1955 Century 3 speed - $8500 on CL

[cjp69]

https://corpuschristi.craigslist.org/cto/d/1955-buick-century/6425890240.html

 

 

[NC-car-guy]

Nice

[billbuickgs]

Thank GOD  its 1700 miles from me .

Property tax is due in 15 days  so pay the taxes or by a new toy 

Really nice for the money 

Bill

[old-tank]

150 miles and 3 hours form my location.

20 years ago I would have jumped on this.  But creaky knees and traffic congestion put it out of consideration.  If it was a dynaflow car I would show up with $5K cash...

[Kosage Chavis]

Would love to hear how it sounds and see how it drives.

[MrEarl]

12 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said:

Would love to hear how it sounds and see how it drives.

 

I'd be satisfied if the seller would go to the trouble of opening the hood and trunk. 

 

55 owners, from  what is visible, how correct is the newly done seat upholstery? The door panels look pretty nice considering their age. 

 

Very rare car and depending on just how solid could be fairly priced. Does anyone know the numbers on the 55 60 series w/conventional transmissions. I have a letter from Terry Dunham telling that his research shows nmt 525 '54 60's w/ct's were produced but couldn't break that down into 2 or 4 door. I only recall ever seeing 5 2dr ones with two of them being mine.  I would think there would be even less 55's? 

 

Green is ok, but would love to see this dressed in Titian Red, the hot rod color of the 50's. But maybe Titian Red wasn't available in '55? 

 

Bill, go for this now as the penalty for snoozing would be to loose it. The penalty on paying late taxes couldn't be too bad. 

[MrEarl]

21 hours ago, billbuickgs said:

Thank GOD  its 1700 miles from me .

Property tax is due in 15 days  so pay the taxes or by a new toy 

Really nice for the money 

Bill

 

Bill, you really need this and you know it. I think that Escalade of yours needs her legs stretched, so let's be hittin the road!! 

[Kosage Chavis]

Yes, and if there is any buyer's remorse, I will buy it from you...years later though?.  Still got to finish the one I have already.  But seriously, I would love to have a 3 speed alongside my dynaflow one day.

[billbuickgs]

I emailed the seller , I don't see the engine - turn dash , no pics of the engine .Century name on dash is blacked out .

I ask for the model number from the plate under the hood  and pics of the engine and speedometer.

The Century names on the side have the same holes as the Special emblems and not that many Century sticks produced .

I will post his reply

Bill

[old-tank]

7 minutes ago, billbuickgs said:

I emailed the seller , I don't see the engine - turn dash , no pics of the engine .Century name on dash is blacked out .

I ask for the model number from the plate under the hood  and pics of the engine and speedometer.

The Century names on the side have the same holes as the Special emblems and not that many Century sticks produced .

I will post his reply

Bill

Good catch.  More than likely a Special....not a bad car, but now we are at $1500.

[old-tank]

23 minutes ago, Imperial62 said:

On the other hand - weren't Specials only 3 portholes in 1955?  Is that door panel Century specific or shared with the Special?  I agree the seller should provide a picture of the data plate to confirm but I think it is unlikely someone goes to all that trouble to dupe everyone.  You would have to remove and install the front fenders - same color mind you, door panel swap out and names plates for purpose of a couple of thousand dollars?  Not likely.

Definitely a Special dash:  trim around the ash trays and radio was part of the engine turned pieces on the Century; separate pieces on the Special; very hard to change dash.  But not that hard to change portholes or fenders and name especially if wrecked and a parts car donated.  Door panels on the 46R with upgrade trim were the same a 66R.

I know of one 66C (century convertible) bought on ebay that turned out to be a clone.

[billbuickgs]

[NC-car-guy]

3 hours ago, old-tank said:

 Door panels on the 46R with upgrade trim were the same a 66R.

 

The century had the molded in arm rests right? 

[billbuickgs]

I think I will pass on this one. Present owner said last owner removed the plate under the hood

that is the tell-all plate .

Speedometer with trip gauge , 8000 miles, can't see century emblem on dash, no engine turn dash,

4 barrel carb with air cleaner , late valve covers  with oil fillers.

Oh well ,

Bill

[old-tank]

31 minutes ago, wndsofchng06 said:

The century had the molded in arm rests right? 

not on the 66R

[NC-car-guy]

26 minutes ago, billbuickgs said:

I think I will pass on this one. Present owner said last owner removed the plate under the hood

that is the tell-all plate .

Speedometer with trip gauge , 8000 miles, can't see century emblem on dash, no engine turn dash,

4 barrel carb with air cleaner , late valve covers  with oil fillers.

Oh well ,

Bill

Hmmm. Faux century

[KongaMan]

3 hours ago, billbuickgs said:

Present owner said last owner removed the plate under the hood

that is the tell-all plate .

 

IMHO, that's likely BS.  When you have a used car, do you know with specificity which previous owner did which work?  It sounds like a reach for one particular PO to say, "I took off the tag" -- especially when that particular action is so crucial to establishing the value.  If it were a real Century, and the seller said he removed the tag, most knowledgeable purchasers would tell him the tag comes with the car or no deal.

 

IOW, one might reasonably suspect that the tag was removed by the current seller.

Edited December 17, 2017 by KongaMan (see edit history)

[old-tank]

2 hours ago, wndsofchng06 said:

2 hours ago, billbuickgs said:

I think I will pass on this one. Present owner said last owner removed the plate under the hood

that is the tell-all plate .

Speedometer with trip gauge , 8000 miles, can't see century emblem on dash, no engine turn dash,

4 barrel carb with air cleaner , late valve covers  with oil fillers.

Oh well ,

Bill

Hmmm. Faux century

Yep, and I would have been pissed if I drove 3 hours to get it...not as much as someone who bought it and had it shipped.

[lancemb]

16 hours ago, billbuickgs said:

Present owner said last owner removed the plate under the hood

that is the tell-all plate .

Shame.  It's just a parts car now in my opinion.  Why anyone would do that is beyond me.

[60FlatTop]

A driving car from the 1950's under 10 grand is a pretty good deal. $8500 and another $4,000 on making it nicer would put one into a nice car. Of course, you'd have to drive it places alone and never take it where Buick aficionados gathered....... well, maybe that wouldn't be as bad as it seems. Maybe you could park it way to the side and put on a magnetic sign "No Comments, Thank You" (But could they keep from blurting out?)

 

I bet it pulls real good after catching second around 45 MPH.

Bernie

[RiKi5156B]

It sez right in the ad it's a clone.Could also have a 264 in it.Not bad shape.

[JohnD1956]

46 minutes ago, RiKi5156B said:

It sez right in the ad it's a clone.Could also have a 264 in it.Not bad shape.

 It says that now.  I don't believe it said that before. 

[KongaMan]

No, the original ad did not mention that it is a clone.  Gotta give the guy props for owning up, I guess (although he hasn't lowered the price to reflect that ).  And if it does have the big engine (does it?), the butt dyno wouldn't know the difference.  It would still be nice if he could come up with the original build plate, though...

[60FlatTop]

Lower his price? The comments lead me to believe that after salvaging a few parts this thing is only good for scrap. Imagine a young, less knowledgeable, person buying that car and showing up at an event. They would never come back.

 

Here is a picture of me and my $1,000 '39 in 1974, the car was newer then than that '55 is now. I was 24.

 

The person who sold it to me,  had a black '39 Special 4 door convertible. This car was in Wisconsin and he had planned to drive it home to New York. The dealer had gone through the brakes and checked it over, but he shipped it, instead. As soon as it arrived he swapped front clips because mine was a dual sidemount car and trimmed out quite nicely. Notice the streamboards and the Century style window trim.

The bolt holes in the frame for the mount brackets were visible by bending only slightly forward. I would have had to weld those holes up or listened to the comments for the last 43 years if I had decided to keep the car. I am sure the convertible still exists, with rubber running boards, and they either don't know or won't mention it. It gets old fast and will either alienate the owner from the hobby or the marque group.

I sell a collector car at least once a year. There are two things that make me roll my eyes when a buyer arrives, if he brings a friend or brings his wife.

Of course, two of my cars are too new and one had the roof loped off it. What do I know, my history starts out with a car bearing the wrong fenders.

 

I have the heat turned up in the garage and a couple hours of "work" work to do. Then some time alone in the garage, alone is not a bad thing.

Bernie

 

Oh, I am real curious. How much should this guy have lowered the price on the car and what would be the limit a new owner should spend on it? Or scrap it?

I'm for paying the $8500 and putting another $4,000 to $5,000 over the next five years.

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[RiKi5156B]

I’ve said it before,negotiate hard and be prepared to walk. These are not an endangered species.Specially clones.

[MrEarl]

Perhaps I'm naive but I'm thinking the guy may not have known exactly what he had in the first place. I always try and give a person the benefit of the doubt. I notice now he has opened the hood at least and the biggest tell tale sign that it is a Special is the round shroud on the smaller radiator. A Century would have a standard size radiator and shroud.

 

.

Edited December 20, 2017 by MrEarl
remove hijacking (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

12 hours ago, MrEarl said:

Perhaps I'm naive but I'm thinking the guy may not have known exactly what he had in the first place. I always try and give a person the benefit of the doubt.

 

I'm naive like that. I always give the benefit of the doubt to a person. It is all those people who came before that made me leery. And I don't make stereotypes. It is more of a generalization.

 

I wrote earlier, it is not the car or the seller that would be a problem. It would be exposing the car and yourself to the Buick aficionados that would give the most grief. That is a much deeper thought than just breezing through that sentence.

Bernie

[KongaMan]

2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

I wrote earlier, it is not the car or the seller that would be a problem. It would be exposing the car and yourself to the Buick aficionados that would give the most grief.

 

OTOH, the amount of grief that causes is entirely up to you.  Do you really care if someone else looks down his nose at you or your car?

 

If some elitist snob wants to criticize my car or my decision to own it, I'll indulge him if he finds it cathartic, but that's only because of the grace and manners that were instilled in me by my sainted mother.  Strip away that thin veneer of civility, and like as not I'd suggest that he engage in some anatomically challenging activities and forcefully remove him from my presence.

[NC-car-guy]

12 minutes ago, KongaMan said:

 

OTOH, the amount of grief that causes is entirely up to you.  Do you really care if someone else looks down his nose at you or your car?

 

Hence why I stick to small local cruise-in or charity shows. less snooty

[60FlatTop]

28 minutes ago, KongaMan said:

OTOH, the amount of grief that causes is entirely up to you.  Do you really care if someone else looks down his nose at you or your car?

 

Tell that to the chicken with half his feathers pecked out.

 

And, yes, I take a lot of time making sure my car looks good and I do care when self appointed judge comes along and picks it apart. If I didn't care about how mine is received I am sure not going to care about yours. But I do and don't wet my pants waiting to point out a flaw.

 

I go to a local Buick event and hear "Why did you bring that car? I like the other one better" Or "Oh, that one is too new, huh, what is it anyway?"  or "OH! I rode in one of those cars 20 years ago. It wasn't worthy of me."

 

And the poor guy who buys that '55 advertised may come once, but he won't be back. No one will no why; Oh, he just didn't fit in.

 

In a restaurant, you can get a lousy meal. If you leave and never come back there is a certain amount of satisfaction in not telling and leaving them in their ignorance. Enough do it and they wonder how to market and attract new customers (members).

 

Of course I care. If I didn't I'd be too insensitive to notice it.

Bernie

[KongaMan]

I guess it depends on whether you're looking for validation or enjoyment.  Maybe that's why I don't do car shows.

 

See, here's the thing: I know my car better than any fly-by "expert".  I know what it is and what it isn't.  I know what's wrong with it, and what's right with it.  I know what works and what doesn't.  I know what I like about it and what I don't.  I know what needs to be fixed, what I'd like to be fixed, and what I don't care about fixing.  If some dude thinks he's telling me something I don't already know, he's most likely mistaken.  If he thinks his opinion should be given more weight than mine, he's definitely mistaken.  He's not impressing me with his knowledge; he's repulsing me with his arrogance.  And the horse he rode in on, ya know?

 

I'd also note that if you're hanging out at Buick events that are frequented by that kind of attendee, you're in with the wrong crowd.  Really, what kind of an a-hole would walk up to a stranger and just start ripping on his car?

[Kosage Chavis]

At the end of the day...we all love Buicks??!!!

[Pete Phillips]

Even with it not being a genuine Century, I think the asking price is a fair price. The car is in very nice condition, other than the faded/peeling clear coat on the upper surfaces. The interior is very, very nice and pretty darned close to being 100% correct for a Special. The dash is nice. The chrome on the outside of the car is nice. I don't see any dents nor any rust. The glass is good. I don't see any missing parts. The car is a two-door hardtop, which next to a convertible, is the most desirable body style out there. The car has rare-for -1955 Buicks standard shift, which is a lot more fun and more responsive than a Dynaflow and a lot more economical, too. Try spending $8500 on a rough, project car of this age and see how far you get--you won't come close to the condition of this car. I'll also add that it looks to me like it has a four-barrel carburetor, given the big air cleaner and the spacing of the carburetor hold-down bolts on the passenger side, which is all you can see.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Pete Phillips (see edit history)

[Beemon]

Isn't this akin to putting A.C. in a non A.C. car?

[60FlatTop]

19 hours ago, Imperial62 said:

I may be incorrect but I took Bernie's initial comment not to mean snobbery

 

I only buy Electras and Roadmasters, thank you. Lesser cars do not interest me.

[Beemon]

4 hours ago, Imperial62 said:

No, it's pretty simple. It's a clone, or a tribute car and clones have been part of the muscle car scene for years.  It's more than an add-on of a valuable component like A/C.  Someone put Century four port hole front fenders on it, the scripts (not hard to exchange) and a 4 barrel carberator.  

 

So I want to make sure I understand this, because I'm still new to the scene and everything. If you take a 2 door hardtop Special with a 2 barrel detuned engine, standard shift, manual brakes and steering and you add a 4 barrel intake and carb, power brakes and steering, a Dynaflow, A.C. and add the larger radiator , that's ok? But when you change the scripts and front fenders it's not? Again I am completely ignorant on this subject, only been participating for 2 or so years. 

[KongaMan]

12 minutes ago, Beemon said:

 

So I want to make sure I understand this, because I'm still new to the scene and everything. If you take a 2 door hardtop Special with a 2 barrel detuned engine, standard shift, manual brakes and steering and you add a 4 barrel intake and carb, power brakes and steering, a Dynaflow, A.C. and add the larger radiator , that's ok? But when you change the scripts and front fenders it's not? Again I am completely ignorant on this subject, only been participating for 2 or so years. 

 

You could open a big can or worms with this topic, as it's a religious question in some quarters.

 

IMHO, it comes down to representation.  If the car is represented as a Century, that crosses the line.  If it's badged as a Century, that's dancing right around the line.  In this case, though, the missing build plate plate tips the scales a bit; that seems to introduce an element of fraudulent intent.  The fenders?  Whatever.  The 4-barrel? So what.  To me, it could have been left as a Special, then dropped in a bigger engine and a 4-barrel, and the driver would never know the difference.  From that perspective, the changed scripts, dash pieces, build plate, etc. all point towards something more than grins for the owner/driver.

 

BTW, was it ever established what engine is in this thing?

[NC-car-guy]

 I think it is as close to the "#'s matching" issue as you're going to get on these cars.   Before I had my own Century, I had collected up everything to make my special a century.  I had no intention of removing the cowl tag, and was open in saying I wanted to make a clone.    I can see where some feel deceived on this.... on the other hand, if the guy had a century that was totalled (like the 56 I posted on here) then swapped every single element on to a good special body....  would he have the right to switch that body tag? Is it then not the same?

[60FlatTop]

The sales manager where I bought this S-10 stood, leaning on the box talking to me for about 15 minutes. As he walked away he turned back and said "By the way, that ain't no Pontiac."

 

Official judges would deduce from originality due to changes from the factory configuration. Unofficial judges just want to share their wealth of knowledge with you, sometimes to the point where they press their knees together and gyrate, hardly able to spit it out. For the first few years you can have fun playing stupid with them, but it gets old.

Bernie

[KongaMan]

16 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said:

The sales manager where I bought this S-10 stood, leaning on the box talking to me for about 15 minutes. As he walked away he turned back and said "By the way, that ain't no Pontiac."

 

 

Back in the late 80s I was looking for an SUV-type vehicle.  One of the ones I checked out was the Blazer.   There on the Chevy lot was a Blazer with a big GMC grill.  Salesman told me, "There's no discount for that, and we aren't going to do anything about it because someone will buy it as it sits."