egor

Sharp car. We see few mid-30's Studebakers, and they were so nicely styled inside and out. My aunt had a '36. Good luck with the sale.

There isn't an authenticity manual like there is for Cadillac, etc., but Mark's right, there's lots of expertise out there.

Depends on who the intended audience of the calendar is. I think #4 is pretty safe.

Any seller who would offer a car for sale without at least trying to get it running is doing themselves a huge disservice. I wouldn't pay more than half the guidebook value for a car that doesn't run, but it depends a lot on the car, and my budget and poor mechanic skills prevents me taking chances on an in-op, anyway. A '57 Bel Air convertible, a desirable body style with ample replacement parts, wouldn't be as problematic as a less-desirable body style with a drivetrain that might need very expensive repairs (e.g., a V-12 Packard sedan).

Thanks all for the advice. I'm no painter, so I've found a local shop that specializes in renewing old tops.

If this car suits your tastes, you might want to check with the seller to see if the sale was completed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1949-Buick-Roadmaster-SUPER-CLEAN-/151194935640?ViewItem=&item=151194935640&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&nma=true&si=chK9kXxuTt5DCFHU2XCaHiTCP7Q%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I agree, Wilf, a superb design. Unfortunately, the hot rodders also noticed the car's striking lines, and the number of unmolested sedanets available has been greatly diminished by their attention. When you're hot to buy a car, it's hard to be patient, but modifying a Caddy club coupe (MUCH more expensive than the Buick) will leave you wishing you'd waited. If you like toothy grills, maybe go all the way and get a "50? Good luck.

I've got a '71 Eldorado convertible. Its original black top in great condition with the exception of the color, faded and uneven. Anyone out there had luck restoring their top with the do-it-yourself products available?

Have you advertised on the Cadillac/LaSalle Club forum? Or http://midcenturycadillacs.com? I don't think you need to offer a finder's fee. If there's an available car out there, word will get to you. You'll increase your chances at getting the first shot at a good car by joining those clubs and, if possible, attending some club events and getting yourself known to other members. Good luck.

Go for the 320. They're monsters, and were still winning drag races into the '60's.

There aren't any parts I know of that are difficult to locate, but I never needed to get into the drivetrain. Between Bob's, CARS, Hampton Coach and Dave Tacheny, just about everything else is available. There are some cosmetic items that can be expensive to buy or restore (like the pot metal grill or running boards), but that's the case with many antique cars. The straight 8's do tend to overheat if the cooling system isn't optimal, and check the torque tube seals for leakage, as you have to pull the rear end to do anything with the driveline. Generally, the cars are beautifully engineered and tough. You might want to look through the copies of The Torque Tube, the newsletter of the old 37-38 Buick Club, that are available online. I don't have the web address of that site, but a web search should quickly turn it up.

I can't speak to '35's, but I've driven '36's, '37's and '38's, and each year was a subtle improvement over the previous. All drive beautifully, like a '60's-era pickup with better seats, handling, and ride. The '37 has more power than the '36, the '38 even more so, and coil springs at all 4 corners make it nice for back-seat passengers. The Specials do have low gearing (4.4:1), so a car that's had high-speed gears installed or a Century is preferable if you plan to do much highway driving. All have syncro and juice brakes that work well, just don't expect them to stop like discs. The '36's have lots of wood in the body, the '37 and later Special/Century are pretty much all steel. The '37 Roadmaster/Limited still had wood-framed bodies, but unless you like huge cars and have the garage and the parallel parking skills to deal with them, best stick to the small series, anyway. It comes down to the car you like the looks of. Personally, I like the '36 convertibles, coupes, and big series sedans, '37 coupes and convertibles, and '38 sedans, but that's me.

A good-looking car the dealer has overpriced by several grand, but is willing to sit on it for a year or two waiting for someone who hasn't done their research. It's about all you see on some online car sales sites.

And, a family with small kids would appreciate not having a door by the back seat, especially the suicide doors of the four-door '38's.

You might want to check out this classified page from the Northern Calif BCA chapter. A Skylark is listed for sale: http://buickclubnorcal.com/Classifieds.html

There's no money better spent than to join BCA, then a local chapter. The BCA chapter in your area has a website, http://buickclubnorcal.com/ I was a member for some time before moving to northern Nevada. Great people, very knowledgeable, typically have a club event every month. I'm sure you'll find someone who's willing to help with your "new" '37. Also, get shop and Fisher Body manuals (reprints are everywhere), and read the old copies of Torque Tube mentioned above. Using those resources will give a basic understanding of the many strengths and few shortcomings of these great cars.

Thanks for your inquiry. A nice car at a fair price, but I found a car on another forum.

My apologies for dissing your camera. I fiddled with the pics a bit and was able to fix the resolution issues I was experiencing, but upside down is still not good. Shots of the interior would be especially welcome.

Most of us can figure out how to flip the photos over, but we can't improve the quality of them. Borrow a better camera and take more, and better, photos, right-side up. Beautiful car, too bad about the transport damage. Ask around and find an honest mechanic that knows old cars, ask what it'll cost to get it running. Unless you're going to sell it for parts, buyers will want to see it move.

A rare car, 878 built: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker_Golden_Hawk A ratty driver is worth maybe $10-12K. Your car is worth some fraction of that. If you could get it running, you'll do much better, and being on the west coast helps, too. Best bet is to put it on eBay with a reserve for the minimum you'd accept and see what action you get. Good luck!

That's a decent price for a driver coupe, and a good color (Gainsborough Blue?). I don't think he came down much on price. If you've got $10-12K to spend, you'll get a better car for your money if you stick to sedans. Coupes are more popular and expensive. A sedan on the road is much better than a coupe on jackstands!

Seller is widely considered an expert, and told me it was factory original paint. It looked like it might've been a faded factory job. Just goes to show, you can't trust anybody. I should've hired an appraiser.

I recently bought a '71 Eldorado convertible from a restorer with a supposedly sterling reputation. Based on a phone conversation and some photos (and his reputation), I bought the car and had it transported cross-country. When I took delivery, the car had some issues the seller neglected to disclose, one of which was that it looked like the car had been repainted, when the seller had told me it hadn't. After a "candid" phone discussion in which the seller wouldn't give an inch, I decided it wasn't worth the trouble to take legal action, but I definitely wanted to get the car looking better. I compared the color of the car with a '71 Caddy color chart, and the paint in the usual inaccessible places didn't at all match the color the seller had described, so I checked the ID plate. Not only has the car been repainted in other than the factory color, the color doesn't match anything the factory put on '71 Cadillacs. At this point, I'm on the fence as to have it repainted in a stock color with the extra expense of having the door jambs, under the hood, etc., painted to match, or just have it shot with the color that's on it, which is actually pretty attractive and appropriate for the era. The factory color code is 16, gray, which I wouldn't even consider. Seeing as this isn't a high-value car, would shooting it in a stock color, with the extra expense of painting door jambs, etc., likely be recovered if I sell it? I've always owned much older cars where it would make a definite difference in sales price. How about a '71 Eldo?

Area 562 is Long Beach, Calif. Area, near LA.

It looks like Gainsborough Blue. Don't know the paint code, but easy enough to search for 1938 Buick paint colors. Great color!