Hemmings Motor News

Just received my January issue of Hemmings and in it is an informative article on the value of 94/96 Roadmaster Estate Wagons . Needless to say a positive take on the value of these cars ,with the values rising steadily in the last 10 years .A 95 in #2 condition is in the 22K range and will continue to rise .

What about Chevy and Olds

Buickman1 wrote:

What about Chevy and Olds

This is the second article I've read in Hemmings publications that deal with the wagons . I have to believe that the Chevy and Olds versions are similar as far as value goes and maybe the Roadmasters a bit more because they are more luxurious . Bottom line for me is that these cars have a following ,are recognized for what great cars they are and are going up in value .

This is at least the third year in a row they have said this and I still feel the same way. I'm not a "collector" with more money than sense. I buy cars to use them not get rich so I don't care what some billionaire says they are worth.

Articles like this are why people put rotted pieces of crap on craigslist for thousands of dollars because they "Know what they have" and "What they are worth".

Very few of these cars left today and even fewer of them are in mint condition. Normally when I see one it is white with horribly faded wood stickers and a trashed interior with no parts available to repair it. So those that do have nice ones will keep them that way regardless of their worth to some millionaire.

I'm not a collector although I've owned and currently own what is considered a "collector car " my wife's 70 Chevelle SS . I buy cars because I enjoy them and if and when I go to sell them and make a couple of bucks great if not I still enjoyed the car . I've had wagons off and on for 45 years so for me it's nice to see people appreciating these things especially at the cruise ins that I go to . I remember years ago tooling around in my Ford Country Squire and people busting my balls " What the hell you doing driving around in your grandmother's car " . This trend is going to last till the next best thing comes along so I'll enjoy it while I can and be glad that after a 2 1/2 year search I found the car to replace my 93 at a reasonable price .

I have no plans on selling my wagon, and I don't think I would get rich if I did. I could care less if people think I'm driving grandma's car, I like it. I was just trying to show some love to the Chevy and Olds cars.

I'm starting to get a lot of thumbs up and interest for my 91 OCC. I suppose people are missing Olds and Pontiac as well as station wagons in general. It's a useful daily driver for me so the attention is merely an added attraction.

It's a shame the Olds didn't make it to the LT1 years, as they are the best looking of the 3. When I god into these wagons around 2007, I was buying running driving ones for 3,4, or 500 dollars fairly regularly.

Out of the 14 I have owned I only paid $1000 or more on 4 of them (2 were exactly 1000) and my current one at the lofty sum of $2800 3 years ago. The used car game has changed dramatically in the past 18 months.

Sprocket wrote:

It's a shame the Olds didn't make it to the LT1 years, as they are the best looking of the 3.   When I god into these wagons around 2007, I was buying running driving ones for 3,4, or 500 dollars fairly regularly.

Out of the 14 I have owned I only paid  $1000 or more on 4 of them (2 were exactly 1000) and my current one at the lofty sum of $2800 3 years ago.   The used car game has changed dramatically in the past 18 months.    

It's not just the used car game, the whole world has gone crazy. The last 18 months have only highlighted it.

Sprocket that's the nice thing about living in an area where they don't use salt on the roads I looked for 2 1/2 years to find a rust free decent mileage example here in Ohio for a reasonable price $3000.00. My car is not perfect but anything it needs I can take care of .I've restored and built cars and bikes for more years than I care to remember and the wagon will be my last so this and my wife's Chevelle will be keepers .

I do love my wagon. but first person that offers 4x the $$ I have into it……

Wojtek wrote:

Just received my January issue of Hemmings and in it is an informative article on the value of 94/96 Roadmaster Estate Wagons . Needless to say a positive take on the value of these cars ,with the values rising steadily in the last 10 years .A 95 in #2 condition is in the 22K range and will continue to rise .

Wow! My brother always gets two Hemmings with his subscription for some reason, so I'm getting this issue from him on Sunday. I'm looking forward to reading it, especially since I have a 96 Roady. 22K for a #2 condition car is crazy, and since mine is probably #2 (certainly not #1) that's good info to have in case something terrible happens that would total the car.

As is always mentioned, it doesn't matter what anyone, expert or not, says a vehicle is worth. All that matters is what someone will pay you for it. While prices for wagons, at least asking, have gone up lately, I have not seen anything that extreme ($22K for a #2 car). This one has been on Craigslist for nearly a month and looks like it probably would be a #2 with asking at $12K. That should have made it sold very quickly, but there it sits. I have seen very nice cars advertised at $6K and not sell well so I wonder about the whole evaluation from the people like Hemmings that have a dog in the show so they benefit from higher prices and probably are trying to manipulate them to some extent.

I will be insuring mine for $10K, but have no illusions it would sell for that much.

Cars only sell for these "values" at millionaire auctions. They buy them as investments so they can sell them to other millionaires after they burn thorough their money and the tax bills show up.

booster wrote:

As is always mentioned, it doesn't matter what anyone, expert or not, says a vehicle is worth.  All that matters is what someone will pay you for it. While prices for wagons, at least asking, have gone up lately, I have not seen anything that extreme ($22K for a #2 car).  

1G4BR82PXTR420562 is a 1996 light blue RMW with 24k miles that sold on BaT last week for $27k. Very nice car and Z27 Limited package, but no V92 and light blue color.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-buick-roadmaster-27/

For those interested, the Hemmings article is here:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/12/28/flints-final-rear-drive-station-wagon-enjoys-a-strong-cult-following

Since the pandemic, it seems all used car prices have gone up, due to a lack of parts for new vehicles.

https://www.powernationtv.com/post/the-average-cost-of-a-used-car-is-now-27500?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Average+Cost+Of+A+Used+Car+Is+Up30%25

Buickman1 wrote:

Since the pandemic, it seems all used car prices have gone up, due to a lack of parts for new vehicles.

In general that is indeed true, but not all vehicles appear equally affected. Hagerty's values track the market reasonably well in my experience, and while RMW prices are up 40-50% since March of this year (across all vehicle conditions), RMS prices went up somewhat this summer but are now back down to where they started.

Why the Roadmaster wagon-sedan price differential is suddenly so large is a mystery to me. Thoughts welcome.

The Road Master wagons were the hit of the Buffy and Biff crowd when the Mercedes reliability finally caught up with them. I think that's why they are bringing more money now than the Chevy and the Olds versions. I doubt my Chevy will bring anywhere near that 27K but that car was very low mileage.
There is a one owner Chevy on BaT right now at $7800 with a day to go but at one point it went a couple of days without a bid or even a comment. It is a low option version and a gold color. One commenter referred to these as red neck race cars. So be it. I like my sleeper supreme and have dusted many a young punk that though they had something haha.

ayilar wrote:

Buickman1 wrote:

Since the pandemic, it seems all used car prices have gone up, due to a lack of parts for new vehicles.

In general that is indeed true, but not all vehicles appear equally affected. Hagerty's values track the market reasonably well in my experience, and while RMW prices are up 40-50% since March of this year (across all vehicle conditions), RMS prices went up somewhat this summer but are now back down to where they started.

Why the Roadmaster wagon-sedan price differential is suddenly so large is a mystery to me. Thoughts welcome.

Because Buick is considered the high level brand from that time, while the people that think they are experts consider the other makes lower class and undeserving of any attention. I always preferred Pontiac and Oldsmobile myself. Grandfather sold them in the 80s and dad got first dibs on all the useless 1970s trade in cars. We had $100 cars all over the place.

When it comes to our 90s wagons I will take the Chevy over the either two any day. I HATE that Vista window that everyone else loves, lol. Not a fan of the front bumper either, they should have all came with the Olds cover. Don't get me wrong, I love them all but preferences are just that.

Bucky53 wrote:

The Road Master wagons were the hit of the Buffy and Biff crowd when the Mercedes reliability finally caught up with them.

Mercedes reliability, even in 1996, was still excellent. The W201 and W124 were some of the bets cars built, and only just had been replaced. So I am not sure that's why RMWs are now going up in price.

Bucky53 wrote:

There is a one owner Chevy on BaT right now at $7800 with a day to go but at one point it went  a couple of days without a bid or even a comment. It is a low option version and a gold color.

Indeed, and I've been following it. 58k miles, good condition, LT1. Given current trends, I expect that 1G1BL82P4RR136609 will hit $13k+ in the end:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-chevrolet-caprice-11/

If it does not go that high, then that fact would support the idea of a "bubble" for the RMW right now.

In the same vein, what I am really after is understanding why the RMW vs. RMS price differential has suddenly increased so much. Why now, why so fast? It's the spread between the two that I am trying to understand, not the absolute price level of either.

The RMWs seem to be the "flavor of the week" right now. When I bought mine in 2013, the Chevy wagons were the most popular around here, sedans always much less so in all versions except for the Impala SS ones. I tend to watch all kinds of prices on Craigslist and ebay and sometimes other places and the ebb and flow of popularity and prices is pretty radical on some types of vehicles. El Caminos and Rancheros are prime examples. They both swing wildly from fairly expensive to almost giving them away.

[quote="94Woody"]
Because Buick is considered the high level brand from that time, while the people that think they are experts consider the other makes lower class and undeserving of any attention. I always preferred Pontiac and Oldsmobile myself.

Cadillac was 1st, then depending who you talked to either Buick or Pontiac was second, Oldsmobile 4th, and Chevrolet was bottom of the barrel. I agree with you Woody, I always liked BOP the most from GM.

Bucky53 wrote:

There is a one owner Chevy on BaT right now at $7800 with a day to go but at one point it went  a couple of days without a bid or even a comment. It is a low option version and a gold color.

ayilar wrote:

Indeed, and I've been following it. 58k miles, good condition, LT1. Given current trends, I expect that 1G1BL82P4RR136609 will hit $13k+ in the end:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-chevrolet-caprice-11/

If it does not go that high, then that fact would support the idea of a "bubble" for the RMW right now.

Well, the 1994 Chevy Caprice wagon sold on BaT this afternoon for $14,750. In other words, 1994-1996 (LT1) B-body wagons are hot -- not just Roadies. FWIW, the last two BaT auctions are in line with the valuations of Hagerty.

The cars are indeed popular among lots of people. I see people breaking their necks to get a look at mine every day. Guy pulled up beside me yesterday and said he loved my car and mentioned how rare it is to see one on the streets these days. Always makes me smile. I wouldn't sell mine even if for some strange reason it became worth 15k. It's banged up, loud, has 224K on the clock and desperately needs paint but I still love the car.

Gold 94 Caprice wagon sold for $ 14750.00 12/30

I've been involved with the car hobby ,is that what they call it now ? for many years and I've seen these trends come and go just follow the auctions and see the stupid money people pay for the current trend . Wagons and trucks ,they now call them "shop trucks" have always been popular in the hot rod /cycle community and now they are the hot item . A lot of people back in the day had these or wish they did and now because the kids are grown and gone and have a little extra money to spend want  to relive the good old days .How many times has any of us been stopped and people comment on your cool car and "I remember having /driving in one back in the day " all this is fueled by nostalgia . Is a 94 Caprice wagon worth almost 15 grand ,a 96 Roadmaster 25 grand ? to someone apparently so and let them live out their dream . I've been living mine for a lot of years now and hopefully will continue for a lot more to come I still have a wagon I want to finish !

That is a nice looking wagon. First things I would do is put some 95/96 doors on it and install some door pulls.

94Woody wrote:

That is a nice looking wagon. First things I would do is put some 95/96 doors on it and install some door pulls.

Agree, it is really nice, and the sale price reflects that fact. For that reason, while I don't like the small 1994 mirrors either (aesthetics and functionality are both sub-par), I would keep the car original.