Found in a Grain Warehouse Attic

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

Keep this in mind, no restored model A sold will ever get you your money back. If this A was free it would cost more to restore then what you can get out of it to have it painted and interior done and new tires would be almost 7 grand.

Now with that said what is it worth to you? I do not calculate the time I put into working on my car because I would just be doing something else that costs money.

I enjoy working on the car and my sons car that is priceless, I help others work on there car for not much more than lunch. I can spend my money on ammo, movies, drink etc and get nothing back on what was spent so why should working on a model A be so different.

Couple grand could do you, there are stories all the time about engines that have sat for years and when started work fine.

If you think you are going to flip it for a profit, don't go back! It looks by the pictures to be a solid car, but Gibbs on the body to keep it from rusting further, a new roof kit and a couple or horse blankets and your may me good to go.

To recap if you think like a businessman and how much can it be sold for when I'm done, don't pick a Model A! If you think like a person that would love to get his hands diirty, meet new friends ad have a ball doing so buy the car.

My Fordor is nearly priceless offer me 6 figures and you can have it so I can do another.

Mike, you nailed it exactly. My friend Brian wants to do this because he wants to do it. Like many guys with 'show cars' he probably has 2-3 times the money in his other car than he could ever sell it for. Its a labor of love, its a hobby. Some people smoke and get a lot enjoyment out of it. That's money you'll never see again. Hopefully Brian can use this car (or a different Model A) to build some cherished memories with his kids. How do you put a price on that?

I appreciate ALL the input and feedback, the more eyes on a project the more things we can spot to ask questions about or to look into further!

[montanafordman]

What it boils down to is what its worth to YOU. Model A's are a poor investment if you're looking to sell it down the road or if you want bragging rights on how little you needed to spend to get a nice driving car. Trust me in this - The other guy will have ALWAYS spent much less than you trying to acheive his goal. There are hot rodders out there that see a nice body that doesn't need many hours of metalworking to have something useful and will pay a much higher premium than a model A purist who is going to want it restored to a drivable car with decent paint and a refreshed interior.

I inherited my coupe which had been painted and upholstered in the early 90's but mechanically it was a MESS. I've spent probably 5K on it already and I still need to rebuild the engine - so yes I will have done EVERYTHING mechanical BUT body work and paint. The paint and interior isn't correct and not quite to my standards either so one day (probably a ways into the future) I will address that too. I paid nothing for the car and when I"m all through I could have bought a nice one and driven it right away for possibly less but you know what? That wouldn't have been my grandfathers car. Even if I had started with a car I had no family connection to its a labor of love getting them going again, To me it feels honorable to save them from the boneyard or a hot rodder who might wreck half of it with a sawzall and sell the other half at a swap meet before he runs out of money or interest. Think of all the cars that were saved because people paid too much for but had the tenacity to actually restore them anyway and keep going, at what would have been a big loss vs. buying a nice one in the first place. We'd have a lot fewer Model A's left if it wasn't for that type of ignorance. Or Stubbornness!!

Just remember semi common classic cars WILL cost you money either way and are a terrible monetary investment. The payoff is how big of a grin you get driving it, fixing it, showing etc.

[eagle]

The whole trouble, of course, is that these kind of decisions rarily involve logic! I'd say he'll get his $8K, and the guy that takes it home will be giddy with excitement... for about 2 weeks. However, it still will be a pile of fun and in the end, the owner will end up with a really neat car and lots of "knowledge" from the school of hard knocks.

[29ModelA]

Originally Posted by Keith True

Brent,I think that car will bring more than it should.One reason is that if a family man is looking for a toy,that car looks somewhat presentable to a wife.A car in a box,in 10 times the condition won't even get a second look,much less an OK by most wives.Some wives can be bought by the argument that it can be driven while I fix it up Location will have a lot to do with it too.Where I am that car would bring $8000.if it is what it looks to be.You would have to wade through 100 cheapskates and lowbawlers,but unless it is a desperate sale one buyer will come through.Very good chance it would be a street rodder here.They seem to have no problem stepping up to the plate.I had a 29 coupe barn car,rock solid,would need everything but rust and dent repair.Best offer from the A guys was $3500.A rodder bought it for over $8000.Steve Cicalonne once asked me why I kept fooling around with British bikes.He had restored a lot of bikes,and said the brit bike guys made the Model A guys look like drunken spenders.He said they were the cheapest A-holes in the world.When they got done subtracting for everything they wanted to redo you would have to pay them to haul it off.He was right,but I've been dealing with them all my life.With the internet I've run into a whole new crop of people.Just dozens of people that make offers sight unseen,insulting lowball offers for five cents on the dollar,and people telling me how bad the economy is so I should be giving my junk away.What I've had to do is just set a price,and that is it.I make it clear that if they want it that is the bottom dollar.I tell everyone that before they come over.I've sold things all my life,but some feel there is no difference between dickering and insulting.When I get folks tell me that they never pay the asking price,I just tell them don't waste their trip.I'm polite about it,but my price is my price.It has worked out very well,I should have done it years ago.

Yep, rodders and 'rat rodders' will step up just for a decent body. I have seen much worse than this sell for more based on the body alone.

[Mitch//pa]

Agree with most of the comments but at least get them down to a more realistic price. You can't pay the moon for this thing because someone thinks they have a pile of gold. If a rodder is willing to pay good for them and move on. Plenty of cars around contact your model A clubs usually someone knows of a car

[JBill]

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"The Money Pit, Part II"

[Scott H in Wheaton]

We went and looked at the car today and took more pictures and did a more thorough examination. The seller re-stated that the car was running 1 year ago.

At this point his best price is $7000, and that is more than we would be willing to pay, so for now its still in his grain warehouse.

Further research has shown a fair number of completed Ebay auctions for SOLD nice cars in the $11k - $12k range, and a whole bunch of "body only" or dis-assembled project cars in the $3k - $5k range.

The search continues!
As a side note, I found it interesting how many posts on this thread said the car was probably only worth a few thousand, however I have a hunch if this was in their garage and for sale those same posters would be asking $6k - $7k