SOLD Need a Value 71 Polara Custom 383
- Thread starter SassyRR70
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polara71
Old Man with a Hat
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
mrfury68
Senior Member
My first reaction to the picture was that it would make a cool cop car clone. Turns out it might be the real deal. Very cool.
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
I knew what it was at the 2nd picture I was convinced. Just reading it was an N code raised my eyebrows.
If it was a cruiser, looks like somebody installed a home made console in addition to the fur on the dash and the rattle can blue on the wind lace. Somebody probably bought it at auction and made it their custom ride. Engine is also the wrong color, should be hemi orange for the police 383 for '71 (Paint P4349216) There is also white paint on the manifolds. That suggests it may have been apart at some point. Probably want to see the the engine code to see if it original or not. With a 383 engine this car was probably not a WSP patrol unit. Agree with the full horn ring it suggests a fleet heritage.
Dave
Dave
That advice was for the seller, a buyer wants the car not running to buy it cheaper and hope they get lucky. A lot of non-runners were parked that way 20 years ago so it is always a crap shoot to buy one that does not start.
Dave
Again, I respectfully disagree. The question is not about price; it is about who wants to bear the risk of a gamble. If a seller tries to get his car running, then what happens if in fact it does not run? They have a boat anchor, worth scrap metal prices. If the buyer buys a car whose engine turns but the seller genuinely does not know whether it will I fact run, then the buyer takes on the full risk -- and thus may be the one who ends up with the anchor. In that case, the buyer loses.
In other words, by selling the car as is (turns), the seller gets the expected value of the gamble. That expected value is less than the price of a running car, but much more than scrap value.
In other words, by selling the car as is (turns), the seller gets the expected value of the gamble. That expected value is less than the price of a running car, but much more than scrap value.
If they try to get it to run and it does not, they are still selling a car that does not run.
Dave
Yes, but have they caused any damage while trying to get it running? I'm with @71Polara on this. When I heard the seller of my Monaco was going to get it running, first thing I asked was if he would leave it alone. He did, and he got his asking price, he's a winner, I'm a winner. I'll take all the risk of getting it to fire, and feel 1000% better knowing it hasn't been messed with.
No they would not be: assuming that a seller's attempt to get a car to run is competently done, and yet the engine does not run, then the uncertainty would be eliminated and I would know for sure that the car does not run. In that case, I would lose interest given that, in a situation like the present one, the original engine is a big part of what makes the car for a buyer like myself. And, that seller would lose out.
In contrast, if a seller just checks that the engine turns freely and the seller genuinely cannot tell me whether the engine will run, then I would be happy to take my chances that it will -- and thus will pay more, despite the fact that I could be the loser.
Agree 100%.
71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
How can you lose interest? This is a NEAT car. Running or not theres a young guy out there that would make this car the 383 screamer it was meant to be.
My top end is UNNNNNNNLIMITED
My top end is UNNNNNNNLIMITED
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
The way you just presented it makes it about cost.
I want it left alone because I want to put the plugs i want in it, the wire and hoses i want on it. The carb, the coil , etc. By a seller getting it running it raises the selling price and potential interested persons . As a non runner this car is a grand as is. ( don't do anything)
Clean it up a bit, air in the tires , running and sitting in a driveway it could be a 5000 dollar car. ( too many metal unknowns at this time)
I'd love to have this car ....
My discussion with @Davea Lux was about cost. So I stuck to costs in my replies to him. My point there was that, by investing time/money to get his car to run, the seller could do better (if it does run) or worse (if it does not, in which case he would disclose that fact to the buyer and come out worse off in the end).
In the same post, I also agreed with @LocuMob. Scott's point was not about cost/price, it was about (I am paraphrasing here) "I want to get it running myself because I want to know what I do to the car and I can live with my own mistakes but I'll make my own choices thank you very much", which is what you are referring to. The three of us agree on that point. Wyatt and I spent the better part of the past 15 months undoing what Medina's previous seller had done to her -- nothing horrible, of course, but not the correct stuff that I wanted. So I ended up paying twice in effect, for the work that the seller had done and for redoing it right with Wyatt. Luckily, thanks in part to your giving me a timely heads up, I got a great price on that car
I'd pay somewhat more for the car as is, based on the five extra photos that @SassyRR70 has emailed me thus far. For the record, I am interested in this white Polara sedan if it is numbers-matching and I am waiting for more photos before making a decision.
@SassyRR70 asked for valuations for DL41N1D239356 so I'll point him to a few recent four-door sales:
1. The closest car to the current one, in several respects (uniqueness, coolness, etc.) is @Beep Beep Dave 's GY3 Polara sedan. It is for sale now. On the one hand, it is an L-code (383-2), not an N-code (383-4). On the other hand, it has been upgraded to a 4-barrel and dual exhausts, it seemingly has less rust (from what I have seen so far -- as @polara71 has pointed out, we need to see more metal pics) and is in excellent running condition. The GY3's interior just needs carpets and the seats re-upholstered, because the dash/door panels/headliner/rear deck are all great. Dave advertised it in the fall (pre-Covid) and has again been advertising it for the past 3 weeks. He has a clear title. Yet he has not sold his car so far, for which he's asking just under $5k US. You expressed love for that car and said it was a good deal, but no one has yet bought it. Personally I don't understand why, because I think it's the right car for the right person at a fair price. But a buyer has not yet popped up, for whatever reason.
2. @71Polara recently paid just $1.5k for a running, fully original G-code (318-2) 1971 Polara 4dr hardtop with a perfect interior and a better exterior than the current car (to be clear, I have not seen the underside or trunk pan of either @71Polara 's car or the present car).
3. Further afield is a GB2 K-code (360-2) that was being advertised for sale at $4k last December, in excellent running condition. I looked at it with intention to buy. I passed because it had been repainted and, upon close inspection, I could see that rust was coming back in at least one spot. This said, the seller was motivated, and so that car sold for less than $4k.
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bluefury361
Old Man with a Hat
Just for reference, the Polara I have came out of a long time storage and was made to run by the seller. I did a full tune up and made all the necessary adjustments but it still had a "skip" in the engine. I drove it approx. 6-700 miles, (a 550 mile road trip), which was the first mileage on the car in 45 years. The skip was still present. A compression check showed zero in #1 cylinder.
This condition did not occur in the time I drove the car so it may be the reason the car was parked in 1974. 86Kmiles.
point is, running or not really shouldn't effect the value unless you drive the car to determine condition. Otherwise it's a pig in a polk.
This condition did not occur in the time I drove the car so it may be the reason the car was parked in 1974. 86Kmiles.
point is, running or not really shouldn't effect the value unless you drive the car to determine condition. Otherwise it's a pig in a polk.
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polara71
Old Man with a Hat
The build sheet is clear and tells us all we need to know.
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