t42

Im going to look at this Starfire tomorrow. Its showing 66+k on the od and looks to be all original. Has the 425/auto engine and full power options. Body and interior look pretty decent. Runs but not drive able due to brakes and bad carb.

The owner is asking $5000 for it. I know nothing about the Star fire Olds...any opinions whether this is a fair price or not?

Also.....is this built on the Cutlass chassis?

MichiDan

Starfire is a B body. Not cutlass based, more like an 88. 66 is probably not the most desirable year but it is the last of the line. Price is really about condition so check it over carefully.
These cars were expensive when new and so (sometimes) were well taken care of.

Olds64

IMHO, $5k is too much to pay if it's a non-driver. There are plenty of Olds Starfires out there for less than $10k that run just fine.

jaunty75

I think that $5k might not be unreasonable. It's hard to see much in that one photo, but if the condition is as good as described, and the fact that it does run, makes that price reasonable. Bad brakes I can see being a problem in driving it, but the carb can't be that bad if the engine runs. How do you know the problem is the carburetor? Could be lots of things.

But getting the engine to run well and repairing the brakes are generally simple, routine, part-of-what-old-car-hobbyists-do types of things.

As broad-brush examples, the Old Cars Price Guide lists the value of a '66 Starfire in #3 ("car show" but not showroom) condition at about $8,500. In #4 condition (runs and drives but needs complete restoration), the value given is in the high $3,000s. Add for this and subtract for that, and you could make an argument that this car's value is in the $4,000 to $6,000 range. But it depends very much on the specifics, and we don't know anything about those.


As noted above, '66 was the last year for this era of the Starfire. The name was re-introduced in 1975 on a compact car offered by Olds that was based on the Chevy Monza. Over the six years of this era of Starfire ('61 through '66), it was offered as a convertible option on the Super 88 in '61, as its own series in both coupe and convertible styles for '62 through '65, and as only a two-door coupe for '66.

classicmuscle442

Price sounds reasonable, check for rust in floors, trunk and especially the frame. Need to get car on hoist to check it out thoroughly. As stated above brakes and carb should not be a big problem if you can do this type of work. Do you know where the car spent most of its life?

oldcutlass

I think $5k is a good asking price, you have to start somewhere. Rot is the worst enemy of these old cars, check it carefully.

CRUZN 66

$5K doesn't seem all that unreasonable provided the body/frame are solid and need little if any repair... Everyday mechanical items needing repair, as mentioned above, are part of the hobby and a usual/common initial investment for a new acquisition...

droptopron

I haven't looked that closely at these cars but this vert is up by me for $8500
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto...365655210.html

t42

I drove the hour and a half this afternoon to look at the Olds. I must say I was pretty disappointed. Had rust in all four quarter panels and some evidence of a bondo repair cracking out on the left rear fender. Floors seemed solid, but trunk floor was very rusty, but no holes...yet. The drivers seat was trashed out, the dash was cracked and the headliner was sagging down bad.

It started right up, but I noticed the engine was warm before I started it, indicating that it was warmed up before I got there. It felt like it was running on 7 cylinders, but could have been a carb or plug problem. Did not blow any smoke though. All the rubber seals (window, trunk and doors) was very bad and the power windows did not work.

The body was very straight and the glass was all good. Looked like it may have been original paint, but not sure. He claims to be the third owner and it was from Tennessee.

I may make him an offer of 3k but doubt he will take it. Oh well...there will be others....besides, I still have my 41 Ford project to keep me busy!

Here is the CL ad for this car so you can judge better it value: https://gulfport.craigslist.org/cto/6373505110.html

classicmuscle442

Keep looking, sounds like a parts car, rust is expensive to repair.

Oldsmaniac

These cars are not high in demand, hey its not a 442 so many stay away from these larger models. A lot of the side trim, rear panel, hood trim, taillights are pot metal. This is very hard to find not pitted, costs a fortune to have redone. With pitting on these items you may want to stay away...

Olds64

Well, let us know if he takes your offer. $3k is more reasonable especially given the rust and that it's running poorly.

joe_padavano

$3K is still quite a bit more than the car is worth. Given the work this car needs, the lack of available resto parts, and even the difficulty in getting regular maintenance parts like brake and suspension pieces, expect to spend another $10K to make this car worth about, oh, $7K. Once again, this seller has been watching too many Barrett Jackson auctions on cable.

It's a cool car and certainly the resto cost problems have certainly never stopped ME from getting underwater on a car, but do it with your eyes open because you want that car and plan to keep it and drive it.

droptopron

All the chrome & trim looks pretty rough, making a real resto seem out of hand. Could be a nice driver for the right $$ & a little work

Olds64

The Cragars make it look AWESOME! You could put Cragars on a Ford Festiva and it would be ready for the local Show and Shine.

Too bad it's rough otherwise.

t42

Well, I guess we can put this story to bed.... The owner texted me today to see what I thought. I told him I was disappointed with the overall condition and wouldnt pay the 5k but didnt want to make offer if he was firm. He told me to make an offer....I offered him $2500....he came back at $4k bottom line. I told him good luck with the sale and that I would let folks know about his car for sale.

For $2500 I would feel comfortable buying it....MAYBE even $3k....but not a penny more. Let him sit on it for awhile and see if he comes to his senses....

Olds64

Thanks for the update. Maybe you'll get a call in a month or two.

oldcutlass

The lady that was selling the Cutlass I have wanted $10k for it, I offered her 5 if she could not find a buyer. She called 2 weeks later for me to pick it up. Then I proceeded to throw another $11k at it.

Oldsmaniac

You may get a call back afterall. I bought a 66 Sfire some years ago for 800 dollars and it was advertised as a parts car. It was too solid for me to part and I already had a stash of nice trim for it. I rebuilt the engine, new exhaust and brake stuff, carpet and seat covers redone as original and had the bumpers rechromed. then I repaired some rot and painted it. It looked really nice and was a great driver. You would think you were driving a new car while in it, it was great. I lost storage and ended up only getting 5 thou for it when I sold it. This was about 6 years ago or so. It was a very tough sell for such a nice car. Nobody on they olds sites wanted it and it finally sold on Ebay. It was pretty sad...

RetroRanger

yeah if your interested just touch base w the seller in two weeks or so, stay at your price of 25-3000 and you may get it.....

deaddds

You probably will get him to come down. If you notice, pretty much every photo in the ad is bs. Enough to get you to drive the 100 miles to look and be disappointed. Enough guys do that and he may wake up. Cracked dash? You have to look close in the angle given. Trashed seat? Not in the rear or passenger given but you can just make out the very edge of the driver seat in the not straight forward photo provided. Rust on all 4 corners? Certainly not visible in the pics showing the car lost in the shadows. That guy knows exactly how to hide the crap and try to hook a guy that doesnt know any better.