Thread: ?, Im going to sell my 39 chevy coupe will it sell better painted or primered

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I am really considering selling my 39 chevy coupe that I am finishing up. everything on the car was done top notch no short cuts. I am tring to decided if I should leave the car in primer to sell it that way, so the buyer can paint & do the interior whatever color he or she wants; or would it be easier to sell painted /w interior done.( which would increase the price).
here is alittle back ground on the car
39 chevy buss. coupe, all steel, body was chemically dipped sealed in dp epoxy primer body work done, orginial straight axle was streched 6", cross steer, front disc brakes rear drum, 9" posi 3.00 gears, bbc 454,w/ 400 tran all rebuilt, doors & trunk shaved, w/ solinods, doors converted to vent delete glass, pw, pb, gen II a/c & heat , flaming river steering column, smoothed firewall. custom s.s. 17 gal gas tank, v bent windshield, tinted glass, smooth running boards, have installed a rear seat, and have power heated seats. car car bottom & wheelwells finished with lizardskin.as is

the car runs & drive (black primer), I the color I have tought of painting '08 dodge dk. titanium, or 07 chevy laser blue

so would it be better sell finished or so someone can finish it there way?
also any guess to what a realistic price for the car would be?
*** this is NOT a "for sale" ad JUST NEED INFO TO MAKE A DECISION***

You could try to sell it the way it is, since flat black is currently popular.

The drawback might be that older buyers want a "nicer" car, and flat black is a low-buck alternative.

The next question is, can you paint it yourself? That will cost $1,000-1,500 for good materials. If you have to have it painted, you will probably spend $5,000 and up, unless you go to Earl Schieb. Can you get that much more for it? Otherwise there is no point in painting.

Sounds like a nice car! Hard to say on whether to paint it or not... Color on a car is a strange thing, some love it, some hate it..... but then in primer, lots of people are going to be asking themselves why you would want to sell it before it's done? If you paint it, resale red or a nice neutral blue always seems to sell good...or maybe sell it in primer with a creative ad saying the buyer can paint it himself, or pick the color and hire you to paint it.... I guess you would have to consider if the cost of painting the car would increase the sale price enough to make it profitable for you......

depends on the buyer .. i could spray it myself so i would prefer buying it in primer .. were i not able to spray it i would want it done .. finish it and get all you can for it now .. i see a downturn coming soon in the prices of such cars .. mostly all cars except super rare stuff

I have a cop friend who about 10 years ago bought a running '40 Ford sedan for $ 2500.00. He immediately had a $ 4,000.00 paint job put on the car, and we were all saying he was nuts..........like putting lipstick on a pig.

The final laugh was on us. As soon as he got it out of the paint shop he sold it for $ 12,000.00. The car was horrible every other way, but it sure LOOKED good, and that seemed to attract a buyer.

Don

I would say it depends on what buyer your trying to target. i would buy a car in primer, but the guys with money would probably want paint, so i say its a tough call.

My experience- this would be classified as an unfinished project. I would be bidding low ball hoping you either ran out of interest, money or hopefully both.
Want top dollar- finish the car.
Unfinished cars attract bargain hunters, like me.

Kool wish that I was in the market for another. But would have to sell my 64 first, dont think that that will happen any time soon.
There is both pro's and con's to painting your rod. You might find smoeone that wants what you have but has a desire to put there flavor of a finishing touch to it. Then again you could luck into that someone that will drop the Bengermans for a complete turn key. A tough dession to make. I know a guy that had his Dodge painted by a body shop with the deal that they would get paid after he sold the car? That was last year and I dont know if it did sell.
I guess you could flip a coin, draw cards or see a fortune teller????
Good luck.

Hard to say. Some buyers probably would like the completed car because they probably don't have the experience to finish it and then others want to paint there own color and do there own interior.

thanks guys, painting it is not a problem I can do it myself (paint booth) & i am not building it to sell. What got me thinks is. I am really leaning towards painting the car Dark Titanium used 07-08 chryseler & dodge cars & trucks,(going for a elegent, sleek look), thought it would look good on a smoothed & shaved car. but my wife thinks it will be very hard to sell down the road, stating that most of the cars at hotrod shows are bright colored. what do you guys think about the color?

Resale Red is called that for a reason. The titanium color is nice and rich..........................and will cut your resale market by probably 50-75%. If you're doing it for your own long term enjoyment, good choice, for short term with resale in mind..............not a good choice.

You could tell prospective buyers that you will apply the custom color of their choice. That way you still get the highest price without having any potential buyer turned off.

Sell the sizzle not the steak.

Anytime I see a car in primer- I'm thinkin' the owner has just squirted over all his sins. Paint a popular color. Stay away from fad colors. No flames, no graphics.
If it was me- I'd paint red or black for best bang for the buck.

Black shows off a straight body. For some reason, I've always hated red. No matter how nice the car, or how cheap the car, I refuse to buy red.

As for myself, I prefer a primered car so I can choose the color I want.

I've been looking for a 37 or a 39 Chevy coupe but I want an unpainted car. There is too much mistery with what's under the paint on a painted car. The same goes for upholstry. I'd much rather see the car from the inside too and do the upholstry the way I want it done.