Usually your best barometer is right here...the regular people!!! Everyone knows you cant believe a single thing on TV...no bids on auction shows...no blowhard hosts of "reality" car shows that spew BS for the camera!! The only way to make an informed decision about what a car is worth paying for is just that...an informed decision. And not just what you read either, you gotta be patient, you gotta be in the game and you have to be in the market!! You gotta take your time to really get to know the make and model you are searching for ...check comparables (and not just ebay ads with no bids and ridiculous asking prices) and see what they REALLY sold for and how long they were for sale before it was sold. Tally options and weigh them against your possible purchase, and above all take your time.... most people nowdays just want to open their wallet and charge it, and they end up paying much more than the car is really worth!!
Remember the "Desert Car Kings" show??.. the one where they go on and on about how much the 65 Cuda rear glass is to buy and how they cant let anything happen to it and...BOOM!!! Amazing...it got broken!!! Now they have to pay that $2500.00 they spouted off about for half the show!! Or do they??...of course not...everybody here knows that bubble back windows can be had for under $50.00, and if you're selling you cant give them away!!
Was it good TV??...heck no, but i'll bet it convinced the guy who was selling the clapped out 65 Cuda near me for $4500.00!! When I asked him "why so much", he informed me that the back window alone was worth $1500.00 (giving me a deal I guess). I offered him 3 back windows in exchange for the car, guess what.....No deal!!! Gee, I wonder why??
No substitute for knowledge and experience, and a great pair of X-ray glasses to see right through the BS!!! Geof