Any 442 Fans/ Mid-70's Values?

corsair231

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2005
I've got a chance to look at a '75 Olds 442 this week-end and just wondering what a realistic value would be for the car. No photos yet but by description the car is brown with gold stripes, 140,000 on the body, a/c works, 350 olds and a fresh rebuilt trans. Owner rates it a 7 out of 10 car and said it is ready to go. I know the mid-late 70's F-bodies have gone up but as far as the A-bodies go, I haven't really seen enough of them sell to judge the market. Not the base ones anyway. Seen quite a few Hurst Olds with big prices for sale. Don't know what they actually sell for, if they do sell. It may be the same ones coming up over and over. Online searches aren't really helping. Even Olds forums don't have much info on values.

The guy that owns this one is thinning out his collection. He said he has 24 cars he is trying to move. I think what he is asking is optimistic at least. He said he was friends with the guy that owns the Mecum auctions so I think his view might be a little skewed when it comes to real world values. I know they were just a decal and suspension package those years and they are woefully underpowered but it was the first car I bought so I thought it would be neat to have one. I just can't break the bank to get it. So, what's one really worth?

Thanks Guys
 
Whats it worth is very subjective. I can only say that if the seller and buyer come to an agreeable price, this will establish what it is "worth" on that day to the buyer and the seller. A market value sort of. This doesn't mean that every car "like" it will bring this amount or that on another day with a different buyer and seller( or the same ones), a similar or even this very car will bring the same money.
You know your budget, you know what it is worth to you. If you are able to make a deal at that price point, I'd pull the trigger and be happy with the car. If not, Olds made a bunch of em, and I'm sure you will be able to find another. Tomorrow is another day and there is always another that can be found.
To me some of the fun is the search .
 
Thanks guys. I know the value is very subjective. I also know that what ever the owner thinks it is worth that in reality it is only worth what the buyer is willing to pay. I also know the market is driven in a large part by nostalgia. Even the investment portion is based mainly on desire and not really a definite value of the sum of it's parts. Just because it is rare or old doesn't mean it is valuable. My interest in the car is purely nostalgia with no investment dreams. That being said, I don't want to throw my money away and pay something I will have no hope of recovering once the nostalgia wears off so I need to stay in line with what the market is bearing now. I was hoping to find out some information about real world sales to see what the trend may be. I think the market for mid-70's stuff is still pretty weak and information is sketchy on what it really is. The guy is wanting $12,900 which is way above what I was thinking. I was thinking no more than $7-8,000. Especially if it is not a "10" car. I feel sorta bad not wanting to offer him but around half of what he is asking but that is about all that I can see for the car. I think I'm going to have to pass on this one. :(
 
You should be able to get a Hurst W-25 with lower miles on it for around what he's asking. o_O
 
You should be able to get a Hurst W-25 with lower miles on it for around what he's asking. o_O

Yeah, for that price of 12,900 look at this one.


Reduced price and still up after 13 days. We all like to think we have gold but its really silver. Sometimes even a turd. lol.
 
I told him that I didn't think the market was there for what he was asking so I think we would be too far apart on price to make a deal. He didn't even ask what I was thinking it was worth so I believe he is not really interested in dealing at all. I suspect another case of, "Well I seen one like it at auction go for this much so mine has got to be worth that too."
 
A car collector that is tight with the owner at Mecum is the polar opposite of the person who is going to offer you a car for a good deal.
 
If you have the chance to have another conversation, you can tell him that if he ever gets to your range to give you a call. It is not insulting considering you are not making an offer, just telling him what you would be willing to pay if he re-evaluates his price. Seriously, brown is an unusual color that would have fewer buyers interested than if it were a more common one.
 
If you have the chance to have another conversation, you can tell him that if he ever gets to your range to give you a call. It is not insulting considering you are not making an offer, just telling him what you would be willing to pay if he re-evaluates his price. Seriously, brown is an unusual color that would have fewer buyers interested than if it were a more common one.

Never thought of it that way but I have dealt with some people in the past that sure took it as an insult. :(

Of course, to be honest, brown is one of the reasons I was sort of glad we didn't make a deal. My original one was a dark red, white stripe, red interior car. That would be worth a small premium for me. Truth is that I really just want a cruise-in/ driver car. I do want it to be a real 442 but I don't really care if it is numbers correct car. Outside of the suspension, the only other traits are the hood and stripes so I could easily clone one if I wanted. Problem is that I don't like clone cars. There's a reason I don't have any GNX cues on my T. :)
 
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