Man oh man, where to start with this one? It’s a 1962 Oldsmobile F-85 (not a Cutlass as stated in the listing title), and I suppose it could be considered a barn find (though the seller has known about it during its long slumber). It appears to be very tired and not notable for its features or characteristics. And the seller is pretty light on details. Well, it takes all kinds, and this Olds is another to add to that list. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this forlorn sedan is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $12,345! T.J. gets points for surfacing this lead!
Introduced as a compact in 1961, the F-85 would spawn the higher-trim edition known as the Cutlass, which in ’62 came in two-door club and convertible form. As for the F-85, it was available in standard and deluxe trim, spread across two-door coupes and convertibles as well as four-door sedans and station wagons. Olds moved over 95K F-85s in ’62, with about 27K being four-door sedans. Our subject is missing a lot of its stainless trim (and its rear bumper), so discerning whether this car is a standard or deluxe edition is difficult to determine. The seller states, “No major rust, just surface.” I’d suggest the images pretty well tell the story.
“Original motor as far as I know. The motor wasn’t locked up when I got it,” states the seller. Sorta like one of those “ran when parked” comments…There’s no description, or even an image of the powerplant, which shouldn’t be too difficult to facilitate – the hood looks like it has mostly fallen off. Anyway, the standard engine for this F-85 was a 155 gross HP 215 CI aluminum V8 engine, and in this case it’s attached to a Hydramatic automatic transmission. There’s no mileage recording provided, so there’s no telling what one can expect from a motive power perspective. BTW, this is the only image of the front of this F-85.
The listing claims the interior is “in good shape.” There are two listing images, but neither is very revealing. While the bottom rest of the front bench seat appears to be OK, the footwell reveals either badly damaged carpet or a shredded mat. Floor condition? That’s a question to ask. The passenger-side door panel is degraded, and there’s a covering of surface rust on the shift selector, probably due to a damp environment. The wide horizontal speedometer is still clear, so that’s a good sign, and there appears to be an original-style pushbutton radio in place, probably just waiting to broadcast whatever’s on terrestrial radio in 2026.
So, $12,345 for this 1962 Oldsmobile F-85 four-door sedan, huh? Really? Well, talk among yourselves on that matter and let me know what you think.
The seller does say in the post: “Not sure what it’s worth. Excepting cash offers and trades.” I think he means “accepting” cash offers, so I guess the question is, what’s a fair offer?
A family friend had one back in the day, a two-door if I recall. Through my grade-school-age eyes, I though it looked kind of spiffy, for a compact economy car.
This one obviously is in sad shape, and I assume the price is just a placeholder. Thus the seller is fishing for an offer, any offer, which would resolve him from having to drag it out of the barn and take it to the scrap dealer.
Thanks Jim.
Facebook Marketplace: the stupidest place to look at the stupidest cars being sold by the stupidest people at the stupidest prices. I should patent that description.
I suppose the “+” in 12+ is the key here, is that a “Walter Mondale for Pres” sticker? (42 years ago) It’s okay 12, 40, in this case doesn’t matter, it’s scrap anyway. Hurts to say that, it does, years ago this would have been a dream find. Today the interest just isn’t there. They were great cars, but sitting more than 12 years.
Not sure why something like this gets written up on BF. The owner doesn’t know what he has. He doesn’t know what he wants for it. He can’t take pictures or bother to hose it off. It’s basically, at best, a parts car. Nothing to see here. Move on.
You’re not sure why a barn find gets written up on a site called Barn Finds?! So far, at least based on comments, there is interest in this old F-85.
JO
Ha, ha… ya beat me to it…
Okay smart a–.. Just because it’s a barn find doesn’t mean the seller shouldn’t know what he’s selling, take a hose to it, and take some decent pictures. And if you notice the comments, they all agree that it’s junk… at most a parts car. Maybe READ the comments before making a fool of oneself.
Why are you telling me this? Your beef is with the seller; try your opinionated B.S. on him and see how that works out for you. I don’t make the news; I just report it. If you don’t like it, then why are you reading it? Oh yeah, you’re reading it so you can comment, and that’s what this is all about. Thx for helping out with the cause!
JO
The point is, there are interesting cars out there with sellers that know what they’re selling. Why waste time on junk?
A variety of vehicles is what this is all about, and I’m trying to appeal to a large number of readers. Simply because you don’t like something doesn’t mean someone else feels the same way. I’ve covered 3,100 subjects running the gamut from one extreme to another. Generally, when people encounter a topic of no interest, they don’t read it and move on to something else. I’d recommend you take that same course – that seems to work well for most people.
JO
@JDC… I’m actually a reader that enjoys looking at the occasional unpolished turds… I think it’s fun, and the back stories are sometimes interesting. I’m glad they’re here. If I wanted to look at pristine, high production value and highly photoshopped images, I’d go hang out on BaT…
Take the 1 off the beginning of the asking price and it would still be wildly over priced.
Yeah, I’m thinking more like divide it by 10 and it still could be a stretch.
interesting how anything prior to 2025 automatically becomes a “classic” and is worth $$$. Think’n bout start’n a museum. Will be shelves and rows of jars filled with flakes of steel rust. Each jar will be appropriately labeled with contents such as—original rust from 1939 Buick, original rust from 1946 Nash, and so on. That will enable the visitors to appreciate what old rust looks like and is worth. Admission will be free and gives an opportunity to assure car skeletons can “live on”.
Another saga of grandpa and his grandchild, who has zero interest in automobiles, sent out to the barn to try and sell G’Pop’s old fossil. This is becoming a regular thing.
There are still guys who are drinking the Kool-aid and think that selling old cars is still a “zero sum” game. That is, for every seller, there is a waiting buyer willing to pay the prices that a some sellers got 10 to 20 years ago. It used to be that way.
In 2026, many of these “project car” listings get no serious offers. There are simply no buyers around for a lot of this. Much of it is nothing more than scrap that the owners hope to find someone to haul it off. So they post it for sale as a first foray into the liquidation process.
At least this one is maybe a parts car for someone who needs it for their own running example, but they are not going to pay anywhere near this price for it.
Many of these sellers should stop asking for money and instead, advertise that they will give it away to someone who can prove that they need it. A come and get it (CAGI?) offer is what might work.
The guys who used to buy this stuff (and many still believe that there is a solid market for it), are the very ones who no longer buy projects and parts cars. Them and their car show buddies haven’t bought any sort of car in 10 years. They are hanging up their torches, and many are downsizing their entire lives, sometimes not by choice.
Yet they hang onto the belief that the next generations are there to support the hobby. They are not. Younger guys live in subdivisions with garages full of sports gear, kids toys, and old furniture. There are HOA rules against junk cars in the yard. They don’t have the tools or the skills or the facilities.
So this parade of “estate sale” offerings of marginal stuff that no longer runs will continue unabated for the next decade or two.
What forces the final liquidation is the sale of the underlying property that it sits on, and then this stuff has to be cleared before closing. That’s when they call in the flatbeds and PAY to get rid of it.
It’s demographics and no amount of denying it will change that. In 2026, and going forward, a lot of this stuff is worthless or may even cost money to liquidate it.
I’ve heard people make similar prediction for close to 40 years, so far they have been largely incorrect. They hang on every change of taste or decline of specific segments and the following price adjustment as a sign the broader market is collapsing while ignoring the rise of new segments.
That’s nothing new and won’t change. One day it might prove correct, just like a broken clock that gives the right time twice a day.
Some segments, like this car have never been popular. Generally only pristine examples tended to change hands, but those prices were a fraction of cars with stronger followings, as it should have been.
Steve R
Steve R – what would be interesting here would be a summary of the outcome of the sale for a lot of these project and parts cars.
Barn Finds is only showing us a fraction of what is posted to the larger marketplace, and even with just these daily BF listings here, it’s obviously a tsunami of inventory being put on market.
I think that most of them are nothing more than junkyard porn, posted for us to comment on them. How many actually sell and at what price?
The appetite for projects is up against the reality of the demographics at play. 40 years ago, the car guys were busy in the shop. They were in their young adult years. Those guys are now over 60 years old. They still go to cars shows and sit around on lawn chairs bench racing their old projects to anyone who will listen, but they’re not shopping for new projects. Huge numbers of guys fit that description.
I agree with you and I am making a distinction between drivable examples and projects. With a driver, at least you are getting something that runs. But even then, a comparison of ask vs. sale prices would be interesting.
Hagerty runs charts on their website. From what I have seen, most tend to be dropping in price over time, and they are dealing in real numbers. I just looked at several charts for Detroit 1960s cars. It’s pretty soft these days.
The more popular stuff does seem to be holding some sort of value, just by looking at the eBay bids. That’s the muscle stuff, and the better examples of the rest of it, like non-muscle convertibles and the like.
But I’d like to see an analysis of sales vs. original ask or BIN prices. It would be a good project for someone who can write AI prompts, maybe.
I’m in my 70’s, and if I’m buying a classic now, it’s going to be running and in decent condition. If I take on a “project,” I could be “finished” before the car is!
The seller hurt their prospects by putting a placeholder price with 5 digits in it. This might be worth a couple of thousand, but that might even be a tough sell. Just like the 4 door 1961 Valiant featured earlier today, muscle cars aren’t the only vehicles prone to being overpriced.
Steve R
Somebody’s dreaming… $1000 parts car at best…
It could be a nice car to start with yet, wonder just how many cats, squirrels, mice have lived and died; not to mentioned peed and pooped in it. I can guess the scent goes with the buyer
no, scent problem has been taken care of, the front door windows are open so should be all aired out by now.
another crew cab and the owner looks like he can count to 5. yeah, for him. bet the motor is locked and so are the wheels. offer no more than 1k. super small market for these and looks like hood is just lying there.
Methinks all the grousing is by those who, in their prime, decades ago, would have jumped for the chance to show the world that this poor critter could be made truly viable and good looking once more.
Sounds like sour grapes to me
A 4 door F-85? For that kind of money? Decades ago, that’s a $100 beater, that maybe, would have been bought by a high school kid, and cobbled together with bailing wire and luck.
Another 60s flashback, LSD trip.” ‘Motor’ wasn’t locked up when I got it.” When somebody says, “motor” for an engine, that’s strike one. When that same somebody assumes that a vehicle not run for twelve years might be free, that’s strike two. No wash, strike three. There are enough strikes on this car to put a whole nine-inning game down. Paint alone will be $15,000.00.
“I had some dreams there were clouds in my coffee.”
You’re so vain.
I’ll paint any car for 99.95! LOL
I remember my long, deceased, idiot, father who was an alcoholic had one of these and he always bragged at how quickly he ruined cars.
One day when I was 11, I decided to go for a ride with him and he was drunk as usual and that car could never lay bubbler and he was mad at my mother so he put it in neutral, punched the gas down the floor and jammed it into drive. We heard this really loud bang a lot of thumping on the bottom of the floor and a loud ringing sound. I looked behind the car and the driveshaft was rolling down the hill. Served him right.
He was always so jealous when I got my first Cadillac when I was 16,(and living with my grandparents) that was even better.
Good thing he didn’t have a Tempest. Not sure what that drive shaft would have done under those conditions.