Cheapest Car purchased?? $50 Deuce body

Well, it wasn't found 30, 20, or even 10 years ago,.... only 3 years ago, a friend of mine found this Deuce Tudor for $1,500. Behind it in the barn he got it out of was a totally disassembled 27 T roadster Body complete with turtle deck,... they told him he should probably take that stuff too,........ I was the first call he made just to rub it in.
( What a hit !)

 

In 2005 I went to look at an 1966 Olds Toronado, first year of the new front wheel drives, and hoped to get a good big block olds 425 out of the $600 asking price. What I found was a one owner 75,000 mile car with a rust hole in the front fender, a few bubbles on the quarter panels and one small tear in the back of the drivers seat. The owner was in his eightys and left in in his sons garage as a gift and the son sold it to me for $350. When I went to pick it up the son had filled the empty trunk up with spare parts which included bottom end rebuild kit, gaskets, 2 new GM distributer housings, rebuild manuals and a lot more. I rebuilt the carb, added the battery and drove it for 2 weeks and then sold it for $1750, which was probably still a good deal for the guy who was hoping to restore it.

 

my buddy got a 51 chevy in 2002 for $400 and free tow to his house......we were driving it around after 2 days of cleaning things up!

just to show you how popular those cars got since then ive seen junk ones going for 2500! wtf....

 

My dad told me he took a 39 Ford Convertable in trade right after the war (5 year old car). Said he didn't like that the roof leaked so he dumped it for $50.00! Think he could of parked it in the barn and saved it for me? Naw, that would of ment the Moline he did save for me would of been outside. Farmer priorities I guess.

 

Don't feel bad....if they hadn't raced they still probably would have gotten scrapped. You just prolonged their lives a little bit on the track.

It's interesting when you look back at the history of stock cars racing. They started out slaughtering 32-36 Fords, then moved on to 37-40 Fords and Chevies. There was a period when a majority of them were 55-57 Chevies, followed by 64-72 Chevelles and 67-73 Camaros. A few years ago it was the 78-81 Malibus and lately it has been the 81-87 Monte Carlos that are being sacrificed in massive quanities. All junk at the height of their popularity and eventually very desirable and valuable. The Malibus and Monte Carlos will be collectible soon too.

 

My Dad (born in 1942) talks of a few that he wishes he didn't let get away. His Grandfather had a 1933 Ford Victoria with the 4 cylinder engine. He traded it in on a new Nash because my Grandfather wouldn't let my Dad have it....I don't think Dad ever forgave him.

My Dad was stationed in Texas at Ft. Hood in the mid 60's and when he was discharged he drove back to New York in a 1949 Mercury coupe that he bought cheap. By the time he got home it was burning oil pretty badly so he gave it to the local scrap dealer in exchange for some parts to fix another Merc he had.

He also passed up a $200 Plymouth Superbird around 1977 or so when the gas crunch hit. The thing was a gas pig with a 440 engine, so he stayed away from it.

 

bought a 46 ford bus. cp. ,summer of 59 for 25.00 ,it had a cracked block.then spent another75.00 for a total rust bucket 39 ford tudoor sed.that a exelent running dodge red ram hemi in it. took the dodge hemi & 39 gear box and put in the 46 cp. not a bad investment @ 100.00.

 

there are varying degrees of the term "running" ... like, "it ran but after a block or two the motor siezed" or "it runs, but it burns a ton of oil".

i still find old restored model A coupes for up to $8k, last summer i saw an older restored 29 coupe (not running) go for $5500.00 in the local car advertisments. at the fathers day show a full fendered 31 roadster (not running) was marked all the way down to $5500.00 by sunday evening, i was 2 spots down and dont recall it getting sold by the time i left sunday evening.... same show, a real 29 rpu, fendered with drivetrain, not a streetrod - $11k... deffinately depends on where youre from, we find good deals on a regular basis... deffinately not $50.00 deals but when looking at current day values, its a good deal.

anyways a kid who is making $13 /hr can save about $1100.00 in 2 weeks... thats not counting overtime, its possible. i did it during the early 90's.

 

Bought a 37 ford 4-door sedan for $50.00 back in 64. Pasted on a 1957 Ford Thunderbird, with hardtop for $1200.00, in 69 because we were expecting our first child. Also passed on a 54 Corvette that same month for $1500.00. guy wanted to sell it because the hood wouldn't pop up and he had to use a plastic comb to open it. If only we had the money and storage space back then!!!!!!!!!

 

I traded moving a piano out to a persons house for a Crosely Sedan.

Got 99% of a model A sedan body for $50 bucks about 3 years ago. Was the body minus doors. Found some doors and bits that it was missing and Fleabayed it for some $$.

 

Between 1988-1992:
'37 Buick 4dr, no doors, hood or grille, free. Sold the head for $100 or so.
'80ish Dodge Omni, dead, free. I think the junkyard gave us $10 for it.
'78 Dodge Coronet 4dr, the classic Dukes cop car style, $50. Sold for $130 a few weeks later. Ran and drove with a slant six.

More recently:

'53 Buick Skylark, wrecked, $150, sold twice for a total of $3900
'59 Plymouth ragtop, $400, sold $1600
'50 Ford woodie, $400, sold $1800
'59 Chevy ragtop, $200, sold $1500
'60 Cad ragtop, $300, sold $2250
'58 Dodge ragtop, $300, sold $2000 in about 48 hours, wished I'd waited as it turned out to be about a $5000 car had I run it on eBay or similar
'58 DeSoto ragtop, $500, sold $3000

'58 Buick Special 4dr, $50, bad frame, sold the owner's manual packet for more than that on eBay
'69 Olds Toronado, 455, rotty, parted it and sold the tilt-tele for $125, still have the 455.


That's just off the top of my head -

 

1974, bought my first car, a 1950 Ford deluxe coupe from the original owner for $375, perfect shape but had a scratch down one side when some "hot rodder" ran him into a ditch. I was 15 and drove it home, got a good ass kickin for driving without a license.

 

In 1971 I bought a running ,54 Chevy 1/2 ton panel for $100.00. Ran out of gas on the way home and the guy at the gas station offered me $300.00 for it. I almost did it. Fortunately, i didn't and I still have the truck....presently apart for the third rebuild.

 

I picked up this body and frame, in the summer of 1961, for $100. That was a lot of money then, and I had to pass on an original, running '31 tudor for $20, from the same guy. I traded the body for a '32 roadster pick up, then sold that to a guy who wanted it worse than I did.

 

1976...14 years old and I scored a free '35 Chevy Master 2-door sedan with minty sheetmetal. Cost me $15 to get it towed home. Too bad the wood was all gone, I sold it to my brother for $50.

1978...nice '26 T coupe body for $50. Sold it the following summer for $250.

1980...'33 Ford 2-door sedan body for free from a farmers yard. Sold it for $350.

Haven't found much of anything lately, although my Essex was a good buy.

 

my dad told me about the 55-57 chevies for $25 or so 3 65 mustangs for $40. He makes me sick telling me stories of cars he scrapped. The best was a 64 belvedere with a 426 hemi 2x4's 4 speed and dana 60 rear. He could have bought it for $250 but couldn't get the money

 

I bought my turnkey '39 Chevy Master sedan for $40.00 in 1957. The '34 Cabriolet body on my sportsman racer in '66 cost me $10.00.

 

56 Chevy 4 door, $20.00 in 1972
65 Coronet 500 in 1976 for $250.00

 

I bought my first car in 1965 for $100. It was a 1940 Ford coupe. In 73 I bought another for $150 for parts. Still have it today. In my avatar.
I also bought a 38 Chevy sedan for a bottle of Jack Daniels in the 70's. Hell I still have that one too. But it is ForSale here on the HAMB. Might cost you the whisky store today!

 

An older friend of mine told me that back in the early sixties he sold a pretty nice, running, driving '40 Ford coupe for a fake ruby ring, a transistor radio and $35 dollars cash and felt kind of bad for sticking it to the guy that bought it!

 

As a 15 year old kid buying my first car in 1971, found a 53 Pontiac, flat head straight 8, 3 on the tree. Needed one tail light lens to pass inspection, $75.

In 73, swapped a running 54 Chevy for a non running 66 Coronet Convertible, had all of $15 into the Chevy. Still have the Coronet, a 383 4-speed car.

Bought several Corvairs for $50 or less.

I know it's not something you guys would be interested in, but last fall I picked up a 77 Mark V for $500. Battery and gas and away it went. Cars loaded, needed next to nothing. I figure a $500 car today is like a $50 car 30 years ago.

 

Remembered another one...
In 1977 I bought this rust-free '56 Chevy 150 sedan for $50. It smoked like hell when we first got it running, then discovered a broken rocker arm. Replaced that for a buck and it ran like a top! The only body damage on it was the little scrape you can see on the front pass. door. Sadly I ended up rolling it into a ditch and totalling it on a country road a year later. I was 15...no drivers license, no plates, no insurance. I did all my driving on rural farm roads. Stupid fricken kids!! lol

 

1975 I came across a 51 Buick woodie sitting in a driveway in San Bernardino. Knocked on door asked woman who answered door For Sale? Yes. How much? answer: How much do you have in your pocket? Seven dollars I said. She said SOLD, but only if you have it outa here this weekend. Needless to say it got towed out that Sunday morning.

 

Not exactly a car purchase but, got a 38 Indian Chief minus the motor and trans for nothing. the owner asked me what i was going to do with it and I assured him I was going to restore it. He said 'take it". That was in 1980. I asked him where the motor/trans were and he told me to get hold of his son. The son told me where the motor/trans were but I ended up trading him a very used canvas top camper for the power plant.

greg

 

The day Lee Oswall got poped I was in a junkyard. Bought a 31 Ford 5 window coupe body for $5.00..(no doors truck lid) Went to pick it up in the spring and it aws gone. The old guy that owned the place had no idea....
Pontiac Slim

 

1994 I bought my 32 5 window body with the roof cut off and a usable frame for $500.


guy made me write a check out to a christian childrens charity in texas, didn't take a penny himself. kinda makes me wonder what he did to get the body in the first place that he felt that bad about selling it.....

 

The first car I got was in 67 it was a free 56 chevy 4 door wagon. Then I bought a 56 chevy 4 door sedan for $15.00 for parts. Got bored with these and bought a 57 chevy 2 door sedan for $75.00. Then a 56 chevy 2 door wagon for $50.00. Well my list is a lot larger. but it was a lot of money back then and I wish I could have kept all of them. On another note I bought my current 28 chevy project in pieces, but all there a year and a half ago for $400.00 so some deals are still out there...John

 

in 1969 my pops heard of a car in a lumber yard, he went to go see the car, and the guy told him if he could move all the wood in front of it he could have it. so my pops spent all day moving all the wood and ended up with this



and when i was about 15 i started looking for a car to build, i finally found one south of albuquerque for 60 bucks...

 

Bought the front half of a '27 Touring about 9 years ago at the Red Deer swap meet - sight unseen (except for a blurry polaroid). $35. Assembled a whole ton of parts to build a cool little lakes mod out of it but ended up selling the body in '07 for $500 US! It was a good deal

Steve

 

Bought a very nice 41 ford 2- dr sedan in 66 for 25.00 without eng and trans.Bought a pretty nice 62 corvette in 70 for 225.00,drove it home but had to give the guy his new battery back.Bought a nice 55 chev 2-dr sed. drag car w/straight axle and olds rear,roll bar,[nice car ,all lettered up,] no motor and trans for 100.Wish I still had em.