my friend has a 1972 firebird formula, been in storage for 20 yrs. can I find the value?

Question

My friend has a 1972 firebird formula, which has been in storage for 20 years, is free of any rust & in excellent condition. She can't find how to figure it's worth, can anyone help me?

Answer 1

There are several official classic car value guides. I've posted one that I like below, but it's not free. You can look at NADA guides for free, and they're really not that bad, although they don't specialize in classic cars. YOu have to click on "if your year is not listed click here" to get to the collector car section. I've posted a link to that also.

In addition to that, it's fun to watch similar cars on ebay, if you can find one. I would tend to lump 71 and 72 Firebirds together and say they have the same value, but they're both very rare. It may be a while before you see one on ebay.

A 72 Formula is very collectible, and I'll give you some advice about that particular model. First, the engine is going to make a large difference the value. 72 Formulas had engines ranging up to a 455HO, which is quite a bit more money than an equal car with a 2-barrel 400 or something like that. NADA only lists a 20% adder to go to the top engine, and I don't really think that's enough.

Second, the condition is going to make a large difference, even more than the engine. Since it's been in storage 20 years, I can already imagine some of the things that are going to be wrong with it. The most important of those is rust. These cars were bad rusters, so it's very good that it's not rusty.

With no engine adder, NADA lists the base price at about $7000 for "low retail" and $27,000 for "high retail". So you need to do some research on the actual condition of the car and how that compares to these two numbers. As you can tell the numbers are far apart. The way the condition reads, the cars look about the same from 20 feet away.

I need to tell you now that to a buyer of a car like this, "excellent condition" doesn't mean anything. They're going to know that a lot of people would look at the car from 20 feet away, and if it didn't have big holes in it, a lot of people would conclude it was in excellent condition. You'll need to go into great detail for a real collector with big money.

Answer 2

Ok, its a Formula Firebird or Firebird "Formula" > Just like the Trans Am but with out the spoilers , firebird on the hood and the WS6 suspension( or maybe with the suspension Pkg) Look in the paper (classified ads) for the next car show in your area. Since it's the Labor Day weekend one shouldn't be too hard to find. Go there and find someone with a Firebird or Camaro and ask if there is a Firebird / Camaro Car Club in the area . Ask for some info on the car club. If not, then look in the Yellow pages under Auto Appraisers , (ClassicCar) , and call up a couple and have them appraise it. Also , call your friend's auto insurance Co. and have them appraise it for insurance purposes. Now , can ya start it? I mean if ya put jumper cables on it will the motor turn over/ If not, engine could be locked up( not good ) What will make this car worth a lot more is if it has the original engine and it turns over. Does it have air conditioning,pwr steering, pwr brakes, pwr windows, automatic transmission or 4 sp stick? Everything work , or not.? Have Mice / rats have eaten or made nests in it and ruined the wires under the hood or dash? How about rust, is there a little or a lot or none at all.? An unrestored running Formula could be worth a lot or a little. I might be interested in it . E-mail me at [e-mail] if located around or not too far from Cincinnati OH. p.s. Oh yea, one other thing , I guess wi-fi has finally reached out to enough pwr to get under rocks, where is exactly where Mike J has crawled out from underneath

Answer 3

RE:
my friend has a 1972 firebird formula, been in storage for 20 yrs. can I find the value?
My friend has a 1972 firebird formula, which has been in storage for 20 years, is free of any rust & in excellent condition. She can't find how to figure it's worth, can anyone help me?

Answer 4

1972 Firebird

Answer 5

Well the first thing I think I would do if I was you is talk to your daughter and ask her how she feels about this because your relationship with her is more important than some relationship with some girl. And how can you be in love with your daughters 20 year old friend like what can you guys really share in commen. And is it that you are in love with this girl or are you in love with the fact that you are 51 yrs. old and she is only 20.

Answer 6

Nice car, prices will vary based on engine, options..
The best way to see what they are selling for is ebay. You can find similar ones and watch the auctions. What they sell for is a good indicator. Guides are useful, but don't address the market quickly enough.

Answer 7

Even if it only has the 350 with 170HP, it is going to be worth 30,000.00+

Here is a link to the proof:
http://www.nadaguides.com/SectionHome.aspx?LI=1-22-1-5014-502-504-50005&l=1&w=22&p=0&f=5003

Just have all the specs for it ready.

Answer 8

It depends on the model, but also depends on the notion that there is one born every minute. Someone may be looking for that exact model and is willing to pay anything for it. On the other hand, it may be so common or not collectible, no one is willing to spend any money on it. It all depends. Timing is also everything when it comes to who will pay how much.

Answer 9

you need a collector car price guide. I dont recomend nada or kbb
check here http://www.collectorcarmarket.com/

and here is the link to the vehicle condition code

http://www.collectorcarmarket.com/adv/prcpgs/condguide.htm

Answer 10

If you don't buy it, can I? Let me know.