OK Hambers, I need your help and/or opinions. I have a chance to buy a barn find 34 Plymouth business coupe. This is a second owner, 100% complete car that has been in a dirt floor shed for probably 40 years. Best I can tell in the dim light, the car is pretty damn solid. The old guy that owns it is pretty shrewd and won't let it go cheap. Please help me with the value of this car. Sorry, I have no pictures. Mr. moderator, I know this is a for sale forum, but it seemed to be the most appropriate place to ask this question. Thanks in advance for your help, guys!
You could start by telling us how much he is asking. I never play the "make me an offer" game. If someone is selling something they need to put the starting price on it and if he won't then leave him sit, you'll just tick him off if he thinks you lowballed the starting price.
The Old Cars Price Guide is a monthly magazine available at pretty much any bookstore. That might prove helpful
Did he say what he wants for it? Just ask him what his bottom dollar is and if you don't want to pay that, then you'll just have to move on.
He is asking $5000. Old Cars price guide shows about $3500 which is low based on what I've seen at swap meets and on the net. The intangible is the whole "barn find" and "patina" rage that is going on now and what that adds to the value. He also has a bunch of antique crap that my wife wants, so I'm trying to work out a package deal offer. 5K just seems a little rich for a car that I would buy for future trade bait.
According to the NADA price guide, $5000 is pretty much on target for any Plymouth coupe that year (for the low column at least). As long as it is complete and not a total rust bucket it is probably worth it. You are probably just suffering from "this car is really worth more than I want to pay for it/when did old tin cost this much" -lexia/phobia/disease. Good luck PS- I agree about the seller must name a price post. Like someone else on here said at one time "I don't have time to be the buyer and the seller! Put a price on your goods or I'll walk away!"
My first car was a 34 Plymouth coupe. It cost two bowling shirts. We owned King Pin Bowling Shirts I was 14 and the car was much closer to new
Yeah, good luck. Hope you can get it. If it's a solid and complete car like you say then 5k is pretty reasonable IMO.
henryj429, I had one that was a street rod and I paid 10K for it a number of years ago. I pulled it all apart and spent a lot of money on it and sold it for a loss. They are expensive to do, more so than a Ford, and not worth nearly as much money. They are different and look a lot like a cross between a 32 and 34 Ford with a chopped roof when viewed from the back. Condition is the main thing. If it is rusty and you can't do the repairs then you won't likely retrieve your money. A friend of mine has a rust free 33 Plymouth PD coupe, mine was a PC with the short wheel base and shorter hood. My friend has had it for sale for a couple of years for 10K and can't move it. And a rust free car in New England is hard to find. With all that said, I would snap it up in a minute if it was really solid. You can see other pictures of the Plymouth at my website. Just move the slider bar dow on the left side 'til you see it and click on the image.http://www.bslusa.com/cars/index.htm
I'd scoop it up. But why would you use it to trade with? Why not build it up, or would you rather have yet ANOTHER Ford just like every one else?
Picture it with a 340, 440, early HEMI, or like the one that I see at the Nats NE, a Viper engine. They are a nice car and unlike the Chevys that are mostly wood and the Fords with wood and metal, the Mopars are all steel and just have wood strips for the upholstery to attach to. They were ahead of their time back then. There are kits for Mustang II suspension and an early Ford front end always looks good. I, personally, prefer them with the fenders. Nice looking cars. I bought mine because I always liked them and was unable to find a 3W Ford at the time. Wish I still had it.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. It appears that I need swing a deal with the old fella - and get my wife her antiques too. I like the previous comment about being different. My current rod is a 36 Nash with a 4.6L SOHC Ford. Prior to that was the 429 Ford powered Henry J. In the shop now is a 37 Lincoln Zephyr with a Triton V10. On deck is a 37 Ford pickup with 330 DeSoto hemi (for my wife, and she wants a 4 speed too!) And, I do the parade thing with a 51 Chev Fire truck. The Plymouth would become trade bait only because I just won't have time to do anything with it.
Hey was yours the chopped green one that sat about a half inch off the ground? That thing was pretty wicked! Always knew when that thing was comin. I've watched that car since I was in HS. I wanna see some pics of the Zephyr! I got a coupe on the back burner waiting for someday.
The 33/34 Plymouth's and Dodge's have always been hot rod material. All steel bodies and strong chassis made them good choices for big power. We had several in the Seattle area with hemi's in them a long time ago. Get it if you can providing the rust is minimal-they rot in the back panel under the decklid and the lower quarter corners mostly, and make sure all the front sheet metal is intact-they have several different configuartions for 33 and 34 that don't interchange.
That comment about the back panel was true in my case. My 33 coupe had a bad panel. Dave, at the body shop, made an oak buck and hammered out the panel. That was 20 years ago and cost $600 then. I hate to think what it would cost today.
I'd buy it, I hated them when I first got mine but now I'm glad I own one, they are solid cars and look good if done right, as with any other coupes the value is on the rise, if you can afford it its better to buy it than to kick yourself later for passing it up.
I show a 34 Plymouth short wheel base and it wasn't much more to build than any other car ,boxed the stock frame,used stock 83/4 rearend out of a dart and a 340 from a cuda have had it 26 years. The short wheel base is tight for the engine had to run electric fans so I didn't cut the firewall. Had room for air and heat runs a 727 tranny.
33 and 34 Mopars are great looking cars. Unlike similar early year Chevy and Ford, the Mopars do not have some of the wood structure concerns. They are not however always easy to find parts as we experienced during my friend Rick's build. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/uncle-ricks-33-plymouth-project.680682/ If the car is 100% complete that is a good start. 5K also does not sound bad if the car is as complete and solid. Good luck. Hope the deal works out for you.
I paid more than that for my barn fresh 35 Chevy tub and it was 100% complete, a big bonus. I'm only the 3rd owner! I'd jump at it for that price with that providence
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