looking at purchasing a 41 convertible...

H

hueyhoolihan

Well-known member
there's a very nicely restored '41 Ford convertible that i'm seriously considering making an offer on. trouble is that it's being sold on consignment and the one-man shop that's selling it hasn't informed the owner that it will no longer start and consequently cannot be driven, meaning that i can't evaluate the brakes, or the steering, or the transmission, or practically any moving parts. and the consigner is not willing to lift a finger to address the issue. he said he would have it looked at the next day, but after a two week interval i went back and he said he hadn't touched it. and implied that he didn't plan on doing so anytime in the near future.

when i did make an offer commensurable with a non-running car (about 20% less than the asking price) i don't think he even informed the owner).
of course, this means that, as is, the car is way over priced.

i would happily pay the asking price if i could just drive it at a moderate pace for about 15 minutes and determine that the brakes, transmission, etc. actually work.

the engine did run, but the consigner couldn't get it running again so driving it was not possible. he eventually had to have a fork lift push it back into the garage. although i did determine, before the fork lift arrived, that it wasn't getting any spark, but that's as far as i was willing to go with problem determination on a car that i didn't own.

any suggestions?
 
hueyhoolihan said:
there's a very nicely restored '41 Ford convertible that i'm seriously considering making an offer on. trouble is that it's being sold on consignment and the one-man shop that's selling it hasn't informed the owner that it will no longer start and consequently cannot be driven, meaning that i can't evaluate the brakes, or the steering, or the transmission, or practically any moving parts. and the consigner is not willing to lift a finger to address the issue. he said he would have it looked at the next day, but after a two week interval i went back and he said he hadn't touched it. and implied that he didn't plan on doing so anytime in the near future.

when i did make an offer commensurable with a non-running car (about 20% less than the asking price) i don't think he even informed the owner).
of course, this means that, as is, the car is way over priced.

i would happily pay the asking price if i could just drive it at a moderate pace for about 15 minutes and determine that the brakes, transmission, etc. actually work.

the engine did run, but the consigner couldn't get it running again so driving it was not possible. he eventually had to have a fork lift push it back into the garage. although i did determine, before the fork lift arrived, that it wasn't getting any spark, but that's as far as i was willing to go with problem determination on a car that i didn't own.

any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Consignment dealers are always happy to get window decorations. That's what you may have here. The dealer isn't expecting to sell it and the seller is uninformed as to how to make it happen. If you know the engine runs, and it drove out the driveway, then you must have a fair idea of the cost and effort to go through the systems and make it go. If you don't have that expertise, you shouln't even consider a project like that.
 
Sounds like the shop owner has his head where the sun don't shine :eek:

Not many people (hardly no one) is going to make much of an offer on a car
that can't be driven, or even hear run. A fool and his money are soon parted.

My suggestion would be to try and find out the owners NAME and make your
carefully thought out offer directly to him... Good Luck ;)





.
 
I would do everything in my power to do an end around this broker. I'm no lawyer, but in real estate the agent has a duty to present all written offers, the agent does not get to decide what the owner will or will not accept. He only gets paid when the car sells so he should be bending over backwards to get a deal done. Holding out for top dollar is penny foolish, so I agree with other response that this may be be something that he has any intention of selling. Has he shown you other cars and use this as bait and switch?
Anyway, can you get a VIN or serial number and see if, somewho through local car clubs if anyone knows the owner? Any paperwork or registration in the glovebox that you can sneak a peek at? Any local vintage mechanics that may have worked on the car and know the owner? Do a Google search for pics of 41 convertables and see if perhaps the owner tried listing or selling the car himself prior to the broker route?
Doesn't sound like it is going anywhere soon and you may end up with dead ends, but sometimes the chase is half the fun. But don't let your excitement about a possible beauty back you into a bad deal. If the broker wanted it sold bad enough, he'd be offering warrantys or contingencies or let you take it to a mechanic or bring in a mechanic, etc. He is not a gatekeeper, he is a road blocker. IMO
 
hueyhoolihan; My suggestion: look elsewhere. If you're not able to get a test drive, walk away. My own car is a '41 and to be perfectly frank, the '41s aren't worth much, even convertibles, and even in perfect condition. There are plenty of nice flatheads out there for very reasonable prices if you have a little patience. Unless your offer is in near $20k, keep looking. I doubt a perfect, brand new, #1 Dearborn convertible winner would be worth much more than $30k.

The one you're looking at could have very simple spark or fuel problems that are easily fixed, but without a test drive, there may be unobserved problems with the chassis or drive train. Some of these potential problems could make the car essentially worthless.


I despise working with unresponsive sellers and would happily walk away from this person.
 
Last edited:
thanks, folks. some good suggestions...i'll keep them in mind.

i may just ask permission to have the car towed to a nearby shop at my expense and see if they can at least put it up on a lift and take a look at couple of things and hopefully get it running. if they can do that i can check out the steering, the brakes, transmission, differential, wheel bearings, shocks, etc. you know...moving parts. :) like i said, if it checks out, i'll buy it as i think it's worth the price.

and yes, i'd happily walk away from the consignor, but the car? no so much. it's just what i've been looking for. and haven't seen anything close to it in six months of searching.
 
Should you bypass the dealer to make a deal directly with the owner, don’t be surprised to get a summons to court. Even with the dealer’s non cooperation, he has a legitimate interest in a sale to someone who found the car in his showroom. I’ll say again, if you don’t have the skills to put a car on the road, don’t buy a horse that you can’t see his teeth. Or something like that, anyway.
 
just to be clear...

when first viewing the car, the consigner eventually got the car started, opened the garage door and drove it about fifteen feet out on to the driveway, stopped the car, got out, moved a couple of other cars around, got back in and couldn't get it going again. AFAIK it's never run since.

the car's not in a showroom, it's in a an enclosed garage, along with about ten other cars, in a poor part of town in one of those low-rent industrial buildings that house various car services, junk/antique dealers, used appliances and greasy machine shop outfits. each with one wooden door and a garage door that goes up and down. they may or may not have a sign out front, and if one, it's guaranteed to be handmade. :) it's a one-man outfit. there are hundreds of them just like it in the Central Valley of California.

if i ever did contact the real owner, and i doubt if i will, i would be only inform him or her that they might do well to contact their consignor and inquire as to the condition of the car and how it may now differ from that when it was delivered to the consignor. and potential purchasers may well be making offers based on a car that is undriveable.
 
Last edited:
buy another car..........not like 41 ford convs are in high demand.


I had a nice solid one needing restoration and I couldnt give it away-took 3 yrs.
 
SoCalCoupe said:
hueyhoolihan; My suggestion: look elsewhere. If you're not able to get a test drive, walk away. My own car is a '41 and to be perfectly frank, the '41s aren't worth much, even convertibles, and even in perfect condition. There are plenty of nice flatheads out there for very reasonable prices if you have a little patience. Unless your offer is in near $20k, keep looking. I doubt a perfect, brand new, #1 Dearborn convertible winner would be worth much more than $30k.

The one you're looking at could have very simple spark or fuel problems that are easily fixed, but without a test drive, there may be unobserved problems with the chassis or drive train. Some of these potential problems could make the car essentially worthless.


I despise working with unresponsive sellers and would happily walk away from this person.
Click to expand...
I nearly purchased a 41 convertible about five years ago. A 998-point car that was stunning. I am NOT a fan of 41 Fords but at the selling price of $32k, well, I thought it would be a nice car to drive around.
Convertibles have fallen off in value more than coupes in the past few years. And '41 Fords have never fared as well as their older brothers.
 
Again, I'm no awyer and the legal advice you get on the internet is worth every penny you did not pay, but I disagree with the post that if you were to reach a deal with the owner that you would have any potential liability for commission for the broker. The seller signed the contract with him, not you. When you were shown the car, I presume you did not sign anything that obligated you to a commission if you purchased the car. The seller might get sued, but, IMO, not you.
 
As a 41 convert owner, I can say that they do get under your skin after a while - love mine.

Buuuut, be strong and don't let wishfulness cloud your thinking. There are others out there.

While 41's don't command a price premium, the cost of drive train and component rebuilds can make you swallow hard. It can cost a lot to go slow.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8711.jpg
    IMG_8711.jpg
    85.7 KB · Views: 166
signsup said:
Again, I'm no awyer and the legal advice you get on the internet is worth every penny you did not pay, but I disagree with the post that if you were to reach a deal with the owner that you would have any potential liability for commission for the broker. The seller signed the contract with him, not you. When you were shown the car, I presume you did not sign anything that obligated you to a commission if you purchased the car. The seller might get sued, but, IMO, not you.
Click to expand...

In these litigious times, anyone can sue anyone for any reason, and often wins. Whether they do win is dependent on many things, but who wants to be put in that position? In this case, for instance, if one were to track down the owner and vigorously badmouthed the dealer to the extent that the owner pulled the car from the dealer and made a private deal, you can bet your bottom dollar that both would be sued and who knows the outcome? The dealer may very well recover his commission as well as punitive damages for sullying his good name.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top