An ambitious project (sad pictures)How much would you offer?

Depends on how your conversation went. I usually would present the seller a couple of offers depending on what they're willing to do.

The way that car is sitting, obviously no one has cared a wit about it for decades. If it holds sentimental value I'll try to encourage the sale by letting them know I'll do old Uncle Joe's memory proud and get his pride and joy running and back on the road. Sometimes this means more to the seller than cash.

Seeing how much work that thing needs to dig it out, I might tender an offer that says "if you're willing to dig it out without damaging it, and can load it up and bring it to me, with a clean title, I'd be happy to pay you $1000 for it delivered to my door"...."If you want me to spend a few hours with it, pay a tow truck or rent a trailer, transport it to my shop and unload it, risk it breaking in half, take it on a Bill of Sale only so that I have the headache of getting a title, considering all that work, I'd only be able to offer you $250 for it". This puts the seller in perspective of what's really involved just to get started on the project.

 

If you buy it for $1,000 add labor, fuel, trailer expense, time and sell it for $1,000 you lost your ass.

If you buy it for $250 add the above expenses and sell it for $1,000 you made out ok, but you aren't getting rich.

$250 was a fair offer.

 

I have a friend who asked me to look at a couple of 27 Chevs in about that condition last year. I told him that they woulden't bring more than a couple of hundred each. He made an offer and diden't get them. The guy that ended up with them took them to the Portland swap meet last year. He sat on then until Sunday and finally got $500 for the pair delivered! You made a very fair offer.

 

I agree with Dave. Unless you have either the resources (money) or ability to rebuild something like this basketcase Stude, you would be better off to keep looking. JMO.

 

Sounds about right really.
I hate making offers. If they want to sell something they need to put a price on their own stuff. If someone insists I make an offer, I make sure they understand this: If I am going to put the price on your car, it is going to be a real low one.
I'd pass on it.

 

I wouldent offer more then $250. After you dig it out, clean it up, strip it out and then sell the useable parts to some crazy Stude collector a year or two years from now after dragging it to swap meets??? For what, a $1000 or maybe $1500 bucks...forget it! Now if it was a '27 Caddy or Packard!

 

I'd be interested in the dash insert/guages if you're not going to use them!

 

I think most Hamb Members would be mad too if someone offered them 250.00.
How much is that clock worth? 1927 clock.... Its 4 o clock somewhere.
Wonder if its 4am after drinking all night or 4pm when the battery died?

 

Your offer of $250.00 is exactly $50.00 more than I'd have offered. That radiator shell was nickle plated when the car was new, no plating shop in the world could replate it and have it look like new again. The curved radiator is a very unique feature, can't think of another car that had one. The headlights IF the bottoms aren't rotted away may get you some money, but you'll be hard pressed to flip the rest of the remains. Take lots of photos to remember the car, they aren't out there like they were 40 years ago. Post the question on the Studebaker section on the AACA website, but I'll bet you won't get one reply inside of the first week. Thanks for the post and photos. Bob

 

You have a seller who has no idea what the thing is worth, if you told them you would give them 100 grand they would balk and wait for the 250 grand offer. If you lost this one it would be due to the art of the game more than value. If he told you he paid 1200 bucks for it a lot of guys would call him nuts too. Poor guy really can't win. If I offered 250 I would have to explain that this was my first offer and tat they would have to counter with another opinion. This sounds like both parties were so afraid to offend each other that they sort of just did. You may have to go back and try your best Schmoozie Schmoozington moves to pry this one from the soils. Saw a couple of retail ideas of what the old thing is worth after all the rescue and dismembering but did we ever really give a fair value sum for it as it sits?

 

The kiss of death..."my cousin saw one on eBay, blah blah, blah. "

 

Man I think it was a fair offer, tons of good parts left on her. If you dont want to build it part it out,I'm sure there are guys pulling their hair out trying to find some of the parts thats on her.

 

From your descriptions of vehicles you were complaining about getting low ball offers you must be the person from the Mohawk New York area trying to sell a bunch of very rusty and almost junk vehicles for very high money.QUOTE=rustynewyorker;6286959]I could sell $1000 in parts out of it without even breathing hard and still have plenty left. If you're offering less than that, forget it - where the hell you going to find another '27 Stude? And you don't even show us the body, you've assumed it's junk because apparently you don't think you can fix it - but THAT DON'T MAKE IT JUNK. Too damned many guys go around wearing blinders limited by their own lack of skill to do much more than the basics, or they're afraid of rust, bodywork, metal fab and welding, so to them a car that needs some of that is junk, when there's 10 other guys who could and would build it if just to have something different. It's one thing to know your abilities and your limits, but it's another to not even be able to stop and think that other people may be able to do things you can't - that's just plain stupid.

No one repops parts for those cars - the guy who needs the pieces is going to fix them and use them. Now it's true that '27 Studes aren't Model A's and it may take some time to find the guy who needs the parts, but just the same when that guy does turn up - where's he going to find another one either.

And there's no reason the car can't be redone with steel to replace the wood, just the same as a GM car of the period.

So when you offer basically scrap money, was it me I'd be escorting you off the property with a shotgun, frankly. I'd sooner scrap it as sell it to you for scrap money.


Also, realize this is the HAMB so you're going to get a bunch of guys still stuck in 1965 who think that's more than fair, they can even point to examples they've bought just as cheap. Of course that fails totally to take into account when people who have something like this A: don't know what it's worth, and B: don't really care. Which is the only way you steal something like this. We had a '32 Packard Light Eight that was little more than half the frame with the motor, cowl, hood and grille and ended up trading it for about $2500 worth of old toys. It had been cut down not to a doodlebug but to a powerplant for belt driven machinery, perhaps a sawmill. Not everyone is starving, and not everyone wants to give this shit away for next to nothing either. A lot of guys don't get THAT.[/QUOTE]

 

Popcorn time! I'm off to work, will check back tonight.

 

scrap metal price ?
plus some extra cuz you are nice ...
offer to leave the location in better condition than it looks now
??
what was thier last offer and when ..
car is priced well below a #6 parts car
offer less than $ 1000.00

in your head add up what you see as $value cut that in half.. make offer ..

at this $ they get all gushhy and say it worth plenty more

do not argue or point out flaws

leave a standing cash offer with your phone number ....walk away


nicer car are scrapped every day and worse cars are bought way over priced ..
know when to walk away

 

Best answer. Amen. $250 is an insult for a complete (if not solid) car.

 

My father has a 1927 Dictator EU Sedan... a nice... older restoration and a good runner and driver... the strong fact of the matter is that these cars, in great shape, are not worth much at all.

You offered a fair price. sure someone could part it out and make some money.. but that takes time, and from where I am from.. time = money.

 

$250 was in this economy and the Horrible condition of what is left of Said car is all they will get, Yeah there is about $1500 worth of parts there, but not any profit, just hard work and time!

That car will be a further rust pile and totally no good before they finally decide to sell, but by then it will be to late.......Roach.

 

Since I'm getting mixed reviews, a little more back story. This car was left at a service station off of Hwy 301 sometime in the sixties. It was then towed to a garage a few miles off of the road and repaired and parked in the woods where it has been till now. The owner of the garage was always scared to sell it, thinking that the owner of the car would come for it. So it was forgotten. The garage owner's grandson is one of my co-workers and he took me to see the car. He apologized to me when he saw the car because it was in such bad shape. I know it was a low ball offer, but as I said earlier, I'm not a "make an offer" kind of guy. I've asked many times for them to counter my offer. I would pay a fair price, but I had to start somewhere.
The ownership of the car was passed down through the family as people passed away and know belongs to an aunt in the family. I don't think that there is too much sentimental value associated with this car.
The car is in really poor shape. I can lift the body off of the fenders at the rear of the car. The tin worms have been busy.
My intentions were to rescue this car from the woods, clean and salvage what I could and who knows, maybe help someone that was looking or needed something for a Stude they were building. I do have the skills to make something out of this mess but I have too many irons in the fire.
A grand worth of parts on this car? Maybe so, but not to most Studebaker owners. There are some tight Stude guys that still have the first quarter they made. I am a member of the Studebaker drivers club and have seen a whole bunch of these "frugal" folks.
I'll just wait and see what happens. I don't have to have this car, my Ranchero is calling my name. I have plenty to do.

 

they got insulted at that offer. fuckem....

 

Out of the blue, in time, you will get a phone call taking your offer.

 

I like the looks of the grill, and the head lights seem to be in good shape. The dash seems all there. Too bad you couldn't take a picture of the whole car. I think it would be a unique one to rod.
I've seen worse bought for more. I understand the difficulties of offering someone a price, because most of the time its never enough for the owner (then why don't they tell you what they are thinking?) I'd probably go as high as $500, but no more. I REALLY like that grill.

 

How is the rest of the body except the rotting wood?

I'd try 500... if not maybe 750 on the high side, its pretty unique.

Lot of work, but it looks better than some of the stuff I've seen guys start with on here...And its complete.

Greg

 

ah, the old ran when parked gag

 

there is thousands of dollars or work there to do anything with it.....$250 maybe low but i am not sure i would go much further, the title is probably where the value is. so maybe up to $600-700 if you can get clear ownership papers for it. you have to assume everything you cant see is rusted beyond usefulness.....this is not going to be a "pleasantly surprised" at how good it is moment

 

hmmm
seems that it is time to go get your car that you left at that garage so long ago .. even if it was before you were born ..

 

Blind Elwood, do I know you?

If you know me, you know I'd love to drag that old Studebaker out. We're working on it.

 

I went out to look at this car (we have since found out it is a 1925 EF Sedan [2-door]) with Starliner62 and personally RustyNewYorker if you think you can get what you are claiming out of it you ought to come down and buy it for a couple of thousand dollars. Around here that car won't bring what you are claiming it will for scrap.
I appreciate that most of the guys responding here understand the situation for what it is. Anything can be restored, or made into something drivable, if time and money are absolutely not a problem. There are some parts on this car that might be able to be used, but not enough for a real profit after we pull it out, tow it home and disassemble it.
It is a cool looking old beast that I would love to see on the road again, but let's face it it just ain't gonna happen. It might be able to donate some good stuff to somebody else to use and that would be just fine.
I am afraid lots of folks watch too many episodes of American Pickers and the like and think everything is made of gold. It hurts folks that are willing to pay honest prices for stuff when the seller is under the influence of reality TV.
Well, now I have vented. Thanks. We'll see what happens.

 

no title or paperwork of any kind for this car

 

I don't have a TV to watch that show, but I do know that car is almost worthless. A mid 20s sedan never was popular with even the restorers. Anyone who did have an interest in a mid 20s is either passed away or too old to do one.

Parting out would be a pain, because most of the small easy shipping parts are bad or in limited numbers. The rest is heavy or bulky, and you would lose money with the time involved to auction and try to crate and ship. And..the market would be real small.

Let them sit on their "investment" another few decades, and then maybe china won't even want it