What are our trucks worth?

[feller]

I have searched but most of what I found was not exactly what I was looking for, so my question: what are our trucks worth? I ask because some/ most of the craigslist prices I've seen are ridiculous (in my opinion). About 5 years ago I bought a 72 4x4 for $2500, the PO was preparing it to be a mud truck, so it was/ is lacking in looks and reliability, my intentions were/ to fix it and keep it on the road, (several issues have arose that have kept me from doing too much to her and she sits mostly), I digress. I feel that $2500 for a truck that is 45 yeas old is fair, unless it is mint or fresh restore, but if it has rust, needs paint, motor, drive train, ect... It isn't worth $10k + in my opinion. I understand that there is a lot of factors that influence what people want to pay, and just as many for those selling, but I think the whole truck market is totally crazy right now, all trucks that is. Any thoughts?

[flashed]

Depends on where it is ,condition and how badly someone wants to buy it .Mine is priceless to me ,maybe not to others .Good solid and cheap dont go together around here on our trucks .

[feller]

I feel the same way about both of mine, but it just seems odd, I know if I were to sell either one I would never get what others are asking, and some are in about the same shape

[special-K]

I don't know how anyone can put any set value on these trucks. First of all, prices varied from the very start due to so many models and options available. Then there are the 40+ years of life that varied from truck to truck, as well as different parts of the country being kinder to bodies than others. And finally, after all these years, it depends on how well service, rebuild, restore duties were carried out throughout their varied ownerships.

[Benny-]

Originally Posted by 70chevytruck

http://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/5381482160.html

$35k.....18000 mile C-20

This was posted in another thread. I, too, wonder if what some people are asking is realistic. This one, for example, cost more than a brand new Silverado 4x4 (some models). I understand it is somewhat of a rare truck with low miles, and i know something is worth what someone else is willing to pay.... Anyway, good question.

[feller]

Exactly what I mean, Benny!!!! Is that truck "that" rare? I mean custom camper with a 327? I get that it's a survivor, but I bet you couldn't drive it everyday. To the right person I guess but I'd rather have something I can use, and depend on, so in this case I'd buy the new truck even though they are inferior in my opinion, at least I could drive it everyday

[leddzepp]

....

[Guardrail]

Bottom line, they're worth what someone is willing to pay. Also has to do with how good business is at the time..

[feller]

Ledd zepp, he wouldn't drink, so he drowned, I'm just beating him now cause he didn't drink.lol

[Beaumont@]

Economics 101 supply vs demand. Noticing people are "shocked" at prices these trucks are going for. Well someone might think how can asking prices be that high "it's just a truck" Well they're right it's just a hunk of metal with 4 wheels not much intrinsic value really. 67-72s have always been popular now with a dwindling supply prices will only go up. They will hold their value if well cared for.
eBay is somewhat good for an idea of prices to see what previous trucks have sold for.

[tommys72]

Best answer that can be given leddzepp!!

[Coley]

Well for those thinking that their truck is going to be a retirement fund they should recheck or rethink a 10 year forecast with respect to the popularity of this kind of technology and transportation.
As has been mentioned several times...the classic car and truck industry will largely (not completely) die with us. Our kids and grandkids for the better part aren't interested in this stuff. Most have an absolutely minimum amount of interest in nostalgia, particularly of this kind and they will be the ones who would have been the potential buyers and successors....and in most cases, they won't be, at least based on all showing trends these days. They might however, be interested in your vintage laptop or sony clie' or any vintage video game terminal you might have.
On top of that we, as a group, aren't getting any younger so there is a coming sunset on a lot of this hobby and with it...will go the values in all likelihood.
So remember, enjoy your truck (or classic car) and don't put any money into it that you aren't willing to lose.
All Good
Coley

[Beaumont@]

Originally Posted by Coley

Well for those thinking that their truck is going to be a retirement fund they should recheck or rethink a 10 year forecast with respect to the popularity of this kind of technology and transportation.
As has been mentioned several times...the classic car and truck industry will largely (not completely) die with us. Our kids and grandkids for the better part aren't interested in this stuff. Most have an absolutely minimum amount of interest in nostalgia, particularly of this kind and they will be the ones who would have been the potential buyers and successors....and in most cases, they won't be, at least based on all showing trends these days. They might however, be interested in your vintage laptop or sony clie' or any vintage video game terminal you might have.
On top of that we, as a group, aren't getting any younger so there is a coming sunset on a lot of this hobby and with it...will go the values in all likelihood.
So remember, enjoy your truck (or classic car) and don't put any money into it that you aren't willing to lose.
All Good
Coley

Interesting but I doubt I'll see that in my lifetime at least, unless there is some sort of ban on internal combustion engines due to global warming but no one has a crystal ball either. I agree with you enjoy your truck and if you can make some money one day well even better.

[kcsa75]

Originally Posted by Guardrail

Bottom line, they're worth what someone is willing to pay. Also has to do with how good business is at the time..

Ding, Ding, Ding, ...

[davepl]

Well, to replace my truck would run about $200-250K. That's taking a rust-free truck (or minimal rust) to a complete restoration shop and coming back in 2 years to pick it up in the same condition it is now. About $60K parts and $200K labor.

So, if you ask me what I want for it, the answer is I won't sell it.
If you ask what it's worth to me, about $250,000.00
If you ask what it's worth to others, about $28,000 at most

So it depends who you ask.

The only thing it is important to understand is that above and beyond the utilitarian "it's a reliable old truck" point every dollar you put in will return 50 cents, or 30 cents, or 10 cents. And every hour of labor will be repaid with 50 cents, or a dollar.

The other day I was at my local shop hanging out and we were kind of rolling our eyes at a passion project where a guy was building a complete over-the-top EFI engine out of an old Datsun. Someone made the obvious "What a waste of money" comment, at which point I looked around at all of the vehicles there, including my own, and said "Well, you have to admit that absolutely none of this is wise investing".

Unless you own stocks, then old trucks did pretty good relative to the market yesterday :-)

[DBK81]

Originally Posted by Beaumont@

Interesting but I doubt I'll see that in my lifetime at least, unless there is some sort of ban on internal combustion engines due to global warming but no one has a crystal ball either. I agree with you enjoy your truck and if you can make some money one day well even better.

I'd agree, I am 34 and I will say that my generation is far more likely to spend money on something that is not a cookie cutter "Brand new toy" the draw of something "Vintage" is huge, there are plenty of us that worked on these trucks or beat them around in some lonely field when we were 15 learning how to drive. I only see the demand and value going up, not that it matters to me as I'll watch my boys drive my truck some day as well (3 and 6) now.

[Possmguts]

Put it this way... its worth more to us (the owner) than it is to anyone else. Its not like its a numbers matching Yenko Camaro or something.

Ill have 20k into mine by the time its done, and if I even sell it (I wont) I would only be able to get MAYBE 10k?

[dubds10]

Besides obvious factors like location, options, condition etc making a price point for resale, I think the market is actually falsely inflated right now way too much to be just supply and depend. The flippers, shops, dealers have taken note to these trucks and falsely driven some prices up. The TV shows, ebay etc have helped as well due to exposure in other markets. Not all prices are unreasonable, but some are just out to lunch and somebody with more $ than time and/or brains pays whatever increasing the value for the market falsely. The thing I see is guys comparing this growth to the Camaros & Hemis etc but that's not realistic when you compare the two. You've got x amount of muscle cars, performance vehicles, some extremely rare left in original condition or rebuilt #'s matching which actually means something to those. Then we've got x amount of these trucks out there which came in such a variety of configurations they could all be rare technically lol We also see many of these trucks being heavily modified to sell to THIS generation of hot rods, but like Coley mentioned things change and these inflated prices wont stay around forever. Look at the Model A roadsters which used to be so highly desirable and now aren't selling. I can go buy a fully restored one for $10-15g daily lol Modified roadsters in the same price range & guys have at least double or triple into them.

For the guys who are buying to keep or think it's an investment at the current prices (jacked up prices) they are mistaken. Just like buying stocks last week, when they are crashing this week. Buy low sell high. The guys making profit now and doing so while it's hot, because 15 years from now they may go back to being old trucks and will need another restore and prices will drop off again. The prices some of these trucks are getting down south are the same if not more than very nice rarer Camaros, Corvettes, Challengers etc out there. That 1% of people spending big is a driving force of the rust buckets lol I can still buy daily drivers in decent condition for $500-1500 yet others pay that for rusted out hulks. I don't get why people give in to the stupid prices & not just let the sellers sit on that truck for a year or more until they come back to earth lol

[feller]

Originally Posted by dubds10

Besides obvious factors like location, options, condition etc making a price point for resale, I think the market is actually falsely inflated right now way too much to be just supply and depend. The flippers, shops, dealers have taken note to these trucks and falsely driven some prices up. The TV shows, ebay etc have helped as well due to exposure in other markets. Not all prices are unreasonable, but some are just out to lunch and somebody with more $ than time and/or brains pays whatever increasing the value for the market falsely. The thing I see is guys comparing this growth to the Camaros & Hemis etc but that's not realistic when you compare the two. You've got x amount of muscle cars, performance vehicles, some extremely rare left in original condition or rebuilt #'s matching which actually means something to those. Then we've got x amount of these trucks out there which came in such a variety of configurations they could all be rare technically lol We also see many of these trucks being heavily modified to sell to THIS generation of hot rods, but like Coley mentioned things change and these inflated prices wont stay around forever. Look at the Model A roadsters which used to be so highly desirable and now aren't selling. I can go buy a fully restored one for $10-15g daily lol Modified roadsters in the same price range & guys have at least double or triple into them.

For the guys who are buying to keep or think it's an investment at the current prices (jacked up prices) they are mistaken. Just like buying stocks last week, when they are crashing this week. Buy low sell high. The guys making profit now and doing so while it's hot, because 15 years from now they may go back to being old trucks and will need another restore and prices will drop off again. The prices some of these trucks are getting down south are the same if not more than very nice rarer Camaros, Corvettes, Challengers etc out there. That 1% of people spending big is a driving force of the rust buckets lol I can still buy daily drivers in decent condition for $500-1500 yet others pay that for rusted out hulks. I don't get why people give in to the stupid prices & not just let the sellers sit on that truck for a year or more until they come back to earth lol

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GETTING AT!!!, guess I needed someone else to agree with so I know I'm not completely crazy

[RickDeVon]

Well this one is worth 15k to me and more after 22" wheels and even more after a sbc and a heck of a lot more when bagged and dragging...it's a shame what we will do to an already perfectly good truck...

[zeldman]

Originally Posted by RickDeVon

Well this one is worth 15k to me and more after 22" wheels and even more after a sbc and a heck of a lot more when bagged and dragging...it's a shame what we will do to an already perfectly good truck...

Always hard to put a value on a truck. Your truck would be worth a whole lot more to me with the stock wheels, 6 cyl and not bagged and dragging.

Not sayin' there is anything wrong with that, just my taste and styles will be different than others, therefore that will determine how much $$$ I would spend to buy a truck.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by RickDeVon

Well this one is worth 15k to me and more after 22" wheels and even more after a sbc and a heck of a lot more when bagged and dragging...it's a shame what we will do to an already perfectly good truck...

Worth more with the original motor, stock wheels, and ride height... at least if I'm your market.

Which I'm probably not, but it does reduce the -size- of your market. Anyone who's survived three fads won't pay much for the fourth. There's gotta be a jazzier way of saying that.

[feller]

also good points, I really can appreciate a good build, but would I spend the $$$ probably not, kinda like Chip foose, he is an artist and the cars he turns out are truly works of art, but not what I'd park in my driveway

[Coley]

Originally Posted by RickDeVon

Well this one is worth 15k to me and more after 22" wheels and even more after a sbc and a heck of a lot more when bagged and dragging...it's a shame what we will do to an already perfectly good truck...

I'm right with Dave and zeldman on this one...as it sits right now is what would attract me. By the way thats a really nice truck.....for me (heavily) dropped/bagged and draggin' is a pass tho'.
Upgrades that include a 2/3 drop and maybe some drivetrain updates (LS/4l60/etc) are usually pretty acceptable.
However...its your truck, its your property and its your choice....thats the pure beauty of this hobby.

A good point of reference is that 'personalizing' anything usually leads to devalueing of it to the greater buying public. The same holds true for houses (weird paint, layouts, etc) and most things. When a realtor comes to look at a home thats been put on the market they will often ask you to put away all/any the family pictures so the potential buyers do not think they are in someone else's home while looking at it...instead of perhaps their future home...interesting stuff.

All Good
Coley

[jeffahart]

This is an easy one.
If your selling to "Pawn Stars" it's worth $500
If your buying from "Pawn Stars" it's worth $5,000


Nessxt Clesschion!