. Mopar and Mopar parts are quite expensive. They make Olds parts look like dollar store items!

 

[QUOTE=oldsonharmont;71524]We all like the low entry fee to get started but quietly hope ours will appreciate in value. (c'mon admit it) /QUOTE]

I absolutely do *not* wish they would appreciate in value. We all seem to get "stars in our eyes" when it comes to this. Okay, it is flattering to think what you have is valuable.
But lets look at what that really means besides that flattery. More expensive to buy, more expensive to keep, more expensive to maintain.........And what is even more disturbing to me is that the higher values attract the bad element that are in it just for the money, and their greed based shameless and fraudulent dealing are destroying the pedigree of a lot of cars. That may not be a concern of those that don't care about originality, but there are plenty of us that do. Thanks indirectly to the higher values, there are a lot of bogus cars out there.
Okay, to those that still think that the high values are a good thing, I'd like to know why they think it is good thing?

 

X2

If the value is high enough someone will fake it to make a buck. I used to colect Confederate stuff but the market went crazy with more fakes than real. And the higher the price, the better the fakes. There are even people who work for musems repairing pieces who can make a fake look as real as real can be.

The most expensive Colt revolver is a Walker Colt and it's the most often faked. There are probably more fake Colt Walker's than real.

 

This thread was started by a guy who wanted to know how far he shoud go with his Cutlass project. My comment was that guys restoring GM A-bodies seem to have an advantage because there's a lot of stuff available. Back in the day a lot of guys had these cars, and a lot still want to do them. Their popularity is reflected at auctions like BJ and they'll get a good price if they're done right.

I don't dislike Fords or Mopars either, I just think in the case of a Mopar your build will cost more and if it's a Ford the payoff may not be there at all.
The advantage of being an Olds guy is that the buy-in is usually low and the parts are available. So I think the guy wondering about his Cutlass should go ahead and do it and just enjoy the ride, that's my 2 cents worth.

 

I'm in Oldsmobile because that is what my wife will let me have. When we got married and I started talking about getting an old car (Iwas thinking camaro or chevelle). She said no If we get an old car I want it to be like my first car. (72 s) I found a 68 s and my love affair started. Now have a 71 convertible. Wife said she wanted a convertible so me being a good husband found one. Life is good when you can share with the wife. 19 years and counting
Larry

Value has nothing to do with it. I just want to keep the wife happy.

 

You bet! Oldsmobiles are certainly a relatively good niche to be in out there in car world. One of the main reasons I into Olds are that they are a bit more unusual.

 

As bad as the forgery situation is with Oldsmobile, we should be glad we're not into Corvettes. Experts say there are more big block Corvettes on the road today than were ever made. And I'm sure most of their owners will "show you" that they are original.