1973 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/ctd/4022688610.html

 

Very nice-looking car at a good price, but a "355" big block?

 

This one has been for sale for quite awhile.

 

Mistake by seller. It is the 455 V8. Same car for sale on HMN website with correct engine listed.

 

Maybe it belongs to the person that has that 351 9-cylinder. LOL.

 

Why does this VC not sell? It has the 455 (typo in the ad aside) and factory sunroof and is now down to just $2500.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/ctd/4140685095.html

 

I don't recall what his earlier asking price was, but I think the price is probably more realistic now. The price guides value one of these in "car show" condition at about $3800 and in good running/driving condition but needing full restoration at about $1700. It looks pretty good in those photos, but we can see in this photo, for example, that the woodgrain is faded towards the rear and on the tailgate:




His ad has only two photos with nothing of the interior or engine, so who knows what those look like and what might be turning off potential buyers who've come to look at it. So the value is likely between these numbers, and $2500 sounds like a pretty good compromise.

Few people outside of those on this forum are going to look at this as a collector car. Most will look at it as just a used car, and not just a used car, but a 40-year-old used car. Many people just looking for basic transportation might be a bit put off by the car's age and what that might mean for parts and service down the road. For the same or similar money, they can get something built within the last 10 or 15 years and thus be much easier to get parts and service for.

Just my thoughts.

 

California is kind of a funny place for older cars. Since they have smog tests, it can be quite difficult getting an older car to pass. That can push down the value of something that isn't "obviously" a collector car, like this one.

I remember on my Squire, the former owner said he connected the air pump just to pass the smog test, and then he disconnected it because it ran better without it. That wasn't a huge amount of bother for him, but not every car owner would want to go through even that amount of effort.

For buyers in other parts of the country, it may seem like a daunting task getting a car from California to where they are located, and that can push down the value, also.

From my perspective, the extra effort is worth it, to get that California-perfect sheetmetal and chrome.

 

Very true. However, this doesn't apply to this car as the requirement is waived for cars built in 1975 or earlier.

http://www.dmv.org/ca-california/smog-check.php