NADA values

[riverdadd]

I did a nada search, prompted by a recent post. my '75 spider is " rated " @ 12K as a 20 footer and 23K as mint

My similar year Alfa spider "rates" 12K as a 20 footer and 15K mint

What gives??

I understand that these used car guides are a "rule of thumb" but 13 K increase for a Fiat VS 3 K for a Alfa......something isn't ringing true to me...........

[DieselSpider]

Could be because the Alphas would have been more likely to be garage queens while the 124 Spider a well used road car. How many Museum Quality 124's exist out there that sit in a climate controlled garage, are never driven and only get from point A to point B in an enclosed trailer anyway compared to the Alpha? I really do not know.

Then again a Coca Cola Ice Chest that originally sold for less could in the future end up worth more than either car. A dear friend had a break in and they stole his Indian Head Penny and Buffalo Nickle collection which had some value even as a kids collection that he still had at age 75 stored in the soda can he originally started depositing the coins in. The insurance adjuster found the can cut into pieces near the property line where the thieves discarded it and since it was from the first batch of Coca Cola sold in cans it turned out to be more valuable and a greater loss than the coin collection.

The market for this stuff is like the Rio Grande with the boundaries of value constantly changing and at times quite unpredictable.

On the cars it is sometimes interesting to see how the values swing depending on your zip code. At times in the past friends in the Boston area would ask me if it would be better to sell their cars in Tampa and sometimes they would get substantially more for a particular model in Tampa Bay while on another model they would be able to sell it for much more in the Boston area.

The USA is divided into 210 major market areas and each of those is further broken down into units so its not unusual for each unit to have a different set of values for similar commodities even within the same market. The numbers can get quite interesting. In a few years or even months/weeks it could swing the other way with the Alpha coming out on top or even now you might find it worth more in a different market.

[aj81spider]

I don't trust NADA at all. Every time I ever look something up it is overpriced (for example $12K for a 20 footer Fiat).

I'm not sure how they generate their numbers, but the only reason to look at them at all is that the Mass RMV uses the low NADA value as the minimum price they will accept when assessing sales tax on your purchase.

[Nanonevol]

I don't trust NADA at all. Every time I ever look something up it is overpriced (for example $12K for a 20 footer Fiat).

I'm not sure how they generate their numbers, but the only reason to look at them at all is that the Mass RMV uses the low NADA value as the minimum price they will accept when assessing sales tax on your purchase.

Which I always thought was a ridiculous scam. Do other states do this? I paid sales takes on $5000 or so value when I paid $1900 for the car.
BTW, What's a "20 footer"?

[RRoller123]

20 footer: looks good at 20 feet, any closer and defects become more apparent.

[DieselSpider]

BTW: Does the Massachusetts DMV still use your Social Security number as your Drivers License number? Most people who would never give out the Social Security number would freely allow their Drivers License to be copied and would even allow it to be written on a check giving out their Social Security number and Bank Account number together on one neat form. Hopefully that's changed.

[RRoller123]

No, they don't use SS # anymore, although you do have to request a specific DL #. We have had a separate number for many years (maybe 10+?), you just request it when renewing your driver's license.

[bradartigue]

NADA and KBB values on collectible cars are unreliable at best. I have no idea what they are based on - perhaps the criteria for giving a collector value is to get really drunk and throw darts at a board.

Alfas are more valuable than FIATs, just as Porsche is more valuable than Alfa and Ferrari more than Porsche, but when you visit KBB and a Porsche 993 is worth $13k in Excellent Condition (a $50k - $75k car on the market) and you visit NADA and FIAT Spiders are showing $20k (a $8-$10k car no on the market) you have to question their capabilities.