1953 Buick Roadmaster Series 70 Convertible

[Guest la162008]

I have here a very rare 1953 Buick Roadmaster Series 70, 2 Door Convertible for sale. This car has been owned by my father since 1968 and has a clear title. Over the years there has been much work done to this beautiful car. The engine is a 322 cubic inch V8 automatic OHV. The numbers don't match for those who want 100% everything matching. The color is a midnight blue with a new white convertible top. Again the original color for this car was artic white. It has a very nice vinyl interior. This 1953 has automatic transmition, power steering, brakes, windows and top. It has new hydraulic lines and cylinders for the windows and top. New interior door panels. New carpeting, break lines, wheel cylinders, wire wheels and dome light. It has a power radio with auto channel select and foot button. This car has been sitting garage kept for several years. This past year my father and I have been working on it and it runs. This car does need to be restored with body work and paint. For a driver, it needs a master cylinder, tranny need work and window mounts because it sat for several years the gas tank also needs to be dropped and cleaned out. We have other projects at the preasent time and would like to see if anybody is willing to bring ths great car back to showroom condition. I am going to be updating this post almost daily because the car is at my garage and wanted to get this post out. The only photo at this time that I have is when I was working on it. It is a very rare beautiful car and could be an absolute GREAT investment. Those with questions please contact me. I have added the VIN, odometer and more photos. Because of the weather it's the best I can due for the time being. It's in my garage and there are other cars next to it. This will be updated more. Again any question please feel free to contact me at tcbrogan8@hotmail.com Thank you <!-- End Description -->

[Guest my3buicks]

Is it free?

[Guest gossir00]

Please read the rules for posting a car for sale on this forum. You have complied with most of the rules except listing the location of the car eg city/state and price.

Good luck selling your Buick.

Rick

BCA #45471

[retirednow]

It's also on e-bay Buick : Roadmaster 2 Door Coupe Convertible in Buick | eBay Motors - Dave BCA#46470 1952 56C

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

A good project that will probably still be in place after new years with that starting price.

Ben

[trimacar]

It does look like a good project, but agree might be a little on the high side. One thing that hurts the restoration possibility is the chrome work needed, I bet that grill and bumpers would cost well into 4 figures....not to mention "body work and paint", which these days is 5 figures....good luck on sale, hope it finds a good home...

[Glassesguy]

Agree with you, Ben.

[jackofalltrades70]

I also agree, but if anyone is seriously interested.........I live in the town next to this gentleman and maybe I can set up a time to go look over the car for another set of eyes. Matt

[Airy Cat]

Buick did not have "matching numbers" in 1953. It wasn't until 1957 that they had "matching numbers."

[1953mack]

Buick did not have "matching numbers" in 1953. It wasn't until 1957 that they had "matching numbers."

What the seller is probably trying to say is that:

#1.....the OEM paint and trim numbers on the BODY BY FISHER cowl tag don't match what's on the car now; or,

#2.....the entire engine or just the intake manifold with the 2-barrel carb. is not the OEM for a 1953 Roadmaster; or,

#3.....mileage shown on the odometer doesn't match his reserve price for the auction; or,

#4.....all of the above; or,

#5.....none of the above.

Nice project.

Happy Christmas to all!

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"More that 500 Miles from the North Pole"

[lrlforfun]

OK Buick People: It sounds like a great deal. I don't do that model or I'd be on it like a June bug. And by the way, is there a law that says it has to be restored to be enjoyed?? Somebody's going snooze and loose here. Mitch

[lrlforfun]

OK Buick People: It sounds like a great deal. I don't do that model or I'd be on it like a June bug. And by the way, is there a law that says it has to be restored to be enjoyed?? Somebody's going snooze and loose here. Mitch

[buick man]

Buy it and Drive it the way it is. But, yes a bondo bucket repainted around 20 years ago in acrylic enamel over the original Osage Creme for 1953. Baked in the sun way before the repaint, then left outside, neglected after repainting for some time to boot. There was an Majestic White but no Artic White that I could find for 1953. Fire wall kinda gives that a way as well as the dash. Also, I believe all 1953 Roadmasters would of had the lower embossed imprinted dash print as well. ( Can't remember the name of that stuff right now ). So that most likely got repainted due to exposure.

But with that said, noted is the front end chrome which by the way is a minor exception to my universal claim, that there is surprisingly and rarely a rough or bad 1953 Buick chrome front end clip to be had out there. For whatever reason the gods have chosen, they have blessed 1953 Buick chrome front ends to shine eternally.

Edited December 27, 2012 by buick man (see edit history)

[Guest Rob McDonald]

DAVID, you're thinking "Dynoc". Yes, '53 Roadmasters all had that transferred-on engine-turning, across the tops of the door panels, too. It eventually yellowed badly and flaked off.

LA, your car is not too many steps away from being a good "20-footer". I'd really recommend, though, you should do what it takes to get it running and drivable. The transmission could be more work and expense (maybe) than you want to tackle, but project cars are just not selling for anything these days.

According to Hagerty Insurance 1953 Buick Roadmaster | Hagerty, a condition #4 '53 Roadmaster convertible is valued at around $21,000, similar to your eBay opening bid. However, they define that as:

"#4 cars are daily drivers, with flaws visible to the naked eye. The chrome might have pitting or scratches, the windshield might be chipped. Paintwork is imperfect, and perhaps the fender has a minor dent. The interior could have split seams or a cracked dash. No major parts are missing, but the wheels could differ from the originals, or the interior might not be stock. A #4 car can also be a deteriorated restoration. "Fair" is the one word that describes a #4 car."

The key words there are daily driver. If a prospective buyer can't hop in and take a spin around the block, their interest drops by many thousands of dollars.

Hey, if it's any comfort, Hagerty says that a #4 '53 Skylark, which spiked at $220,000 in 2007, is now worth only $70,000.

[buick man]

Thanks Rob. Very good and concise information.

Edit: Just took a good long look at Hagerty's valuation analysis methods. Based only on the market approach to value by the way.

Here is something for all of us to consider: The insurance companies loss to value ratios ( For considering a car as a total loss ) in the historic insurance business, this hoovers around 73 % give or take. For example if they value/insure your car at say $ 18,000 and it is in the average 3 to lower 4 category as most of our average drivers are, that means your "total" is around $ 12k! So to put this into perspective, the cost to completely chrome all front bumper components can for mid to late fifties cars, run that much alone not to mention the actual market worth of the rest of the vehicle. So you can see where they make their returns. That is because they value cars only by the market value approach to value and do not value the vehicle via the cost to cure cost approach to value. The market approach works in your favor if your car is a newer car or just a few years old. However for collectables and classics there is a large breath of value ranges for the same years and models of cars and not only due to the "condition" the car happens to be in but the perceived worth as well. For example is a survivor unrestored calibrator, " It can only be original once "car worth more or less than a complete rotisserie restoration job " A copy at best to the original" car?

Edited December 27, 2012 by buick man (see edit history)

[Guest Rob McDonald]

DAVID and LA, another website I often consult for old car ballpark prices is NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association). It seems to approximate what stuff actually sells for, rather than asking prices. With some work, this Buick could achieve their Low Retail Value, which means:

"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".

Note: This value does not represent a "parts car"."

NADA Low Retail for this car is $23,500, which is within spittin' distance of Hagerty's estimate of $21,000. Both assume a running car, though, which this beauty is not.

1953 Buick 70 Roadmaster 2 Door Convertible Value, Prices & Specs | NADAguides | NADA 1953 Buick 70 Roadmaster Book Value & 1953 Buick 70 Roadmaster Market Price

[60FlatTop]

I see the car didn't sell. Maybe Hagerty's didn't know about it. I bet they'd scrawl off a check in a minute.

That old gal spent a lot of time outside. Years of rain water erode the chrome the way it shows in the right front picture and I think the rusty bumper listed for sale a while back might be the original. At $6,000, maybe $7500 the car will sell. Otherwise it will follow the path of deterioration of most cars when the buyers aren't smart enough to recognize the value.

That little black Jaguar is still rotting away behind the gas station in Rush, New York (at least last time I looked). I made a fair offer that appalled the owner.

Oh well.

Bernie

[buick man]

Bernie: Upon the local site inspection for the policy to be underwritten, I don't think Hagerty would agree with $ 21k even if their website says so as they have disclaimers. Besides, they are experienced and would note the hidden rot brewing at various locations under that repaint job. I would think $ 12k would be a nice round and fair figure. Just flip the numbers around from 21. However with that said, After all it is a complete Roadie 53 :cool: and a convertible with loads of potential. The market: Flippers would never buy it at 21k nor would any run-of-the-mill bargain ballers on sleezbay either. The seller needs to comb and saturate the market arena off of ebay and see what happens.

[Guest BigDogDaddy]

An interesting point to note is that there are extremely few 1953 Roadmaster convertibles left in existence as most of them were sacrificed to restore Skylarks. Also there are scant few 53 Roadmaster 2 dr. hardtops left as they too were sacrificed to restore Skylarks.