What do you guys think about the price on a red 1998 Camaro SS A4 with 73k. This is an unmodified car(minus the rims) in good to very good condition. The bad is the ASR light comes on by its self and it needs tires. Nothing direct to compare it to on my local Craig's List (Denver) but the Z/28s all seem to be around $6,500. Does the SS add any value or is the local $6,500 value accurate?

KBB says $5,700 private party
Nada says 7,825 retail

 

That's actually a fair range ($5700-$7825) depending on how you value the miles (ie $650-$1,000/for each 10K miles lower). The SS does command a premium over the Z28, approximately 8-10% imo. At a minimum the SS comes with a more desirable hood and rear spoiler. On a $6500 car that should be worth at least an extra $500.

It all comes down to just how cleaned and well-maintained it is for those 73K miles. 1-2 owners is preferable to 3-5. I've seen some that needed $1K-$2K in immediate work at that level and others that needed nothing. You're looking at $600 for Z rated tires. Suspension, brakes, A/C, ASR, would all be extras if work is needed there. If you have a pre-May 1999 build you'll luck out without the annoying roof bubble issue.

You should find enough cars to compare it too (1998-2000) on the below Autotrader link. Pick a 500-1000 mile radius of your location. There's relative little difference in price between those 3 years, maybe $250-$350/yr. Figure the 6 speeds will fetch an additional $500-$1,000. A few simple adjustments and you can directly compare a 1998 SS to a 2000 Z28. For simplicity use $650/10K mile variation. You can also compare to the prices of a Firebird too. The Trans Am should normally go for around 10% more than a Z28, about the same as an SS, and the WS6 about 10% more than an SS/Trans Am. At least those will get you in the ball park and give you more cars to compare to. I can see where there's not a huge selection inside 1,000 miles of Denver. $6500 would be a fair price for a clean car with nothing exceptional to do. Whatever you buy, figure there will be another $500-$1500 popping up within the first 1-2 years. It's winter sale time and it runs through March. If you keep your eyes open you might be able to snag a nice car for $5K to $6K from someone who has to sell quick or figures a clean car is only worth NADA. Nice ones always bring more than book. Shoot for 1-2 owner, garaged, driven sparingly if at all in winters, documented maintenance history, etc. More than likely, you'll have to buy from a private party to find that. $7800 NADA retail is all the money imo for 73K miles. It would have to be a stunner with all the factory parts.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Used+Cars/cars+under+9000/Chevrolet/Camaro/Littleton+CO-80123?endYear=2000&engineCode=8CLDR&engineCodes=8C LDR&firstRecord=0&listingType=used&listingTypes=us ed&makeCode1=CHEV&makeCode2=PONT&maxMileage=100000 &maxPrice=9000&mmt=[PONT[FBIRD[]][]CHEV[CAM[]][]]&modelCode1=CAM&modelCode2=FBIRD&photosOnlyActual= true&pricesOnly=true&searchRadius=0&showcaseListin gId=0&showcaseOwnerId=64301623&sortBy=distanceASC& startYear=1998&Log=0

 

Thanks for the advice and the link Firebrian. It's was really helpful to know the valuation differences between the models and years.

 

Just one thing to mention,

It's actually a pre-May 1998 build date that would be in the clear, not 1999. Just wanted to make that correction to avoid any confusion.

It's hard to find a '98 SS build before May, it seems that SS production didn't really ramp up until the May-July time frame. So unfortunately most SSs, even '98s, will have the issue. All '99+ cars will/do have it.

I would value the car $500-1000 higher if it was an earlier build, due to the hassle and cost to repair the roof properly on the later cars. That's assuming a T-top car. It's much harder to repair (or ignore) if it's a hard top, so then the value spread would be greater IMO. This issue is a bigger deal for V8 Camaros as they all have black roofs (sans B4C and 35th LE examples) and the dark color makes the problem more prevalent.

Somewhere between $6500-8000 would probably be a good target price range for a car like this in my region, assuming it was stored winters. $8000 would be on the high end, and only realistic for an example with few owners and exceptional condition as mentioned by Firebrian above. Cost of living is higher in some areas than others, so if you're in a major urban area values might be a several hundred or a thousand higher than more rural counterparts. In the north, a winter-stored car also brings a premium.