Yeah, I hate these posts too, but I need a little guidance. I'm into early Fords. As far as values go, I don't know much about anything else. If I could "steal" this car I wouldn't be asking but it looks like it will take a fair amount to buy it. I don't mind paying a fair price for it but would only be buying it to sell - & I'm not in the business of losing $$. I've found a 1952 Oldsmobile 88 4dr sedan. It was parked in a carport beside the house in 1966 when the owner realized he had lost the keys. It hasn't moved since. Complete - front to back, top to bottom. The only things missing are the keys & ***le (owner says he'll be glad to sign the papers to get a new ***le - easy to do in TN). Engine is a mid-mile 303 I think and the trans is a column shift. Aside from some dust & junk, the interior looks like the day it was parked. Dash, steering wheel, & gauges are gorgeous. No clock in the steering wheel. The body is really nice except for a light hit on the right rear 1/4 behind the wheel. A decent body man could repair it in a week of evenings. The car would either need paint or run it in patina. It won't buff out/clean up to anything respectable though. The gl*** is all good as is the stainless trim. Exterior chrome is flaking. Exterior cast pot-metal trim is pitted. If I had a rod shop I'd buy it & bag it just to take the crew to lunch.... But I don't. He told me the car is "in bad shape".He says he was offered $1500 for it once upon a time. I failed to ask when that was. Don't know if that was in 1970, 1980, 1990, or last week. I apologize for not having any pics. I've accurately described it though. Anyone care to weigh in on what it might be worth? I know, to the man wanting an Olds coupe or the guy who thinks 4 doors are "grandma cars", it's worthless, but what about the young guy just hunting a good '50's project car? I'm just guessing anything this solid, complete, & original has got to be worth $1500-$2000. Am I crazy? JH
If it was here in cincy, I'd be looking at it with a wad of cash in my pocket if I thought I could get it for $2k. That's one of those cars that looks great with 4-doors...
I think you're right there in the ballpark at $1500-$2000. I realize you probably aren't thinking about parting it out, but that bellhousing, clutch, and ****** setup is worth some $$$, most were hydramatics.
Is the car an automatic or stick? You might look at an "Old Car Buyer Guide", I've seen these at larger bookstores. If you are really interested, have the money with you or available and ask the guy what he'd take for it. He said that someone offered him $1500, once. He might take less or want more. He might think that now it should be worth $5000, who knows. He he give you a price, you might counter with a offer that may or not be accepted. Be ready to buy if this is the case.
Wow , De Ja Vu, ( or as the french say "**** I think I've been here before"), I just bought a 1949 Olds Futurmatic, it was sitting in a car port for years. The old man that owned it said that he parked it because he had 4 other cars that he was more interested in playin with. It's a 4 door, automatic, 303 Rocket, all the chrome and gl*** is good the interior was re-done about 10-15 years ago, the tires are rotten and the fluids need to be changed, I paid $2000 for it, Redneck Smooth is right, it is one of the few body styles that still looks good with 4 doors, like the caddys of that era.
Doesn't sound like the kind of project where you can invest a couple of days' work and transform it into a beauty. I don't believe there is a significant demand for '52 Olds 4-doors. I'm not trying to be negative. I am saying that this doesn't look like "easy money", and I wouldn't buy it unless it's a car that I would be happy owning for quite a while.
Sounds like it might be a decent prospect back in the $1000 range. 50Fraud, I can see where you're coming from too & realize that folks who share your views on four doors wouldn't be interested. For someone who can see past the two extra doors, it could make a nice cruiser though - with a little work. Thanks guys, JH
Old Cars Price Guide claims #6 (parts) $875, #5 (needs total restoration) $2600, #4 (looks good 50 feet away) $4350. Thing with their values is anything much below mint is calculated from a mathmatical formula, not from actual sale prices. I'd look on eBay and compare prices for all 52-53-54? Oldsmobiles to get an idea what they're actually selling for, if there's many listed. That's what I did for the '55 Caddy we just got in.. I came up with a realistic selling price of around $2500 for this coupe, that way.
My personal lack of enthusiasm for 4-door rods and customs wasn't the point. In your original post I understood that your intention was to flip it -- to resell it at a profit. I was merely suggesting that it may turn out to be a difficult car to resell for more than you're paying. Incidentally, one of our dailies is a 4-door ('96 Impala SS) and I love it. I understand their virtues full well. My negative comments in the 4-door thread referred specifically to the likelihood of their becoming a hot item in the R&C world (not).
I understand where you're coming from re: flipping it. I had a '96 Impala in '98. What a car. I loved it. While I like a Deuce Fordor & several other Ford Fordors, I don't think they will ever gain m*** popularity either. I think we're on the same page. Pretty much. Thanks, JH
Yeah, I'd say $1500 would be the max you'd get for it with all the **** cleaned out of it. So unless you're getting it for about half of that, it's probably not worth buying to resell. They are neat cars but you'll have to listen to guys crab about how it's a four door. This December I bought a four door '55 Dodge, V8 that ran good, solid body, all the chrome was decent/useable, needed a repaint and upholstery, had a clean ***le and keys, cost me $500. Fun for the money, but probably not a money maker in the end. If you're looking to resell it it's gonna have to be cheap. If you want an old car to tinker with it'd be worth getting. Let's see some pics.
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