OK I'll begin by apologizing for not having any pics(I know you guys hate that). The current owner didn't want pictures of the car to be floating around(would take an hour or two to move enough stuff to even consider getting pics anyway). I haven't seen the car(unburied) for 15-20 years and so far haven't got the chance to help dig it out(will probably take a good part of a day). The car hasn't been for sale for 34 years and so far the owner is only now thinking about selling it to me. Anyhow, here goes. Car is a 1937 Pontiac 2 dr fastback. Good****le, needs completely restored. The car is pretty complete. Unfortunately the few pieces that are missing are parts I would need for the finished car. There are a couple bumper guards and a taillight missing. The grille has a chunk gone from one side. All the chrome(except the grille) is straight but will need replated. All glass will need replaced(deteriorated and/or cracked, ws missing). Interior is complete but the raccoons have torn the heck out of it. I****ume it is stuck since it hasn't been turned over in 20 years. The body is pretty straight, but the fenders are beat up(2 are a relatively easy fix, 2 will take quite a lot to straighten). The car was nearly rust free when stored, but again that was 20 years ago. I would****ume the floors will probably have some rot due to 20 years of raccoon waste. I am just looking for a ballpark estimate here so I don't lowball the owner. All the others I can find to compare are humpback cars. I don't know what the value discrepancy between fastback and humpback cars is now, but I know it used to be substantial. I am thinking between $1500 and $3500, but that is a pretty broad range and was hoping you guys could give me a better idea. P.S. for the right price the owner also has a correct radio for it, if that makes much difference.
Not really a highly desirable car. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. I would think even in relatively good restorable condition it's worth $2500 max.
I'm drawn to it because I grew up surrounded by Pontiacs. I'll take the Pontiac over any other '30s GM offering hands down.
The fastback definitely looks better than the standard humpback. Just looked one up online and it was a one family runner, all original for 8K.
Old Cars Price Guide says parts car #6 $700 restorable #5 $2160. The car you describe sounds a lot closer to a parts car (not running, pieces missing, dented fenders, rusted out floor, upholstery chewed). Restorable means complete with no major parts missing and no serious rust holes.
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Your going to have to help me here,I have never heard of a 37 Pontiac fastback.. HRP
I know there has come to be some difference in terminology. When I was growing up the terms I heard were coupe, humpback(touring), and fastback(slantback).
If it is missing the passenger side tail light, it might not have had one. There was a point just a couple of years earlier where getting a second tail light was an optional cost item. I know Chevy had gone to two lights by '39, but not all Fords had. They do turn up on eBay once in a while. K6
No matter what you pay - even if it were free- you'll spend more on a resto that it will ever bring. You better love it because you'll be upside down
Is this just a blanket statement relative to this hobby or are you saying this because of my description of this particular car? Just curious as I have been pretty lucky thus far. Granted I haven't profited, but I have broke even on all my finished cars in the past. I attribute that about 10% to making good buys and 90% to free labor(I do everything myself except stitch the interior).
Blanket statement that covers 97% of cars. Then there's the restore a corvette or restore a chevette argument. If you break even because your working for nothing ,,,, well that's not such a great deal. A better deal for you- Come here and I'll feed you 3 times a day, get parts, keep the lights on and pay you 20 bucks a day, you'll not spend 1 red cent on the car and you'll do what you love and you can play with all my equipment. That beats working for nothing right. You can even test drive them
I can't say I love the work necessarily(enjoy some mechanical and painting, hate bodywork and electrical). I just do it because I have yet to find an affordable "finished" car that wasn't cobbled in some way or another. Not that my work is perfect by any means, but when I do it myself I know what I've got inside and out and can hopefully save a couple dollars.
Start low, find out what the seller feels that it is worth and then tell him or her what it is worth to you, con't go wrong. I find myself in the situlation where the seller will say, "what will you give me for it", and I tell him,***X dollars, because that is what it is worth to me. Usually the seller ends up yelling at me for not knowing what it is I am buying or trying to "low ball" him. No matter what kind or type of vehicle you end up with, when you go to buy used parts, the seller, if they are good, will make you feel like you have the greatest vehicle since slice bread, and you should be willing to part with your hard earned cash, no matter what the price, on that vehicle.
I believe the GM cars of that era without a trunk that you are referring to as slantbacks originally had the spare tire mounted on the deck and were called Town Sedans. There was storage available behind the rear seat . I've seen Chevy,Pontiac and Buick examples but not an Olds or Cad.
agreed, not a highly collectable car... kinda like my 51 plymouth, clean car, super driver but a same year, equally clean chevy would probably be $2-3k more than the plymouth I have.
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