Why cant I find an A???

JpMotorsports said:
Then I'll just give up on the A search. I have seen the deals before I was interested in them. From what I was told by club members 7-9 grand can get you a pretty decent A guess they were lying.
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Maybe lying is a bit harsh. Just unrealistic?
For $7000 chances are it's going to take work to make it roadworthy unless you find someone truly desperate to unload one. Good Luck!
 
28RPU said:
Doesn't sound like you really wanted one all that bad to me. Everything takes effort. Curious how old you are because young people are impatient and think things should come easy.:rolleyes:
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I have to admit, I wanted a monitor top refrigerator since age 9 and did not get my hands on one until age 27. I have yet to finish restoring it and was lucky enough to get my hands on a second one from Special coupe frank. Good things come to those who wait. Either way I waited patiently for 18 years :rolleyes:.
 
I purchased a coupe for around $7-8K but I ended up putting another $2-3K into it to get it so that I could drive it. So I think if you want to buy one in that price range, you may need to expect to add some repair money later on.
 
Even if you find a nice car for that money, and the Tudor and Coupes as others have mentioned are the cheapest and most common, you still need to budget a couple extra thousand. If they drove the car a lot, its going to need work from that, if they didn't drive the car and its been sitting, its still going to need work, just different work. First thing I did when I bought my car was replace the 25 year old Ford script whitewalls to the tune of $800. Don't give up, but you need to be patient and be flexible. If that deal comes up, find a friend with a truck and trailer. Heck I drove to Toronto and back with my rig hauling back a club members A that he bought.
 
 
Re: Why cant I find an A???

Because you think it would be neat to have one, but deep down, you don't think you should do it. If you had the Model A bug, you'd have bought one by now. They are just about the most common old car out there.
 
I agree. I almost have to think this is just a prank. I look at hundreds of model A's on the internet all the time. Heck, I drove 250 miles with a truck and trailered my 29 RPU home. THEN I got crazy and bought a nice little 29 Phaeton in Virginia and had it transported to CA. Nobody lied. You can fine them for 7K. My RPU was restored and is like new(less paint) and was 6K.....but I waited for almost a year looking for what I wanted...and I looked for almost 6mos for the Phaeton too. I even went after one before I found what I bought, about 200 mi away and came back with an empty trailer because of rust issues.

Bottom line: If you want one, you'll WORK at it and get one. If you don't really want one then there's no use chattin about it here. Just my 2cents.
 
I want one I grew up around round them and the search is going on 2 years now. I have looked at a lot of A's but Im not going to buy a coupe or a roadster just to own a A. I like the Tudors and Fordors. I got a lead on one in the west side of the state. Seller has told me what has been done and what needs to be done and it fits my critera. Im not looking nor want a perfect car. This is something I want to build up. I like restoring cars and so far at age 26 having restored 2 cars and 1 being at concourse level I have done pretty well for my self. I was looking for a little encouragement here but got slapped in the face here instead. My A club has been a big help in my search for a car and maybe this might be the car for me and my growing family to enjoy and build up together. I know I could buy a finished car but thats not what I enjoy doing. I like to take something that needs some work that runs ok and build it up into something that really turns heads and is as nice as I can get it. Me and my feince love driving A's and this is something we can do together. She was a huge help to me when I redid my Chevelle and really got into making the car as top notch as it is now.
 
Hi JpMotorsports.

Don't be discouraged.. I have bought a number of 'A's, some within 5 miles of where I am and some 2 states away.. Some were good deals and some weren't unfortunately, but that is how we learn.

My Experiences..
I was in HotRod clubs, Had Firebird 400 Ram Air, 65 Falcon Sprints, 55 Chevs, etc.. When I was in a number of different HotRod, Muscle Car clubs, the vibe was completely different.. You would always be competing, trying to get the trophy for the car show, trying to be the best car at the car show. When you broke down on a cruise, others would cruise by and leave you to your troubles. Invariably there would be someone in the club who had more $ than sense and would completely chrome his entire engine bay and buy 3K a corner customer hweels so they could win more trophies.. Unfortunately my experiences were bad, and I kow do not reflect on all car clubs..

With Model A's the vibe is different.. It's more like heading to the country store and hanging around the pickle barrel. No one judges (we have a no competition/ lots of touring lean in our club) and you run what ya brung, whether it is a blue ribbon resto, points car or a dusty old heap found in siome mouse-haven barn somewhere. We all do it for the love of the simplicity and honesty of the cars we have been designated to caretake until the next generation comes along to relieve us of our duty. I am likely one of the youngest in the club, and my daughter now has a whole clubful of additional grammas and grampas.. We younger ones watch out for the older ones, as I am sure they look out for us.

With model A's it's all about social ties and family. Put out feelers.. If you like someones car, let them know. Let your new friends and clubmembers help you to find a project..

I think the operative word here is Patience.. Know what you want, and keep networking with folks. Don;t get discouraged and for goodness' sake, do not use the phrase 'they were lying' as all it does is raise hackles on folks. Most of the old guys in the clubs are finding the bargains because they network, chat, commisurate and bs with each other..

My 2 ents..

Dave in Boise
 
If you are discouraged by the advice you got here, go back and re-read every post. You have managed to post some contradictory statements in this discussion. If you are realistic, really want a Model A and listen to the advice of your local club members and most of what has been posted in this discussion, you will find the car that you are looking for. I was a young man when I bought my first Model A. I now am retired and own my 4th model A Ford. I have also owned many other collector cars over the years. The best advice, that I did not receive as a young man, would be to find a way to spend a little bit more money up front to buy a car in better condition. It is almost always cheaper to buy a car in better condition than it is to spend the money to improve the car after you buy it.
 
I've bought six in the last year since oct 2010. Ebay, here, other car sights, etc.
None of them came close to 7000. and most ran well. Of course a sedan costs less then say a phaeton or roadster. Don't be too picky and they will jump at you. Everything is repairable from engine to body. Be fast to pull the trigger and don't fool around!
CL also has some real bargains!
If the car is within 100 miles, sign up for the Triple A plus and have it towed to your house for free....
 
J.P., just keep looking. When the word gets around, people will let you know of ones for sale.
And ignore the jerks here who get rude with you. Usually the moderator dumps their posts real quick. He must be gone for the weekend.
 
Cool Hand Lurker said:
J.P., just keep looking. When the word gets around, people will let you know of ones for sale.
And ignore the jerks here who get rude with you. Usually the moderator dumps their posts real quick. He must be gone for the weekend.
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Thanks for the kind words! Its statements like yours that keep the hope and motivation to find a car going. Thank you to those who have said kind and postive words here and those of you that have sent me PM's encourageing me to keep the search going. I have found a really nice 29 in my state for a price in the range I am willing to spend the only thing hold me back is time. I was in Atlanta this past weekend and will be at the Old Car Festival next weekend and the following weekend I will be in Las Vegas for my best friends wedding so hopefully after all is don I will be able to take the 3 hour road trip out to see the car. So with that said I know that there are cars like I am looking for in my state and in the price range I feel like spending.
 
Good luck JP. If this one does not work out, keep trying. You are correct, there are good cars out there.
 
After looking for 4 years,I recently bought the 29 in my Avatar. Just as an example,I paid 12K for it,and spent about $1500. in the last two months,on it. I still don't think it is ready for reliable driving.
 
try a wanted ad on craigslist.....it will appear nationwide on google....use your e-mail address rather than phone number is my suggestion,,,,good luck!!
 
Right after you buy one for $15,000, is when everyone comes out of the woodwork telling you about how their Aunts and friends all have cars they are trying to give away, and why didn't you ask.
 
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