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What To Consider When Selling Classic Car

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A family member has a 2-door 1968 Impala, Olive, Vinyl Top that has maybe 70,000 miles on it. Well cared for, very little rust if any. She wants us to sell it for her and I don't want to get taken advantage of. I've never dealt with buying or selling of old cars. I was hoping that by soliciting opinions in the Lodge here, I might get some learnin and go into this a little more prepared. Should I talk to folks at classic car shows? Is there a more modern, high-tech way to advertise a used car? What's the best way to get a legit value so I know what to expect?

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A two door automatically raises the price about double over a four door.

 

But I would, definitely, find some antique car aficionados to get realistic prices on such a collector's item !!!

 

Here's a starting point:

 

https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/1968/Chevrolet/Impala/2-Door-Custom-Coupe/Values

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I'm a lifelong gearhead/car guy, have had many classics over my life. 68 Impala is a pretty desirable car. Not as desirable as the bubble tops/409's or the early 60's - 64' models, but still right up there and worth decent money if its in good shape. What motor does it have? If its a 327 or other desirable V8 (guessing its not a 427 or you would have said that smile.png ) then obviously that will add a bit to the value over the standard 6 cyl or 307 that some came with. With classic/muscle cars condition is everything. An original 70k mile 68 Impala can go up to 15,000-20,000 if its in really good well cared for condition. You said there's a bit of rust, so that will bring it down from that range but depending on how much rust and what the overall condition is ... if its in really good original condition with just slight surface rust but no major problem areas on the body then most likely fall between the $6000-$8000 range to someone that wants to do a moderate restoration on it, but hard to say for sure without actually seeing it in person.

 

With that said, what you mentioned is the best bet. Avoid taking it to a place for an "appraisal" because appraisals are almost never accurate. Go to a local car club show, or cruise night and find a guy that has an Impala at the show and talk to him. Usually fellow car guys are friendly and knowledgeable and can give you a more accurate value by seeing the car in person.

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The thing with classic cars is their value swings wildly and often. At times their value is up and at times their value drops to the basement. One minor problem with an Impala is they broke sales records so there are a bunch of them out there. Couple that with the many different configurations that impala made its hard to value the car without knowing more about it like engine, transmission, interior and condition. I think some models even had different body stylings as well. Is the engine original to the car? Is it a one owner car? Does it run? Where is the rust and how bad is it? A vinyl top signals a grocery runner to me so I would guess its value is in the low range of my estimate without knowing anything more about it. Since it's a 2 door it's value could run anywhere between 7K and 15K. It Really depends on the type of impala, the condition, and its location. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttt, someone who wants an original stock condition impala will want it turn key at the upper price ranges. Those who want to make it into a hot rod is going to want to buy it as cheap as possible before they dump tens of thousands into it to make it a performance machine.

 

Since , GTO's, Chevelles, Camaros, and Corvettes are really hard to find anymore the value of the impalas has gone up. The 60's/70's era muscle cars are getting harder and harder to find. Lots of factors will go into the value. One thing I have noticed is the experts typically estimate higher then it's true value. Check eBay for SIMILAR impalas and see what they are actually selling for as compared to to people are asking for them. Good luck.

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Thanks to all. Appreciate the input. I am now somewhat smarter. It is a one-owner from a small town. 80 year old lady so the car has never raced or been beat in any way. Kept in garage always and has been driven very little in the last 10 years. Maintenance has always been kept up but I wonder if sitting around has taken a toll. They were never travelers and being such a small town, each trip to the store, bank, doctor was less than 5 miles.

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Thanks to all. Appreciate the input. I am now somewhat smarter. It is a one-owner from a small town. 80 year old lady so the car has never raced or been beat in any way. Kept in garage always and has been driven very little in the last 10 years. Maintenance has always been kept up but I wonder if sitting around has taken a toll. They were never travelers and being such a small town, each trip to the store, bank, doctor was less than 5 miles.

 

Sounds like it has a lot going for it then. The only bad thing is sitting. Truth be told the worst thing for a car is to sit not driven/started. But the good thing is that its been in a garage, that makes a big difference when a car sits inside rather than outside in the elements with critters around it.

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