'41 cadillac or 40 Buick

[Guest Kingoftheroad]

If your unsure then wait, don't rush in & buy something. If your thinking about in case you need to bail on the project, wait til your sure your up to the project your buying.

And lastly, buy the car you like the most & fix it up the way you want it by the method of your choosing and pocket book. You'll get the most enjoyment out of this experience this way.

These days, if you buy a car as an investment, you are almost guaranteed to lose because of the cost of parts & labor.

[Joseph P. Indusi]

I think Matt Harwood has it right regarding the Cadillac versus the Buick. I would also suggest that you find a car in presentable condition that you can use and enjoy as you improve and restore things needing restoration. You can get bogged down with either of these two.

The series 61 Cadillac in 1941 was offered to replace the LaSalle that was being discontinued. The series 61 is a very nice car and I believe was built using the GM "B" body shared with small Buicks and Oldsmobiles. The series 63 Cadillac, that was only available in 1941 and 1942 was supposed to be Harley Earl's choice for the 1941 LaSalle. However, there were 3 versions of the 1941 LaSalle that existed and once GM upper management decided to kill LaSalle, the series 61 was the most logical to replace it, if only from a price perspective. The series 63 Cadillac was priced higher than the series 61 and 62 and it did not sell very well. It was also, to me at least, less attractive than the other Cadillacs in 1941. It had an odd looking trunk, that kind of looked like the rear of a Chevrolet (GM "A" body).

And I must agree with Matt Harwood that the 1941 Cadillac Sixty Special is a great car. In my view, one of the best looking cars ever made. How GM management could have approved the 1942 Sixty Special styling is a mystery. This car inherited none of the class of it's predessesor.

Joe, BCA 33493

[Rusty_OToole]

Lowest category is parts car. Rusted, wrecked or stripped to where its only value is to be stripped of usable parts.

Restorable means "Needs complete restoration of body chassis and interior. May or may not be running but is not weathered, wrecked or stripped for parts to the point of being only useful for parts. Needs everything, may or may not be operable, but is essentially all there and has only minor surface rust if any rust at all. While having a challenge for the restorer will not have him chasing around after missing parts"

Next category better is Good, meaning a drivable vehicle needing little or no work to be functional but not in the best of condition. Even from 20 feet away it is obvious it needs work.

Next is Very Good, a nice car that shows wear and tear only if you look close

Fine, looks like it just rolled out of the showroom. Will win minor shows where they are not too picky. May be driven up to 1000 miles a year if you are real careful.

Excellent, the best in the world. Will win major shows.95 point car, in other words an expert with a magnifying glass cannot spot 6 flaws on the car. Normally transported in climate controlled trailer, if you drive the car it immediately drops in class.

If you are buying a car on a value for money basis do not even look at those 2 for one second. There is no way in the world you can make anything out of them, at best you will end up with a nice car that cost you more than it is worth, at worst you will spend a lot of money and end up with nothing. If you don't understand how this could be, suppose the owner of those cars went out and spent $1000 on spare parts tomorrow and threw them in on the deal. Would you pay $1000 more for them? Neither would anyone else.

The best value for money is to buy a #3 car (Very Good) and maintain it carefully. Lube, oil change, regular cleaning, washing, waxing. Once in a while it will need a few hundred or a few thousand in repairs. If you don't neglect or wreck the car it will always be worth more than you paid for it and you can write off the running expense as entertainment.

For comparison a 1941 Cadillac sedan in #3 condition is worth about $14000. There is no way in the world you could restore the heap in your picture for only $10,000. You might be able to do it for twice that if you are a good mechanic, do as much as possible yourself and have friends in the trades who will help you on the cheap.

Of course if you did do a really good restoration it would be worth more money. If you were lucky you might break even on your out of pocket expenses and nothing for your labor. But you would have to be an awfully clever restorer to do that well.

So, buy the better car and enjoy it. Do not buy the best in the world because it will soon deteriorate into a #3 anyway, even if you keep it locked in your garage. Get a nice car and let the other guy take a bath on the restoration.

[Guest andynjoy99]

UPDATE. Saw the two cars and the Caddy won out. Will be delivered on Thursday. Thank you so much for all the helpful insight I will enjoy the process of fixing it up with the kids. I have learned a tremendous amount from you guys here. Thank you so much. From time to time I am sure I will be seeking your advise so thank you in advance. God Bless Andy

[bhambulldog]

:DHooray!! All things being equal, I would've gone with the Buick. But, That's just me liking Buicks. Cadillacs are great cars, too. Congratulations!! And, good luck!!:cool:

[Restorer32]

Now the adventure begins.