cdnpont wrote:

---

I think it's going to be a case of what you think it would take to remake such a car Carl. Thats how I would call it. You decide and then put an agreed value on it.

So really, what would it cost to find such a perfect specimen of a Strato Post, then add the cost of the BB, 4 speed and related equipment to it?

Has to be 25 grand, min.

---

 I've been sitting on the fence for months now because I hate to spend the $295 for an appraisal (seems to be the going rate in this area) and then get slapped with another crappy appraisal like last time. I really am hoping it will be at least high teens if I do get it done. 

And you're right Mark, to pay anyone to do this would likely cost close to that. I've done it all myself but I see what it costs if you pay for every last thing to be done by a shop.

One of these days I guess I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet...

This is only MY personal experience with appraisers but i find they generally know little or nothing about vintage cars. My first appraisal experience was in 1983 with a 1956 Chev 210 sedan that i had at the time and since then i have had a 57 Chev Bel Air hardtop, that i had appraised three different times done, a 74 Chev Caprice Estate wagon, that i had appraiesd twice done and a 57 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan, that i had appraised twice done. I went to very very reputable so called appraisers that were accepted by Silver Wheel Plan. All of them just mystified me because of how little they really knew. They just basically look at vintage books and look at general values in other publications. I am not denying that there must be some really good knowledgeable appraisers out there, i just have not met any. Every one that i met i thought that i could do a better job. I have not had a car appraised for about ten years now, so i can not comment on what they are like now but i would sure like to hope that they are far better than my experiences. Cheers. 

norontcan wrote:

---

Every time I've had a vehicle appraised the appraiser works the conversation around to either what you paid for the car or what you think it's worth. Last time I refused to get into this conversation and told him what I thought or paid should play no part in his determining its true value. Whether I got a steal of a deal or got hosed by the seller shouldn't come into his evaluation. He did come back with a value very close to what I thought, which was less then I had paid.

---

 This seems to be common and i have always wondered why one has to pay so much for very little effort or knowledge on their part. 

long stroke wrote:

---

 This seems to be common and i have always wondered why one has to pay so much for very little effort or knowledge on their part. 

---

 I wouldn't say all appraisers are not knowledgeable but certainly not all appraisers seem to be genuine car nuts, at least based on my own observation of a couple of them. And some of them are diehard car guys.

ABC123 wrote:

The guy, I have picked, has been in the car restoration business for a long time and is a "Certified Appraiser"

---

 You might want to check which institute certified him as a "Certified Appraiser" and what field his certification is in.  I've been told there is no certification for automobiles.

Some certified Real Estate Appraises run around waving their certificates and do automobiles.

The appraiser I'm talking about belongs to an association of appraisers.

I guess that's where he gets his papers

Sidetrack,

Don't know these guys but look at the recent appraisal eye candy on their site.

http://www.vintagecarconnection.com/recent_appraisals.htm

4SPEED427 wrote:

---

I know, I know..... I'm just struggling to swallow that $300 fee................

---

 You paid what?????....... now you go to the corner of the room and bow your head down in shame. I say in shame.... do you hear me in shame. .

Urban_suburban wrote:

---

 Canadian pontiacs are tricky as the resource tools normally dont include them and they are not driven by the USA markets.

---

 Agreed. I'm going to do as much homework as I can before I call the appraiser. I learned a few years back when we had our house appraised, hire a good appraiser and give him as much help/info as you can. Our first house appraiser was "less than stellar/knowledgable" and we were unhappy with his #. Hired a second one with an excellent reputation, gave him as much info as we could and our home jumped from $262,000 to $346,000 all in the span of a couple of weeks!

Back to the Pontiac, how would you like to come to Manitoba and appraise a car???!!! $150 fee, I pay another $150 towards your travel, free accommodations and you get a low priced trip to visit us for a CP coffee break! Not sure where you live but if you are close to Hamilton last time I checked a round trip ticket for me to fly there was $135 including all fees and taxes...