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Value of a 1911 White


Guest Huttig1

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Guest Huttig1

Hi to all that may have some input on this:

I found a local 1911 White 4 cylinder 4 door touring. I really like the car and talked to the owner. Long story short, he said to make him an offer.

I was wondering what a good offer would be on a good number 3 possibly weak number 2 driver would be?

Thanks!

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Hi- very difficult to answer the question without pictures and more information.

What model? What horsepower? What accessories (in those days, even top, lights, horn were sometimes considered accessories)? Does it run, smoke, drive, stop? Good tires (set of tires with tubes probably $1000)?

Pictures and model would narrow it down. Good luck.

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Paint chips, depending on how many and where, along with "what else is wrong with it," could take it down to class 3- condition. A number 2 condition car is ready to win awards at any show. Class 3 condition means that the average joe on the street would think it could win awards at any show, but is actually a nice driver without any flaws that Mr. and Mrs. Joe would see. That's why pictures are important. Everyone's idea of condition ratings varies widely. The one picture you have there makes it appear to be a good solid Class 3, but....???

That said, you should really get him to put a price on it. "Make an offer" means "I don't really want to sell unless you offer me something higher than what it's worth."

Edited by West Peterson (see edit history)
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That's a nice looking, rather high-end car. Sellers always know what they'll take. You just have to get the information out of them. If he won't tell you, make him a casual offer in conversation like "I was thinking of something in the twenty thousand dollar range..." and see how he reacts. If he flinches, continue with "well, what were you thinking?". He then has to counter with something!

Phil

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Guest De Soto Frank
Hi to all that may have some input on this:

I found a local 1911 White 4 cylinder 4 door touring. I really like the car and talked to the owner. Long story short, he said to make him an offer.

I was wondering what a good offer would be on a good number 3 possibly weak number 2 driver would be?

Thanks!

Don't be surprised if the owner is looking in the vicinity of $20,000 to $40,000 or more....

I'm sure it will at least be in the five-figure territory...

Complete, running brass cars don't go cheap.

If it has a clear title and you can get it for less than $15,000, you're probably doing well.

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West, no I didn't click on photo. My mistake

That's a 40-60K car easy, depending on close inspection. Look really nice...

White made a lot of different models. Some were steam cars, others gas. At Harrah's collection in the early 80's, I have a picture of my wife next to a large White car. The top of her head just reaches the area of the steering wheel.

White also got a little crazy in the 1913-14 years, with electrics. There was a White at White Post Restorations for a time, and the electrical system was bizarre, with batteries and wiring that was way beyond comprehension.

Nice car, and of course, someone has to ask what else is in the garage?

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I bet you would get that kind of money on a nice 11 model T, I don't think a 1911 White with a 30 HP motor and looking that good would be anywhere near those numbers (15 to 20 K). A White is a very fine auto, I have ridden and driven several gas and steam cars years ago, they have a large following, and are good drivers, at the 40k someone posted it would be a steal. Just look at what other tour ready cars are SELLING at in the same class. Ed

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Guest De Soto Frank

I'd stay with a conservative estimate until the mechanical integrity of the machine has been determined...

Yes, it looks like nice from the photo...

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There is a 12 White roadster (30 hp), nice older restoration for sale on another site for 100,000 so I think the 15 -20 k IS a dream. Ed

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Guest Huttig1

Thanks to everyone for their input. I really do appreciate it. Later this weekend Ill hopefully get a ride in it and maybe be so lucky to purchase it.

The other car is a driver 1930 Rolls...id like to get it too.

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Guest De Soto Frank
There is a 12 White roadster (30 hp), nice older restoration for sale on another site for 100,000 so I think the 15 -20 k IS a dream. Ed

I'm not trying to deliberately undervalue the White in question...

Also not trying to give an inflated value.

And if "money is no object" to our original poster, then it's kind of a moot point.

I guess the brass guys have more money than I realized...

I find it intriguing that 100 years down the road, the Model T is still "the affordable car", and the others are still "rich men's play-toys"... ?

:)

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I have generaly found the early White gas cars to be good buys. The steamers are definitely in a different league price wise. The G and GA Whites are very well built cars, but don't seem to attract the $60,000.00 + prices that most equivalent Brass cars realize. About a year or so ago one that was about 3/4 restored sold on EBay for around $12,000.00. It seemed like a very attractive price. I have seen a few other older restoration cars in the 30-40 thousand range, pretty reasonable in my opinion. Almost all that I have seen are tourings, which are not as attractive as some of the sports models from other manufactures. The body styling on the 1915 era cars was very advanced , and looks as modern as many other early 1920's cars. { not always a good thing in today's market, people usually want antique cars to look as old as possible} In my opinion they are a better buy than a similar year Cadillac or other upper middle quality car. Greg in Canada

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest dannirr

Although a slightly different car, an early White steam car - model D or E (so about 1903-1905) in fine condition will sell for around $160 000. This is for a variety of reasons, amongst which is London to Brightom eligibility.

I have a White model E - they are very fine cars, and aside from the Doble, are the finest steam cars around.

If interested, you can see it on my website:

www.dansuskin.com

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A guy I dealt with before mentioned a good way to make an offer. He told me to tell the guy selling the car, this is what I can afford (X number of dollars) It seems like a good way to break the ice without insulting the guy.

I haven't had a chance to try it yet but It seems like a very polite way of making an offer that may otherwise be insulting. It's always hard to read somebody and know what number they have in mind unless they drop hints.

Very nice car by the way, As is the other car in the photo.

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Guest dannirr

Here is a win-win way to make an offer:

You write down the real maximun you are willing to pay

The seller writes down the real minmum he s willing to take

You both reveal your pieces of paper

If your number is less than his, there is no deal

If your number is higher than his, you split the difference - he gets more than he would take and you pay less than you would pay - you both win

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Guest dannirr

Thanks Phil - it was a fantastic trip. I have now made a new cooper fuel line and am ready to go again!

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I was sitting in a restaurant with my wife about a week ago and a friend came in. He told me he have some Jaguar fenders for sale if I was interested. I told him I might be and asked how much he wanted.

He said to come down and look them over and make an offer. I said "I'm sorry, I don't make offers. I have an expectation that a person selling an item would know how much he wanted. Give me an idea and I would probably be interested."

He wants 200 bucks. I haven't been down to look a them.

In today's economic climate there are lots of cars and not many people ready to lay out money. Buyer's have the upper hand.

Oh, and if you want to see a great example of "hidden" pricing check out the completed auctions on Ebay. Most are no sale in red stating Reserve Not Met. Dreaming of too much or scared they won't get the last nickle. They do provide entertainment.

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A previous writer said on this thread that there was a 1912 White 30-hp roadster, an older restoration, for sale for around $100.000.00. But please don't judge by ASKING prices.

In my year-long search for a pre-war car, which ended last year, I found that asking prices were often 'way out in left field. One only has to look at the Hershey car corral in recent years--some asking prices are double what a car is worth!

Sometimes it takes a seller a year to come down to reality. But I hope your seller has more realistic expectations, saving time for both you and him.

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A previous writer said on this thread that there was a 1912 White 30-hp roadster, an older restoration, for sale for around $100.000.00. But please don't judge by ASKING prices.

In my year-long search for a pre-war car, which ended last year, I found that asking prices were often 'way out in left field. One only has to look at the Hershey car corral in recent years--some asking prices are double what a car is worth!

Sometimes it takes a seller a year to come down to reality. But I hope your seller has more realistic expectations, saving time for both you and him.

I just provided the information on a similar car. I was trying to point out the number someone quoted was so low it was not in the ballpark. Look at the car parked next to it, A Springfield Rolls..... The guy knows what he has, and unless he has gone senile, he has a understanding of the market and the current sales conditions. Look at the car, You don't buy major league brass for 15 cents on the dollar. Maybe 60 or 70 cents on the dollar. Ed

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  • 3 months later...
Guest brandonhowe

Sorry to dredge up a months old thread, but I found it on google doing some research on another White, which appears to be a mid-20s Model 15 Truck.

Anyway, I am an auctioneer, and we sold a 1911 White Model G Touring last year for $72,450 (w/ buyer's premium). If anyone is interested, I will be happy to post some photos for reference.

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Guest Huttig1

I would be interested in seeing photos of the car as we are still going back an forth....now going back and forth on if he even wants to sell it. My interest in his car must have brought back his own interest in it.

Are the photos on flickr or photo bucket or similar?

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Guest prs519

Dannirr you have a fabulous plan for a win-win transaction! When one considers that such good will agreements could literally be applied to fixing major world problems, it makes one sad as he asks, "Why not?" Must be some human-nature quirk that would find fault with such solutions. It is as if devisiveness and contention is a necessary ingredient to all human interactions. Trying not to be too political here, we sure do not need that on this great site. Just sayin! On the flip side, I will always remember a lttle tale my late father told me of two boys being allowed, by one boys mother, to help themselves to the previous nights left-over dessert, which was two pieces of exceptionally tasty pie. It so happened that of the two left- over pieces, one was substantially larger than the other, so the host boy served up his guest the SMALLER piece, completely unabashed. His friend said, "Thanks, man, but I gotta tell you, if you were my guest, I would certainly have served you the larger piece!" To which the host boy responded, "So what's the *****, you got the smaller one here, too!"

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