hey there .. am from Atlantic Canada..new to the group and no wagon yet but I am hoping to buy one soon.... I am trying to figure out pricing etc. I posted earlier asking opinions about a 1978 Grand Marques for sale but the post has to be approved by moderator first. There are a couple pics in the gallery. I am hoping to land some sort of woody grained wagon in the near future and I am looking forward to getting advice and posting here..... when my post does appear any advice would be welcome.... not sure if I should be paying $1500 or $7500 lol I'd pay anything if I were rich ... just love the old wagons.... cios for now
Yeah, I saw that post before it got flagged. Didn't have time right then to reply - had to walk the dog. On any older vehicle, condition is one of the main factors when determining a fair market value. You could have 2 seemingly identical vehicles (from 15 feet away), but looking closer you notice that one has an almost perfect interior, has no small rust spots, is immaculate under the hood, and obviously shows some great attention to maintenance and care by its owner. That vehicle could easily be worth twice what the other one is worth. This is all made up on the spot, but here's what you would get for your money, on the same vehicle, in your instance, a '78 Grand Marquis Colony Park: $1,500 - $2,000: Mostly solid body, some small rust-through spot in lower areas; exhaust system could have obvious holes; Engine starts and runs, but not trustworthy over a long trip - may overheat; paint has noticeable flaws, some trim damaged, Di-noc woodgrain shows some weathering; interior could have a few rips and tears, headliner sag $2,000 - $3,000: Good body, has a nice appearance from 15' away, some fading in the paint; Small rust spots but no rust-through. Di-noc not perfect, but doesn't yet need to be re-done; Engine compartment not spotless, but not bad. Engine starts OK and idles OK; A/C needs a recharge and maybe some work; Interior is nice, but not perfect - may have a crack in the dash and/or seats, door panels show a bit of wear, especially the drivers $3,000 - $4,500: Good body and paint, if a bit of fade. Di-Noc good; Has a few flaws in the trim, maybe a minor spot or two of rust on the chrome bumpers; Could have a few door dings; Engine compartment looks nice - new belts and hoses, oil is clean. Road test shows it drives nice. Interior shows some wear, but is entirely serviceable. A nice 'driver quality' vehicle $4,500 and up: A mostly 'showroom quality' vehicle. odometer miles will be relatively low for its age. Obvious it has been kept covered or in a garage when not in use. Runs and drives perfect. Needs nothing. (Any flaws it has will be few in number, and very minor in nature). Marshall
Thanks for the info. The car is is great shape. Stored in side never winter driven. 86000 km. no rust loaded trailer package. Has the larger motor 450? I don't think I can get it for under 7000 though. So that is prob a bit high then? [
Welcome to the nuthouse. You are going to fit in just fine around here! About that wagon: Was it a blue one that looked almost perfect? Either way, check out the treads for vehicles found on Craigslist, etc. All of us wiseacres around here comment on a lot of the cars, and what we see in the ads. We all give our opinions about what a given car could be worth, and often the thread ends with the selling price if we know it. That will give you a fairly good feel for the market value of the wagon you are looking at. The value guide that Marshall posted is a good guide. As for the value of the one you are looking at, there are two other factors that come into play here: What optional equipment does it have, and how much you want that particular car. It sounds like the one you are looking at has the optional factory towing package. Traditionally, that package had about a 10% 'take rate', so it was never all that common to begin with, but was well worth the money for the heavy duty equipment it included. It does have the 460, and that typically adds between 5 and 10% to the value of a given car over the price guide. That one also has the 4 wheel disc option, and it also adds to the value. If the car has the equipment you want, needs very little work of any kind, and is the model you most want, $7,000 is not beyond reason, particularly if you plan to keep it for the long term. At that price, it is not likely to appreciate significantly for some time, but if it is meant as a keeper, then that really doesn't matter. Then again, looking at the prices of the G.M. clams, what was a $5,000 car 5 years ago is now a $10,000 car. I say that if it pleases you, grab it, because it will cost more to fix one that needs work, and it may be quite some time before you find another.
Thanks Mike T -- That is the wagon I was considering - some good info there - the owner said it was all original and no damage - he purchased from the dealer and had in storage for sometime - the comments on the rear air spoiler make me wonder if there may be other issues - he also said it has not been run for a year and not licensed or inspected for five years -- also commented he put a new gas tank on it last year -- I am not stuck on this wagon at all -- I love them all the "uglier" the better -- Thanks for the welcome everyone !
So where in Atlantic Canada are you? There are a couple of us kicking around here. aboard. These two guys are but a few of the best go to guys on here, they know what their talking about. I didn't pay nearly that much for my wagon but I will(or maybe more) by the time she is done(if ever). Good luck with your wagon search, keep us in the loop.
If you're a 007 fan, and want a wagon with to woody trim, then you should be looking for a 64 Country Squire like the one used in "Goldfinger".
Good idea Jim - only thing is finding one that needs little work in my price range ---- I like all the wagons but have always wanted a 70's woody land yacht ---- ya know with the price of gas going down and all lol
