Help me value a car (70's mopar content)

The soon to be mother in law has asked me for help selling her 1976 Plymouth Volare. 225 I6, 67k miles, 4 door, automatic, no penetrated rust, but very mild surface rust.

This thing is hard to get a value for! the only comp I have found is this:

http://classiccars.com/listings/view/390571/1979-plymouth-volare-for-sale-in-staunton-illinois-62088

But I know those sites arent really rationally priced.

If you were selling it, how much would you ask and where would you list it to maximize the return (she could really use the money)

Unexciting car with an unexciting engine and trans, and 4 doors to boot. I have no basis, but I'm thinking $3k-ish tops, gonna take a special person to want it. From MD I'd strongly consider Charlotte Autofair as the best close large pool of interested people. Or does Carlisle do a Mopar show?

Hoo boy. That's a toughie. It isn't a very desirable car, in the least desirable body and drivetrain.

Honestly, $2k seems like large money for this.

Oh hai.

Crappy 70s Mopar content and you live close to me? Joy oh joy!

You have any photos? Cause a few years back I was looking at a 76 Aspen that sounded about the same for 1400. E: Oh wait, thought that said 167k. Disregard low price.

$500.

These were terrible cars when new, the drivetrain will outlast 2 or 3 of the cars themselves. Rust eats them alive.

So, got any pics?

EDIT: If it's green with green interior, I might could go $650, tops.

Forgive the crappy cellphone pic, I intended to get better ones when I was at her place with an actual camera. Yup, the car is located somewhere in the vicinity of Hagarstown, MD

Is she the original owner? Maybe you could try the "little old lady" sales pitch.

Your photo doesn't work for me.

Your big problem is that there's no demand for these cars except for guys turning them into cheap ass drag cars. So you're not going to get many offers, and the ones you do get will all be lowball as hell.

If I had the money I'd be asking when I can come look at it. Hell, if my cousin wasn't out in Arizona I'd be borrowing the money from him and coming to look at it anyway.

In fact, I might fight out when in September he's coming back.

To expound upon my somewhat flip previous comment...

The car has value pretty much as some sort of transportation device. In that vein it's comparable to, but inferior to, just about any 15-20 year old Camcord on the market. So your target buyer is going to be someone who either:

a) can't afford one of those cars, in which case you're pricing somewhere in the 1500 or less region, or

b) wants something a little different, and this car speaks to them. Now you're talking someone who might part with 2k, maybe 2200 for something like this, but you're going to spend a lot of time trying to find that person.

I'd start out asking $1500, if it were mine.

Hopefully this works.

It do. And it makes my love of ugly chryslers tingle.

Honestly, price wise, 2k would be what I'd say it's worth. Sadly, there's no way in hell you're going to get it.

Yeep. old =/= valuable. Earlier four-door American cars are starting to appreciate, but I don't know that I've ever seen a stock 4-door Aspen/Volare clear more than $1,500.

That appears to be a really nice one, though, and most of them left are rusted to nothing. I'd say 2,000 from the right person, if she can sit on it for a while and find the right person. Bonus points if it's a 2bbl (the air cleaner lid will say "Super Six") and if it has air.

They're really no worse than any other malaise-era American car, except they rust like nothing else.

In reply to psteav:

I was wondering what the yeep was about, and then I saw my post said 3 instead of 2. I blame my fingers, because they're stupid.

Love the color, the wheelcovers, and everything else about it. Toss in a beaded seat cover, and I'd totally rock that for 2k...

...if I were single. My wife would kill me if I rolled up in that. And then I would soon be single, again.

Has AC, and theres a strong possibility that it even works.

I never pulled the aircleaner, but it does have the 225 I6.

I didnt think it would be worth a mint, just hard to find enough ads for these to get good comparisons to determine value.

Looks like the target price is $2kish, Grizz, if you are serious about being interested I can ask her about timeframe for how long until she wants it gone and see if it can jive with you.

I'll have to talk to my cousin, but he has the same problem I do with terrible cars, so he'd more than likely loan me some of the money.

E: I will say, don't hold off on trying to sell it for my account. I am, at the moment, incredibly broke so it might not happen at all.

Vin decoder returns this for engine (1970-80) 225, 1 bbl slant six, doesnt look like the 2 barrel was a thing for '76 according to the decoder.

that being said, I will pull the air cleaner next time I am there.

Your best bet is here: http://www.carlisleevents.com/carlisle-events/carlisle-chrysler-nationals/

I'd be a great movie car. There can't be many left in that condition. Even so, the value isn't great. But it is nice to see one again. They used to be everywhere.

That does look like a nice little old lady's Volare. On the high end it's probably $3500. Low end $2000. If it were a wagon I'd probably be on my way down now. (Mom had one.)

You might have some luck advertising it on For F-M-J Bodies Only That's a forum dedicated to the Volare/Aspen twins and their spin-offs.

The A-body sibling to that forum is For A-Bodies Only. That one is much more active and their Mopars for sale section is very active.

The Moparts forum would work too.

There are some Mopar guys that enjoy a nice simple cruiser. Usually something like that Volare to compliment the musclecar already int he garage. Especially if it's a project car in the garage. Not all the Mopar guys are Hemi or nothing.

I don't have room or budget for another wayward old Mopar or I would be really tempted to come take a look. I'll pass the word in my local Mopar club.

A hipster would pay top dollar for that.

10 years ago I had a perfect-condition '76 Volare (or maybe '78, I can't recall). No rust, perfect interior, perfect paint. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, other than being a 76 (or 78, whatever) Volare. I sold it for $600, and was glad to be rid of it.

The slant 6 lasted forever because nobody wanted to put any miles on the pieces of junk they put it in.

Rob_Mopar wrote: If it were a wagon I'd probably be on my way down now. (Mom had one.)

Ding!

This is the sort of person you're after: The "My mom had one and I want to relive my childhood" Gen-X'ers.

So with that in mind, what it will sell for will depend on how quickly you need to sell it. If there's no rush, get it running well and make sure everything works, start at $3500, put it on Hemmings and wait. Maybe eBay as well. I'd probably skip CL.

That is somebody's dream car... but it'll take time for them to stumble across it. Then it will live in their garage, get coddled and driven to local car shows where the proud owner will sit behind it while passerbys go, "I remember those, my mom/dad/uncle/grandparent had one..."

Appleseed wrote: A hipster would pay top dollar for that.

... but only ironically.