1976 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

http://littlerock.craigslist.org/cto/4278602446.html

One owner, but low option and looking pretty ragged.

 

No price given.

If there was ever a car that the description "tired" would fit, this is it.

 

Ad quote:
"The car has approx 150,000 miles and will easily do another 150000, with a little work from some one who appreciates what this car is."

A little work?

And no price on the ad. Based on what I'm getting from the text, I'll bet the seller thinks he's got a gold mine there.......

 

This one is definitely showing lots of wear!

 

Scrap metal?

 

I hope not.

I'll bet that, if the seller is sincere, he'll sell at a bargain price to someone he thinks is sincere in wanting to restore it.

It seems that truly nice clamshells are sky high and "reasonably priced" examples are in such bad shape that you'd have to put big bucks into one in order just to make it decent. I know I'm priced out of the clamshell market.

 

by the look of the rust on the bottom that was sittin in the grass for a while

 

I think you're a little pessimistic here. What are you basing this comment on, anyway? Yes, we see a fair number of good-looking clamshells with high asking prices, but that doesn't mean that that's what these cars are selling for.

Sellers of a car like this are usually not in the car collecting business, and they automatically assume that the fact that a car is older and therefore rare automatically makes it valuable. That's just not true. Three factors determine an old car's value: rarity, condition, and desirability. A clamshell or any station wagon might score high on the first two, but it's the last one that station wagons typically suffer from, members of this site notwithstanding, and it's what keeps their values down.

I suspect that many of those high-priced clamshell wagons are not selling for those prices. We rarely know, unless it's an ebay auction, what these cars we see listed for on places like craigslist actually sell for, if they sell at all. One thing we do know is that we tend to see many of the higher-priced ones on both craigsilst and ebay listed over and over again.

 

Probably worth saving if possible, but the lack of an asking price makes it seem like the owner thinks he has a jewel in the rough and can just sit back and wait for bids, as others have mentioned.

 

I get the feeling that this is one that the seller is wanting to see saved. Show up, be enthusiastic, and I bet you could get her for a very reasonable price.

 

Well said!

 

Well said, Mike. Guess we'll see!

 

I just bought this wagon. It was a deal that I just couldn't pass up. I will take more pictures when I get it home.

 

For how much were you able to talk him into selling it?

Good luck with the resto!

 

Good for you! Welcome to the clamshell Custom Cruiser family. We do definitely want to know what the car is like.