Rumble Seat vs. trunk values

smittykid

smittykid

Senior Member
For a 29 Special Coupe-all things being equal between the 2 cars except one is a trunk model and the other has the rumble seat-what would the difference in value be between the 2 cars? All opinions welcome. Smitty
 
I don't know what the market says but to me it would be a wash. The market would probably favor the rumble seat by a few hundred dollars, which is less than the cost of making the change. I put a rumble seat in my '32 roadster and never use it. A trunk is much more practical.

Charlie Stephens
 
I have four cars with rumble seats and they sure get more attention than my trunk cars. Also they seem to sell for more when you compare the listings. If you have grand kids you can put them in the rumble seat but you can't put them in the trunk whereas you can put groceries in the rumble seat.
Wayne
 
I don't own a Coupe or Roadster, but I'd probably prefer the trunk.
Which ever one I bought, I wouldn't change it, and also think the value of each would be about equal.
 
Personally I would go with the trunk. Unless you remove the seatback and cushion of a rumble seat, you would have much less room for stuff in the trunk. I think many people that have rumble seats in their coupes or roadsters wish they had trunks. To me, rumble seats in standard coupes, business coupes and special coupes are not all that great in that the people inside the car can't easily communicate with anyone in the rumble seat. In a roadster or sports coupe, there is a flap that allows the two groups to talk. Just my opinion.
Rusty Nelson
 
If you use your car a lot. A trunk is the way to go. My 28 sports coupe has the rumble seat. I do not like it. It is hard to carry any thing in the rumble area. I have a Grand Son but he cannot ride back there, because he has to be in a child car seat.

Plus people want to get in there to try out the seat. They are a little hard on the fender paint. I solved the problem, took the seat out.
 
Hi Smitty,

FWIW; Simple response, (from a Simple person):

Rumble vs. Trunk Value may depend on "who" is buying the Coupe, i.e.:

A. A more cautious guy who would prefer hand rails on a foot bridge when crossing a deep gorge with his grandkids may prefer a Coupe with a trunk; &,

B. A less cautious guy who would prefer to cross a deep gorge on a tight rope with his grandkids with no safety net below may prefer a Coupe with rumble seat.

C. Then after throwing in the Senior Citizen Factor, appears most Seniors who drive around fast driving cell phone users today would prefer to go the hand rail route.

D. In summary, appears the Coupe's value just depends on different values.

Hope this helps.
 
On this site, the preference seems to be toward trunks.
I agree with C26 on the resale of rumbles-I think in many cases, they are the deciding factor on a purchase. I would add 500-1000. for a rumble.
 
This question was asked before ...Rumble seat gets a few more bucks .The "A" people in the know... that a roadster [30/31] is RARE with a trunk. The trunk is more practical in all ways... Over the years i don't know why someone would pay more for a rumble seat unless they have Grand kids...but think again,, now a days would you seat anyone in a rumble seat driving on the roads today WITH all the crazy's out there ???? ... I restored a 30 standard roadster with a trunk and received more compliments then someone with a Deluxe Roadster with a rumble seat...Coupes are no different...
 
peters180a/170b said:
This question was asked before ...Rumble seat gets a few more bucks .The "A" people in the know... that a roadster [30/31] is RARE with a trunk. The trunk is more practical in all ways... Over the years i don't know why someone would pay more for a rumble seat unless they have Grand kids...but think again,, now a days would you seat anyone in a rumble seat driving on the roads today WITH all the crazy's out there ???? ... I restored a 30 standard roadster with a trunk and received more compliments then someone with a Deluxe Roadster with a rumble seat...Coupes are no different...
Click to expand...

I see that too. When I see a '30 or '31 Roadster especially, with a trunk, my eye is more drawn to THAT car I guess because so many were converted to rumble seats. Don't get me wrong I love a Dlx. Roadster but go gaga (sorry Lady) over a '30-'31 STANDARD Roadster and with the rear mount spare. And blackwalls and black rims. Just an opinion means nothing, but in answer to the original question 'yes' a rumble seat will add a few more dollars in value over a trunk................
 
My father in law says trunks are for people that can't afford rumble seats but they will never admit to it ( lol ). They always say you can't haul enough in a rumble seat. Well what do you use your A for pleasure driving or for hauling stuff ?
Wayne
 
Funny about carrying stuff and needing a trunk.

I put 8 foot boards out of the rumble sometimes to haul .

With lid open you can carry more and bigger stuff than a trunk
 
For safety reasons, I would NEVER put someone in the rumble seat of a Model A unless it was for a parade.

I cannot think of a more unsafe way to operate a Model A than to place a human being in a rumble seat. God help them if (when) you get rear-ended, sideswiped, run off the road, etc.

Besides...... All you need to do is look at the trunk space available in a trunk equipped coupe to know that is a good thing. My friend has a 29 with the trunk still and it is awesome! It gets lots of attention.


In my opinion, the coupe with a trunk is far more valuable (and increasingly rare) than the coupes with rumble seats.
 
P.S. said:
For safety reasons, I would NEVER put someone in the rumble seat of a Model A unless it was for a parade.

I cannot think of a more unsafe way to operate a Model A than to place a human being in a rumble seat. God help them if (when) you get rear-ended, sideswiped, run off the road, etc.

Besides...... All you need to do is look at the trunk space available in a trunk equipped coupe to know that is a good thing. My friend has a 29 with the trunk still and it is awesome! It gets lots of attention.


In my opinion, the coupe with a trunk is far more valuable (and increasingly rare) than the coupes with rumble seats.
Click to expand...


And what about the person in the front seat when all these tragedies happen. Will they go unscathed ? Pretty weak argument as I see it !
Wayne
 
People around my rural home used to laugh & refer to the rumble seat as the "Mother-In-Law" seat.

This was at a time when our front road was a dusty gravel road & our paved highway was 11 miles away to the right & 21 miles away to the left.

Lots of dust & lots of rain in our area -- in a rumble seat, one got totally covered in dust during dry weather & got thoroughly soaked when it rained.

Appears people don't mention too much about mothers-in-law too often any more.
 
I have never had a trunk lid on my special coupe and have no trouble filling it with cargo should it be needed. I have even carried two Tudor doors in the back. If you have a rear spare and trunk you've got to load from the side of the spare. A Spare and rumble means I load from the fender side. Bulkier items, like a large box or a fender, I just pull the bottom seat out and slide the item in. If its really big, it's only two screws to pull the back cushion out as well. The rumble always draws comments and stories from by-standers. But how many tales would you hear about riding in the trunk?
This is all moot to me now as my new 31' AA is nearing completion and the rumble will remain for sunny day passengers. Anybody got an old Tux-Away they don't need?
Cheers.
 
P.S. said:
For safety reasons, I would NEVER put someone in the rumble seat of a Model A unless it was for a parade.

I cannot think of a more unsafe way to operate a Model A than to place a human being in a rumble seat. God help them if (when) you get rear-ended, sideswiped, run off the road, etc.

Besides...... All you need to do is look at the trunk space available in a trunk equipped coupe to know that is a good thing. My friend has a 29 with the trunk still and it is awesome! It gets lots of attention.


In my opinion, the coupe with a trunk is far more valuable (and increasingly rare) than the coupes with rumble seats.
Click to expand...

So by never placing a human being in the rumble seat, I'm sure you would say no one should ever drive or ride on a motor cycle then? Or ride a bike down the road?
 
I have a 68C Cabbie & took the rumble cushions out several yrs. ago for more room. When I restored my 29 rdstr. I had a rumble lid & trunk lid & went with a trunk.
 
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