Determining Value

[Guest malarkey]

So my family has a bunch of old cars that have been sitting in a large shed for many years. They haven't moved since the mid-70's. (they are on a farm in Ks) We're trying to determine value for these as they will be sold or sent to auction and I'm having trouble finding good sources for this.

I looked them all up on the NADA guides site, and I don't think they meet the "low retail value" bar because they aren't in 'functional condition' which I assume means running and drive-able.

definition:

Low Retail Value

This vehicle would be in mechanically functional condition, needing only minor reconditioning. The exterior paint, trim, and interior would show normal wear, needing only minor reconditioning. May also be a deteriorated restoration or a very poor amateur restoration. Most usable "as-is".

they are:

1928 Chrysler Coupe (don't know which model, how do you determine this?)

1941 Ford Pickup (assuming 1/2 ton)

1951 Ford Pickup (assuming 3/4 ton, maybe even 1 ton) again, need to determine which is which for value I'm assuming.

1966 Mercury Monterey Breezeway

I know condition determines value, but the NADA guide is the only thing I've found so far that even remotely relates condition to dollar value. Can anyone share any other sources for determining value?

thanks for any help you can throw my way ;-)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Old Cars Price Guide.

[keiser31]

Send me a photo of the Chrysler and I will try to i.d. it for you. John

keiser31@charter.net

[alsancle]

Take some decent pictures of each of them and post them on here. You will probably get a better idea then from the price guides.

[Guest malarkey]

Thanks for the replies. I'm waiting for my sis to send me pix of the cars since I'm currently not at the farm. Will post when I get them~ (and the serial number/engine number from the Chrysler) thanks for all your help!!

[poci1957]

We have been debating this very practice here for a while and never did agree what to rely on. As you noticed in an NADA guide you must first classify the car's condition and this is where most people over-value their car. The Old Cars Price Guide mentioned above, while not entirely reliable, will give you a classification standard (sounds like a #5 to me) and a price to consider. It should be available on most newsstands, then you could show us the photos for a further opinion.

Your barn cars would hopefully be complete and not rusty, but if their storage is like I usually see they probably would require complete restoration, certainly not usable as is. If they are incomplete and/or rusty then the value declines from there.

What to do with them? Well, you can put them on Ebay if you are familiar with it. Or you can run them through a car auction at the mercy of whoever happens to show up that day. Or you could do an estate auction with some advertising that would help draw more buyers but still limit you to a somewhat local crowd. Others here will more ideas, let us know and good luck, Todd

[Guest malarkey]

Great! I'll look for the Old Cars Price Guide.

I don't know what shape their in, as I haven't looked at them in years. Not sure about rust, etc. Which is why I wanted to get some pictures, talk to my sister, & use condition to determine a price range. They haven't run in years. My brother got the '28 Chrysler running in the mid 60's, but lost interest and parked it in its current place. the '51 Ford was what I learned to drive a stick on ;-) so it was running in the mid 70's. You had to double clutch to keep the gears from grinding, and if you hit a bump you were likely to bounce out of your seat & hit your head on the ceiling inside the cab.

The Mercury got parked in the mid 70's when it developed a problem that would make it die after about 10-15 minutes on the road. I think it was diagnosed, but never fixed.

I'll post pix when I get them.

[old car fan]

It would be hard for me ,to sell that many memorys,All of you should think about that,they can never be replaced ,but you can hold on to them,the money ,at that point,is not

[A by the sea]

See if you have a local car club that have some guys to give you an honest idea of condition. None of those cars are on the mega dollar list, they are pretty common.

The price guides and NADA you can just throw away. Head to ebay and see what stuff that looks like yours sells for. Head to forums that are for a specific make or type of each car and ask what cars are selling for there.

What do you really want to do?

If you want to get rid of them then you can not price them at top buck. In this market you may have to drop the value some to get someone interested. You have to take location into account too. A car near a major city will get more draw and more value than the same car on a farm 100 miles from anywhere. Keep in mind there are expenses on getting the car home.

Before you go too much further take some pictures of the cars. Good pictures, not some dark half covered car. Make up a quick website or put them on a photo hosting website that is free. Post some links to the picts when you ask in the different forums.

Why were the cars put in the barn. It was not uncommon to retire a wore out vehicle cause it was just not safe to drive anymore. The 28 Chrysler is a wood based body, how is the wood holding up?

[Guest malarkey]

old car fan: we're selling the cars, not the memories ;-> but I get your gist.

A by the sea: thanks, what you said makes sense, and is what I've been thinking anyway. I don't think the cars are worth much because of their location and their condition. They were put in the shed to keep them out of the elements. Don't know how the wood is holding up on the Chrysler, as I've not seen the cars in years.

Hopefully I'll get more details soon. thanks y'all!

[Guest malarkey]

OK, so I have pix of the cars. They aren't any good for determining value, however they are great fodder for carsinbarns.com! Thanks to everyone here for their sage advice.

[Guest windjamer]

Im by far no expert, but I think that Chrys. is worth a heck of a lot more than you do.

[keiser31]

If you can get the serial number off of the FEDCO plate on the dashboard, I can probably figure out if the 1928 Chrysler is a Model 52 or 62. Looks like the basic outside difference is the grooved bumpers on the 62. Looks like a 62 with the drum headlamp buckets. I don't think it is a Model 72.

Edited February 1, 2010 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Luv2Wrench]

I am looking for something just like the '28. Please let me know how much you want for it. I'd name a number but I don't have a clue as to what it is worth either.

[28 Chrysler]

To determine the model of the Chrysler the first 2 letters on the Fedco ID plate that is mounted to dash, also the letter that starts the motors serial number. In the photo of this plate the 'HW' is for a 1927 Chrysler model 52 motor would start with the letter I.