I have a 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with 15,000 miles on it. It has been garaged and hasn’t been driven for over 10 years. My relative passed away and now we want to sell the car. How do I find a fair price for this car?

I don’t think you’ll be able to answer this in any clear way. First, a “fair pricing” kind if thing, in whatever market, is normally figured by findings “comparables.” You have a 25yr old car with 15K miles on it. There just won’t be many comparables. The second part of the ambiguity is that it …

Thanks cigroller That is not the answer I was hoping for, but I understand what you are saying. Thanks for your reply

No despair. Others may have better suggestions. If it were me I’d probably do all of the needed work and put it on the road. Most of it is pretty basic.

Does it run? My guess is no, most likely because the gasoline has long since gone bad. It may cost some money just to get the engine running, not to mention tires, belts, brakes, etc. You could easily spend more than the car is worth. I’m not aware of any pent up demand for 1985 Delta 88s. I th…

This is not a “collectible” car. Therefore it has little value. If it runs you could get $500 to $1000 for it depending on how well it runs. Getting it running after 10 years of sitting is likely to cost more than you would get back from the sale of the car. The tires aren’t safe anymore due to …

I guess just because it is technically a “classic” doesn’t make it a “collectible car” as you said. Thanks for your input

The most cost-effective thing might be to restore it to good running order and then drive it yourself. (By “yourself”, I mean any relative who wants it.) If it costs $1000 to reanimate and you drive it for just a year, that’s less than $100 a month, you can’t get any decent car for that. It won’t…

A 1990 Olds 88 might be worth as much as $300 as-is, and $400 in clean condition. Your car is probably priced comparably. In a response you said this car is a classic. I disagree. The term “classic” implies some sort of cache that this car doesn’t have. I wouldn’t consider a 1985 Corvette a cla…

Fair Price

General Discussion

lnduncan September 15, 2010, 12:25pm 6

Thanks I appreciate your reply. There seems to be a common thread here.

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Fair Price

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