Hello All so I found this Model A locally. The guy is sick and has no time for it. I'm going to look at it this weekend, but needed some help. How much is it worth? He is asking $7500. I think it can be had for less.What are some common problems I should look for. He says it runs and drives and is not a show car. Which is why i'm interested in getting it and making a good traditional hot rod coupe out of it. And if you had the choice to get this or a 38 Ford Business coupe for around the same cash which would you buy?? Thanks guys. I've attatched some pictures of cars in question.
$7500? you better get there before i do! you snooze you lose, you snore you lose more..you Flat-u-Late
He's sick. That's a VERY fair asking price. Pay him what he wants and go home knowing you didn't get robbed, and neither did he.
I don't know ????? I am really torn between the two of them. But in all honesty that 38 would prolly be my choice for my next cruiser mostly because I could stretch out in comfort in it...John
from the pics, the price is beyond fair. cars might be going for more here in CA than where you are at, but that car would be sold in a quick minute here.
Both are fine and the asking price is way cheap and it becomes a choice you have to make. If the A is in good driving condition you should be able to go just about any place the 38 could go. Now if its room you need then you need to go with the 38 if its as road worthy.
Same here, the more I think about it, the harder it is to decide. The 38 has more room and that V8 rumble, although it looks like the 38 is a little bit rougher, especially the bottoms of the doors and 1/4. I'd cover the gray paint on the A so it matched the roof, personally. I'm not a lot of help, but I hope you guys in the US realise how lucky you are having all these neat old cars over there, and so many dilemmas about which one to buy. Keep us posted.
Going to see the Model A this afternoon. Hopefully I'm taking it home with me! Looking forward to building this one!
The Model A is an older "restoration" needing a few things to be really nice but looking pretty good. The 38 is an untouched darn nice stocker worth thinking about but needing some love and attention too. Both may be good daily drivers, so buy the A and enjoy life. Take a ride, a 20 minute ride with the owner and see what you think before buying. If it drives and rides as good as it looks you should have a nice long relationship.
Looks like the A coupe could be pieced together...questionable welled front fenders, different tail lamps, sealed beam headlamps, possible rust issues, etc. The '38 looks like a more solid car, and with only 31,556 standard coupes built...sounds like a better deal for the $$$.
Be careful with older restorations, 70's & 80's used lots of bog to fill rust & dents. Body wise check bottom of rear wheel arch's inside, they rust against the sub rail/chassis, bottom of rear wheel panel & check the bottom of the cowl inside & out. A lot of the older restorations had crazy roof inserts, check to see if is the original chicken wire, not like mine which was riveted tin insert that was covered. Check the usual stuff chassis wise, which will give you some feel for usage history. Price is OK if it is good condition i.e. you do not have to do much body work, I've seen show cars from $15k - $20k for regular coupes.
You should buy both of them for that price if there are no major problems with either of them. The price is more than fair for either of them.
Hello Tubbs, I recently bought a model A coupe in California. I paid $8000 for mine then had to get it back to Louisiana, which was more expense. The one I bought had clear titles which I feel is important. Yours looks to have some fitment issues at the running board fender area on the right side. Also the quarter panels appear to have some roundness in the area just below the belt line that seems to be a little off in shape. As others have noted this may indicate excessive body filler. Just be objective in your assessment of this vehicle, as it is easy to get caught up in the moment and overlook things that may suggest a lower price or value. I do not buy cars with resale in mind generally, but I think a well built 38 coupe would have a better resale value when you discover your next must have project and decide to let the Model A go. Also I find the A a bit more difficult to enter or exit with stock seat location. You could always buy both and sell me the 38! Any way good luck with the one you choose. MickeyC from the bayou
If you plan on building a "traditional" hot rod from the Model A, what you're really paying $7,500 for is the body shell. Most folks will start with a new frame and add later suspension bits. You can sell off the chassis and original body parts and probably have $5,000 in the body. So why not just find a primo Model A coupe body. They can be bought in most parts of the country for 5K. I hate to see a nice original A coupe cannibalized for just the body.
the only thing I used from my stock 30 was the body. put it up on a early pete and jakes chassis. you can sell the fenders and running boards for 1,500. easy. have fun rolling it around in banger mode before you chop it up
Hello Tubbs, if you pass on the 38 I would be interested in this vehicle. I will be not to far from your area in early Sept. (Crystal River) for a few months and would like to look at it if it is still available. If you would pass along the info I would thank you. MickeyC
Hell............... Shell out the $15k and own them both! The '38 is much cool and won't take much to make it cooler . Sup up that flatty and change the wheels and tires.
The model A looks like it has juice brakes and maybe a V8 - Flattie!!!! I would runnnnn over right this moment with $7500 in habd to buy it.
So I went with the model a. There is some minor rust and a little body filler but over all great shape. Paid 7k for it and got a mig welder and a torch and tanks thrown in along with some other parts. Drives and cranked right up. Hoping I made the right choice and will post pics as I begin work on this one. Thanks for all the info. The 38 was pretty rusted up so I passed on it. Now my 53 Buick has some company I'm the garage.
Hell yeah you made the right choice. You cannot buy a new torch with hose, tanks, and valves for less than $500. That brings your cost down to $6500 right there.
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