# A certified tree hugger's advice for buying clunkers😆 **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195 "2026-09-04T14:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/62 "2026-11-10T03:13:27Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > I didn’t think it was common for banks to finance auto collections. Who said anything about collections? I was pointing to the FACT that KBB and NADA are the main sources banks use get an real world assessment of the vehicles value. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 4:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/63 "2026-11-10T04:46:13Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > Who said anything about collections? Me. > [@Nevada\_545](#): > > KBB is not a good source for collectible car values. The value quoted from Kelly Blue Book was for a general used car; Taurus $1,261. Not for a model of special interest. The price chart I posted was from Hagerty. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 5:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/64 "2026-11-10T05:08:53Z")
You beat me to it. Using a Taurus SHO as an example of a “simple to fix” car from “the Good Old Days” is so far from accurate as to be truly ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/65 "2026-11-10T14:04:57Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > The value quoted from Kelly Blue Book was for a general used car; Taurus $1,261. Not for a model of special interest. Please look at the first source on this list of the top [5 resources for Classic Car Values](https://woodsidecredit.com/the-best-resources-for-classic-and-collector-car-values/). ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/66 "2026-11-10T20:31:50Z")
That explains why their value doesn’t compare to other sources. > “Although the KBB only holds data on vehicles 21 years or newer,” ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/d/7/d77a842091d2357b2d3257ddb4f2c61762780808.png) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/67 "2026-11-10T23:22:04Z")
One site said the way the market is now, unless you are buying a concors or number 2 rated old car, it should just be considered a used car. These are not investments and potential buyers are getting fewer every day. Heirs would rather have the cash than trying to sell that 57 Ford in great shape. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 2:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/68 "2026-11-11T02:16:18Z")
> [@bing](#): > > One site said the way the market is now, unless you are buying a concors or number 2 rated old car, it should just be considered a used car. Kelly Blue Book used car values are too general, all 1994 Taurus are given the same value. A local old car dealer has a 2002 Thunderbird for $17,000. KBB trade value for the Taurus SHO is $497. Trade the Taurus plus $16,500 for the Thunderbird? The dealer will wash the Taurus and sell it for $15,000. > [@bing](#): > > These are not investments and potential buyers are getting fewer every day. 99% of car enthusiasts treat this as a hobby, not a 401K. The number of forum members interested in cars of the 1990’s is not on the decline. The number of forum members that own pre 1970’s cars is on the decline. ---
**Author:** ![Beancounter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Beancounter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beancounter)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/69 "2026-11-11T16:00:26Z")
> [@ChrisTheTireWhisperer](#): > > Then what explains a 2000 or so model year Taurus demanding $10,000, as long as the odometer resides below 100,000 miles? To begin with according to Wiki the last 3dr Generation Taurus SHO (the model that might justify the $10,000 asking price) was 1999 and the first 4th generation SHO started in 2010 and ended 2019. If you’re interested in more information on theSHO, [Ford Taurus SHO: History, Photos, Generations, Specifications](https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-taurus-sho-history-generations-specifications) The Taurus in general _Nowadays, outside of established SHO fans, the SHO can be a bit of a hard sell to nascent enthusiasts. Every single generation of the SHO is rooted squarely in the era it’s from, especially the first three generations. Unless you have a healthy dose of period-correct nostalgia coursing through your veins, it’s unlikely a strange smooth-edged Ford Taurus with body cladding from the early 1990s will get your blood pumping._ ---
**Author:** ![ChrisTheTireWhisperer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/christhetirewhisperer/32/34798_2.png) [@ChrisTheTireWhisperer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisTheTireWhisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/70 "2026-11-11T16:28:12Z")
Thanks Bean! I don’t want to give the impression that I’m fixating on this particular Ford Taurus, but just pointing out that many cars from roughly 20 to 25 years ago are demanding high second hand prices due to their _relative_ simplicity. Camrys, Accords, Impalas, Corollas, Civics, Focuses. Daily breadwinners. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/71 "2026-11-11T16:52:44Z")
@ChrisTheTireWhisperer I’m not sure why you included the Ford Focus in that group It’s FAR inferior to the others. And it’s worth 🗑 And there aren’t even many surviving Impalas from the late 1990s and early 2000s, relative to the number of older Camrys and Accords still being driven And just because someone lists one of those cars at a C R A C K P O T price doesn’t translate to a verified sale at that price If I had one of those cars and it was still solid, I might keep it going But there’s no way in \_\_\_\_ I’m seeking to buy such an old car from a stranger to use as a daily driver With all due respect . . . WAKE UP ☕ [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195.md?page=3)