Help - About how much is my Charger worth?

[rodneyramjet]

I have a potential family situation brewing related to me inheriting my step-dads Charger and the equity of said event relative to what other family members received in the will.  I think I have a good idea of about how much it is worth but would like a few well informed impartial opinions to put it in the ballpark.  Part of my dilemma is that when you google this subject you could easily end up thinking all these cars are worth $60,000+

My stepdad bought it new in Duluth MN in 1968, married my mom in 1970 and the car has been in the family ever since.

It was parked in their garage from 1983 until last December...with the assistance of you fine folks and a couple of friends at work I have been able to get it roadworthy and am really enjoying being able to drive it.  It is actually quite surreal.  Anyway.....

Here are a couple pics and the build sheet. There is rust in the floor of the trunk, behind the back window, and a little in the quarter panels..the rest of the sheet metal is rock solid with some dings and small dents.  Other than a couple drops of motor oil a week it does not leak any other fluids on my garage floor.  Drives good, engine runs good, auto transmission shifts perfectly.  It is a 383 with the original two-barrel carburetor.  72,500 actual miles.







Any help is much appreciated

[Baldwinvette77]

honestly its pretty surprising what people would pay, if i was in your situation i'd put it on ebay with a ridiculously high reserve, see what the maximum bid it, and if youre happy with the price, list it again with a reserve of about the maximum bid.

[Charger_Fan]

honestly its pretty surprising what people would pay, if i was in your situation i'd put it on ebay with a ridiculously high reserve, see what the maximum bid it, and if youre happy with the price, list it again with a reserve of about the maximum bid.

I don't think he's trying to sell it...he's trying to KEEP it, and his siblings think they are due some more inheritance money.

However, I agree, listing it on Ebay with a million dollar reserve would be an easy way to see what a current value may be on the car.

[69 OUR/TEA]

It's not an R/T , not a 4 speed , not a high option car, has the 383 going for it , has some little rust issues , IMO , $ 25-30k . I'm afraid to ask , but is that a naked mannequin in the back seat ?

[hemi-hampton]

Without seeing more pics I'd guess around $25k. Just my opinion LEON.

[ht4spd307]

low miles one owner survivor condition  makes it worth a lot more but not 60k maybe 40 at top end.tell the family to put it on ebay and let it run put your bid on it you may get it cheaper than you expect. problem is it always turns out ugly when money is involved and when its family its leads to worse problems

[chargerboy69]

Without seeing more pics I'd guess around $25k. Just my opinion LEON.

I agree.


There is a 69 on E-Bay very similar to yours with maybe a touch more rust for $22500.0 or best offer.

[XH29N0G]

You also might want to think about what it would be worth restored, so you have that price point too.  My guess is that the real worth is not too much more restored than the numbers you have been given.  I would also want to know if there was any hidden rust.  My car was also stored in a garage and not driven for two periods in its lifetime (from 1974 to 1983 and then 1986 to 20012).  There was a lot of pinhole rust that showed up when the floorpans were cleaned up, and a lot more needed to be done than originally planned.  Your charger looks to be in better condition than mine was at that time, but not significantly so.  Best of luck figuring out its worth.  I am sorry for your loss.

[lukedukem]

It's not an R/T , not a 4 speed , not a high option car, has the 383 going for it , has some little rust issues , IMO , $ 25-30k . I'm afraid to ask , but is that a naked mannequin in the back seat ?

 answer the man's question. 

Luke

[crj1968]

It's not an R/T , not a 4 speed , not a high option car, has the 383 going for it , has some little rust issues , IMO , $ 25-30k . I'm afraid to ask , but is that a naked mannequin in the back seat ?

Agree. $30K to be fair to your siblings so there is no question.

Look at completed ebay auctions....you can see what sold at what price.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=1968%20dodge%20charger&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

some similar to yours sold at mid 20's

[rodneyramjet]

Thanks all this is very helpful. 

Yes the car came equipped with the naked mannequin and a cardboard robot.  I was surprised that the California Highway Patrol that checked on us after our U-haul trailer had a blowout on I-8 never even flinched when he saw it in the back seat.  He did give me his number and said if we ever decided to sell the car to call him first though.

The car was specifically left to me.  The fact that it belongs to me is non-negotiable and the title is in my name.  My step-dad was a hard working straight up guy who always kept his word and had promised it to me as far back as 1972 when I worked for him in his gas station as a teenager.  He knew I loved the car as much as he did...maybe even more. 

I was just hoping to be able to provide a fair estimate to the others during the final tally and to not be penalized by the notion that it is worth $60k. 

When I started working on it in January there was 6 gallons of 33 year old varnish in the gas tank, the brake system was full of a dirty gel like material and the engine hadn't been turned over since Reagan's first term in office.  Again thanks to everyone here who walked me through everything from shooting oil in the cylinders and turning it over by hand in January to just recently installing the Pertronix Igniter system.


Here is an under the hood shot from when I was inquiring about how to remove that crappy smog device that he had to install back in the 70's

[Daytona R/T SE]

If the car was willed to you, or given to you by him before his death...

It's none of their fucking business what it's worth now.

Family sucks. 

Tell them all to fuck off. 

[BDF]

Good luck with this. 

[BIGBLCK11]

Good point Rodney, about 25k, as it was WHEN YOU RECEIVED it, BEFORE you cleaned it up and got it running.  I agree none of their business, but it sounds like they are trying to deduct the higher value as his share of other assets he still might receive.  Good luck, money sure makes people act different.  

[alfaitalia]

If the car was willed to you, or given to you by him before his death...

It's none of their fucking business what it's worth now.

Family sucks. 

Tell them all to fuck off. 

Interesting....over here if my father gave me his car then survived at least another seven years then it would stay mine....if he did not make it the whole seven ANYTHING he had given away in that time would still be part of his estate and with need to be sold/divided as directed in the will. It was a law introduced to A) stop relatives levering stuff out of ill kin before they died and the will was read...and B) stop the wealthy giving away all their stuff before they died to avoid inheritance tax!!!

[fastmark]

I buy and sell Chargers and that is a $25-28k car. I would not put it on eBay. Anybody in the family could put in a ridiculous bid and you would never know. Get a Mopar only appraiser to examine and value it. Get an estimate from a restoration shop to restore it and that will open some eyes.

[XH29N0G]

Thanks all this is very helpful. 

...

I was just hoping to be able to provide a fair estimate to the others during the final tally and to not be penalized by the notion that it is worth $60k. 

I think this is key.  My guess is that it is +/- 5K of the value and that (or even a little more or less) would be worth more than having relatives at you over this.  I would make sure they know you are doing this in good faith and trying to get a fair value.  I think you will find that if you want to restore it, you will be looking at much more than what has been quoted and the increase in value will be much less than the amount you put in.  I think it is also worth making sure that relatives understand that.  Finally, it is not necessarily something that can readily be converted to the $$ unless those are realistic estimates.

[RECHRGD]

Nothing tears family apart more than inheritance issues.  I've seen it over and over, including my own and my wife's family.  Good luck.......

[smithenhiven]

As mentioned, if the car was specifically left to you, I wouldn't bother getting it valued.

Before my mom passed, she told my uncle that my brother was to get her truck, and I was to get her car.  Her truck was probably worth 20K more than her car, but hey, that was mom's wishes, and I respected it.  But I get it, not every family is as amicable.  I'm sorry for your loss, I hope you and your family can peacefully get through this.

[alfaitalia]

"Nothing tears family apart more than inheritance issues.  I've seen it over and over, including my own and my wife's family.  Good luck......."


It shouldn't......if the person leaves a well written and legally correct will there should be no problems at all and nothing to argue about. Its when there's no will or worse still a badly written DIY that can easily be contested due to unclear wording will that the problems starts.

The shortest will ever written was worded "All to mother" was contested . There was a legal battle between his mother and his wife as he used to call his wife "Mother" too!!! The wife won......which was correct.

[triple_green]

I would say $25K tops. remember the $60K are are highline models, R/Ts, and they have been completely gone thru and everything restored. Your is a great car but not in that strata.

[triple_green]

The other thing you could do is to list it on Ebay with a super high reserve. See how high the price goes and use that as valuation point. Make sure you post good pictures of any problem areas.

This is an honest appraisal more than comparing it to R/T prices at Barrett-Jackson.

Good luck!

Mark

[crj1968]

The car was specifically left to me.  

If true then it's value is irrelevant. You didn't choose the Charger out of the estate, it was willed to you.

I've been through this and my brothers and I didn't pull any of this "fairness" nonsense on each other.  

[Challenger340]

Ebay is a great "exposure" tool for marketing, but I will remain in the minority opinion... in that I do NOT believe Ebay Auction's are an absolutely relevant pricing tool ? 

As mentioned,
Owner continuity, #'s Engine/Trans, B-Sheet/Fender Tag, mileage and overall decent condition are big pluses on your Charger.
Detractions, IMO....
would tend to focus around the more common area rust issues you identified, and the expense therein for repairs being a non-R/T Car (383 2 BBL) can quickly place one "upside down" when done.

GREAT CAR, NOT knocking it ! 
just say'in...
IMO, $25-30K

[hemi-hampton]

Nothing tears family apart more than inheritance issues.  I've seen it over and over, including my own and my wife's family.  Good luck.......

I'm stuck in the middle of that same mess now