Hi all, I'm debating buying a low mileage, near mint 1988 305 sport coupe but am really having trouble getting pricing info to compare against. Mecum only shows 2 sales of sport coupes having occurred in the last few years and they were both the same car. It sold once for 8K and then a few auctions later was sold again for $16K. Haggerty shows that they're worth significantly less than IROCs. How does one go about trying to value these things??

In the case of the car I'm looking at the only changes have been to the rear end gears and the radio. It's otherwise stock and super clean.

Does something in the $10-13K range seem reasonable for mileage in the 20k's?

 

With less than 30K and near mint that price seems in the ballpark,prices vary a lot geographically and it's not a highly sought after car so it's pretty hard to say.
These days with the shrinking dollar about any car that is near mint with such low miles will bring in that range or more.

 

Thank you for the input. I agree re: the shrinking dollar and, of course, used cars are up across the board.

I know that car decisions are highly personal and in my case I guess what I'm finding is that it seems like a good deal for what it is. I was looking at some local IROCs nearby and watched one with 100K miles sell for $8K. It was in decent mechanical shape but had peeling paint - especially on the front. This sport coupe has the same 5.0 as the base IROC, it's extraordinarily clean with low miles, only 2 previous owners, etc. for $2-4K more.

As you said, seems like it's in the ballpark but I guess I was just wondering if there's some stigma re: the Sport Coupes that I just don't understand that would make them a ton less valuable. Seems to me that the difference b/t the IROC and the coupe is 1) suspension and 2) graphics and some styling items such as louvred hood.

 

Model/option names matter way more than they should. It's been true throughout GM's history, Its not GM's fault they do not set the aftermarket value it is all perception.

As a general rule Z28's always held its value better than most other options. IMO right now the 3rd gens are in their nostalgia phase. That mean their value is with guys that wanted or had one in high school. In most cases guys want the Big boys they wanted back in the day not the one they had. That would be a 350 version. But there are only so many 350 version, so it all goes backwards from there. This has been true for all the generations. When I was 19 years old I bought a 72 Plain Jain Camaro that ran and drove for $200 It just needed a power glide trans replaced. That cost $75 I drove that car for 2 years. When I was 19 a 72 Z28 would have been hard to find for 20 times that amount.

The 305 HO was noticeably faster than the base 305. In 85 the 305 HO 5 speed was a fun car to drive.

Even today a 67 RS/SS with a 350 will sell for more than a 67 275 HP 327 Sport coup. With the right options that car was just as fast. Imagine the poor guy stuck inheriting a 82 with a 2.5 (4 cylinder.) Even with low miles in great shape it was still considered a parts car or a shell. The 2.8 pre EFI was a bit of a dog also. (I was a GM tech back in the 80's I drove just about every 3rd gen combination out there.) Iroc 350 L98 LE1 was a fun car to drive. GM may have dropped the Iroc name but then never made the Z28 any better than that until the 4th gen.

 

I have to agree with everything Gorn said there.back in '77 I traded a non running '64 Chevy 1/2 ton 4X4 pickup for a non running plain jane Camaro
that had a lunched 327 (rod through the block) and a 4 speed.
I promptly dropped in a Vette 427 and had a ball with it,had it been an SS or Z28 not running I couldn't have made that trade for a good running '64 pickup.