Local car is to be sold at an auction tomorrow. Odds of me buying it is low but since I'll be there I'd like to be at least in the ballpark in case the economy has kept the real buyers at home. This is the only pic I have. I have no idea if it runs.
If I was there I'd probably bid up to about $8,000 if it was as nice as it appears to be in the one picture and was running. I think it will go for more though.
O.K., I'll have to take that into consideration. I found another pic though. Looks to be in very good consition. There will also be this for sale.
I didn't think they (Willys) went to sleeve valve until around '26 or '27. Maybe it's regular pop-up valve. Personally, though, if it runs OK and is sleeve valve, that would be OK, because they were supposed to be real good engines.
Yah they run great! I've got a 28 Willys knight with the sleeve valve engine that i cruise around once in a while. As for that car I'd agree with the $8,000 figure. Thats what I would bid it up to if i was there. And, you know, had the money in my back pocket..
Show me where you can buy a roadster like that, that nice, for $4000, and I'll buy them all day long. I think even $8000 is low. If I was selling it, I'd ask at least $15,000. I mean hell, show me another one just like it in ANY condition. If you were after my buddy's all original '24 Studebaker roadster, that would set you back a like amount. Old Cars Price Guide does the pre-1930 cars every couple issues, that will give you an idea, figure they're going to be high by 10-30%, or go by the #3 or #2 value, not the #1 hermetically sealed in climate controlled storage since it rolled out of the factory door, condition.
Those were pretty nice cars for that price class at the time. $8K would be a steal if it's as nice as it looks.
Any car with "Knight" in the name had a sleeve valve engine. Charles Yale Knight held the patent for this style of engine and would license auto makers to use it. Part of the license agreement was that the manufacturer had to use the name "Knight" in their name. Willys, Falcon, Moline, R&V, and Sterns made many Knight engine cars, as did several others. They are great when they run good, but they tend to burn a lot of oil. Click for more info
I've got a set of those lights, any one need them any trades are welcome on early Olds speed parts 54-55 324 or I also need some Lasalle tranny parts.
Well...... The cars were both very nice. There was a pic of the '24 from back in the 60's. Both cars were 100% original steel cars. Both have set for the last 4-5 years. For the purists they were both incredible cars. I attend alot of local auctions and asked about when they were to be sold (what time). I got to talking and the auctioneer told me that there would be reserves on both cars and he finally mentioned that the '24 was in the low 5 figures. As there was nothing else there I wanted, I went home. They both were very nice old cosmetic only restorations on very solid, clean original cars. The cars were worth whatever they were bought for as you couldn't buy another tomorrow like them if you passed today.
I'm not doubting that the cars are rare or in great shape, I'm just saying that as the old bucks die off, these cars are worth less and less. The real demand these days is in mostly 60s-70s cars, with some of the hotter 50s models still holding their value. Yesterday's '24 Willys is today's Hemi Cuda. While you will certainly find some people who are willing to pay big bucks for 20s 30s and 40s models, they are a lot less common than in days past. Add to that the inability to walk into an AutoZone and get even the most routine of maintenance parts, and it's another nail in the coffin for dead-nuts original cars of that era. I have to say, as an owner of a one of these cars, that I certainly feel mine is worth much more than what I paid for it. I felt like I stole it. But really, how many people out there want a 31 Willys? In the end, they are only worth what people will lay down for them, and as those who lusted after these cars pass on, there is just less and less cash put down on the barrel head with each passing year. Of course, the 32 ford, and even the model As, still enjoy some spotlight as the iconic hot rod, and they will consistently command appropriate cash. But whoever bought that '24 is long dead, the kid who dreamed of owning one someday is either dead or getting there, and people today say, 'a 1924 what?' I think sometimes we get into our own little worlds, and let our desire set prices, rather than look at what the market is showing. I know of a 31 Willys Victoria, in very decent shape, that has been for sale for 7k for a loooong time. It's worth every bit of it, but it has yet to sell, and that includes at least two trips through ebay. So yeah, they're all not worth 20k.
I agree with the above too but it still is hard for many of us to set aside our emotions towards a 60 or 70 or 80 year old car that has managed to survive intact and running all of these years. Price wise I see just about anything ROD worthy holding its value pretty well. There will always be those rare classics that will command a high price from the left over old guard too, but many of these "orphan" makes won't no matter how well they have survived. I'd bid my $8,000 because I could enjoy it, get to know it, feel what it was like to drive it and when I was done, send it down the road for for what I paid or a few dollars more allowing me to enjoy it for free.
Maybe. The general rule of thumb is that anything past a certain year will only APPRECIATE in value. These types of cars, however, are DEPRECIATING by a percent or two with each year that goes by. Bottom line, only buy it if it's what you WANT, not what will make you a profit.
I'm sure you are absolutely right but IMO that isn't what should drive one to buy a car. I also don't believe that a car like this will ever fall very far. I'm of the musclecar age. (47) I still was far more fascinated with this car than a 70 Cuda. As IMO we should when we can afford it. If it's something you really want, what some book tells you should be irrelevant.
Where are you getting that information? What makes/models and years are you considering "these types of cars"? I don't think it's fair to consider prices of the last 6 months due to the recent economic situation. I'm very interested to know where you're getting this data from.
There will always be a market for these cars. All cars go through phases though. Certain generations longed for certain cars in their youth when they could not afford them. Once they get to the age that they can, prices rise. Much like Hemi Cuda's did. Hemi Cuda's while down from their peak will never be cheap. Cars like these will always hold value even if they fluctuate somewhat.
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