Please help me value 68 Skylark Convertible

thecarman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Location
Apex, NC
My parents need some money, so want me to help them sell a car. My wife and I are thinking about buying it for ourselves. This is where there's an issue - how do we decide a fair price among family? If I was selling it for them, I would price it high and see how much I could get for them. But since it's us, my parents don't want to over-charge, and we don't want to over-pay. :) We are going to be stretching our finances to buy it. My wife and I love the car, we are the only ones who have driven and maintained it in the past few years, and it was our wedding car 6 years ago, so we'd like to get it if we can.

My dad has owned a 68 Buick Skylark convertible for a while. He bought it around 1997 from a car collection where it had been stored in a garage and not driven for a while. I did some work to get it running - new plugs, water pump, master cylinder, got A/C re-charged, found some 15-inch stock Buick rally wheels, new BFGs, KYB shocks, and eventually had to add a new 4-core radiator because the original 2-core couldn't cool in traffic with the A/C on in the summer. The car has always been garaged, and has rarely been driven in the past 10 years - like only 2-3 times a year at the most. In fact, my parents *never* drive it anymore, and for the past 3 it has only been driven for the 4th of July parade that we attend.

The 2 best pics I have are attached.

The car is a *nice* looking 10- or 15-footer. Up-close you can see some sanding scratches through the paint in a few places, so I'm sure it's got some body filler in it, but has no visible rust anywhere except the battery-tray/core-support area. The interior is nice with just minor wear. 140k miles on the car. 350 2-barrel with 2-speed "Super Turbine 300" auto trans. It runs good - ready to take a highway trip anytime - no issues there. AC needs to be re-charged, and the Heat/AC controls need work. Has power top, power steering, and power brakes (4-wheel drum). Stock AM/FM radio doesn't work. Since it's a "Custom" trim package, it's got tons of stainless trim that is all there except for one Custom emblem missing from the rear quarter panel. A few small things could be done, but it needs nothing to be a driver, and gets lots of compliments every year when we take it to the parade. It is not perfect, but looks really nice.

The NADA "classic car" value for this in average condition is $20k, but I don't think this is realistic. My gut was telling me somewhere between $10-$16k. But I see some for sale on eBay and Craigslist for less than $10k. Of course it's hard to compare without actually seeing the other cars that are selling, and knowing what they actually sold for, vs. what people are *asking* for them.

Does anyone have any thoughts on where I can get some example cars to see actual prices they're selling for?

Thanks!
Richard
 

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If everything works I'd say roughly 15k, if some minor things dont the about 10-12. Really the hardest part is going to find somebody to buy it, to bad it's not a 455 4spd car (not sure if that was an option in 68 but itd be one hell of a crusier if it was). You could try racingjunk to see if any similar are on there to get a rough price range but so far I think your in the ballpark. Good looking car though, whats the mileage on it I assume low but that will affect price a good bit.
 
BCA .com try that, Buick Club of America. I used to be into buicks pretty hard. 3 Boatail Riveria's, 3 Wildcat's and 1 Grand National. Buicks just don't bring the price for some reason. Put it in a car show with a sign and price and see what happens. You might find the guy that just has to have it! Good luck.
 
As a former grand national owner also, I'd say stick with the buick crowd. Most people only seem to think of Dodge, Chevy & Ford when thinking older cars. I think $15k seems high. GSX's bring big money, but even then it's hard to find someone that knows what it is & has the cash. This is a tough time to sell. Always compare to what else is out there. That's what any buyer is going to do. Also it's not a rare car or one with tons of power so it may not stand out to a buyer. Most likely someone wanting a nice cruiser.

maybe try turbobuick.com for sale section. Just watch where you put it. They have a section for non-turbo cars. That site gets a lot of people from up north that want a solid southern car.

Best of luck!
 
Thanks to everyone for the replies! Will check out those Buick sites.

Note that I don't want to sell it to someone else. I want to buy it from my parents for a fair price - something that makes them happy, but where I can also get it as cheap as possible.

Redneck92 said:
whats the mileage on it I assume low but that will affect price a good bit.
Click to expand...

I think the car has 140k on it, and I have edited my original post to show that. Details - the car is only showing around 40k miles, but we have no documentation that it's not 140k. The car came from the collection of a guy who owned a junkyard since the 1960s, so he had access to a lot of old stuff over the years. It could easily have been a higher-mileage car that he fixed up. The interior looks like 40k, but could have been replaced/repaired a while back. Judging by how it looks under the hood, the fact that it's been re-painted, and the bumpers were re-chromed, my guess is 140k rather than 40k. In fact, thinking about the engine, I hooked an oil pressure gauge and compression tester to it years ago back when my dad first got it, just because I was curious. Judging by the oil pressure and compression test - it's got to be 140k. Nothing wrong with it, and runs great, but definitely not a 40k engine.
 
Looks like your getting advise. Before I read the other replies, I was thinking about a NC, or southern Buick car Club, for information. The ones that show up at auto shows/ auto fairs. Might also find a Classic Car Dealer, locally. Nice car! As my brothers 64 Comet, sentimental value runs high! [Grandmothers car] lol
 
Dude, you totally need to buy this car. I'd say about $8500-$10k is what it would probably be worth. I love these cars, but they are definitely not a high market item.

I think I remember you had it out at your house like 7-8 years ago, I want to say you had this car and the Monte there at the same time for some reason. Been a long time, but I vaguely remember seeing this car in person at some point, and it was sweet.
 
Just ask your parents what they need to get for it and if that is what you can afford, buy it.
 
For family, I woulda said $6500 with the baby handprint smudges, 8k without...haha. If on the open market, start at 12k and be happy with 10k.
 
When pricing older cars I typically refer to the Old Cars Report Price Guide. This is a great source for unmodified cars ranging from a 1. Excellant/ non driven show car on a national level though a 6. Parts car/ non running with possible missing parts.

From what little I can see in the photos and the history you have presented I would place this car between a number 3 and 4. I have included the definitions for each below.

3. Very Good Completely operable original or "older restoration" showing wear. Also, a good amatuer restoration, a'' presentable and serviceable inside and out. This is a "20 footer" That is from 20 feet away it may appear perfect.

4. A driveable vehicle needing no, or only minor work to be functional. Also, a deteriorated restoration or a poor amatuer restoration. All components may need restoration to be "excellant" but the vehicle is mostly usable as is. This is a driver.

The April 2011 issue gives $9450 for a #3 and $4200 for a #4.
The 9k mark would be a fair price as long as there are no rust/ amatuer repair issues to deal with.
 
When it comes to older cars it really comes down to finding a buyer. When I first read your description of the car the number that jumped into my head was $10,000. By no means am I an expert on old cars I just have looked at several to buy and that seems like a common price for how you described your car.

You may get a couple thousand more from a Buick fanatic. It really comes down to how long you want to wait to sell and if you find the right buyer.
 
EasySteve said:
I would place this car between a number 3 and 4... The April 2011 issue gives $9450 for a #3 and $4200 for a #4.
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Based on that, and including "family pricing", I agreed with my dad on a price that would make it about a 3.25 condition. My wife and I are excited to be able to buy it, and plan to hang onto it!

Blaze said:
Dude, you totally need to buy this car... Been a long time, but I vaguely remember seeing this car in person at some point, and it was sweet.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you saw it around somewhere. :) I may have driven it to meet you at lunch or something - I kept it parked in the deck at work for a while when there was temporarily no garage available for it.
 
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