Thread: '30 Model A sedanfor $14,300??

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Hi guys, just wanted to share a find i happened across..
Last weekedn my girlfriend and I took a walk here In New Bern NC, in the historic section, and when we got to one of the many old houses, a B&B type establishment, she spotted an old car out front so we walked up an looked, it was a 30 modelA tudor sedan, with a 4sale sign, asking $14,300. I was just wondering how this compares to prices elsewhere..as this isnt an old car hotbed and just about anything "old" is considered worth its weight in gold by the owners( usually some farmer thats ahd it from dawn of time)
the car was reasonable solid, drivable condition with no bad rust but bad paint: several spots blisted off and peeling. some minore surface rust( nothing more than rub thru areas, no pits or holes. Good wire wheels and tires, all the glass was clean, it was dark and the doors unlocked, so it was hard to tell but I believe the interior had been redone, like a gray tweed style material.. It was last inspected in 1990 ( expired 8-90) and there was a strong smell of gas when we got close, so I'm wondering if someone attempted to get it running? In all I would venture to say someone with good intentions had preserved the car, had the look of being parked in a nice dry garage, then forgotten for some time! Or., as common around here, someone wouldnt part with it becase they felt it was a priceless collector piece yet refused to spend any money for fear of " never getting my money back"
I'm gona try and snap a pic later an post it, just thought ti was an interesting find, especially for a rod buff like me who never sees any! lol

Originally Posted by nc_metalbendr

Hi guys, just wanted to share a find i happened across..
Last weekedn my girlfriend and I took a walk here In New Bern NC, in the historic section, and when we got to one of the many old houses, a B&B type establishment, she spotted an old car out front so we walked up an looked, it was a 30 modelA tudor sedan, with a 4sale sign, asking $14,300. I was just wondering how this compares to prices elsewhere..as this isnt an old car hotbed and just about anything "old" is considered worth its weight in gold by the owners( usually some farmer thats ahd it from dawn of time)
the car was reasonable solid, drivable condition with no bad rust but bad paint: several spots blisted off and peeling. some minore surface rust( nothing more than rub thru areas, no pits or holes. Good wire wheels and tires, all the glass was clean, it was dark and the doors unlocked, so it was hard to tell but I believe the interior had been redone, like a gray tweed style material.. It was last inspected in 1990 ( expired 8-90) and there was a strong smell of gas when we got close, so I'm wondering if someone attempted to get it running? In all I would venture to say someone with good intentions had preserved the car, had the look of being parked in a nice dry garage, then forgotten for some time! Or., as common around here, someone wouldnt part with it becase they felt it was a priceless collector piece yet refused to spend any money for fear of " never getting my money back"
I'm gona try and snap a pic later an post it, just thought ti was an interesting find, especially for a rod buff like me who never sees any! lol

'bout 5 grand (or more) too much, IMO. Especially if you are going to turn it into a rod.

Gas smell - well, the tank is right out there in front of the windshield - and a lot of them leak on a 77 year old car.

Yep, way too high. I would think $ 4-$6,000 is more in line. You can get show quality stock Model A sedans for that kind of money. The guy is dreaming.

Don

Denny, Where did you get the above prices at? I have seen fully restored Model A sedans for 12,000 at Hershey Pa. 14,000 is way to much to pay for a Model A that needs work.

Market is pretty soft on A's and T's.... Doubt you could get it today for a done car.... A Hot Rodded A is an entirely different story.... Throw the book away, it doesn't apply..... even then, the market doesn't seem real strong on A's that are hot rodded. Depends on the nature of the build but as just another boring resto, way overpriced....

I'm not into sedans at all,but I'd walk away from a coupe for half that price. Hank

nc i paid $3800 for this no rot . This i think from watching them along time is about average iv'e seen . Only thing missing was drive train which is just paper weight anyway . click on pic

I've seen asking prices at $14.5 and higher for original A's in older restorations. They usually don't sell, even to other antiquers. Considering that you will end up putting $20 to $30K into one to rod it, wouldn't be good to start out that far in the hole. Nothing more that $6 to $8k would be advisable if rodding is the goal.

Can anyone really build a model A and make any money on it anyway? Are there people out there willing to pay 40 to 50 K (or higher)for a street rod? What if your not a true billet guy and would rather build it mostly out of the wrecking yards? May still cost 20K to build but can you make anything in todays market? There is alot of competition out there, everybody has one in there garage they are working on. I am just curious, don't mean to change the subject.

I was gonna ride by an snap a pic, but never got down that way. I thought it seemed a lil steep, I've never paid much attention to what these cars go for, stockers anyway. As I said, around here the mentality is if its old its worth money, that being whatever the seller thinks it's worth...reality and book values dont apply!

If that Model A is still original just leave it be. It don't need to be rodded if it's still all there and running and you don't need the few useable parts you'll get for that kind of money. You'd be better off to get a modern rolling chassis and a glass repro body.

And quit guessing about values. Go here http://www.antiquecar.com/resources/appraisals.php and and link to the various sites. Go here http://www.vmrintl.com/ and get armed with values versus condition definitions. Get familiar with what conditions are for each category of value.

Some of the evaluation services break down conditions more than others. One even shows what a parts car is worth. You can pretty well frget the highest on all of them. The likeyhood of seeing one of those classes of cars for sale is low.

You can't tell about old cars' owners either. They ain't got no logic. They have a car sitting for maybe decades but won't sell it to you. Maybe they once thought they were going to fix it up. Some are so lame they believe that a decaying original is worth something the older it gets and the more it decays! Sometimes it seems like if they can't fix it up then, by God, nobody will! And the cars just sit and rot out of spite.

Yeah that one doesn't go back that far but they have comprehensive definitions on conditions and they factor in modified cars (rods) thatothers don't. NADA evaluates higher than others but only describe 3 conditions which become kinda vague at the edges.

A completely stock and running 1930 it might be worth more to the folks that like all original cars over rods. For sure as a rod basis it ain't like the old days. About all that would be safe and worth having is the body...and 14 grand is a bit high for that!

Judging by his list,he wants a lot more than 530 bucks. Why waste time starting so low when it's nowhere near what you expect? Hank

It gets the bidding started if you put in some low price, even though you really want more. I do that too. Let's say you really want $ 100 for something and you set your reserve there.........if you put a $ 20 starting bid people will begin bidding. If you flat out put $ 100 as the starting bid it can make people reluctant to jump in.

I know, it seems strange, but it seems to work.

Don

Yeah Denny that car has lots of the expensive stuff already done. Main thing is you're getting your value for all that's listed even it ends of 15 grand. Just don't make sense to start with an original car. Costs WAY too much and there's few usable parts.