What do you think? 39 Coupe

[Guest Tom]

Doing my usual browsing online, I found this 39 Coupe for sale near me. Normally I'm not a pre-war kind of guy, but it caught my attention. What do you think about the asking price? Supposedly an original car.

39 Coupe for sale

I may just take a look at it if price is reasonable.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Tom:

I notice that the seller doesn't say if it's a Special or a Century. The price seems a little steep for a Special, but probably ok for a 39 Century coupe. Ask for the model number on the body data plate. Model 46 is a Special, 66 is a Century.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest imported_Thriller]

I have the October 2007 Old Cars Price Guide:

Model #4 #3

Sp Bus Cpe $5600 12600

Sp Spt Cpe 5800 13050

Cen Sp Cpe 6200 13950

So, if you go along with their numbers, the price is probably decent overall. It looks like it may need some interior work (carpet perhaps) and the paint is definitely tired (although it could be made to shine more, and if it's original, it's in great shape), but if the mechanicals work well and it tickles your fancy, it's probably not a bad price.

Of course, the price has been reduced, so it may not be firm...they may take $10k for it, which would definitely make it a reasonable deal in my eyes. Then again, after some chats at the Spring Extravaganza last year, I know I have a different perspective than some.

[42crazy]

You can tell whether its a Special or Century by the distance from the rear of the front fender to the door opening. This car seems to be a Special, the fender is awful close to the door opening. They both use the same fenders, but due to the length of the bigger 320 C.I. engine, the fenders are moved forward, and the hood and side panels are longer. Paul

[Guest Tom]

I expect it is probably a Special. Looks to be a business coupe as opposed to the Sport Coupe. Did the SC still have a rumble seat in '39? I would have thought that if it were a Century, he would have stated that since it would be a more desireable car and justify the price. When I first saw the ad, I thought the price seemed like a good deal, but then again if it were such a good deal it would probably be sold by now. I'd hate to see it get in the hands of someone who is going to build a street rod out of it as it looks to be way too nice of a car for that. I'm going to call and try to get some more info on it this weekend.

[Guest imported_Thriller]

If you do get more info Tom, please feel free to let me (us?) know about it. I have a friend looking for that era of coupe, although I suspect this one needs a bit more work than he's looking for...he'd rather get a car that is a nice driver...I suspect he'd resist based at least on the paint, but you never know.

Thanks.

[michel88]

It looks like a very nice original, but the paint is worn thin and would need a paint job to look really good. Quality paint jobs are very expensive, but if it is in excellent mechanical condition it probably is a good buy. A little negotiation on the price would help though.

[Jolly_John]

A couple of observations....the steering wheel and horn ring are from a much newer Buick. Obviously the front seat as been redone with modern, incorrect materials and pattern (or has had seat covers put on). Finally, the gravel guards on the leading edge of the rear fenders look like the incorrect rubber. These guards should have a chrome surround and fairly substantial ribs.

Hard to tell what else might not be original without seeing more photographs. Still, I guess the price isn't too far off, assuming there should still be some room for negotiation. With paint, tires, some chrome (especially needed after the new paint job!), seat, headliner and carpet work, a guy is going to be at $20,000+ real quickly. That assumes no mechanical work is needed. By contrast, if a guy could just say...."I like it as it is, and will just drive the heck out of it", this car would probably be O.K. at $8,000 or $9,000.

[Guest Tom]

Thanks everyone for their comments. I talked to the seller today and got a little more info. It is a Special model 46S. He called it an Opera Coupe, I suppose because of the jump seats in the back. It was originally a California car and a friend of his in Kansas City brought it from CA to KC about 8 years ago. This guy bought it from his buddy 3 years ago. He says absolutely no rust. He thought the interior had probably been redone back in the 60's. Door panels are black vinyl. Car has 98,000 miles on it and was driven regularly while still in CA. He doesn't have time for it as his kids are getting to the age where they are taking up all of his time. Asking price is negotiable. He said mechanically it is sound and he drove it the roughly 150 mile round trip from where he lives to the huge Back to the 50's show in St Paul last summer with no problems. He mentioned a couple of things about the car that he said are unusual. First, he said it has front turn signals which were not common and that it has stream boards instead of running boards. I read a little about it in my 70 Years of Buick and it says the front turn signals were optional as were the stream boards. I'm waiting for him to email me some more detailed photos to decide whether or not I'm going to go look at it next weekend. If I do, I can hopefully drag someone who knows more about these cars with me.

[Guest Tom]

Got some more pictures today. Looks like a good solid car, but needs a lot of work. I'm probably going to pass, but if anyone is interested in it, let me know. I will email you the pictures and I can even go look at it for someone who is seriously interested.