So, My car has cost me lots of $$ over the years. I got a bug up my butt to see if the car is anywhere in the neighborhood of what I have into it.

heres the details:
Besides the obviously visible:
601hp (@crank) sbc (engine was built and blueprinted by a well known race engine builder here in MN) Runs e85, will bring the build/balance sheets and dyno papers to the appraisal if it will help
Built t-56, ceramic clutch etc...
custom 9" rear end with locker etc...
pst alum drive shaft, all tubular suspension (except front a-arms)
fully poly bushed (literally every one)
stainless exhaust
everything under hood was removed, painted and smoothed
late 3rd gen serp system, brackets powder coated
entire interior was gutted, like new plastics were installed
brand new carpets, mint 4th gen leather was installed etc..
brand new fabric on headliner literally the interior looks as new as the exterior. everything works 100% all new NOS when available switches dimmers etc... It literally looks and smells brand new inside the car.
all 4 gauges replace with custom units from speedhut.com
wideband and gauge installed
killer custom stereo, with about 4k between equipment and custom box/fiberglass/vinyl
New custom 19" wheels and Michelin Pilot sport ps2 tires (305/30 and 255/35)
custom wilwood big brakes all around
all removable parts under car are new/ powder coated to match the paint/engine.
entire car was stripped down to bare metal, and locks shaved, antenna shaved, prepped and painted.
completely new fuel system, including new tank, sender, -10 AN feed and -6 return Runs on e85
all new stainless brake hard brake lines, custom made stainless flex lines,

literally every part was removed from this car. All the small parts are either new of originals that were blasted and powder coated The shell was stripped, re-under coated, painted, and reassembled. any "nos" type part available was purchased to replace anything that couldnt be refurbed. Including washer/overflow bottles, all wiper linkages, and assembly etc..

so the underside, under hood and interior all match the same level as you see below.
There isnt a squeak or rattle in the entire car, all seals and weatherstrip is new door glass and windshield is new, hatch glass is original as are the t-tops but they were gutted and the small parts/rubber has been replaced.

Took me roughly 4 yrs to get where it is today. I have over 30k in receipts that I will bring with.






There's enough done to literally write a 20 page post, but you all get the jist, Plan to have it appraised here in the next few weeks, (once the road salt from winter has been rained away a few times)


Closest one to the value I receive, will get a beer on me.

 

I'm going to say 17K

 

fingers crossed its more, but im not selling it or anything so I guess it doesnt matter much. Its more to help me with my insurance if anything, I have it insured for exactly double your guess, so if it comes in way lower it will atleast save me money per month when I lower the insured amount.

 

Tough to really see the car with only one pic, but I'm going to guess right around $16K-$18K. I would say these cars even with a ton of money into them still aren't going to break into the $20K+ area. My uncle did a nut and bolt frame up resto on his 67 camaro, front SSBC disc brake conversion, $8K smedding performance 383 crate engine, TCI built turbo 350 tranny, currie rear axle, etc etc, and his was appraised at $37K. That is a much more desireable car than a 3rd gen as well, but best of luck to ya. I hope you at least get close to what you want for the appraisal.

 

sought after. it's a much more sought after car than a third gen. desireable is subjective.

to the OP, though i think 16-18 sounds right, for the sake of being different i'm going to low-ball it @ 13.5.

 

added a few more pics, dont have many of it done, I plan to take a few more this season.

as for your comment about 1st gens, I know a guy that has a wicked 1st gen camaro vert red/white a bit of a resto mod, but tasteful. he's easliy got double into it I do (happens when you have to farm out 90% of the work) and it appriased for only 35k he was pissed...

Im not getting my hopes up too much, but it'll be interesting to see, and will likely save me a few bucks per/yr on ins.

 

difficult appraisal from my point of view. I am pretty interested in what an appraiser has to say. I also have never seen an appraisal anywhere close to value.
I watched one DFW appraiser make two different appraisals, one for sale and the other for insurance.

 

if you're paying the appraiser he is going to say it's worth whatever you want. you need to get it independently appraised, say you are looking to buy that car and hand them the receipts saying you are a "buyer." otherwise it's a waste of your money and time. good luck. If you don't say it's actually your car then the appraiser will get you a real dollar amount. if you do it will be pie in the sky..

I don't think it would appraise for more than 13-14k market and economy are horrible now. my friend just picked up a 24k mile TTA for $17k.... 2 owner. guy was asking $21.5k

it have AC still? working heater box? if no, deduct another $2k off my estimate. just look at the auctions on TV which are always inflated.. market is bad bad bad..

 

 

So very sorry my word choice was not up to par... I'm sure everyone understood perfectly clear what I was getting at with that statement.

Carry on

 

It is a highly modded, non-original car. The work looks great, but the market for that might not be there. I hope it appraises for something you are happy with, but that is not the reason you should have built it. Cars are money pits and you never get back what you put into it. So, in saying that, don't be insulted when I say 10K.

 

PS, my biggest critique is that just like a house, you personalized it to a point it will only appeal to a tiny portion of the population looking to buy a firebird. If it were a solid color, say black or silver, it would being the value up much higher... appearance is 95% of a car sale... period. interior, exterior, for some reason people always look past the frame, engine, leaking, mechanicals and go right for the "aesthetics" lol...

 

Any underhood or interior shots?

Beautiful car but I'm going to limit it to $15K, mainly b/c it's a modified 82 TA, not a huge market and modifications have a low return, although in another 10-15 years, that'll probably change...look at what later year 2nd gens are bringing now!

 

Thanks!, I have no "good" interior shots or under hood, I will get some this weekend if it stays nice. I had some during the build process, but I cant seem to find them

 

Most appraisers aren't going to have anything to base such a 'unique' car on.
It's not like a 1st gen that they appraise all day and it's not even close to a stock 3rdgen. The paint job is something a small few would like.
Also what it appraises at will be way higher then what you can sell it at.
You want a BS appraisal or a real world what could I sell it for?

Put it on ebay with a million dollar reserve so it doesn't actually sell. See what it gets bid up to. Realize that ebay sells cars low and add 2-4K to that price. That's a real world appraisal and probably cheaper.

I say the car would actually sell in the 8-10k range. Any higher then that is LSx swap 3rdgen territory which when we are already talking way modded cars is the 'in' thing now.
(mine is an ls1/t56/9" etc and I doubt I'd get 10k.)


I imagine the appraisal will be higher. but I have to ask what is your purpose? Will you believe the appraisal is what you can actually sell the car for or is it just for insurance or what?

 

I think the paint job will appeal only to a select few buyers so I am guessing around the same ball park figure; $11,500.00.

 

its gonna be like 21k appraisal, but all that is good for is insurance, you would be lucky to get 12k if you sold it

 

My guess is it'll get mid to high teens, but I guess what the appriaser says is only good if the market actually supports the value. My car is unique, its not going to appeal to the general market. The purpose is for insurance reasons really, I think I have it insured for too much, the agent asked what I had into it and said to insure it for that. If its totalled it sounds like they'd give me what its appraised at, or what they could come up with for a value if it wasnt appraised. I doubt I'd ever sell it. if anything, I'd yank the drivetrain and other goodies for another project and sell the shell.

I have had it at a few shows, and had "offers" in the 10-15k range, but we all know how that goes.

 

Yes ac is in and functional was actually one of my priorities


No insult taken, I know its unique. I get comments good and bad on the paint, its a personal thing when it comes to "looks" nice thing is the green which happens to not be the more popular part could be easliy changed.


agree, its not for everyone, but it was well done, so the quality is there. Also with the sudden popularity of the "lime green" you see popping up everywhere, Gm's synergy green etc... that may change, Maybe I was a visionary

 

Agreed,

 

This is right. Appraisers know that insurance companies will be happy to take your HIGHER premium for an overvalued car. Especially when the claim rate is very low on toy cars that are only driven on sunny Sundays and never leave your sight.

 

I think there are some misconceptions to appraisals.

There are several values to a car.
1) Appraised Value
2) Insurance Value
3) Private Party Value
4) Trade In Value
5) Dealer Price

The Appraisal Value does not mean it is going to sell for that amount. My 87 is appraised at $25,000 Although I think I would be lucky to sell it for $10,000. The Insurance company will pay $25,000 for it.

Also an Appraisal may be calculated differently depending on what the appraisal is for. An appraisal for Insurance purposes, may be higher than an appraisal for selling the car.

 

Agreed... I'd be surprised if you could get $5-$6k in real world value from an actual buyer with that paintjob, the black wheels, etc. Way too personalized to be marketable to a very wide number of buyers, which means the value drops significantly. You've made that car your car, and it's exactly what you want it to be, but it's not gonna be what many buyers want it to be.

That said, if you appraise it form an insurance point of view I'd say $15k+ is more than fair. The craftsmanship on it appears to be top notch and the value (from an insurance pov) should reflect that.