Need help with $$ value of a 39 ford coupe

Found a 38 ford coupe for sale at a Yard. (yes i know the Heading says 39... too late to edit that) Its rough but its all there. Motor is not original. Said its a 283 chevy. It has a clean ***le. Said he had it on a lift and the frame was solid. lots of body surface rust but nothing that scared me. interior is all there but all needs re-done. From what I could tell on my drive by, it looks like it could be saved. He is asking $5,000. I got him down to $4000. But I really don't want to pay more then $3000 even after confirming that the frame is good and doing a good look over on the whole car.

Whats your opinion on the value of this car? Shoud I pay the 4k? or walk away?

 

Why haven't you bought it yet? ***uming it's straight and not loaded with bondo that's a deal. It's not 1978 anymore.

 

judging by the pictures, I'd say it is not fixable. better just s**** it.

 

No kidding. While you are ****ing around trying to get it for $3k, someone else is going to snap it up.

 

ill get some pictures... Its not going anywhere. This is Bumble "F" PA Amish country. Down a back road. People have no electricity let alone Internet. I have time. But:
1- I don't need it
2- I was not looking to buy a car I don't already have a customer for
3- I don't have 4k right now. But could find it if its a good deal

If 4k is just a normal price then I will walk and wait for the next one. If your telling me its a "Great Deal" then ill jump on it and find a customer for the build later.

 

Better to have and not need then to need and not have!

 

I have found two or three in the 1000-3000 range in the last few days. 4000 seems sort of high unless it has ALL the expensive to replace trim and such.

Let me add that these were rough and missing parts. Things like hoods, doors etc can make that 4K seem cheap if you have to piece one together.

 

I bought this '37 coupe for $5,000 about 5 years ago, and was happy as could be.

Unfortunately, even though I planned on keeping it forever, I had to sell it recently due to cir***stances. Oh well...sniff.

If the one your looking at is anywhere near this condition and fairly complete, I'd buy it.

 

Give the man $4000 and I'll come down and give you $5000 for it.

Sound good????

 

Sounds like 1, 2, and 3 just killed the deal.

Now if you find $4,000, put that in the bank for a rainy day, find another $4,000 for all the things that will go wrong on the project and sock that away, and then find another $4,000 for the car itself, then it's a go!

 

give it a week or two and show up with $3500.

 

That's what I am thinking. I'm gonna snap some pictures. Its a whole complete car. Its all there inside and out. But its MUCH rougher then the picture Rickybop posted above

 

If the frame's not rotted in it, it can't be that bad. Maybe the paint's gone and you're suffering from surface rust tunnel vision, who knows. Tell us where it is, then, and see how long it lasts -

 

Do a quick estimate of the items you are buying: IF it is a DeLuxe, it is worth more than a standard. IF it has all the trim, it is worth more. IF it has the original dash with useable gauges and trim, it is worth more. IF it has the window moudlings and window riser mechanisms, it is worth more. Does it have the 39 ******? That is sellable if you dont use it. Bumpers that can be rechromed are a plus. Seat adds some value for the basic springs. Column and banjo are reuseable if decent.

All 39s have the typical rust in the tool box in the trunk. Are the quarter panels solid? Are the headlights all there? IF the thing is a rough hulk with the bolt-ons missing, it isnt worth $2K.....it is easier to start with a complete car with all the little parts....finding the tidbits would make Bob Drake rich and make you poor. Consider old chevy engine to be a liability....not worth anything, certainly worth less than a flathead.

If it is a standard instead of a DeLuxe, it is not worth much unless really complete and really clean. Why buy an incomplete car for $4K and spend $20K plus on the details when you can buy a decent runner for $25K and improve it from there?

 

having trouble raising 4 grand so spend 25k instead---now that is fuzzy math...

 

But it shows the disparity in pricing for the cars better than I illustrated.

 

Not everyone has money falling out of their ***. A grand here and a grand there is a lot easier than $25K up front.

 

you could part the car out for more than 4 grand,,Just a suggestion but show up with 2,500 in cash and see what happens. HRP

 

Maybe so, but it's also a lot riskier. Maybe he will have 3 years and $9,000 invested, be hit with hard times and be unable to finish it, have to sell it and take a huge loss, and end up with $5,000. So he will be out the purchase price of the car, a m***ive amount of time, and have never gotten to enjoy driving it for a day.

Whereas if he saved for 3 years and stacked up $9,000, he could finance another $16,000 and get a car that is nice right away, and enjoy it for years.

Or save the $9,000 and get a car that is in better shape and won't take as long to finish.

There are lots of ways to go about it. Each has pros and cons.

 

Fellows,this guy ain't looking for a $25,000 car ,just something to flip. No pictures,this thing doesn't exist.

 

Some people are checkbook rodders and some people like to work on cars. That's the difference.

 

Your Funny. " No pictures, this thing doesn't exist"

Cause I run a shop and I work 100 hours a week. Ill be lucky to get out of work before the sun goes down maybe before next sunday. Pictures don't come out well at 2am when im driving home.

And you know... I have nothing better to do then start treads on forums about cars that don't exist...

LOL, Im just bustin your balls

Pics will come as soon as I can. Thanks for the help to those who posted.
I build hot rods for a living but 99% of the time the customer brings me their car to work on. Im just now starting to think about buying cars, building them and selling for more profit. I usually don't purchase cars this old And I am not a 39 ford expert. I am a fabricator / builder. thanks again, Mike

 

Well then, to build it and flip it you may be better off finder a nicer car to start with. 32-34 Fords and 39/40 fords can be some of the most expensive cars in terms of getting all the right trim pieces.

 

Very good advise Tman. When I go to look it over and snap some pics I will do a inventory on trim.

 

I've been running into the same thing with this 39. He thinks its worth more than it is.

 

You got the seller down to $4000 and now you want it for $3000,,,why not just offer to take the eyesore off his property for free?

 

Can't say without a pic, but, the one Bart posted looks like a $1200.00 car, 15 tops.

 

Where on earth can you buy that car for $1500? Show me one anywhere. That's for sale right now, not a cl***ified ad from 1983.


Nothing personal, but some of the people who post on here are nuts.

 

That car is much worse than it looks. No floor at all. Quarters in both sides are missing the bottom three to five inches. The rear is burried. The tail pan is gone. All the way up around the trunk lid. Every fender looks like someone took a bat to them. And it has what's left of a ****py v8 60 in it.

 

I'd never trust a sellers "Frame is solid" opinion, slide under there with a flashlight and inspect it and the floor yourself. Just did a frame swap on a '40 a few monts ago, they rot well. Check the quarter panels too. $4,000 is the new $1,500, but nobody has the play money today so it won't be a quick flip IMO. Bob