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Old 08-08-2009, 10:28 PM
 
Location: Southwest Nebraska
1,297 posts, read 4,750,233 times
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A friend of mine has this car and is tempted to sell it for only 2000.00. I told him it is worh more than that.

Its condition is needs new interior, paint,ect. basicly total restore. But it still runs and has very little rust. It has been stored for 35 yrs. Does anyone know if this sounds lie it is worth more orany info at all?
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Old 08-09-2009, 09:10 AM
 
11,548 posts, read 52,913,295 times
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The market for this car is as a collectable project car.

That it still runs is nice, but that doesn't mean that just about everything mechanical on it is worn out and needs rebuilding for the restoration. You've already pointed out that it needs the cosmetic restoration work ... and there can be a lot of hidden damage there, too, covered by previous work.

It's easy to spend substantially more in time and dollars on one of these projects than they're worth when done, especially if the workmanship isn't absolutely correct and perfectly done.

The "best" guess as to what the car may be worth in it's current condition would be to check with local car clubs or collectors who have similar cars in restored condition and see what complete/correct restorations are selling for at this time for comparison. Perhaps there's a restoration shop in your area that can give you a "ballpark" number for what a total restoration might cost, too. IF you are thinking that this car might be worth some of the very high dollars that you've seen on the TV auctions ... you may be in for a rude awakening as to how little upside there is to a restorable project car.
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Old 08-09-2009, 09:33 AM
 
Location: Suffolk County, NY
874 posts, read 2,864,969 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunsprit View Post
The market for this car is as a collectable project car.

That it still runs is nice, but that doesn't mean that just about everything mechanical on it is worn out and needs rebuilding for the restoration. You've already pointed out that it needs the cosmetic restoration work ... and there can be a lot of hidden damage there, too, covered by previous work.

It's easy to spend substantially more in time and dollars on one of these projects than they're worth when done, especially if the workmanship isn't absolutely correct and perfectly done.

The "best" guess as to what the car may be worth in it's current condition would be to check with local car clubs or collectors who have similar cars in restored condition and see what complete/correct restorations are selling for at this time for comparison. Perhaps there's a restoration shop in your area that can give you a "ballpark" number for what a total restoration might cost, too. IF you are thinking that this car might be worth some of the very high dollars that you've seen on the TV auctions ... you may be in for a rude awakening as to how little upside there is to a restorable project car.
I 100% agree with this. I have a 1968 Newport that I have done extensive work to. I bought the car for $800 and have spent just over $12,000 on it (this is with doing the work myself). I now just have to get it painted (body work is all done and it is in epoxy primer) which will probably cost another $3,000. If I ever do sell the car I will not get back the money I have into it. After painting it I still have to add a posi and different gears in the rear and will be looking to put a disc brake set up in the front.

The Newport needed no interior work at all since it was mint inside. There were only two small rot holes; one on each quarter panel. The majority of money I have spent has been on engine parts. It has a big block 383 which I put Edelbrock aluminum heads on, a purple cam, an MSD billet distributor and ignition set up, TTI ceramic coated headers and much more.

If the Model A is original and has not been hot rodded at all it will probably sell for less since the majority of people looking at it will be looking to make it a hot rod. Therefore, the engine will go, the suspension components, most of the interior, etc. Anyone looking to do that work knows the amount of money it will cost to do all of this and will not want to pay a lot of money for the car. If the car was a certain model of late 60's early 70's Camaro, Chevelle, Cuda, Charger, Challenger, etc. it would command more money as a project vehicle since the demand is higher. From what I have seen the hot rods do not command as much money as they once did even when they are done amazingly well.

The economy is also putting a hurting on the selling prices of all of the older cars. I am always looking at asking prices of muscle cars and in the last two years people are realizing that they can't sell them for what they were five years ago and are dropping the prices accordingly.
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Old 08-09-2009, 10:42 AM
 
5,652 posts, read 19,283,896 times
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Check a local model A club or an online community forum - there are a quite a few. It really really depends on the model, whether it is a 4-door, a 2-door, of course a roadster or a phaeton (4 dr convertibles) are of course very very collectible and that will boost the value considerably. Don't write it off, Model As are very expensive. If the metal is in very good condition and the rest of it is not, and not worth enough $$ to restore - a hot rodder would definitely be interested in the all metal body parts.... please tell your friend to NOT part it out if it is a model that is of value or like a victoria or something. There are
A restorer who will gladly take it off his hands.
Anybody that buys cars as an investment is really silly. Cars tend to go in and out of style and of course value$.
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Old 08-09-2009, 10:42 AM
 
941 posts, read 3,893,786 times
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Actually, $2k sounds about right.

Once upon a time, they weren't worth anything! I bought one for $5 to haul trash when I was younger.
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Old 08-09-2009, 01:51 PM
 
2,324 posts, read 7,581,260 times
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Model A Fords, in my opinion, are the most sought after of the old Fords and have the most fanatical collectors around. They are not going to make a hot rod out of it. Parts alone would be worth a lot.
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Old 08-09-2009, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Southwest Nebraska
1,297 posts, read 4,750,233 times
Reputation: 910
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunsprit View Post
The market for this car is as a collectable project car.

That it still runs is nice, but that doesn't mean that just about everything mechanical on it is worn out and needs rebuilding for the restoration. You've already pointed out that it needs the cosmetic restoration work ... and there can be a lot of hidden damage there, too, covered by previous work.

It's easy to spend substantially more in time and dollars on one of these projects than they're worth when done, especially if the workmanship isn't absolutely correct and perfectly done.

The "best" guess as to what the car may be worth in it's current condition would be to check with local car clubs or collectors who have similar cars in restored condition and see what complete/correct restorations are selling for at this time for comparison. Perhaps there's a restoration shop in your area that can give you a "ballpark" number for what a total restoration might cost, too. IF you are thinking that this car might be worth some of the very high dollars that you've seen on the TV auctions ... you may be in for a rude awakening as to how little upside there is to a restorable project car.
Thanks! I know it isn't worth the big bucks but he bought it in 1962 for 100.00 and drove for a while till the kids came. He said he was offered 2000.00 and he lives off very little. I just want him to get more if he can. He wants an old late 70's Ford 4x4 as a trade maybe. I will look around here in Somerset,Ky since they have acruise show once a month where old cars come from all over U.S.
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Old 08-09-2009, 07:56 PM
 
941 posts, read 3,893,786 times
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If he wants to trade for a 1973/79 F-series, that sounds like a great trade. A $2,000 '79 F150 would bring a moderately good pickup that are easy to work on, and parts are usually reasonable.
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Old 08-09-2009, 09:36 PM
 
2,156 posts, read 11,119,474 times
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$2K sounds like a real deal on that 1930 Ford Model A even if it is a project car and needs a lot of work and money to properly restore it.
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Old 08-10-2009, 04:13 AM
 
11,548 posts, read 52,913,295 times
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If the current selling prices of regular models ... not the very rare collectable types ... of Model A Fords on eBay is any indication, then $12,000 seems to be the point of sales resistance in the current marketplace.

It's interesting because there's a whole bunch of cars listed as being a "show winner" or "award winner" that the photos show a lot of less than good quality cosmetic work ... and some indications that all may not be correct mechanically, such as alternator conversions or signs of weeps/seeps/leaks from various components underhood. Yet this is not too far away from the common levels of restoration work I've seen on these cars at regional car club shows ....

My point here is that just about any of these complete cars in straight condition needing a total restoration paint job would need at least $3-4,000 worth of paint work (just the paint, consumables and materials is easily over $1,000, so that's not leaving a lot of room for labor at today's rates), and an interior is easily a couple thousand dollars. Add in chrome work, typical small missing parts or fasteners, and it starts to add up to real money ... then you're still looking at mechanical work, radiator work, electrical work, hoses, wiring, and consumables such as brakes and tires. Even if you value your time at zero per hour, just for the hobby fun of doing the restoration ... it's real easy to spend well over $12,000 on one of these standard model cars and that doesn't include the acquisition cost. If you buy the car at $2,000, you'll be upside down very quickly before the car is done ... and that's at an average quality of workmanship. True national level "show" quality restoration and refinishing will cost a lot more ....
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