How to determine car value?

jim1932

jim1932

Well-known member
First off I am not selling anything. I recently aquired a Tudor from a family member. Being pretty computer literate, I did a search to look for classifieds. The only thing I see are hot rods or bodies without motors. I can't tell on the bodies if they actually sold or if they were way over priced. So how do I determine a range for a complete solid running car that needs interior work and freshened paint, chrome etc. It is a 32 standard sedan with the 4 banger. Also, what is the range for it once it has had a basic restore (not frame off, but nice paint and new interior). It was in nice shape but the mice and age got to the cloth so it needs a refresh. I am more interested in learning how to get the value, than in simply having people post what they think it is worth. :confused:
 
Leave it original, it maybe that it's more valuable than one that's half way dolled up to be a "retailer", JMO... Karl
 
One of the swaps that I sometimes attend would probably put a value of 20 plus or minus. Just an opinion. If you mess with it (paint, uph, or anything), it would be doubtful if anyone would even look at it. (I'm assuming a solid car -- no cancer)
 
I guess it is all a moot point as I am not selling it, more looking to justify the money I put in it... thne again with cars that is a fantasy anyway...LOL

Here are the only pics I have so far. The paint is ok the circles are problems with camera/printer. Basically I just plan on getting a lebaron interior put in, getting the dash painted correctly and it looks like the running board rubber needs replacing. It ran a few years ago so the motor and running gear are hopefully still fine. I did look it up in a book in the book store but seems like th eprices in there were really low, or else people on line are asking crazy prices.
14423836_RvcVo


http://jrodda.smugmug.com/Cars/henrysB/14423836_RvcVo#1069694866_AF9zc
 
Real sorry Jim, there is no way of ever being able to truly justify the money you "invest" in a car, this world works more on the love of it factor. You would have to compare it to putting a dollar valuation of the experience of finding a true love or courting a partner, in the end if you really have to place a dollar value on the total experience you will miss the point of the romance. And to your jist, in this nut economy it's real hard to pin a hard factor number on your car, there are a lot of them in the hands of people who need to sell them and it throws the numbers off.
 
Frank, your comment goes to my point. If "there are a lot of them in the hands of people who want to sell them" then why can I not find a single ad for a complete car that is not a hotrod? I want to a) insure the car for the correct value, and b) not buy a car and put a lot into it, then find I could have bought a restored car for half the money. I do not want to mess up a car that has a high value by not doing a correct restoration, nor do I want to drive myself crazy with exactness on a restoration process if all it is worth is sentimental value as a sunday driver. If it is a sunday driver I will get a cheap interior kit for whatever color I like and drive it.
 
you can try ebay to see if something similar is for sale....could give you an idea of prices being paid....Hemming's??....you could see what prices are being asked....good luck with your project and enjoy....Mike
 
Unrestored originals (in running condition) are getting very popular today and are bringing prices rivalling fully restored units. Think about this before you rip it apart.
 
What I would do is try to find an original with decent upholstry, that some jerk is going to restore or hot rod, and buy his original interior. I certainly would not put new upholstery in it unless you just have to. Run ads for an original interior and I think you could probably find some. My 2 ¢
 
Lawson Cox said:
What I would do is try to find an original with decent upholstry, that some jerk is going to restore or hot rod, and buy his original interior. I certainly would not put new upholstery in it unless you just have to. Run ads for an original interior and I think you could probably find some. My 2 ¢
Click to expand...

Does this include the Lebaron Bonney kits? I thought they were considered "original".

Thanks to the other's, but unless my google skills are getting rusty, I can not find a single ad for a complete 1932 B Tudor Sedan on ebay, hemmings, ford Barn, Early V8, AACA or anywhere else. I know they aren't THAT rare.... anyone on here sell or buy one in the last year or two?
 
Well, I think if I were that concerned about the details you are describing I would contact the membership of one or several Ford clubs that cover your model and get the opinions of several of the members. For an accurate appraisal it would be best to have it appraised by a licensed appraiser. Keep in mind, my truck has a receipt value of 60 K plus, appraisal value of 45 K and if I actually had to sell it I may get 20 or 25 for it in the market, it is appraised at 45K. The appraisal and the street value will vary a lot. If some one really falls hard for it they will pony up. If you can not get a straight answer and are really that concerned that you will devalue the car be patient and scour the web clubs and shows for info, it will come to you.
 
jim, Welcome to the '32 ranks. You will find out most of us are nuts, but we love our '32s. '32 was a unique year, Ford made 15 million Model Ts over 15+ years, Model A's are mostly the same for 4 years and after '32, Ford shared body styles in 33 & 34, 35 & 36 etc. Of course the "Deuce" is the holy grail of hot rods & that makes the demand high. The tudor sedan had the highest production numbers and the 4 cylinder is the least desirable. Comparing "like" condition cars a '32 is worth twice as much as a Model A and 20-50% more than a '33. A V8 car might be worth 15-25% more than a 4 cyl. Some people like original condition cars & will pay more for it than for an older amateur restoration. If an Indian blanket and ratty door panels are good enough..Great. If not enjoy the new interior. I agree with the guy that said you have to do this for the love of old cars, but I'll also wink & say you are lucky enough to have a great investment. So... What's it worth? If it was recently restored an appraiser would look at the restoration costs and maybe appraise it at $65,000, could you sell it for that...No. Maybe half that. But some Insurance companies will value at replacement cost, which would be accurate. An original car is harder, because like real estate you have to look at recent sales in you area. The internet has shrunk the world & now we can search the country, but it takes time. As you found there are not that many listings on any given day and most are hot rods. The value of something is nothing more than someones opinion ( like a$$holes, everybody has one & they stink), so against my better judgment I'll open my mouth because I spend too much time looking for '32 stuff on this computer & I think my memory still works. I think prices are more reasonable on the east coast than out west. A good deal on an original '32 sedan might be $16-18K, West Coast maybe $18-22K. As a wise man said, "you never pay too much for a '32, you just bought it too soon).
 
My car is a 40 year old restoration, now that the car looks "original" again it gets much more attention than it ever got, when the restoration was fresh in 1970 it NEVER won a prize, in 1986 I went to a national meet, got a blue ribbon, drove it 2,500 miles to the show, now that the paint is peeling it gets much more attention, many compliments, the upholstry is stained, faded.

If it hasn't run in years drop the pan to clean it out BEFORE you start it. --I am reviving a BMW Isetta that sat for years, there was 2" of sludge in the pan, covering the oil pump screen, if it had been run it would have damaged the engine.
 
OK... I guess I am not being clear. If you look at the smugmug link you will see that I am talking about a car that has no interior panel on one side and the cloth hanging off on the other. Mice got into one seat. Leaving it "as is" is not an option. I am not going to have some idiot neighbor paint on the car. The exterior is in nice shape and will be left alone. I mentioned repainting the dash. My original plan is to replace the interior with the correct interior from Bonney. I am not talking about the mechanics because I know I do not need to buy anything there and we have the knowledge to do mechanics. My question was asked because when I originally looked it up in a book I calculated a value of about $6k. As someone mentioned a rolling body with part in primer and no motor just sold for $16K.

It also sounds like people are saying spending $4k to get an installed Lebaron Bonney copy of the original interior is a waste of money? and I should buy old stuff off hotrodders who are stripping an original interior (if I can find one)? Where is the fine line between original and just plain ratty?

Frankly this post has vered off track, I was mainly looking for sources of prices of cars. Are there auction listings or other sources than hemmings and ebay for classifieds? I do appreciatte all the input though
 
OK... at your insistance.... There are only three models of old Fords that I follow for market-value, or, more accurately, market asking price. One on my list of three, is a 1932 tudor, in original, stock condition, never apart. In the last few years, maybe 5 or 6 years, I've seen five. All had something to do with the fathers-day roadster show. Of these five, two changed hands with guys I know. My recollection is that they both went for 18, and one of these is still in the posession of a friend. Keep in mind that these were/are pre-obama sales/prices, and todays market in my area is VERY soft. Near as I can tell from my own experience, asking prices are still pretty much the same, but making a sale is nearly impossible. I currently have three cars listed for sale, and there are NO calls........
As for other comments in this thread, I would agree with the part about making it mechanically sound. And, for upholstery, I wouldn't 'worry' it very much. In my own case, I HAD to deal with a seat, just to be able to drive. If I could have gotten away with a blanket over old stuffing, I would have. I had a 'temporary' job done, fairly authentic, and low-buck. I figure it as 'throw-away', and if I keep the car very long, I expect to re-do it with LB-type stuff. As for the rest of the upholstery, I left it as I found it - very poor, but enough left to show what 'original' is (or was). In the meantime, I'm getting to know the car, enjoying it, and working out a coupe bugs.
As for finding 'quick' ads... I would slow down a little. In my view, these things almost have to come to you. It can't be rushed. I think you are looking at some of the 'right' sources, and there are more. One I don't think you mentioned - Street Rodder, where they cover what they see for sale at various events (like the fathers-day show). Another - Craigs List (might surprise you). Another, local swaps and car shows. Another - Street Scene ((I may not have the correct name. This is where one of 'my' 32 tudors got sold). Another - Auto Trader (classics) (This is where I bought one, once). Another - Re-Cycler. Another - local freebe papers. There has got to be one of these somewhere near you. I can think of one, called the Gold Panner, which, maybe once or twice a year has an old Ford. You find them 'where-ever'. I once found a model B for sale at a little car show at an airport (of all places). It belonged to one of the airport guys.
My experience suggests that 'force-finding' something like this for sale is nearly useless.
Then, there is something that has been sort-of hinted, here. Contact an appraiser that deals with EFV8's. I have two of these guys in my local EFV8 regional groups, both professional, licensed appraisers. From what they've told me, I believe their appraisals are somewhat high, because of the sources they use. And, they simply tell me to 'factor-down' for a more realistic street-value. If you are not in a regional group, I would suggest considering joining one. And, related to regional groups, I receive monthly newsletters from three. They are also a good source for ads.
Keep your eyes open for a few years, then report back.
Just opinion....
 
I'm sorry, my typing and my thoughts didn't match up. I didn't mean to say that I was going to do a fresh paint (other than the dash, which I am now going to leave alone), I was wondering what a complete car that isn't all rusted and had decent paint would go for. As I mentioned, the car belonged to my uncle who passed away. I had a lot of dificulty determining what was a fair price to pay for it and was curious for how people keep up with the market. In the end we relied on good old capitalism, what they were willing to take and what I was willing to pay. However, since it was family, I would feel guilty if I severley underpaid for it.

I am definately getting the message that I should do as little as possible with it which fits my pocket book. I think my wife is more in the "It sould look like it did in the showroom" camp, but I can win her over.

As I said, this is my uncles car and he had it on the road for years and only parked it a few years ago, and knew how to set it up for storage (hence my comment I am not worried about the mechanics). Even if there are major issues, it is the one part i am comfortable tackling. My uncle always said the interior needed to be done but never had the money for it.

Frankly, this will be a very slow project. I am gathering lots of good information and thanks for that. Once I actually have the car in my garage, I will certainly be joining the local car club. I am very much looking forward to being involved in all that.

Thanks, for all the input. So....um anyone got a few interior door panels layng around? :)
 
jim1932 said:
..... In the end we relied on good old capitalism, what they were willing to take and what I was willing to pay........ :)
Click to expand...

THAT is the best answer to your original question, everything else is opinion colored by the commenters personal biases. You've learned there's no single, definitive source for value short of the old saw "willing buyer, willing seller for THAT transaction". All of the opinions expressed here are correct to one degree or other and are likely based on years of experience............but each reflects the broad range of those experiences. As you noticed asking prices are all over the board. Ebay, for all it's faults, at least tells you what the "real" selling price was (assuming no fraud which at times is a stretch). Most people develope their personal concept of potential value based on watching, listening, following, etc. transactions over time. And whenever you think you might have it nailed, someone comes along with an annecdote that blows the whole deal.

Let me just toss out some thoughts on the interior thing, though the same rationale could apply to any aspect of the project. Let's say you seriously want to be active in this old car thing and plan to drive the car whenever you can. Will the current ratty interior encourage, discourage, or have no affect on you enjoyment? No affect= leave it alone. Encourage= leave it alone. Discourage = replace it. The notion of your not getting the value out of a new interior (using the $4k number for discussion sake), would be true if you planned to sell the car in the near term and you paid something close to market value for it. You won't likely improve the probable selling price by $4k in the short term in that example. However, if you intend to keep the car and try to enjoy it, and having a new LB interior will increase your enjoyment as well as motivate you to be more participative in the hobby, then it's worth is very justifiable. Not all value is measured in resale numbers. Finding a decent take out interior isn't a bad idea, but likely an inconvenient one. You could post an ad in a dozen locations tomorrow and hear bupkus for months, or, if you're fortunate in your timing, find one the next day. If your personal values allow you to wait indefinitely that might be a good way to go. Most folks however don't have that kind of patience............that's why LB exists. Edit, There's an immutable law in the old car hobby. Within a week after you receive your new interior kit a cherry used one at a ridiculously low price will be advertised. :D

Anyway, looks like you've got a nice piece (all things considered) to start with, enjoy the heck out of it.
 
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Jim, if your looking for a number (value wise) to insure her its, 20k. With out really looking at the car its 15 to 25 give or take. I'm with you on the interior and change it. I know my wife and kids don't want to be breathing or sitting on mouse turds. Changing the interior is not going to kill its value , just save the old one if you can. If anything it will be a wash or add, now the paint??
The tudor looks like a very nice car and enjoy it as is. Get the old gal running, cleanup the paint with some rubbing compound and elbow grease. Alot of folks are really getting into the REAL cars with nice Patina paint and a bit of the past. You know a car you can go to a show or dinner and not worry about a scratch or ding. I know alot of guys that restore there cars to a point were they are no fun, with too much money,time or worse yet -They sit and get taken apart and Never get done!! Drive It!
 
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