What are the best ways to determine a rare car's resale value? I've looked at Barrett Jackson and eBay but those are kind of difficult because cars vary so much in condition, rareness, etc. I guess they can give you a good starting point. I also understand that everything is worth what somebody else is willing to pay. Any input on how you would go about determining the value?

 

It can be very hard. I watch real auction (not rich world barret jackson) and the prices can vary even by season. Rare itself does not generate a lot of value, rare and desirable is where the money is.

Let say you had a rare yellow 69 327 Camaro with rear shoulder belts and a green seats. Rare? very, worth more then a 69 red Z28, Not even close. Now a 69 Z with rear shoulder belts, now your talking.

Also concider the prices of 1st gens have been falling in the last 7 years.

 

Well you said it, a car is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay. ebay is a good place to get ideas, as it has cars and buyers from all corners of the earth, plus you get to see how high someone is willing to go solely based on face value.

 

Great point. What do you think a 69 Red Z is worth that's completely restored to original condition? How much would you add on top of that for it being rare (rare combo options or hard to find options from factory)? Then how much would you add for it being all numbers matching?

 

There are so many factors, first off if you do not have the orginal drive line you will have a tuff time proving the car is a real Z. There are so many fakes out there. Even when you have an all orginal car most collectors want to see the history of ownership. They want to see photos of the car from when it was new with an owner. There is nothing GM made that can not be easly forged or reproduced.

Assuming it is a real Z with the original drive line I would say somewhere between 34K and 114K . There is simply no way to give a real number. Some option are more desirable. Like I said even the time of the year can effect sale price. To get the high numbers you are talking a mint restoration that would most likely cost 60K. With high end restoration WHO does the restoration can add value. There is so much you can not see with a restoration, a collector wants to know who did the restore. If they never heard of them they walk away. Making a car pretty and making a car that is going to last for another 50 years can be two very different things.

The 114K number would be with rare options restored by the best with a complete documented history all the way back to the day it was delivered.

Without the DZ 302 engine its just another 69 camaro that might have been a Z.