Tudor Value

[chrs1961815]

You might have seen my previous thread about a 29 Tudor I have been looking at. I want to discuss how much the car is worth.

The car is mostly original to start with. It has been touched up in the paint department and has had new interior which some of it is accurate (door panels) others not (seats). New wiring was put in a while ago and now needs to probably be replaced. Headlights were converted to sealed beams but they do not work. Looks like the fuel lines are either in really good shape or are repros. The wheels were also repainted with a yellowish color. Also, the dash panel is held in by phillips head screws.

It will need new wiring, a new terminal box (it is cracked and the cover is missing), a new headliner (if I'm picky), maybe a new top, maybe new floorboards, a new front mat, and it probably would not be a bad idea to replace all the gaskets. The carburetor leaks a lot so will need to be serviced.

The positive stuff is that everything is in great shape with no rust outs just a little surface rust on the undercarriage and a few other spots. It runs great with no odd sounds as far as I could tell. The owner is a nice guy who says he is the second owner. We are working on tracing the cars history back. The guy drove it a bit and everything must be somewhat okay if he feels comfortable to drive it (steering and brakes). Also, the car is very close to us so we can drive it home. It has got a title, and has been driven very little by the current owner (since the 80s). The car has a total of of 74,000 miles on the original engine.

I know many things go into pricing, so I want to see what you guys say this car is worth, not just Tudors in general.

[holdover]

First off what does the guy want for it. Also what do you want to do with it. Do you want to do a restoration or leave it as a driver and fix the items you mentioned. Can you do the work yourself, or will you have to pay to have it done. As to drive ability, in my experience someone selling a vehicle might drive it even if it is unsafe, to make a sale, not saying that it is the case here. Are you new to Model As, if so I would get in touch with a local club and see if and experienced member can help you. Good luck..

[chrs1961815]

I am not sure what the guy wants for it because he had it in an online auction and it didn't get up to his reserve. I would say anywhere to the 6 to 7 thousand range. I can do most if not all of the work because it is quite minor stuff (maybe not the headliner). I am part of a club near here and do have a 28 Roadster. I am somewhat new to the hobby, especially closed cars. I was thinking of having a fellow member come take a look but I wanted to see what the barners had to say.

I want to just keep it original, nothing fancy.

[Charlie Stephens]

Be sure the number on the title matches a number somewhere on the vehicle. Probably on the motor or on a tag installed on the door jam by the state DMV. Next possibility would be to pull the body and look for the number that is on the frame under the body. Definitely have a knowledgeable club member go with you to look at the car.

Charlie Stephens

[chrs1961815]

Some pics:

[CWPASADENA]

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Actually, you can buy a headliner all made up for your Tudor.


A headliner is not difficult at all to install.


I would think 6-7K is in the ball park.


My opinion,


Chris W.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I was thinking the same thing as Chris.

[ronn]

6-7k is a bargain


grab it and dont look back.


drive it like you stole it!

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by ronn

6-7k is a bargain

I am not going to argue or disagree with this, -however I'm not sure I would agree to that value either. There is WAY too much/many unknowns to make a statement like that based on my experience with similar cars.

For sake of pondering, let's just assume the engine is out of shims in the bottom end and needs to be rebuilt. How about the brakes, -are they as worn as the headliner? Maybe the steering gearbox and steering arms are worn with a lot of 'play'? Where we at on tires & tube? Are they hard as Chinese Arithmatic and will need to be replaced soon? What about the glass, ...is it all safety glass?? How much else do we not know about?

For a typical home hobbyist that needs to do all of the items above on a car, there is an easy $10k plus in parts PLUS probably 6 months of nights and weekends. There will be more expenses and labor by the time the headliner, headlights, shocks, exhaust, etc is added. To me I would need to physically inspect the car because in my mind, this a typical car needing a full restoration to reliably Start, Stop, & Steer.

[chrs1961815]

The tires are another thing. They are Sears Allstate!

A headliner and a new top is relatively cheap, only a couple hundred bucks from classtique.

[chap52]

Bottom line, "How much do you want to spend?" How much "fixin money" do you have set aside? It's your project, its your adventure and its your priority list to put it on.
Every car needs something, even if it's just cosmetic and a matter of personal preference.
You have been given some ballpark numbers, you decide what it is worth to you, get it for what you consider a good price and be ready for a few unknowns along the way.
Enjoy the adventure, Chap

[chrs1961815]

I think a 1000 to 1500 needs to be set aside for some repairs as noted above plus new tires and tubes.

[Jacksonlll]

My number would not be over $5 K.

[Tacoma Bob]

Agree with #13. Let me break your heart. I bought my 30 Tudor in 2001. Paid $8 grand. It was decent. By the time it was over I put another $10 grand in it. It still needs minor body work and paint. It is still worth 10-12 Gs if I'm lucky. It depends on what you want out of the project. For many of us you realize too late that you might just as well save your money and buy a very nice "finished" car.........If they are ever finished.

[MAG]

Read Post #9 very carefully. I have done a few of these and you can spend $1K to $2K in a heart beat just for parts, freight and taxes. It can "eat your lunch"! Over $5K going in and you will be upside down before you realize it.

[Ernie Vitucci]

Good Morning...I would want to take this machine for a drive of 30 minutes or so and see how it does. How it runs, and stops. Is it quiet or noisy? Can you find out when the oil was changed last and what sort of oil is in it. It is not a bad idea to ask if you can change the oil at your expense...pull the drain bolt and use a strainer to see what comes out with the oil. If there are bits of Babbitt or other foreign material...then you have learned that the engine may/most likely is not happy. Ask if you can at least pull the front break drums and see what the brakes look like...ask when it was greased last...check it as carefully as you would a pretty girl walking down the side walk...Ernie in Arizona

[Dick Steinkamp]

If you try to financially justify a classic car purchase...wether it be a "finished" car (they are NEVER "finished" ) or a project...you will be fooling yourself.

It's a hobby...like golf, fishing, or any other hobby. Count on it costing money that you will likely never recover. If that bothers you, it may not be the hobby for you.

If you can enjoy it as a hobby knowing that you probably paid too much for it and are probably sinking too much money into it, but that you are having tons of fun, meeting great people, having adventures you wouldn't have otherwise, getting the ego boost of solving and fixing problems...then go for it. It really doesn't matter if you pay $4k or $7k for it in the very end.

[abachman3]

I agree that you need to drive it on a moderately long drive. Get a good feel for the condition. That will tell you if you need to do things immediately or later cosmetically. The price of 6-7,000 for a reasonable running driving car is not bad IMHO.

[WHN]

There was a well known song from the 60’s, “Just Walk On By”.

The few pictures you have posted make me think that you should reread B. Terry’s comments.

Looks like a project car waiting for a wallet.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

I agree with what Dick (#16) said.
And what you end up paying, plus cost of repairs, means nothing unless you don't have the money. Just be aware that it will be more than you thought. Accept the fact that you will not get it back when you sell.
Then drive and enjoy.