Chacheska

Hi, Jim. First of all, condition is everything in literature. Since you didn't mention anything about it's condition I can't give you a price. I CAN say that since eBay came along the price of those manuals has dropped quite a bit. Those were hard to find at swap meets but I've seen quite a few on eBay. I personally own two of them. If you have other similar related Cadillac items I collect pre-war Cadillac literature. Contact me at chacheska@verizon.net. I'm not a dealer I'm a hobbyist. Hope to hear from you. Karl

Hi, Todd. I've owned my 1937 Buick Special for 33 years so I can tell you anything you need to know about your Buick. Specials usually didn't have sidemounts but some did. Centurys more often than not had sidemounts. Roadmasters mostly have them and Limiteds always had them. Look inside the engine compartment on the right side. There will be a number on the frame just behind the front wheel. You can see it by looking down from the top. That's your VIN number. The engine number will be stamped on a raised area toward the back of the engine just below the head. Get the body, style, paint and trim numbers off the firewall. Send me an e-mail at chacheska@verizon.net and I can tell you whatever you need to know. 1937 and 1938 Buicks are arguably the best looking cars on the road for those two years. If you read a book called STYLE by David Holls and Robert Lamm you'll see that opinion in print. Holls was a GM stylist so if he thinks those two years of Buicks had the most attractive styling of any other car on the road who am I to disagree. For anyone who hasn't read that book it's an extremely well authored book on the subject of automotive styling from the French coachbuilders up through the 1990's. Highly recommended read.

Hey, Mike, I have about $3,600 invested in two NIkon 35mm SLR's and lots of lenses up to 300mm. I'll send you my address and you can send me a check for my old stuff so I can pay $50 for a digital to replace $3,600 worth of equipment. Fair enough? EX98, that's a great idea regarding CD's. I'll give that a try. I believe I have to get a photo program for the computer first. Thanks very much for the fire truck education. That helps a lot!

Hey there, Mike. I remember Southern Ca weather. I lived there for 3 years in the late 80's. Where were you in 1989? I was staying in Beverly Glen and saw it snow!! Nice big flakes for about 15 minutes. You must have slept through that. When I get pics of the pumper I'll have to send them to you the old fashioned way. I don't have a digital camera so I'm going to take them with my 35mm SLR and can mail them to you. Remember mail? Thanks for the interest, Mike. Karl

Hey there, Mike. I remember Southern Ca weather. I lived there for 3 years in the late 80's. Where were you in 1989? I was staying in Beverly Glen and saw it snow!! Nice big flakes for about 15 minutes. You must have slept through that. When I get pics of the pumper I'll have to send them to you the old fashioned way. I don't have a digital camera so I'm going to take them with my 35mm SLR and can mail them to you. Remember mail? Thanks for the interest, Mike. Karl

Old Cars Price Guide can be erratic depending on the marque but I can tell you this........ it was right on the money when it came to the prices I paid for the last two classics I bought, my Packard and Pierce Arrow. It was a little low on my Buick but for the most part it's been pretty close for the cars I've purchased. I'm using it as a source to negotiate a deal right now with the seller of another classic I'm interested in and he's going along with it. It's important to realize it's a GUIDE to be used as a rule of thumb. Cardinal, I don't think you'll be able to find values for the Price Guide on the internet. They wouldn't be able to publish and make money on their monthly magazine if they provided the info on the net. I go to the local public library for the latest edition. Our library keeps the last two years on file. I'm not familiar with the Mannheim Gold Book. I'll have to look into that one.

Old Cars Price Guide can be erratic depending on the marque but I can tell you this........ it was right on the money when it came to the prices I paid for the last two classics I bought, my Packard and Pierce Arrow. It was a little low on my Buick but for the most part it's been pretty close for the cars I've purchased. I'm using it as a source to negotiate a deal right now with the seller of another classic I'm interested in and he's going along with it. It's important to realize it's a GUIDE to be used as a rule of thumb. Cardinal, I don't think you'll be able to find values for the Price Guide on the internet. They wouldn't be able to publish and make money on their monthly magazine if they provided the info on the net. I go to the local public library for the latest edition. Our library keeps the last two years on file. I'm not familiar with the Mannheim Gold Book. I'll have to look into that one.

Speaking of shady practices ........ there's a car on eBay right now being sold under a private auction. Two minutes after the seller listed the car he got his fist bid. Within the first hour he got a total of 14 bids and the car shot up from next to nothing to over $7,500 in under an hour. C'mon, how often does that happen? He either has a couple of buddies boosting the price or he himself has multiple eBay names and is bidding his own car up. It's over $13,000 now but hasn't met reserve. Still not a big fan of auctions. Too many opportunities to cheat.

Speaking of shady practices ........ there's a car on eBay right now being sold under a private auction. Two minutes after the seller listed the car he got his fist bid. Within the first hour he got a total of 14 bids and the car shot up from next to nothing to over $7,500 in under an hour. C'mon, how often does that happen? He either has a couple of buddies boosting the price or he himself has multiple eBay names and is bidding his own car up. It's over $13,000 now but hasn't met reserve. Still not a big fan of auctions. Too many opportunities to cheat.

Cardinal, no one has actually answered your question regarding how to determine value being a novice. My suggestion is to look at past auctions on eBay, auction results from the bigger auction companies, Old Cars Price Guide, past Packard publications (since you seem to be focused on Packards), joining one or two of the Packard clubs and calling members who own the cars you're interested in. Ask them what they paid for their cars or what they think a particular car you're interested in is worth based on it's condition. I think you'll get the most honest answers by asking other people who own the cars you want to buy. They won't have any vested interest in lying to you because they're won't be trying to sell you something. You have to make the effort to do the research into the not-too-distant past sales prices. Be patient and collect data.

Cardinal, no one has actually answered your question regarding how to determine value being a novice. My suggestion is to look at past auctions on eBay, auction results from the bigger auction companies, Old Cars Price Guide, past Packard publications (since you seem to be focused on Packards), joining one or two of the Packard clubs and calling members who own the cars you're interested in. Ask them what they paid for their cars or what they think a particular car you're interested in is worth based on it's condition. I think you'll get the most honest answers by asking other people who own the cars you want to buy. They won't have any vested interest in lying to you because they're won't be trying to sell you something. You have to make the effort to do the research into the not-too-distant past sales prices. Be patient and collect data.

Glad to hear people don't have a 'schedule' of when to buy and when to sell based on age. I thought that was a bizarre comment. I'm with you, Mr. Earl. I still have room in the warehouse for a couple more cars and a couple of bucks left in the wallet so I'm going to do my best to fill those spots. I'm a little concerned about why Matt's corpse will be swollen, though. Rotting? Sure but what's with the swelling? Thanks to all for bolstering my belief that I'm not nearly old enough to think about selling yet. My dad was already dead at my age so I figure I'm already ahead of the game, genetically speaking. Ciao for now!

Glad to hear people don't have a 'schedule' of when to buy and when to sell based on age. I thought that was a bizarre comment. I'm with you, Mr. Earl. I still have room in the warehouse for a couple more cars and a couple of bucks left in the wallet so I'm going to do my best to fill those spots. I'm a little concerned about why Matt's corpse will be swollen, though. Rotting? Sure but what's with the swelling? Thanks to all for bolstering my belief that I'm not nearly old enough to think about selling yet. My dad was already dead at my age so I figure I'm already ahead of the game, genetically speaking. Ciao for now!

I was talking to a 86 year old family member yesterday and happened to mention I was going to look at a car over the weekend to possibly purchase (my 9th). The response I got was, "Why are you looking to buy another car? You're 53. People buy and enjoy their things until they reach 50. After that they start to sell what they own. You shouldn't be looking at buying another car, you should be starting to sell what you have". I was taken aback by that statement since I don't have any reason to feel I need to sell my cars just because I'm now 53 years old. Barring any unforseen illness do any of you have a chronological plan as to when it will be time to sell your assets? This question is geared (pun intended) to cars but could apply to any assets. I thought 50 was the new 40 these days. I just talked to a 92 year old man this past weekend that sold his 1940 Buick last week because he couldn't drive it any more. That's more to my way of thinking. You drive your cars until you can't drive them. After that you can still have someone else drive you in your own car and still enjoy it! I know that as we age we have less of a desire to crawl under our cars or do the heavy lifting that's sometimes involved with maintaining them but I just can't see selling them. I'm sure the younger members don't think about this but If this doesn't apply to you personally maybe you know of other people who have chronological plans to sell their cars or other assets at a particular age or have already done so. I'm thinking those of us that collect old cars have brains that are wired a bit differently than those who don't so I'm guessing most of you will not have any set plans as to what age you start selling. The fact I started an earlier topic on willing our cars after we die makes me realize that a lot of people already have plans to do just that so it may not be as important or thought provoking to think about when to start selling off your assets. The simple fact that the statement was put forth to me makes me wonder how many people think that way. I do know other people who have parred down what they own at some point in order to simplify their lives. I'll pass any of the replies I get along to my 'seasoned senior' relative to hopefully give them a different perspective on when it's time to sell.

I was talking to a 86 year old family member yesterday and happened to mention I was going to look at a car over the weekend to possibly purchase (my 9th). The response I got was, "Why are you looking to buy another car? You're 53. People buy and enjoy their things until they reach 50. After that they start to sell what they own. You shouldn't be looking at buying another car, you should be starting to sell what you have". I was taken aback by that statement since I don't have any reason to feel I need to sell my cars just because I'm now 53 years old. Barring any unforseen illness do any of you have a chronological plan as to when it will be time to sell your assets? This question is geared (pun intended) to cars but could apply to any assets. I thought 50 was the new 40 these days. I just talked to a 92 year old man this past weekend that sold his 1940 Buick last week because he couldn't drive it any more. That's more to my way of thinking. You drive your cars until you can't drive them. After that you can still have someone else drive you in your own car and still enjoy it! I know that as we age we have less of a desire to crawl under our cars or do the heavy lifting that's sometimes involved with maintaining them but I just can't see selling them. I'm sure the younger members don't think about this but If this doesn't apply to you personally maybe you know of other people who have chronological plans to sell their cars or other assets at a particular age or have already done so. I'm thinking those of us that collect old cars have brains that are wired a bit differently than those who don't so I'm guessing most of you will not have any set plans as to what age you start selling. The fact I started an earlier topic on willing our cars after we die makes me realize that a lot of people already have plans to do just that so it may not be as important or thought provoking to think about when to start selling off your assets. The simple fact that the statement was put forth to me makes me wonder how many people think that way. I do know other people who have parred down what they own at some point in order to simplify their lives. I'll pass any of the replies I get along to my 'seasoned senior' relative to hopefully give them a different perspective on when it's time to sell.

Thanks for the great information, ex48. As I mentioned in my post, it's a pumper and it's an open truck. That's not good since it sat outside for so many years. I don't have an answer to the custom cab question. It's sitting on property I own 17 miles from my house so I don't have ready access to it. I appreciate the info you gave me. I'm not a all familiar with fire trucks. By the way, thanks for the welcome to the website but I've been here posting for quite awhile. Never tried selling but usually in the discussion forum. I'll check the website you suggested as well as seeing if I can find it's point of origin. Mike, I can take some pics once the snow all melts and the ground dries up a bit. Did you need any info from the tag? It's not that big of a truck. Without measuring it I'm guessing it's in the 20' range. Thanks VERY much for the useful information, gentlemen.

Thanks for the great information, ex48. As I mentioned in my post, it's a pumper and it's an open truck. That's not good since it sat outside for so many years. I don't have an answer to the custom cab question. It's sitting on property I own 17 miles from my house so I don't have ready access to it. I appreciate the info you gave me. I'm not a all familiar with fire trucks. By the way, thanks for the welcome to the website but I've been here posting for quite awhile. Never tried selling but usually in the discussion forum. I'll check the website you suggested as well as seeing if I can find it's point of origin. Mike, I can take some pics once the snow all melts and the ground dries up a bit. Did you need any info from the tag? It's not that big of a truck. Without measuring it I'm guessing it's in the 20' range. Thanks VERY much for the useful information, gentlemen.

I was wondering if anyone out there would be interested in buying a good running 1952 Seagraves fire truck with the old Pierce Arrow V12 style engine. It's been sitting outside a long time but runs pretty well. Brakes don't work but it's been driven around the yard. The last time it ran was this past October. I don't know the value of fire trucks so I talked to three different people involved with collecting fire trucks to get an estimate on price and interestingly enough all three people suggested $5,000 was a fair price to ask. I don't recall seeing a fire truck being offered here before. If fire trucks are not the proper vehicle to sell on this site I apologize. If anyone is interested I can get identification numbers off the plate and take some pics in a week or two when the weather gets a little better. The truck needs total restoration. It's the shorter wheelbase pumper. The color is currently white. Not sure if that's original.

I was wondering if anyone out there would be interested in buying a good running 1952 Seagraves fire truck with the old Pierce Arrow V12 style engine. It's been sitting outside a long time but runs pretty well. Brakes don't work but it's been driven around the yard. The last time it ran was this past October. I don't know the value of fire trucks so I talked to three different people involved with collecting fire trucks to get an estimate on price and interestingly enough all three people suggested $5,000 was a fair price to ask. I don't recall seeing a fire truck being offered here before. If fire trucks are not the proper vehicle to sell on this site I apologize. If anyone is interested I can get identification numbers off the plate and take some pics in a week or two when the weather gets a little better. The truck needs total restoration. It's the shorter wheelbase pumper. The color is currently white. Not sure if that's original.

Harry, I agree auctions can be an O.K. place to buy a car but nothing beats having the luxury of time to look a car over. Your Franklin experience proves that point. You're absolutely right about knowing as much about the car you're going to look at as possible before getting to wherever you're going to buy the car. I'll call other members with similar cars to the one I'm going to see and ask them what to watch out for. I also try to get pictures of the engine compartment from manuals as well as serial and engine number locations to see if it's a numbers matching car which will also affect the value. I'm much more of a one on one buyer. People act and react differently when there are greater numbers of them. Testosterone levels rise and people will sometimes bid an item up simply because they don't want someone beating them. eBay has flourished on that premise. Cooler heads prevail with just two people negotiating a price. I hope you're right about the "stall & fall" prediction. When prices tanked in the early 90's I took advantage of the drop and bought most of the classics I currently own. It was a great buying opportunity that lasted for about 7 years before prices started rising. Rising oil/gas prices and the poor housing market will certainly hurt a lot of people's pocketbooks. The last time the bottom fell out of the housing market in 1990 the old car market tanked with it. It will be interesting to see if the combination of the poor housing market, oil prices and possible deeper concerns with the stability of banks that lend money coupled with other economic downturns have the same affect on the car market this time. Sure wish I had some gold jewelry laying around the house!

Harry, I agree auctions can be an O.K. place to buy a car but nothing beats having the luxury of time to look a car over. Your Franklin experience proves that point. You're absolutely right about knowing as much about the car you're going to look at as possible before getting to wherever you're going to buy the car. I'll call other members with similar cars to the one I'm going to see and ask them what to watch out for. I also try to get pictures of the engine compartment from manuals as well as serial and engine number locations to see if it's a numbers matching car which will also affect the value. I'm much more of a one on one buyer. People act and react differently when there are greater numbers of them. Testosterone levels rise and people will sometimes bid an item up simply because they don't want someone beating them. eBay has flourished on that premise. Cooler heads prevail with just two people negotiating a price. I hope you're right about the "stall & fall" prediction. When prices tanked in the early 90's I took advantage of the drop and bought most of the classics I currently own. It was a great buying opportunity that lasted for about 7 years before prices started rising. Rising oil/gas prices and the poor housing market will certainly hurt a lot of people's pocketbooks. The last time the bottom fell out of the housing market in 1990 the old car market tanked with it. It will be interesting to see if the combination of the poor housing market, oil prices and possible deeper concerns with the stability of banks that lend money coupled with other economic downturns have the same affect on the car market this time. Sure wish I had some gold jewelry laying around the house!

Good for you, Harry. You're a smart man. You set a price in your head based on what you saw, stuck to it and didn't get caught up in 'auction fever' just because you wanted that particular car. Value can be subjective to a degree. I've never trusted auctions. You never know who's shill bidding on someone's behalf. I've been to a few of the big auctions as an observer but will never buy from one. I'd consider it if it were a small auction but the bottom line would still be to bid based on what price I felt the car was worth. The best way to buy an old collectible car is from a fellow hobbyist whenever possible. Those of us in the hobby for the love of collecting and enjoying cars are much more apt to be reasonable and fair when it comes to selling cars. There are exceptions but that's generally the rule. Certain parts of the country are better in terms of finding cars at more favorable price. The east and west coasts tend to be the worst with the midwest being the best. If you belong to a car club take some time to call other members in the club who own a car you'd be interested in buying. Talk to that person and mention you'd be interested in their car if they ever decide to sell. I've done that for years and can tell you from experience that the vast majority of people who belong to clubs and list their phone numbers are very nice people to talk to. At the very least you'll get to converse with a fellow hobbyist and at best you might find the car you've been looking for at a reasonable price. Most people I know don't seem to take that approach but it's one of the best reasons to join a car club and a great way to meet other people in the hobby that have the same interest you do. Shill bidding at auctions and sellers buying back their own cars does nothing but inflate prices. Same goes for a lot of the commercial dealers you see selling cars in publications like Old Cars Weekly. When people who own old cars hear or see auction results and ads like that they start to think the car sitting in their driveway is worth more than they though it was and the escalation starts like it did in the 80's but like the song Spinning Wheel, from the band Blood Sweat & Tears, goes, "What goes up must come down". It's cyclical. My best suggestion to anyone looking for a car is call your fellow members. I bought my 1932 Buick by knowing the guy who had the car and calling him up out of the blue. I remember when he bought it back in 1993 and kept his number. When I asked if he was thinking about selling the car he said, "You know, I actually have been thinking about selling it". We corresponded back and forth via e-mail and three months later it was in my garage. It's always best to get a heads up on a car that hasn't hit the market yet. You can talk to and negotiate with the seller without having anyone else looking at the car and breathing down your neck. Try it. You won't be sorry. Ciao for now!

There are pros and cons to any situation. If car values go up that means cars are worth more. If they go down that's great,too, because that means cars can be bought at a fairer price by people who couldn't ordinarily afford them and that helps the hobby. I suggest you quit trying to psychoanalyze, me twitch. You're not very good at it. By the way, I'm not your 'bud', pal. Maybe bragging about your 2 million and not caring about car values puts you in the "more money than brains" category. At the very least it makes you sound arrogant. The only way I'll ever sell my cars is if I either can't drive them any more or go blind first. Since I have Glaucoma and have already lost some sight that's a real possibility for me. I think I've clarified my position. Anyone who knows me personally knows how I feel about old cars and I don't have to justify that to you or anyone else. I drove my 1931 Cadillac 1,263 home after I bought it. Can you claim the same feat? I'm guessing not. Does that constitute enough 'daylight' driving for you? That was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Everywhere I stopped I had people come over to me with a kind word or comment about the car. I get the best reaction from kids. They don't have many opportunities to see pre-war cars out on the street much these days. They're more animated than the adults and get excited when they see something old and unusual drive by. No, I don't take my cars to shows because I tried that once and some people have nothing better to do than focus on the car's flaws rather than enjoy the fact they're seeing a car they wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to see. It's much more enjoyable to drive around local neighborhoods and give people the opportunity to see and hear an old car drive by. The waves and thumbs-up are much more enjoyable than negatives comments from some people who expect every car at a car show to be a #1 show car. Car values have been, are and always will be a factor in the hobby whether you like it or not just like any other asset or commodity. Whether you choose to see that or not is your prerogative. I feel the commercial sellers who drive up prices by buying and selling between themselves and inflate prices to line their pockets do nothing but harm the hobby. But, like anything else, trends are cyclical. Remember the late 80's? The same thing happened. Cars reached ridiculous levels by 1989. Within a couple of years the old car market crashed and that gave hobbyists like me an opportunity to buy cars at much more reasonable price. Seems like the roller coaster is approaching the top again. Zoom Zoom Zoom

I'm intrigued by the mindset that I'm reading on some of these posts that you either have to buy a car for investment or buy them for the love of the hobby. Since when is it an either/or situation? I've never bought a car as an investment in my life and have never sold any of the 8 pre-wars I own yet I'm not going to pay top dollar for an overpriced car because I'm a purist with my head in the clouds and because I happen to love a particular car. There are certain cars I like and I'll bide my time, find one that's reasonable and pay a fair price for it so that if there ever comes a time I have to sell them someday I can hope to recoup my 'investment' and hopefully make something on them after I've enjoyed them for all the years I've owned them. It's nice to think that you'll live in your house until you die or have your cars until you die but guess what? Life doesn't always work out the way you plan it. You can have any number of ailments befall you unexpectedly and have to sell your cars some day because you can't drive any more. You might lose your job and find yourself in a position where you need money. Let's see how far the love of the hobby gets you in those situations. The term, "When you fail to plan you plan to fail" applies here. People who pay for ANY asset without regard to present or future values are in for a rude awakening if they need to liquidate for any reason. Reality check. Cars have a value as an asset. I know many people who live beyond their means because they don't care about the value of what they're buying. When they get in trouble they're the first ones to cry about it. I wonder how many people lost their houses in the current foreclosure fiasco because they thought they were going to live in them for the rest of their lives just like a lot of collector car owners lost their shirts when they bought cars in the late 80's and watched the values of their cars plummet when the market crashed in the early 90's. Some of those folks bought cars at hugely inflated prices because they loved a particular car and bought at the wrong time. That's what happens when people buy from the heart instead of the head. Collecting old cars has to be one of the best hobbies anyone can choose to get into. I've enjoyed it immensely for the last 33 years. I also take comfort in knowing I bought my cars at the 'right' price and have watched them increase in value as I continue to enjoy them.

I use Mobil 600W Super Cylinder Oil (No EP). There's a 600W Cylinder Oil and a Super Cylinder Oil. I forget what the difference is but a Mobil rep can help you with that. We have a NOCO refinery about 15 miles from here that sells 5 gallon pails of the stuff. Works like a charm. Just the right viscosity for tranny fluid.