MarkV Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Ok, my friend who just died last week, left a massive wealth of Chilton and other old car repair books ranging from the 1940's-1970's. There are at least 20 chilton books from 1958-1978 and some repair books from the early 40's and 50's and 60's, everything from Holley Carb. books, to early air conditioning repair books, etc. All in all there are about 200 books. How do I find out how much they are worth? and do you know anyone interested in that kind of stuff? Because, his wife who now runs the repair shop wants to get rid of them to make room. The shop has been in business since the 50's and there are alot of antique pieces of equipment as well that she wants to get rid of.Let me know, cause she wants to get rid of them sooner then later. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Old Chiltons and MoTors go for $15 to $25 at local swapmeets. Other manuals like the A/C book, not as much. Factory printed genuine manuals go for more if it is a desirable car and year.You may do better on Ebay, but that's a lot of time...plus the shipping costs might bring prices down. I don't think they can be legally shipped as the cheaper USPS media mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Also makes a difference if these are Chilton Professional Trades Editions vs the softbound general purpose Chiltons that were available at discount parts stores and even K-Mart. The PTE's are VERY good repair references and a lot of times will even include factory part #'s. Still not quite as good as a Motor's PTE, but comparable to a Glenn's and light-years ahead of a Haynes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Old Chiltons and MoTors go for $15 to $25 at local swapmeets.</div></div>I've sold a pretty fair number of manuals on eBay in that age range, and to be honest very few Chilton or MoTor books for specific models/makes go for more than about $10. If you're talking about the thick over-the-counter multi-make books, they go for even less (rarely more than $5, even for the oldest ones). Glenn's right about the professional grade books being better, but even they aren't worth a whole lot. I think F&J's comment above may be based on those.There are exceptions, and they can be surprising. Jeep books and Winnebago motor home books tend to go for the most money. I've had several go for over $50. Foreign makes are next, but only for the most popular cars like MG/Triumph/Porsche/Mercedes/Austin-Healey/etc. A good range for these is 50 cents for a Fiat sedan book to $30 for a nice condition early Porsche book.For American makes the reverse is true (but the price range is similar, 50 cents to $20 usually), with manuals for the less common/popular cars (today) worth the most (i.e. Hudson, Kaiser, Studebaker, Rambler, etc.). For instance Corvair Chilton-type manuals consistently sell for more than similar Corvette books. Manuals for muscle cars are similar, where Dodge and Olds manuals usually sell better than Corvette or Mustang books. Manuals for the really common cars (Mustang, Chevelle, Impala, etc.) are usually still available new, and most people prefer to buy them. Finally truck manuals tend towards the higher end, with most bringing $3-$30 (again with the manuals for rarer trucks selling for more money). The high end of that range is mostly occupied by 4x4 books, for reasons best known to 4x4 owners. (I surmise that they need the books more often for whatever reason.)One more thing: <span style="text-decoration: underline">condition matters</span>. A dirty, torn Chevy or Buick manual is worthless. A similar Hudson manual will sell, but not for much. A near-mint version of any manual pre-1975 will be in much higher demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave@Moon Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 One thing I forgot to mention is the component manuals (Holley carb, a/c repair, overdrive units, etc.). <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">If</span></span> these can be related to specific car models (i.e. specific carburetors on GTOs or Jaguars), they can sell for money typical to marque manuals even if they cover a lot of different cars. If they're generic "how to fix your a/c" type manuals they won't be in much demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkV Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 They are the professional editions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Maybe the wife should consider donating these books to an Automotive Library or Museum.If the Library/Museum is interested in accepting a donation like this, she might want to talk with her accountant to see if there are any tax advantages for her business to do so.If she wants to "get rid of them to make room" this might be a MUCH faster and less labor intensive way to do so than listing them on EBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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