Hello y’all. I’m considering about a car I’d be interested in purchasing. It’s a 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic coupe. My grandparents used to have one and I’d like to have it since I like to get nostalgic. My question is…I found one online and I just want to see how people can figure out to price it? I tried to look up the price on Hagerty but they don’t have the option for a 1984 Chevrolet which surprised me. So do you guys have any other websites or such where I can figure out what the correct price should be? Many thanks.
They don’t price them because they aren’t worth much. Not many people want one. A 76 would be worth a lot more especially with a big block.
Nada Guide goes back far enough but far below market for these cars right now. There’s a coupe in New York for $11,999 with almost 150,000 miles or $20,000 would buy you one with 44,000 miles on it. A dealer in Miami has a few of them but want’s you to contact them for price, i suspect they want to hear you faint at the sound of the price.
In 2019 Mecum sold a couple at their KISSIMMEE 2019 auction for $8,000-$9,000
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We sold ours, a 1984 Chevy V8 for $750 in very good condition. That was with 300,000 miles on the clock in 2004.
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So, it has to an 84?
I’m in SW Florida and did a quick search on Craig’s List, and in just 2 minutes located, in SE FL, an 86 sedan, “excellent condition,” (but needs a battery and “a few minor fixes”) “interior is in excellent condition,” 67,000 miles, “clear title in hand,” $3500.
If I spent a little more more time, who knows, I might find an 84 coupe. I’m not into classic cars, but I feel a Chevy Caprice isn’t one, (I suppose the coupe is much more sought after, though, eh?) but rather an old nostalgic (to some folks) car that sells for what one can get for it. I’d be very careful not to spend too much on one.
CSA
Sorry to say this but there is no “proper” or logical price to pay for the car you’re describing because it’s not a logical purchase, it’s an emotional one. Further, it’s what we call a “thin market” with very few comparables to chose from so whatever price you agree on will essentially be the market price.
My suggestions are to start by thinking what your nostalgia is worth? I’m sure you have many fond memories of your grandparents and this car but is it worth it to you to pay say $50,000 to relive them? Maybe $3,000 is closer to your budget?
Next, remember the old saying is that, “The cheapest car is always the most expensive”. What that means for you is that any 36 year old car will eventually require parts that haven’t made for decades, aren’t available from your local scrap yard and may cost your eye teeth if the car isn’t popular enough with collectors for remanufacturers to reproduce them so factor that into your costs too.
Finally, give some thought to how you’re going to use the car. Rose tinted glasses aside, back in the day these were often referred to a “Lead Sleds”, “Das Boot” or “The Barge” with performance and handling vastly inferior to anything built today so it’s not likely to be your daily driver so what would you pay for a “toy”?
Taking this altogether, it’s an emotional decision but using some logic will determine what you’re willing to pay and that will be the “proper price”.
Good luck.
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Hemmings Motor News has two '80s-vintage Chevies listed for sale in their classified ads, and one of them is the exact model that you are seeking.
I think that the asking price for both of them is… extremely unrealistic… but here they are:
The correct price for any classic vehicle is the amount the buyer will pay - the amount the seller will accept - if they match then that is the correct price for that vehicle.
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Go to the Mecum site and search all past auctions for 1982 - 1984 Caprice cars. If you register, you can see sales prices. Odds are these cars were in very good condition when sold. You might try Barrett Jackson too.
Auction prices at the big name shops are the extreme top end of the market. I’d go to the eBay motors section and look at the completed listings for that car. Those are the best ‘market prices’ for actual sales prices I know of.
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Classic , collectable or just a vehicle that has a special meaning for someone who wants one can be all over the board on prices.
Example: There is a person who has an attraction for 1980’s Rolls Royse vehicles . He had 2 almost identical 1982’s but they were 10000.00 different in price just because of the condition of each one. That is why a vehicle like that has to stand on its own.
That is usually true, but the sales price is often a lot less than asking prices for similar vehicles on the web. It also sets a price to subtract whatever this particular Caprice needs to fix everything.
Friend bought a 76 caprice in 1979 for 1500. Dealer had a bunch of lease end cars on lot. Seems to me that was 1/4 of new price? Had 80k miles. I paid more for my vw rabbit at same time. I liked the rabbit.
“Extremely unrealistic” is too polite. If either of those cars were featured on “Nice Price or Crack Pipe”, they’d garner a nearly 100% CP loss. The 1987 wagon, which isn’t even all-original for $16k is beyond absurd. CP at even half the asking price.
The 1984 coupe for $12k is optimistic, but probably worth somewhere around $8k given that it’s all original and looks to be in excellent condition. Also, the coupe was rare when new; millions of sedans and wagons were made. CP at $12k, but probably NP at $8-9k, though I personally would not pay that.
Not every old car is a classic. Some are just old cars.
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Here’s a benchmark; of sorts.
Too many doors and wrong color for my taste.
I agree, but sometimes there’s more to it than that. I’d like to have a 1964 Series 62 Cadillac hardtop. It’s not a classic Caddy, but we had one when I was in my mid-teens, and started driving in it. The parking test for my license was not a cake walk in that barge. It also stalled when I took corners too fast. I guess I starved the carburetor when the car tilted too much. Soft suspension.
Actual classics have ample sources of pricing data. Hagertys, all the auction houses and sites like Bring a Trailer.
Cars like your Caddy have all the elements for you as any classic car but because your desire isn’t shared by many, the database of sales isn’t large enough to give you direction on pricing. That’s where the 84 is as well.
Best advice is buy the best one you can afford. A seller must do their research and accept the likely lower price an old car commands versus a desirable classic.
There’s a Caprice Classic sedan in my neighborhood. Looks to be about the same vintage as those in the Hemmings ad. And it is clearly in excellent shape.
I haven’t bothered to ask . . . and it’s not for sale . . . but I’ll bet lunch the guy wouldn’t entertain letting it go for less than 4 - 5 K
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My 62 has that same suspension, and I love the ride, altho if you take a turn or curve too fast, it feels like the body is going to slide off the frame. The car isn’t worth a lot, but I didn’t pay a lot for it, and I smile whenever I drive it. You can’t put a price on that.
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