two lane blacktop

Just some more Useless Trivia...LOL...Apparently From info I've been able to gather...1997 is the only year that two different colors of Purple were available on the Firebird/Formula/Trans am...Dark Medium Purple Metallic (05U)..Was available through the first half of the Model year...Then superceded by Bright Purple Metallic (88U) Which became available from midyear forward...???

JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

iTrader: (1)

Correct, '97 was the only MY two different purples were offered. I can't confirm the phase-over from one to the other within that MY, but that makes sense to me.

two lane blacktop

Was the the dark Purple (05U) actually phased out midyear...??? To change over to the Bright purple (88U)...Or Is it possible that the (05U) purple continued through to the end of the 1997 model year...With the (88U) Bright Purple added midyear ... Creating a window where both the colors were available simultaneously through to the end of the 1997 model year..??
Or is it just my OCD kicking in...Causing me to over think this whole scenario....??

98_1LE

iTrader: (17)

My idea of the way to quantify rarest is what cars are 1 of 1, or closest to it, with the fewest RPO codes. I don’t think any fourthgen can be identified by a single RPO. Within a model year, some can be identified by two. I have identified 8 1998’s that can be identified within the model year by two RPO’s. One car has four pairs that make it unique, one has two pairs. And the other six cars have one pair.

Spamfritter

iTrader: (1)

Having a one of one when it comes to standard factory options is interesting but those aren't generally what makes the car feel different or unique. Those types of options also have near zero impact on value and generally negligible impact on performance. No one cares if you have the only purple car that came with a cassette deck and 12 disc changer and a manual transmission. It's interesting, but that doesn't put such a car on the same desirability level as a Blackbird, Berger Camaro, or even a run of the mill Firehawk or Camaro SS. Now you may personally value such a car more than a typical Firehawk or Camaro SS and that's fine, but that doesn't usually translate into dollars.

A 2021 Mustang Mach 1 in Grabber Yellow with the rear seat delete option is probably one of the rarest modern Mustangs. (Around 5 cars.) While this is technically more rare than a run of the mill Shelby GT500 no one is picking a Mustang Mach 1 over a Shelby GT500 of the same year. The former will never be as valuable. Super rare options and option combinations amongst common cars make for interesting conversation but rarely add any significant value. That's rarity by accounting, not desirability.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

This is an excellent post; point well made and couldn't have been said any better.

Only other point I can add is the following...something (optional content/package/etc.) is usually only rare for one of three reasons:

1) Cost prohibitive/too costly for most shoppers of the platform in question.

2) Not well advertised/known, difficult to order and/or not available to be ordered via every dealer in the national network, and/or factory limited quantity.

3) Something that is so ugly, crass, or generally undesirable for a given platform that nobody wanted it.

When the reason is #1 or #2, it's likely that any example with said rare content will be more valuable than its peers. When the reason is #3, then it will likely be just as difficult to find someone who values it today as it was when the car was new (of course there are exceptions to this, but not often).

A good example of #3 would be a mid '70s Cutlass that I stumbled on a couple years ago. It was a yellow car with a white top and a blue interior; I wouldn't have even believed that GM allowed this order to be pushed through if not for the factory documentation to prove it. Regardless, the car was hideous in this color combination. The seller wanted a fortune based on the "rarity" of the color combo. Haha. Good luck. Any other example in similar condition, even if it was THE most common color offered for that year, would have been worth more than this "rare" abomination.

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

I remember a guy had a Blue TA(IIRC) that had fairly high mileage. Somehow he stumbled on the fact that it was a 98 SLP Pilot car. I think that put it as a 1 of 5 or so. Maybe someone else remembers more details.

Spamfritter

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like a Corvette seller. They are the worst community for trying to turn their one of one run of the mill car into big bucks.

I saw an eBay Motors ad for a third generation Trans Am GTA. I believe it was an 88 or something like that. I don't recall what all options it had, but the ad made reference to the fact that it had the extremely rare paddle mirror option and a non-tilt steering column. They wanted some stupid amount of money for a car that was in great condition based on the photos, and relatively low mileage but nothing special. Those two options are not what I consider desirable as non-tilt steering columns aren't good if you don't like the position of the wheel as you can't change it and the paddle mirrors were ******* ugly.

There is a reason the paddle mirrors are rare. Nobody wanted them. (Though evidently, these were on export cars but in the U.S., they are rare.)

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

All that nonsense started with the numbers matching 60's era Mustangs and Mopars that are 1 of 1 because they have ponies embossed on the seats or chrome stamped steel wheels or some other weird trait. They go to auction and somebody bids them up. Meanwhile it's really a 1 of half a million Mustang.

RONIN LSX

iTrader: (44)

Who remembers the details of the pic with a group of rare birds sitting "abandoned" under the bleachers of a circle track? From what I remember, one was a white pace car.

98_1LE

iTrader: (17)

the subject was rare, not valuable or desirable. While there is certainly overlap, they aren’t always the same as you indicated.

My car isn’t the most valuable fourthgen. But it is one of the more rare cars.

NC01TA

You guys should see the posts on the Challenger forum. About every 1 of 4 Hemi Challengers built is 1 of 1 and Stellantis will verify it for you. Here's my official letter. Just one different factory combo will set you apart. I'm talking the new Challengers, not the 1970 versions.

Welcome to Dodge Customer Care.

**Build (sequence) number is not available nor provided by the factory. **

CONGRATS!!!

In the 2020 model year, your 2020 DODGE CHALLENGER R/Tmanufactured in (PVP) Go Mango and built with your equipment, options and groups is one of one in the United States.
*SL Nappa/Alcantara Performance Seats -
X9 Black AAY Plus Package
AGB Performance Handling Group
AJV Driver Convenience Group
APAS Monotone Paint
AWDS Super Track Pak
AZS Shaker Package
BR4P Brembo 4-Piston Fixed Caliper Brakes
DFK 8-Spd Auto 8HP70 Trans
EZH 5.7L V8 HEMI MDS VVT Engine
M2K Dual Black R/T Side Stripes
PVPS Go Mango
RAAC All Radio Equipped Vehicles
RCJP 6 Premium Alpine Speakers
UAQ Uconnect 4C NAV with 8.4" Display
WHFP 20X9.0 Lights Out Painted Wheels
WLZC All Aluminum Wheels
WMSP Rhombi 2-Pc Wheel Center Cap

Thank you for your inquiry,

J. S.
Stellantis
Mopar Headquarters

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

I think that's silly but it drives prices up.

Spamfritter

iTrader: (1)

It doesn't. That's the point. There are special edition vehicles and performance options that can certainly drive the price up, but silly color combinations or options that don't stand out to casual buyers do nothing to increase the value of the car.

NC01TA

Very true, for now. Even though I won't be around in 2050 and beyond, the 1 of 1 aspect on a 30 year old ride might hit home with some who will pay a premium for a Hemi powered car that is no longer in production by Dodge. Most will be in the junkyard and a sweet example with that 1 of 1 could be a draw. I certainly did not buy it for that reason but it's one of those fun things to have. Obviously it is important enough for some or Dodge wouldn't make the info available or verify it.

98_1LE

iTrader: (17)

I have been cataloging 1LE VINs and RPOs and found an interesting one. A red A4 1LE, but that’s not what is interesting.

http://www.free-vin-decoder.com/vin/2g1fp22g6w2100020

Note that is VIN 20, twentieth car down the assembly line. And the WD0 & WD1 RPOs.

Carfax shows it was first sold in December 2000 at auction as a manufacturer vehicle, with 847 miles. That would be roughly 2.5 years after being built.

That said carfax also shows it was wrecked a bunch of times, and nothing reported since 2012.

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

In 30 years when someone does Marti reports on Dodge Hemi cars the prices will probably skyrocket. In reality to get a rare 98-02 TA,even a WS6, you'd need a rare color and Camel interior.

I looked at transamworld.com and found 23 Camel Leather WS6 for 2001 and 168 Camel leather for 2002.

Y2K_Frenzy

Not to be too assy but, I think the 1 of 1 memo helps Dodge sell new cars more than it’ll help future sells. If they’re all 1 of 1’s then everyone is equal no?

JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

iTrader: (1)

Yep. When the combinations and permutations of the numerous options available on a given vehicle exceeds production volume for that MY, most of those will be 1 of 1s. That's why serious collectors don't include baloney stuff like illuminated cigar lighter and "RAAC All Radio Equipped Vehicles" as counting towards "rarity".

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)