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Very nice original VS restored


DizzyDale

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Hey,Just looking for some opinions of a very nice HPOF and Rouge award winner VS a frame off restored car,just to clear things up i am talking about comparing the same year make and model..30,000 miles mostly original paint,original interior and the back seat looks like it was never sat in.Flaking paint on the underside and engine compartment with NO rust anywhere.Starts and goes down the road like a 30,000 mile car should.Chrome,stainless,and all woodgraining,dash and garnish moldings are excellent and original.Which car do you believe to be more desirable and why?,Thanks for any and all input and yes i know they are only original once but does that add to the value or detract?diz

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: keiser31</div><div class="ubbcode-body">O.K.....you got me. What's a VS?? </div></div>

I'm guessing that's "verses" as in "original vs. restored"...

My opinion? A car can be restored an infinite number of times (with varying quality), but it's only original once.

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Guest ZondaC12

I would take a nice original ANY day. I thought my '38 was pretty good...then I see some examples like what you desrcibed, on ebay, at shows, etc and Im just blown away, especially when theyre of a similar vintage, 50 or more years old! Amazingly impressive, that somehow it escaped years of use and wear.

Hopefully someday I can get my hands on one. No real preference on what it is really, I'd just like a really old untouched example!

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Depends on what the car is and how old it is. A 25 year old four door vs. a 1932 Ford Fordor are two totaly different vehicles, one helped WWII the other sat in a garage for 25 years. If they were both on the show field the 25 year old whatever would be a blank spot on the pavement in my eye, the 1932 would be worth the time to look at.

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Guest ZondaC12

Good point hd45, I was thinking if it was the same year etc but that wasn't really specified. In that case yeah I'd prefer the 32 as well haha!

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I think most of us would pick nice original on the forum then turn around and take a high point restored when nobody was noticing.

Let's take the current crop of muscle cars going across the B-J stages. We rail against them here. But new they weren't much. They were nice for awhile but the paint was thinner from the factory, the detailing less sharp.

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Value is in the mind of the beholder (to warp the original phrase). There are all kinds of car people. I like older original iron, others like resto rods with all the modern features.

The value really depends on what YOU like. Don't concern yourself with what value it might be to others when you are be the one who owns and hopefully drives and enjoys the car. The only value that counts is the value to you....

My 2 Cents...

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My most recent acquisition is the '37 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Sedan, Model 80C. It appears to be entirely original, with the possible exception of the canvas convertible top (it has the correct 2-piece split rear glass window, but the piping around the edge of the top appears to be newer than 1937. The car has just over 10,000 miles showing, appearing correct, but has some minor flaws befitting a major city's most famous mayor's parade car.

It shows use, and could easily be restored to flawless status since it is 100% complete and has no rust or damage, other than some paint flaws and a minor (recent) dent which can be massaged-out with care ---BUT THEY ARE ONLY ORIGINAL ONCE -- AND THIS ONE HAS PROVINANCE (yet to be documented, but very believeable).

I expect to keep this one as original as it is now, and to TOUR IT EVERY CHANCE WE GET !!!

Maybe it would be worth more as a 100 point restoration, but would also cost far more than that to get to that level, and would then cease to be a driver, at least in my estimation --- using it as-is will likely bring more pleasure to more people, and we could put the extra unspent restoration dollars into luxuries like food and fuel.

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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BJM</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I think most of us would pick nice original on the forum then turn around and take a high point restored when nobody was noticing.

</div></div>

I think the attraction of an original is the historic factor, especially with a prewar car. There are so few left that it is great to see exactly how the factory put something together 70, 80, 100 years ago. It wasn't that long ago we couldn't wait to rip that low mileage original apart so we could restore it, in many cases obliterating or altering original features never to be seen again. I love to look at high point restored cars at shows but I'd much rather ride around in an original, warts and all.

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Agreed. I don't see the point of even getting into this hobby if you prefer essentially "new" cars.

Now if that's the alternative to the scrap heap, by all means! It's not as if a restored car can't be faithful to the original, and therefore preserve much of the historic value that would've been lost eventually. But if there's more already there than can be gained with a restoration, why destroy it (even if you do everying just to please yourself)?

That's where the lines drawn, lost value vs. gained value. For a 1905 Rolls Royce that line probably skews much futher towards "original condition" than for a 1973 Maverick sedan. However it's a tradeoff at <span style="font-style: italic">some</span> level no matter the car.

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