How do you get a fair evaluation of the value for a vintage car?

I have a 1958 Plymouth Fury, 8 cyl, 4 dr, hardtop with original dealer stick on window and 68 miles on odometer. How would I go about getting a fair evaluation of its value in case I wish to sell the car? No accidents or damage; it has been stored inside forever!

I can’t help you, but I’d love to know the history of this car. Who bought it and then parked it for 57 years?

If it is truly 100% original, as you describe, and you can prove it, it’ll be much more valuable than any typical sale you can find. Is the paint and interior in great shape, or is there deterioration? No rust anywhere? Look something like this, but dusty?

Try Hemmings.com, it gives a range of $50 to $100K. For a car in this condition you do want to get an expert apprasial. Check out autocollections.com, they have a great museum of cars in Las Vegas and will sell your car on consignment. It is in the LINQ Casino (used to be Imperial Palace) What is the story about this car? Little old lady drove it to a mile to church one day each year?

How would I go about getting a fair evaluation of its value in case I wish to sell the car?

You can probably get range of what it might go for. Classic cars are hard to judge. Their value fluctuates from auction to auction and buyer to buyer.

EVERYTHING is relative to its current condition.
If nothing’s been touched for all that time, it will need a LOT of work to become road worthy…hence a much lower sale price today.

If it’s been kept up and is drivable today ? …higher price.
Restored and showroom condition ? …highest price.

Sounds like you’ve done nothing and it’s been parked all this time.
Do NOT try to start the engine yet. It will need to be turned over by hand with help lubricating the dried out never-moved internal parts. old oil out, new in…transmission and rear axle too.
Old gas needs to be removed, cleaned, and renewed in tank, lines, and carb. …looking for rust all along the way.
EVERYTHING rubber and plastic needs inspected like vacuum lines, seals, tires, upholstery, weather strips etc.
heck , even the ol’ manual fuel pump, with its rubber diaphram, may not pump anything today.

There’s a lot of work to be done even though it has not been driven…BECAUSE it has not been driven.
Will you do this work ?
Are you looking for an ''as is ‘’ buyer ?

Too bad it’s a 4-door.

I have no experience dealing in classics, so I can’t help answer the question, but I do like classsic cars. Can you post photos? I’d like to see it.

It doesn’t hurt much that it is a 4 door because it is a hardtop. not a sedan. Original condition is the hot new buzzword today and is prized above restored. It hurts the value that it is not a GM or Ford product, because the people that grew up in these cars now have money and want to recapture their youth. Cars that are rarer, Like Chrysler products, Studebakers, Nashes and Hudsons, don’t command as much money as Fords and Chevys because less people remember them. Packards do pretty well but they were much more expensive with a great reputation.

Had it been a 2-door '58, it would have gotten some added $$ as a ‘Christine’ look-alike.

Find an underwriter that specializes in classic cars. I have a friend who worked in his dad’s business doing exactly that. I would suggest you contact one of a few insurance companies that also specialize in insuring classic cars. They can insure for agreed value and have lists of underwriters who can value the car. Good Luck, sounds like quite a “barn find”!

Luckily it wasn’t stored in a vault underground that leaked in Oklahoma. Then it would just be a pile of rust. I would sure like to have one like that in that copper color, but I’d want to drive it not just look at it.

So much depends on current condition, which we’re still waiting to hear…

I tried to sell a 1963 Dodge Polara 4-door hardtop 5 years ago, 383, 10.5:1 compression, 4bbl, and every caller asked, “So, it isn’t a 2-door?” No interest.

Christine:

Let the market figure the price, consign it to hemmings with a minimum reserve you feel comfortable with, if they do that.

Here’s another way to get a value estimate - put it up for bid on Ebay with a super high reserve. Won’t sell, but you’ll get an idea of the market, both in price and number of interested parties.

Another idea, truck it to the next big classic car show in your area. Enter it into the competition so a lot of the spectators will walk by and see it. That way you can quickly get in touch with the classic car enthusiasts interested in this make and vintage.

Hagerty insurance has a classic car evaluaation tool that seems to be fairly accurate. As others have noted, collectors are starting to move away from frame up restorations, and seem more interested in originality more and more these day. Even to the point of keeping the original tires on the car if they still hold air. So i’d be careful about what you replace.

Sure would be nice to see some pictures from the OP if you decide to come back.

This car may be a 4 door but it has some things going for it that can up the value. It’s a hardtop, has the dealer sticker, only has 68 miles, and it’s essentially a “barn find” tail fin time capsule.

The car should be heavily photgraphed as it sits with dust and all and truthfully, should not even be cleaned up. That barn find factor can sometimes mean that it’s worth more dirty than clean.

I would imagine that considering the miles aspect of it there are some Mopar fanatics who will jump all over it. Not to the extent of this Mopar 4 door but still…

Grannny no doubt got to the Bingo parlor pretty quickly in that one.