Hey all,

I bought a 1987 Iroc on craigslist. It IS a true Iroc, I checked the RPO codes. The car even has the original owners manual and delco Bose sound system manual sitting in the armrest compartment. The car is basically a barn find. It is black and has the 305 TPI engine and the 5 speed combination, which I love. Also, it has a saddle colored high optioned interior. Power seat, locks, windows, mirros, rear window roll out shade, and delco Bose sound system. It is a hardtop. The car has spent all its life in Arizona, so there is absolutely NO rust on this car. Also, the car only has 72,000 miles! It does need some minor TLC, but not much. The interior is in very decent condition, and almost all of the electrics work except for the power trunk, stereo, and some lights. It runs and drives great, the engine starts right up and idles correctly without coughing when accelerating. The 5 speed also shifts nice and tight. However, it really needs a paint job. Since it is my first car, I am really babying it. Also, I would probably end up putting only 20,000 miles on the car in my the rest of my 3 years of high school. My question is: how much would I REALISTICALLY be able to sell this car for in about 4 years? Keep in mind it would probably have less than 100,000 miles, have a high quality black repaint with all of the stock stickers in place, great saddle interior with no rips or wear in seats, and it would be kept almost completely stock with no dumb aftermarket add ons. It has a clear title and no damage report, I checked the VIN. What is the market value of this car? Thanks everyone.

 

You're joking, right? If the first thing you are thinking of is what it's going to be worth in 4 years, you are already on the wrong track. A lot can happen to your car, the car market, and the economy in 4 years.

If it's a barn find it's gonna need a lot of love if you want it to be reliable. Concentrate your efforts there, cars don't like to sit. And you are right, 305 TPI 5 speed is a good combo.

 

I agree and I'm glad someone else said it first! How is anybody going to know what something will be worth in four years? Also, what you consider a high quality paint job might be sub par for me. Too many people have said they found a car in mint condition and I look at it and think it needs a lot of work and is far from mint. What are you relating the "mint" to? An interior in good condition compared to a junk yard find? or a showroom new condition car?

Why do you want to sell the car in four years? If it will be in mint condition with a high quality paint job, why wouldn't you keep it?

 

Pics!

 

Thanks guys for the responses.You guys are right, there is no way to predict the value of a car in a couple of years.I may need to sell it at the end of high school to help pay for college, but believe me, I will try to keep it. Now my question is, what is the market value of a car like that today?

 

No one knows.
For giggles, lets just say the price range is $3,500.00 to $7,000.00 for a 30 year old car with almost 100,000 miles.
You are going to pay somewhere in that range(maybe higher) for a high quality black paint job.
Even though you don't plan on driving it a whole lot, the interior is going to continue to age, and the probability of the seats wearing/tearing and the dash cracking go up each year.
If you drive it to school, I can guarantee you will suffer from a lot of door dings. You might be respectful of other peoples property, but unfortunately a lot of your fellow school mates will not.
Are you going to have any passengers in the three years you are going to drive it? See my comment above about your fellow school mates.
What i am trying to get at here is just enjoy the car as a clean example of a cool car from a past era. Do not plan on getting any money you put into it out of it. If by chance when you sell it you make some money, GREAT! But don't count on it.

 

Ok thanks. Yep, I am definitely focused on the fun I will have with it, not really about making money. Just wanted to know the value of the car.