Okay, Opinion Time

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Unmolested GTs are always going to pull a premium over Notchbacks.

I'd propose the opposite - assuming equal condition, a notch will always be worth more than a GT (I've owned both).

I think this is an interesting economics issue. It's your money - what else could you buy for 'x' dollars? Getting a good deal is only important if you're looking to sell it in a couple of years and not take a bath. Beyond that, there really is no guide. Keep in mind that an average new car is $30k and a decent few year old toy/sunny day car will be $15-20k. So is $6k necessarily bad for a well-preserved 20 year old car that is what you want? This is why valuing these in-betweeners is so hard. Someone can tell you that is only worth $3000. Is it worth a couple thousand premium to get something that makes you happy? What's the real "cost" of finding a very nice example?

I go to a lot of car shows and auctions to support my wife's business. In hobby cars so much of the "price" is what speaks to the potential owner. 69 Camaros are sold enough that there is a real range. But street rods or oddball cars (a pristine 280ZX for one example) are all about what excites the buyer and then balances against the "what else would 'x' dollars be able to buy?" People may tell you that 280zx is only worth $3000, but if someone fondly remembers the car, then what's 5 or 6k to have it? Get too high, though - say $10-15k, and then you get into alternatives like C5 Corvettes or new 350Z as an alternative, and the decision gets a lot harder.