Hi all,
Well, I'm considering selling my '69 Mach 1. I just don't drive it very much anymore, and the value seems to have gone up enough in the 8 years I have had it that when I do take it out, I'm just nervous about it getting hurt. I've been wrestling with myself over this for the past couple years actually and I'm still not sure I want to go through with it. I do love the car, but really it isn't EXACTLY what I want it to be, especially being it has an automatic (and small block). It is so nice and solid though, I fear that I won't be able to find another one in similar shape for anything but an astronomical price if I decide to get another one at a later stage in my life.
It is a true Mach 1, numbers matching 351W with the FMX transmission. Was the 2 barrel version from the factory, but when the carb started giving us trouble, we switched it over to an Edlebrock 4 barrel set up. Still have the 2 barrel manifold (assuming it is original) and carb (guessing not original, but not sure). It has factory AC, although it was not hooked up when I bought it, and I never bothered with it. It appears complete, so I'm assuing it just needs to be hooked up and recharged. The car is solid as a rock. Never had any rust and as far as I can tell it has all original metal. Underside looks like a brand new car and it's completely solid in all the usual suspect places. It was fully restored somewhere along the line, I think about 15 years ago (I have many receipts and would have to check the dates). It came with a huge World of Wheels trophy that it won right after it was restored. Was originally blue, but was changed to Indian Fire Red when redone. The paint is still nice and shines well, but as the restoration is so old and it's been driven a lot since, there are paint chips and some light scratching. There is also some minor paint bubbling around the lettering on the truck lid and I think one or two very small bubbles on the lower doors. Not rust, just the paint lifting a tiny bit. Also, the antenna was relocated to the rear and is one of those motorized ones that suck in when the car is off. This has recently stopped working, so it no longer goes down. It was done well, but not stock.
It has somewhere around 117,000 miles on it, but the engine was also reconditioned when it was restored. Again, I'd have to check my records but I believe that was 30-40,000 miles ago or so. It runs very nice and strong. Still has single exhaust as from the factory. Have always wanted to switch it to duals, but never got around to it. Wheels are the standard Mach 1 wheels (not the Magnum 500s) and are nice. Tires are ok, but nothing fancy. Interior is very nice, with only a few minor issues (steering wheel could be nicer, non-stock radio installed, etc). Overall it is a very nice, almost all stock, car.
Anyway, I've checked out NADA for estimated values, and being a Mach 1 with the standard engine option and A/C it says $33,580 is the value. This is their "average" rating, which the description matches this car to a tee. Everything works and is presentable inside and out. A good 20-footer / older restoration. It does look perfect from 20 feet, but like I said, closer you can see chips and light scratches from normal driving.
So my question to you guys is how realistic is NADA's value? Compared to what I've seen on Ebay and local car shows, it doesn't seem too out of line. Some of the prices I've seen for much lesser cars with non-matching engines, etc have shocked me as to how high they have been. Do you think that getting over $30k is in the realm of possibility as I've described the car? I know it's hard to give a true "appraisal" without seeing it…but any opinions are appreciated. Also feel free to talk me out of (or into) selling the car!
Thanks much!
Chris
Well, I'm considering selling my '69 Mach 1. I just don't drive it very much anymore, and the value seems to have gone up enough in the 8 years I have had it that when I do take it out, I'm just nervous about it getting hurt. I've been wrestling with myself over this for the past couple years actually and I'm still not sure I want to go through with it. I do love the car, but really it isn't EXACTLY what I want it to be, especially being it has an automatic (and small block). It is so nice and solid though, I fear that I won't be able to find another one in similar shape for anything but an astronomical price if I decide to get another one at a later stage in my life.
It is a true Mach 1, numbers matching 351W with the FMX transmission. Was the 2 barrel version from the factory, but when the carb started giving us trouble, we switched it over to an Edlebrock 4 barrel set up. Still have the 2 barrel manifold (assuming it is original) and carb (guessing not original, but not sure). It has factory AC, although it was not hooked up when I bought it, and I never bothered with it. It appears complete, so I'm assuing it just needs to be hooked up and recharged. The car is solid as a rock. Never had any rust and as far as I can tell it has all original metal. Underside looks like a brand new car and it's completely solid in all the usual suspect places. It was fully restored somewhere along the line, I think about 15 years ago (I have many receipts and would have to check the dates). It came with a huge World of Wheels trophy that it won right after it was restored. Was originally blue, but was changed to Indian Fire Red when redone. The paint is still nice and shines well, but as the restoration is so old and it's been driven a lot since, there are paint chips and some light scratching. There is also some minor paint bubbling around the lettering on the truck lid and I think one or two very small bubbles on the lower doors. Not rust, just the paint lifting a tiny bit. Also, the antenna was relocated to the rear and is one of those motorized ones that suck in when the car is off. This has recently stopped working, so it no longer goes down. It was done well, but not stock.
It has somewhere around 117,000 miles on it, but the engine was also reconditioned when it was restored. Again, I'd have to check my records but I believe that was 30-40,000 miles ago or so. It runs very nice and strong. Still has single exhaust as from the factory. Have always wanted to switch it to duals, but never got around to it. Wheels are the standard Mach 1 wheels (not the Magnum 500s) and are nice. Tires are ok, but nothing fancy. Interior is very nice, with only a few minor issues (steering wheel could be nicer, non-stock radio installed, etc). Overall it is a very nice, almost all stock, car.
Anyway, I've checked out NADA for estimated values, and being a Mach 1 with the standard engine option and A/C it says $33,580 is the value. This is their "average" rating, which the description matches this car to a tee. Everything works and is presentable inside and out. A good 20-footer / older restoration. It does look perfect from 20 feet, but like I said, closer you can see chips and light scratches from normal driving.
So my question to you guys is how realistic is NADA's value? Compared to what I've seen on Ebay and local car shows, it doesn't seem too out of line. Some of the prices I've seen for much lesser cars with non-matching engines, etc have shocked me as to how high they have been. Do you think that getting over $30k is in the realm of possibility as I've described the car? I know it's hard to give a true "appraisal" without seeing it…but any opinions are appreciated. Also feel free to talk me out of (or into) selling the car!
Thanks much!
Chris