Up for sale but need help with pricing - 51 Buick Special 4 door 1 family owner garaged

Hello!

My Great-Grandmother bought this car new. My father kept it garaged and rarely driven. It has 52k original miles and it has never turned over. Paint is mostly original (there was a ding before I was born that was repainted on the trunk of the car) but faded, chrome is in great condition, the gas tank is new. This car is stock and the work done to it to make sure it is running well was done in 2012. I can give you the information on the specialist that did the work on the gas tank and car. I am looking for opinions on what to offer it for.

Yes, you can PM me if you would like to come see the car if that would help decide the price. I know pics are helpful and I am in the process of getting those ready for the ad, but would like to make it easy on myself and just get a price range..

Not sure if I should auction it, (and if so where) or just sell it myself. I am just looking for an idea of what the market price range could be.

51 Buick Special

4 Door

original, unmodified

new gas tank

driveable

garaged or barned most of it’s life (except when briefly worked on in 2012)

The registration gives this information

VIN# 46366426

Model: 410

Body: 4D

Class: AU

Thank you

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Really need pics of exterior, interior, engine and trunk. Also try to provide as much detail on any rust, are the floors solid (not rusted)

A descriptive condition report is a starting point but there are too many variables so we need to whittle them away with more info.

NADA offers price guides for classsic cars but again there are many variables they can't determine including the state of the economy, your location, etc so thats not always a trusted tool like it is for late model cars where available statisitics make the market much more predictable. I saw a similar 51 Special under 60kmi in WV sell for $5000 a couple years ago. The original black paint and chrome was still shiny and the car was road ready except for a couple minor things.

If the original paint can be cleaned up and is presentable enough to leave as-is that really helps because a quality paint job will cost more than the car is worth. Same goes for the condition of the mechanics. If the long storage has been kind to the car that will help. On the flip side if storage really took its toll it could cost $3000+ just to get the car road ready, safe, and reliable to drive.

Typically try the free advertising first like the for sale section here, craigslist, etc. If that don't result in a sale you could try ebay but cars that do the best on ebay are models in demand so you get multiple people bidding against each other and the 51 Special probably won't do that. Although ebay could be the difference between selling it or not selling it a all because it reaches a bigger audience. Even if bids don't meet the reserve, many cars often sell to a high bidder after the auction ends when the seller decides they can't get the price they were hoping for.

There was a very nice condition '51 2-door special that went on ebay a couple of weeks ago (photos below). It was a "buy it now" with "make an offer". The guy listed it several times (the buy-it-now is time-limited), and the seller adjusted the price with each re-listing. He hinted he would accept an offer in the mid 11k range, so my guess is that's what it sold for 11,500. You can't see the actual sell price when "offer is accepted" on ebay. His prior listings also hinted that he did NOT accept offers in the 8500-9k range. 36k original miles.

Note - this car had a BRAND NEW partial restoration. This included a new paint job. NEW chrome on the front & rear bumpers. Not sure what else may have been rechromed as far as smaller / pot metal trim items. New upholstery, headliner, sunvisors, door panels. New floor carpet. Radio rebuilt to functional. A big thing they did NOT do was much of anything (obvious) under the hood. They painted the valve cover & intake manifold, and that's about it.

Other work they listed: Replaced torque tube seal, new exhaust, new brakes, electric fuel pump added, generator rebuilt, carb rebuilt, new battery, recent tune up, new tires, new brake & fuel lines.

It also had factory option bumper over-rides ($250 or so, today's value).

So, taking this car, applying the 4-door "discount" (way more parts to restore if someone's buying door / window seals, etc. + 4-doors just aren't as "cool" so sell for less), plus some discount for paint condition, but the bonus of a new gas tank & it's running, I'd estimate your car in the:

$9k-10k range. Sorry if you had a much bigger number in mind. Clean it up as much as possible - wash/wax the paint, take good outdoor photos not on dirt/mud, have the tires cleaned up - advertise it for $12k and see what happens.

The best thing you can do is hire a professional appraiser. Check the Antique automobile Club of America for a chapter near you. I am sure they can direct you to a qualified appraiser. Expect the cost to be between $300 and $500. This should be done for insurance purposes, anyway.

If the car is not licensed at the time of sale expect a big deduction for all the things it doesn't have to do just sitting in the garage. You won't be able to give the potential buyer any indication that the car does much of anything reliably.

Don't forget the consumables; tires, brake lining and hoses, and all the things that are age sensitive over 50 years. If a buyer is smart enough to have the money they will catch those items.

Don't subscribe to the "ask high and be willing to negotiate". It usually works out as "ask high and be willing to alienate". Over priced cars literally sit for years because serious buyers were lost on the initial offering.

A buyer's purchase options increase exponentially with each $1,000. Do a search of cars from 1940 to 1960 on Ebay of Buy It Now cars starting at $8,000 and see how many more cars come in with each $1,000. That's competition.

And with the 4 door hump to get over, be ready for the frustration of whiners and low-ballers.

Be careful, what looks like a wonderful inheritance can quickly become an unintended curse.

Bernie

If it is an inheritance, licensing the car to the executor will clean up a lot of paperwork to make the purchase easy for the buyer.

More data: either currently not yet sold or sold in the past month or two:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321361770650

- listed with buy it now of $10k, 4-door, 1950 model, runs/drives

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191119980806

- listed as an auction. Watch it & see, but the photos look strangely old.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1941-buick-special-sedanette-RAT-ROD-PROJECT-CAR-/281290866497

- that was a project with a desirable/cool body style. $11750, 31k miles.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1950-Buick-Special-four-door-sedan-/111297968815

- on the other side, this was a _very_ good start at a 4-door, $3557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1950-Buick-Super-Riviera-/171235276807

- another on the high end - recent/new restoration / 4-door, $14751, didn't sell (bid up to 14751, reserve was higher)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1953-BUICK-SPECIAL-TWO-DOOR-POST-COMPLETE-RESTORATION-COLD-A-C-/171224844701

- 2 door - recent/new restoration, bid up to $10001, reserve was higher.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1949-BUICK-ROADMASTER-8-cyl-SUPER-EIGHT-DYNAFLOW-WIDE-WHITE-WALLS-CLASSIC-50-51-/201030287398

- or look at this 4-door roadmaster, older restoration - sold for $12k

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1953-BUICK-ROADMASTER-V8-WITH-FACTORY-A-C-/181315327215

- or this 2-door roadmaster, sold for $15,400 - dig that old-school AC.

I think an appraisal is a waste of your money, do some research online, check the various antique and classic value guides, and I am sure you will get some opinions here. By doing your homework you will do for free exactly what the appraiser will do. Many appraisers send out "eyes" to look over the car and not a certified appraiser. Toss the car on eBay with a high reserve, you will quickly learn what the car is worth in the market. It appears to be a nice clean car, but that said, it's not a high end model, not one of the most desirable years, I see some originality issues all of which will play into the value.

Keith, It sounds like you saw pics of the car?

Ah, I thought the pictures on Eric's post were of the car - my bad. Strike that last sentence on my post.

Every year my business accountant calculates my "basis" in the company. That ties all the facets of my investment and I can figure out a fair price for my services and try to make a reasonable profit.

In the case of inherited cars or cars passed on in a casual manner there is no "basis" for the owner to attach a profit or loss markup, or markdown to.

A licensed appraiser will provide a legal document and a value based on licensed proper procures.

Over the years I have seen many speculatively valued cars lost or ruined in the ownership of an "heir". Usually a car is neglected and unsold due to an incorrectly high asking price. How many times has the comment "Well, I'm not going to give it away." marked the beginning of a slow disintegration of iron back to the Earth?

There is a black Jaguar XJ12 sinking into the ground in Rush, New York for that exact reason. and across the county the luckiest cars become Urban Legends rumored about being stored in some garage off a back street. The unlucky ones get dragged outside and weather to death over the years.

With Ad Hoc pricing the "heir" might as well scrap the car immediately or give it to another relative.

The value of a professional appraisal may be the survival of the car and a Wake Up call that Uncle Elmer's 1956 Studebaker Scotsman Wagon with a radio delete was a car no one really wanted new and will have people tripping over it at the cruise in.

I started paying attention to old cars in the summer of 1959; anyone want the list?

Bernie

I agree with my3buicks, an appraisal is a waste of time. Ask yourself on why sellers say in their ads; "It was appraised for $20,000 but I am selling it for $12,500" ? You can put a value on your car yourself. I have a few tips: Be honest with the condition of the car. Know exactly what you have. Do some research on the internet for similar cars. Do a search for similar years, makes and models. A four year span (1949-1952) is a good target. Look at sold prices. Do not look at high bids on eBay or Buy it Now prices on eBay. These prices mean absolutely nothing. Cars will eventually sell for more or less. Comparing conditions of cars is like comparing apples and oranges. Every old car is unique. There are good restorations and bad restorations. There are original cars that have been stored properly and some that have not. The main point is what someone is willing to buy your car for. The value is based on what a seller is willing to sell for and a buyer is willing to pay. Do not compare your car to a Concours restoration that is over the top. More than likely you do not have one and this confuses value. Collectors that are into these types of cars are willing to spend more on restorations than cars are worth. Most never get their money out of their cars.

Appraisers tend to look at what is important but often they focus on obscure issues and confuse buyers as well as sellers. Some are experienced and some take an online course that "certifies" them. I have seen guys actually measure paint thickness and then write down a figure but are unable to explain what it means. Most cars will never have the correct paint thickness if they have been restored. All restorations have some metal filler or bondo. That is a fact and is a standard that is used in the restoration industry. The thickness and how it is used is important. Obviously, thick bondo is a problem. When you see a car that is "laser straight" it has had some metal work done and yes it has bondo.

Classic car auctions are great entertainment and fun places to go. You may even find a nice car. Never go by a top bid as a way of determining value. Read the rules of an auction and you will see that in a Reserve auction, the auctioneer is allowed to bid the car up to the reserve price. So while the top bid may show $25,000, the only "real money" may be $15,000. Thus the car does not sell but shows on record that it had a high bid of $25,000 when in fact it did not. Do not base your appraisal on these values. Go to any auction house site and print out a set of their rules. It is fun reading. I realize that they have to guard against law suits but when you read the rules, you will question why people buy at an auction. In my opinion it is not a place for the amateur collector.

Appraisers are good and bad and have a purpose but values that they put on cars usually are not very good as an indicator of what a car will sell for.

Dealers are a good source. Go to a few dealers in your area and talk to them. See what they think about your car and ask for an offer. Sure, they will make money on your car. Be careful. Know what your car is worth and know what you will accept. There are good dealers and bad dealers. They do not bite and it does not hurt to talk to them. They can save you a lot of time and expense. They are a source to help educate yourself. Scams are prevalent and a good dealer who is licensed and bonded will avoid those scams.

Watch out for Brokers. Their are good brokers and bad brokers. The internet companies that charge $300 to $500 or more are useless in my opinion. They will list your car or offer to list for a high price. They charge for their service. In my opinion, they tend to list for higher prices, charge fees and "hope" that they sell. You can do this yourself. A broker in your area that is licensed and bonded may be a good choice but you still have to sell for a fair price. Like dealers, their are good ones and bad ones. it does not hurt to talk to a classic car broker in your area.

You can find dealers and brokers by going to your DMV or Secretary of State on line. You can verify that they are licensed.

When you find a seller of a similar car on the internet, call them. Tell them that you are trying to put a value on your car. If you find a car that has sold, give that seller a call. Talk to them in a friendly manner and you may be surprised at the information that they share. "Car Guys" are usually great people and like talking cars.

I hope that I have not completely confused you. Selling a classic car at the right price is one of the most difficult tasks that anyone will experience. Just remember, that a classic car is a toy and buyers do not have to buy your car. It is not like they are buying food or shelter. It's a car that they do not necessarily need. So it needs to be priced fairly for the condition, year, make and model that it is. One more thing: It does not matter what you have in the car. It only matters what a buyer is willing to pay. It also does not matter what the value will be after it is restored. Never put "Firm" on your asking price and do not be insulted by offers. You just have to say No if it is low. Have very thick skin. You will figure out who the real buyers are and who are the tire kickers and dreamers.

Good Luck

CJinOKC,

Welcome to the AACA Discussion Forum.

Condition matters a lot. I would suggest you post a group of detailed photos that show the exterior, interior, engine compartment, trunk, tires and chassis of the car. After the photos are posted here, I suspect that the folks here would be able to give you a much more accurate "ballpark estimate' of what the car might be worth. Any car is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing to accept. From your limited description of the vehicle's condition so far, I would not even take a guess at its value. The value could vary multiple thousands of dollars on different cars that could be described as you have described yours. Photos will help show the car's current condition much better than your limited description posted so far.

A year old Old Cars Price Guide shows the car at $19,000 in #1 condition. Even if you don't want a #1 condition car....make a list of everything it would take to make it #1 and deduct that from the Old Cars price. I use this method when looking at/buying.

I'm not sure where my price guides are at the moment, so that is of limited help. Based on other examples in this thread, I suspect this car is not in the $10,000 range. So, I would also concur that an appraisal is not particularly valuable in this case as it may be worth 5-10% of the value of the car. Oklahoma City is not particularly large, nor necessarily have a huge population base in close proximity (not all that certain on my geography). The farther a buyer has to travel to pick up a car, the more the transport will cost them, so they typically factor that into what they are willing to pay.

Based on the description, it sounds like it is a functional, fairly nice original car. The reality is that four door cars are not seen to be as collectible as two doors, so there is a significant price differential.

I'd suggest looking to see if you can find a local car club and that could help you gauge local interest. Another resource would be if you can find an old-time mechanic who will give you the straight goods. If they happen to sell on consignment as well, that would be a bonus.

Good luck.