Cheapest Car purchased?? $50 Deuce body

In 1991, I bought a 69 AMC Hurst S/CRambler for $50.00. I was 14.

In 1992, i sold the car for $4500.00, and bought a cherry 69 Mustan Mach1 with 53k original miles for $5,600.00.

Sold it 2 months later for $6,500.00.

I wish I still had both cars.

 

how bout a 32 ford cabriolet body and frame bought in 1994 for $500?

only problem was it didn't come with the center K-member. had to pay another $25 for one at a swap meet.

 

I was in the USAF in SoCal in the late 60's and lived in Oxnard. Bought a chopped and painted '32 tudor body sitting on a33/34 frame for $100 in Ventura. Never got it into roller status to tow back to Michigan. Traded it off for a Z-28 intake and carb. I then traded that off at home for a disfunctional Corvette fuelie unit. Eventually I got it rebuilt and used it one summer on my '40 Chevy convert. I sold the fuelie unit in the late 80's for $2300.

Man. that was a nice body.

Charlie

 

My first old car was a 31 Model A panel truck...75.00 mid 60's a new car was about 2500.00 I was making excellent money for a young HS grad. @ 3.50 an hr.

My first Corvette was a 63 2 top roadster 327-340 1200.00

second Corvette 2400.00 69 427 390 T topper with some body damage.

third Corvette 62 327 300 factory wire wheels with real knock offs. 800.00

I was probably up to about 8 or 9 an hr. by then.

I did the exhaust on a 34 roadster about 20 years ago that the guy bought from an ad in the back of Hot Rod magazine in the 50s-60s. It came out of Ohio. He kept the car and the magazine. I always thought that was cool. The first thing I checked in Hot Rod every month was the classifieds. At the time I always thought they were asking stupid money compared to our local prices. Of course I still think people are asking stupid money today.

 

Mom still has a picture of the car that her and Dad bought the day they got married, then drove on their honeymoon. I've been going through her stuff but can't seem to find it. The picture was taken on the used car lot they bought it from and the sign on the window says "Best Model A in the USA $65.00" Only wish they had kept that one...

 

How about most of a 32 roadster body for free?

15 years ago I assembled a rough 32 roadster for a restorer in town, and received all the leftovers as payment. With the quarters I already had, the leftovers almost make a whole body. Got a nice cowl, a few doors, some subfloor pieces, and other misc. scraps.

 

A neighbor a half mile east of us had a faded blue '51 Ford tudor parked by the barn, said the transmission was making a noise. That summer I was hired to plow for him for a couple, three days. As they fed me supper on the last day he asked me, "George, what do I owe ya.". I said, " What do you want for your Ford". He said, Have you talked to you dad about it?" I said, "Yea". He said, " How 'bout we just call'er square."

Figured out about $35 Drove the car for four years to high school.

Flathead eight, Ford-O-Matic

Put a 4:11 gear in it out of a stick car, Used to surprise a few folks at the local strip in O/SA. (O Stock Automatic for you youngsters).

GV

 

My dad and a friend had a '33 or '34 Ford coupe that they ran as a stock car in the early '60s in Universal City, TX. He said they would dent it up on the weekends, then go and torch parts off another coupe at Junky Joe's to fix it the next week.

Slonaker

 

Too new for this site, but I bought my great-grandfather's '66 Charger from my aunt after he passed away for $500, this was 1993. It wasn't a show car by any means but it was a yellow 325hp 383/auto car with pearl white/black interior.

My dad worked at a car crushing outfit in the early '70s, his boss walked in one day and told him to hand over ten bucks. He pulled it out, and the boss pointed outside and said, "you just bought that Chevy." It was a really nice baby blue '57 Bel Air convertible with a Power Pack 283 and continental kit, the engine had locked up and the owner sold it for scrap. Even in the '70s this was an amazing deal. Later that day, while he wasn't paying attention, one of the guys on the lot grabbed it with a forklift and stuck it into the crush machine, the last time my dad saw it the fins went down into the hole. Easy come easy go.

Harms Way, that was a GREAT STORY! Proof that even beat up Deuces are chick magnets.

You might!! Wish I was in your shoes though.

 

No '32 Ford, but I bought a 1961 Ford Taunus (German) for 5.00 Danish Kroner. (Aprox. $1.00) back in 1994 and transformed it into the second pic in 2 weeks with the help of almost all the members of the club I was in back then. Entered a Engine blow-up contest at a US-car show the same year and swaped it for the wagon on the third pic. After 11 years the wagon looks like pic # 4. I dont think there's a car around I would swap it for anymore!!!

Klaus

 

my neighbor, an older guy about 85 bought an Auburn roadster right before WWII for $50- the first gear was out of it but he said it was no problem, drove it around in 2nd and 3rd, parked it before getting drafted, and when he got back his mom pestered him to get the heap out of the garage, so he scrapped it
He said after seeing my Model A- we'd buy these for $10, fix the motors and sell them for $20!

 

LMAO! sounds just like my granddad

 

My 36 Ford 5w was purchased by my dad for $60 after he passed up a running and driveable 34 2dr for $500.

 

In 1979, I was 13, my mom and pop owned a feed store. I worked there after school, helping load feed and bales of hay, and going to help on the occasional delivery. We go to a regular delivery (the Van Ness house) and drive down the path to the barn. Mr. Van Ness meets us back there to open the barn and the back doors are open already (they usually aren't) I look through and see this cool old car. I stare and stare at it as I am trying to do my job, Red (the delivery man) keeps yelling at me to keep working, and Mr Van Ness keeps chuckling and finally asks me, "You like that old car Bud?" I stammer something about it being really cool and he says, "Well, talk to your pop and if he says yes I will let you have it for 50 bucks." I still don't know what the hell it is but I know it is a car and I could drive it around the field at the feed store for fun, not work (I had to drive the feed truck while we were feeding the animals). So I go back and ask my pop and he asks if I got the money, I said "Sure do." He says "Well, we'll go look at it after we close shop." After changing the fluids, filters and a new battery, I become the proud owner of a 1963 Pontiac Tempest with a 326 V-8! White with a red interior. I must have put on 3,000 miles on that thing driving it around the field chasing sheep, goats, horses, ducks etc. The car was in perfect shape, no dents, and it ran perfectly. Came home from school one day about a year and half later and my pop had sold the car to a lady for 1000.00 and bought a 63 Volkswagen squareback for 500.00 and gave me the other 500.00 to buy parts! (It was very nice of him to do that as all the other kids I hung out with had VW's at the time and he thought I would want it, but man, what I would give to have that Tempest again.) Sorry for the long post, but it is one of those memories that will pass through my mind on my deathbed.

 

Once I traded a baseball hat and a butterfly knife for a 1959 VW beetle, and I bought a '74 Camaro 350/4bbl for $200 while in high school. I put the fan belts back on, charged the battery and drove it home.

 

My brother and I partnered on a 63 Polara for $50 in 78. Tried to kill that thing for a year and then junked it to get out of all the equipment violations we had collected. Then went to DMV and got my $40 back since I never registered it.
Bought my 60 Cadillac in 81 for $350. Still have it.

 

I went to a farm auction in the late 80's..... I bid $10 on a model A truck box, $5.00 for a '28 sport coupe body, $1.00 for a '28 tudor body on a frame with fenders and $0.50 for another '28 tudor body only missing a door. Nobody else bid.

 

Just wait till 2025 when we'll be saying "man I only paid $5,000 for my 32 3w coupe body back in 2007......." I don't even want to think about what we'll be paying for hot rods in 2025.

 

I am a youngin' compared to most of these stories...only 30 years old. But I have a few decent deals come my way occasionally.

How about the 68' Dart GTS Convertable for $1500. It ran and drove but had no brakes and some quarter panel rot. 340 automatic car with 40,000 original miles. That was when I was about 20.

Traded that car and $2500 for a 66' GTO Convertable with a 389 tripower. Ran ok but the powerglide sucked, and it could really have used better brakes. Factory red car with a black interior and top. Ran and drove great. Sold it to pay for the first two years of school.

I got another 68' Dart GT convertable about two years later that ran and drove, but had no brakes and a lot of rot - $1500. I traded that car and $2500 to a friend who needed money and was selling his 67' Pontiac Lemans Sport Convertable that someone had partially cloned into a GTO. It also had a 389 tripower (factory 4 speed motor from 66 according to the block stampings), and the GTO hood. It was a much nicer driving car with a TH350, disk brakes, and much better suspension.

Sold that one to pay for my last two years at school.

Rust free 73' Scamp with zero options - $400. Slant six, drum brakes, manual steering, low rent interior, but it ran great after I adjusted the valves and put a new exhaust on her. I put 100,000 miles on that one in 18 monthes. I really liked that car. Sold it with a bunch of parts I got for it to convert it into a V8 car for $1500.

My turbocharged Z28 was found in a wrecking yard for $400. It still had the aftermarket turbo setup on it because the yard monkeys were all 16 years old and didn't know how the open the hood. Factory 4 speed, T-top, posi, and cowl induction hood with a martin turbo system on the original 350. Also has a hurst shifter, GMPP steering wheel, holley carb, and a bunch of other trick stuff. And it was a 1 owner car! All the body needed was drivers floor and all the dings and taken out. Its at the body shop right now.

I got the 49 I have now by trading an engine to fathack that was given to me. The guy gave me the heads later and I still have them here for him. Just have not been down there to drop em' off.

 

In the mid 60's, my dad bought a '40 Ford coupe with a wornout Flathead V8 for $65, it took us to grammar school for a long time, then he sold it for the $85.00. I remember him grinning that he made 20 bucks on it. I think though, he was making about 60 or 70 bucks a week back then, so 20 bucks was a big deal.

 

I bought my first car for $175 in 1979, a '64 Impala 2 dr. HT 283/PG with bad rings. My dad drove it home for me and got pulled over for excessive smoke and bad plates... The cop let us get it home with no ticket.

Sold it for $250 2 years later even after I pulling the engine out to take it apart. I had a $500 '66 Starfire to drive around, because I missed out on a $400 '65 Chrysler 300. I Still had a project car... a $325 '53 New Yorker.

Just before we left Detroit for FL, '77, my dad was offered a '57 Dual Ghia Conv. for $1500, he had to pass, a few years earlier, he and his brother looked at a running driving Mecedes gullwing, couldn't get my mom to part with $1250, half the money it would have taken to buy it.

 

I'm real young compared to all those in 2002(at 15)bought a running and driving 1976 malibu classic for $150(my first car that ran) and drove the thing home of course but a built 355 in it but still only had $1,400 in the car and ran 13.8's all day long.Also got my A coupe as a thrown together complete car just needed a little work to run for $750 the guy was asking $900 and my dad and I said $750 cash and the guy said how he needed money so OK well needless to say an hour later it was home.That was in 1998 then my dad and I restored it and I bought it off Pops for $1500 running, driving, and fully restored.this is the car I learned to drive a stick on.Now what along way it has come!

 

My pop was 16 in '57 and told me his first car was a clean 50 ford he picked up for $75. I ran through a string of '57 chevys in the mid '80, mostly rusty 4 doors, those were in the $100 to $200 range, a clean 4 door for $700. I always viewed the 4 doors as my education investment. I learned a ton with those rusty monsters. The car I miss was a rust free, complete '57 hardtop I picked up for a grand. I sold it to an uncle who still has it (in the same dismantled state) for 2 grand in the early '90's.

Looking at the old car mags make me laugh at the prices, but just thinking back to my teen years in the mid 80's makes me cry. You could buy really nice '69 Road Runners all day long for $2500. Same for the other notables of the muscle car era.

If I'd only known I would have spent all my cash on cars and a cheap plot of land to store them. By now I'd be known as that scary hermit who lives in the back of an old Road Runner, but I'd be worth millions.

 

how about my dads FREE 35 3 window coupe that is almost 95% rust free, it was buried in about 6 inches of dirt and as they dug (thinking of their worst fears of no floors) they ran across all the garnish mouldings door latchess and window regulators laying on the floor, yeah i said on thefloorm the perfect rust free floor. oh and this was only about 3 years ago!

and i bought my 32 fiver for 1k

 

I know of a "48 chevy fleetline that got traded for a weedeater!

 

Got my first car in 1977. It was a 60 Impala 2dr HT for $300.00. Had a 283 with a glide. Put air shocks, a set of slotted mags, and an 8track player in it and drove it all through HS. In 1980 I got a 69 Cutlass 442 for $250.00. Also got a 58 Impala 2dr HT around then for $300.00. Drove them both for several years. In about 1982 I got a 64 Caddy for $100.00. Rebuilt the engine and brakes and drove it all through college. After those I started spending more on cars. Like a 71 Vette roadster for $5000.00 and a 61 Vette for $6000.00 both back in the mid 1980's. My latest was a 77 Trans Am running and driving good for $1400.00. Got it last year for my 17yo daughter's first car.

 

One of my favorite cars are the 1937 Ford coupes. Not liked by many, but I've always had a soft spot for them. Anyway, I was talking to my grandfather about wanting to buy one recently and he told me he had owned a 37 coupe back in the day. He said he hated the damn thing and after a short time driving it, he ended up trading it to a neighbor for a lawnmower and a bicycle. He told me he was thankful to get that for "that ugly thing"!!

 

A couple I wish I still had, my first was a 57 Chevy hardtop for $25 ran great bought it in 69. I had a 68 Vette 427 4 speed that only cost me 2400, (a loan for 3 years) bought that in 71. Seems like even with the inflation factored in it was easier to buy nice cars 35 years ago, but maybe cause I was living at home and working at the gas station spending all my time and money on cars.

 

Bought a 69 roadrunner sixpack repossesion from a bank in 1975 for $300 bucks.It had no hood,no intake and a broken cam,put a used cam bearing from another block and a used cam and four barrel manifold on it.Found an original fiberglass hood in the local paper for $25 bucks.After I got running it wouldn't shift out of first.
Got under it to check out the torqueflite and found out it was a reverse shift pattern B&M.The best part about was
the bank let me buy it on a ninety day note!Sold it a year later to a guy for $2500 and thought I was rich!
I have no idea where it is today.

 

I started picking up stuff in the mid 60,s been so many I can,t remember them all, 32 roadster body free 33 3 window frame and all sheet metal $25 , running 41 ford jpickup $250, lots of free model a and t stuff. Most recent good deal was a 48 ford 2 door less engine free, that was in1995. I bought a 29 A tudor body last august $250 not quite so cheap but it is as good as the bodies selling for 2 grand on here and ebay. It shouldn't be hard to see why some of us are speechless at the prices of stuff today.