I need a reality check and potential advice. I, like a few rare others, flock to sedans over the common 2-door coupes, so I have various alerts set up when they pop up. Was hilariously amused when a dealership in FL posted a 4-door post/town car with an opening bid of $46K. Nothing special noted about the car, good shape, but $46K?? I LOL’d it off until I see a private seller elsewhere trying to sell his hardtop for the same (in daily driver condition). Second seller probably influenced by the dealership’s listing, but has now increased to $90K!

Am I missing something here? Is the sedan in my garage some sort of untapped precious metal mine? Grabbed my sedan for $3500, but insurance is coming time to renew. Should I be insuring my beast for these ridiculous prices, should I need to be compensated for total loss, and I don’t like what that does to my premium.

Pics are my two Cutlasses & 3x evidence of market obscenity.

71 Cutlass S & 71 Cutlass Supreme hardtop sedan

I need evidence this car is famous for this asking price.

Copycat with a daily driver

Apparently asking $46k was too low, so they’re fishing for elite buyers

 

Asking price and actual selling price are 2 different things. They can swing for the fence all they want, doesn't mean that a home run is imminent.

 

^^^THIS!!!

Why do people think that asking prices (or even auction bids that don't meet reserve) have any relationship to value? Until cash changes hands, those numbers are meaningless. I can ask a million bucks for my POS, but that doesn't make it worth that much.

 

IMHO, the 4 door hardtops are classier than the sedans. All the 2 doors have already been bought or crushed. There aren't many Oldsmobiles left.

 

I would assume that the same applies to more doors.

 

Another case where a car is rare for a reason.

 

Exactly. People can ask for stupid money prices all they want. Doesn't mean they will get even close to that price. Look how long it took to sell that 70 4 door for sale by 442crzy in the for sale section here and that was a very nice car.

90 grand? Yeah right. Good luck on nine grand.

The poll question here is funny. Three price groups up to 15 grand then 16 grand to one million.

 

But honey, I TRIED to sell it...

 

Exactly

PS: Rare does not equal desirable.

 

10,458 Supreme Hardtop Sedans build in the 1971 model year (as opposed to about 7,500 442s), so not that rare either.

 

My data source (Setting The Pace) demonstrates Oldsmobile placed into production 559,607 (N) vehicles; of which, 10,255 (n) [2% (n/N)] were CS convertibles for the 1971 production/model year.
Oldsmobile manufactured 28 different models for the 1971 model year available in 25 different exterior colors, 14 colors available on all Olds models, 6 colors available exclusive to Toronado & 4 special colors to the Cutlass/F-85 series.

Some research demonstrates the 1971 model year was the only model year they produced the Sienna Vinyl interior theme (TRM 989).

QUESTIONS:
Was Sienna Vinyl available on all 1971 Oldsmobile models?
Is there archival data available which demonstrates total number of Sienna Vinyl interiors produced across all models (if Sienna was available in all models)?
Same question except: Total number of A-Body (preferably Cutlass Supreme convertibles) produced with Sienna Vinyl?

Can you glean I own a 1971 CS convertible w/ Sienna Vinyl? Evidently my seat belts are very rare Sienna deluxe seat belts which include the brushed metal buckles. I'm thinking the seat belts alone should be worth price of admission to the local movie theater, a bucket of buttered popcorn and a large Frostie Root Beer.

 

Interesting points. I wonder if there is peer-reviewed data out there (Hemmings, Motor Trend, etc.) on the number of remaining classic cars? Of course, there are more 71 Cutlii convertibles & coupes than Cutlii sedans or wagons. I'd wager there are even more Cutlii sedans than Delta 88s or 98s. Of course; like others mentioned, just because a car is rare doesn't mean it's worth big bucks.

 

18k for my 64, had it for sale for over 3 years. Started high at 28k (why not, it wasn't TOO outrageous). In the Olds-i-verse, the only cars that bring high money are A bodies.

 

i believe a percentage of sellers are using crack or possibly hallucenogenics

 

🤔😂🤣😂🤣😂👍

 

Don't limit yourself - most likely an equal number of buyers.

 

While that generally holds true there are some 50s and 40s convertibles that show up on Hemmings from time to time that fetch big bucks.

 

Specifically, 1970-72 A-body two doors with ersatz W30 accoutrements. Most people on the interwebs assume those are the only cars that Olds ever made...

 

the buyers don't set the asking price

 

But it does take clueless buyers willing to overpay. I have questioned shill bidding many times.

 

Shhh, Joe, engineers aren't supposed to know big words like accoutrements.