Valuation Tools

A commonly asked question is "What is my DeSoto worth?" Unfortunately, there is not any one quick answer that provides a concrete value, especially as the market fluctuates. However, here are some resources that will get you in the ballpark:

• Hagerty Online Valuation Tool: Hagerty's valuation tool is geared towards collector vehicles and is based on sales, usually through auctions, and is an estimate based on year, model, body style, and condition. This is usually a good, free starting point, but realize that it may not always reflect the current market, especially for rare cars that don't come up on the market often. Click here to visit their website.
• Old Cars Price Guide: Like the Hagerty valuation tool, Old Cars Price Guide is based primarily on sales through auctions and values have a breakdown based on year, model, body style, and condition. Click here to order the price guide.
• Classiccarvalue.com: Using data from acclaimed publishers — such as Old Cars Report Price Guide, NADA, CLASSIC.com, Hemmings, and Collector Car Market Review — this classic car value guide calculates valuations based on a vehicle’s specific year, make, model, vehicle trim, and included factory options. Click here to visit their website.
• Follow Auction Results: Auction results are difficult to gauge since values can be inflated based on two or more aggressive bidders, the environment, etc. Also be aware of cars that look good in photos or on TV but actually didn't present well in person. However, auction results are good for tracking year-to-year and gauging how the market is changing.
• Hire a Vehicle Appraiser: This can be a hit or a miss. If you hire an appraiser, do some research to be sure that this person knows the vehicle they will be inspecting. If they do not, they will likely be looking at the same resources that are available to you to establish a value.
• Compare to Similar Cars For Sale: This can be tricky, since any price can be asked of a car, but that doesn't mean it will sell for that amount. If you can find out what a car actually sold for, such as looking at completed/sold listings on eBay, that will be a better indicator of market value than active listings.
• NDC Technical Advisors: Talk to the NDC technical advisor for your model year. They are experts on that particular year and should be able to help. Tech advisor contact info can be found in the DeSoto Adventures magazine, available to dues-paying members.

Helpful tip: It's usually easier to track prices during the duration of ownership, rather than trying to procure a quick value at the time of sale.