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History / OriginalityGot a question about 1982-1992 Camaro or Firebird history? Have a question about original parts, options, RPO codes, when something was available, or how to document your car? Those questions, answers, and much more!
I’m sorry but I think the seller is dreaming if he thinks he is going to get $16k for a 93k mile IROC. There are lower mile examples available for less $$....
Someone go get this one - I went over and looked at it - it's pristine, show winner quality - I just decided a vert was not for me right now....but maybe someday
This one would look real good parked next to my red 91! I like the look of this vert and think the cost is right on for a not all original well kept vert! Sucks to be poor and have no room.
Resto-mod.
I was going to ask this question when this thread was only a dozen or so replies in length. Now at nearly 200, it may have been answered
What's is this groups take on resto-mod 3rd gens? Tastefully done. Nothing extravagant or too race car (sort of like mine actually). I would think the same reasoning between low vs high mile would still apply. But value? I have no idea really.
Resto-mod.
I was going to ask this question when this thread was only a dozen or so replies in length. Now at nearly 200, it may have been answered
What's is this groups take on resto-mod 3rd gens? Tastefully done. Nothing extravagant or too race car (sort of like mine actually). I would think the same reasoning between low vs high mile would still apply. But value? I have no idea really.
I’d be interested to see a resto-mod that looks factory original but maybe LS powered and well done looking factory and show worthy. Updated brakes and suspension. Updated audio with XM, Apple Car Play, Nav, etc.. Period correct looking but nice leather seats, however leave the rest of the interior and exterior looking showroom original restored to brand new. Maybe even add heated and cooled seats and power seats for driver and passenger.
Basically a resto-mod that looked like a brand new factory IROC until the hood gets popped or you see the touch screen Entertainment system..
I think there are modern improvements to be made on these cars, but I personally wouldn’t want drastic changes to the styling inside or out..
When people do resto-mods of 1st gens they are pretty desireable and worth a good amount.. Thirdgens haven’t hit that price level where you can restore a car for $20-30k and sell it for $50-60k.. And all original 1st gens go for insane money..
I think custom cars are cool, but they don’t look like cars you could buy at a dealership..
That was the approach with the 67 Chevelle. Except for tires and rims and a cowl hood (and lowered stance), it appears stock. Under the hood is an LSX454 with the coil packs mounted away from the valve covers. With the TB style fuel injection it looks kind of retro too complete with a 14" cowl induction filter case.. The interior also appears stock with the exception of bucket seats, a Dakota digital dash and excellent sound system (stashed away in the trunk). Modern car conveniences with an old school look.
So a similarly built 3rd gen would have what for value compared to something like the first post in this thread? One thing we've learned is the resale never recoups the cost of the build. But still, I'm curious as to how these cars are perceived in other than stock trim.
My friend is interested in this car, Of course it looks to have all the right stuff TPI, 5 speed. Does the price seam low especially since this at dealer. What's your guys thoughts. looks to be all there but the radio.
1988 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z Convertible RWD - $15,500
My friend is interested in this car, Of course it looks to have all the right stuff TPI, 5 speed. Does the price seam low especially since this at dealer. What's your guys thoughts. looks to be all there but the radio.
1988 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z Convertible RWD - $15,500
So no comments on the resto-mod approach and the resale value?
Fair enough. I'll pose the question elsewhere.
Hard to say because asking prices on low mile originals are getting up to $25k-$36k
Resto-mods are made by people.. not a company that warranties the build.. a car is only original once, so there’s value in that.. Even though the warranty is expired on a 30 year old car, it was built to live up to a standard by a company and someone preserved it if it’s a low mile classic..
Resto-mods are also highly individual so some people may not like style or performance choices made..
It’s an impossible question to answer with a number or percentage..
I’d say a resto-mod would be 40-60% of a low mile original car as a guess.. Sometimes less depending how much it strays from the factory originality..
Hard to say because asking prices on low mile originals are getting up to $25k-$36k
Resto-mods are made by people.. not a company that warranties the build.. a car is only original once, so there’s value in that.. Even though the warranty is expired on a 30 year old car, it was built to live up to a standard by a company and someone preserved it if it’s a low mile classic..
Resto-mods are also highly individual so some people may not like style or performance choices made..
It’s an impossible question to answer with a number or percentage..
I’d say a resto-mod would be 40-60% of a low mile original car as a guess.. Sometimes less depending how much it strays from the factory originality..
I don't know about values of Thirdgens as much as classics but I can tell you an all original muscle car will sell for 2x what a nicely done restomod will sell for. Not saying its not nice to have a super powerful and reliable LS under the hood of these old cars but the car club culture snubs them I can tell you that as far as what ive seen. As far as a Thirdgen goes I just love to see the nostalgic look of a TPI under the hood, but ive seen LS swaps that have made me drool also. Id say a low mile original is worth more than a nice restomod but a pieced together non original like mine could probably be worth more as a nice restomod rather than its original 5.0 TBI 2.73 geared drivetrain.
Ok. So following that line of thinking' let's take the original car in question here priced at (for argument sake) 10k. Add a mildly modified 5.7 w/ EFI, a worked over TH700 or a T56 and a 12 bolt or 9" LSD rear axle and a reasonable selling price would be 4-6k?
Considering that just about anything aftermarket that's being resold fetches about 50 cents on the dollar, 5k might not be too far off.
But I would expect more. Maybe even the same 10k in this particular case. Engine: 5k, trans: 3k, rear axle: 3k. 11k in parts (no labor) plus the original purchase at 10k nets 21k. Half price is not far from the original price. Of course, you would probably start off with a less desirable original so as to keep costs down. Anyway, just throwing this out there for conversational purposes. Who knows, with what this crowd has done to elevate the status of our 3rd Gen originals might trickle down to the resto mod crowd too.
Ok. So following that line of thinking' let's take the original car in question here priced at (for argument sake) 10k. Add a mildly modified 5.7 w/ EFI, a worked over TH700 or a T56 and a 12 bolt or 9" LSD rear axle and a reasonable selling price would be 4-6k?
Considering that just about anything aftermarket that's being resold fetches about 50 cents on the dollar, 5k might not be too far off.
But I would expect more. Maybe even the same 10k in this particular case. Engine: 5k, trans: 3k, rear axle: 3k. 11k in parts (no labor) plus the original purchase at 10k nets 21k. Half price is not far from the original price. Of course, you would probably start off with a less desirable original so as to keep costs down. Anyway, just throwing this out there for conversational purposes. Who knows, with what this crowd has done to elevate the status of our 3rd Gen originals might trickle down to the resto mod crowd too.
I think if the restoration keeps the car original looking but had professional performance upgrades that can be easily serviced without quirks that some amateur resto-mods have, it could keep a $10k car at that selling point. If you make a REALLY good argument on mechanical soundness but the car still has the nostalgic style that is what buyers want.
dmccain, I think your car may not be original, but it is also true to the style and you didn’t try to change a thirdgen into something else. Performance upgrades might help your price point though you might not recoup all those expenses in a sale.
If the low mile originals get into the $50-60k+ range the resto-mods would follow, but profiting off of doing one would still be difficult.
In my above post I was comparing two show cars.. a low mile original at its top show condition vs. a top show condition resto-mod where I believe two pristine versions of thirdgens would find the low mile original at 40%-60% higher price.
A $10k car is not a pristine, low mile show car.. It’s probably a driver quality with decent mileage and some non-original parts. In the $10k and lower end a restoration and performance upgrades could slightly raise the value, but not enough to profit and in pristine, show condition it would be 40-60% of a low mile all original car.
I made the mistake of taking a perfectly fine 305 TPI out of a nice Trans Am and replacing it with a carbed Vortec 350. Car had 2x the power and ran flawless. Car had new paint, new interior I mean it was nice. When I went to sell it everyone kept asking "wheres the TPI", "why is it carb?" I built it to my preference but evidently not everyones. I had maybe 8500-9500 in it and it sold regretfully for around 3800 I think only because I was in dire need of the $ at the time. Had I left the stock engine one guy told me he would have gave me 6k. I think for a thirdgen to bring serious $ most of the time people are going towant stock and unmolested cars. Older I get the more I like them myself, in saying that I will soon have every bit of my original drivetrain replaced but I'm not selling mine but rather getting it to the point I can enjoy it and not getting embarrassed by pickups and minivans LOL.
If the "resto-mod" has the A/C deleted, and the iconic 80's style defaced, EFI replaced with a carb, you're gonna have problems selling it. A clean LS swap might do okay if everything else is right, ie a stock appearance... Too many people make the mistake of thinking a cowl hood to clear their aftermarket intake/carb, or their 19" wheels, the A/C delete doesn't hurt the value, but it does. The collector market wants them the way they were.
If the "resto-mod" has the A/C deleted, and the iconic 80's style defaced, EFI replaced with a carb, you're gonna have problems selling it. A clean LS swap might do okay if everything else is right, ie a stock appearance... Too many people make the mistake of thinking a cowl hood to clear their aftermarket intake/carb, or their 19" wheels, the A/C delete doesn't hurt the value, but it does. The collector market wants them the way they were.
The interior is too busy. The carbon fiber, the boy racer shifter. The exterior is good but they blew it inside. Under the hood it strikes me as a touch sloppy with the wiring dangling about.
But on a more serious note, why does every LS sound like Pip farting on a snare drum? Seriously they sound worse than the ryceboy swarm of bees fart pipe.
The interior is too busy. The carbon fiber, the boy racer shifter. The exterior is good but they blew it inside. Under the hood it strikes me as a touch sloppy with the wiring dangling about.
But on a more serious note, why does every LS sound like Pip farting on a snare drum? Seriously they sound worse than the ryceboy swarm of bees fart pipe.
I totally agree about the interior......I would like it better if it was just all stock. I like the fact that it looks totally stock on the outside.....stock wheels, exhaust, etc. I'd even get rid of the stickers under the rocker emblems. It's on the right track though of what I would want
I feel like an LS swap that keeps an automatic is comparable to a team getting to the 99 yard line and fumbling. So close...
Cool car otherwise. Interior stuff could be done more cohesively for sure. No t-bar shifter, make the carbon fiber a plastic to match the rest of the interior, maybe add a nice aftermarket steering wheel. What's important is the look is cohesive and consistent. Right now it looks like the guy bought random parts and put them in.
12-04-2018, 08:48 PM
