I assume they have some influence on actual sale prices, but they have a big influence on asking prices. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have looked at a car for myself or with a friend as an advisor. You always hear, "I've seen these go for lot of money on TV." Two examples: I went to look at a 65 Impala SS with a friend. A widow was selling her late husband's car. It was rough, did not even close to an original drive train, lots of rust, floors were roughly patched with what looked to be 14 gauge sheet steel welded by a blind welder, trashed interior, etc. She wanted $10k for it about 22 years ago. She said her nephew told her not to take a penny less, because they were selling for $40k restored. I told her the car was probably $50k away from being worth that much not counting the purchase price.
I saw a 68 Barracuda FB on a local used car lot several years ago. Obviously I had to stop. It appeared to be a real 383 4 speed Formula S. It was rough. I asked how much, and he said $25K; "These things go for $60K when restored. I told him that it was probably at least $60k away from that plus the purchase price. I left him a business card and asked him to call me if he could not get his desired price. He never called.
