How much would you pay for this 57 Buick 4 Door?

[buick man]

I wanted to have some fun with this. Oh and leave this post here and not attempt to put it into buy/sell as no one is buying or selling anything here and is a matter of technical considerations only.

Easy Question: How much would YOU pay for this car? Lowest and Highest Offer

I have made an offer on this car that has been accepted. Just wanted to get your thoughts on it as to what you guys would of offered for it.

Information:

No Title, just a Bill of Sale offered from current seller. Reported to have sat for at least 12 years or more. Comes as shown with stuck engine. Transmission is there as well. Interior is as shown.

Scenario:

Remember you have to take and chew up a complete day to go get it, deal with it and then haul it back on a trailer. ( So What's New ) Let's say $ 300 out of your pocket.

Overlooking any problems with just getting a Bill of Sale, and not considering what the seller was asking for it and just considering the car as it sits as a parts car

- Based on the photos only, what would be your offers and what would be the basis of those offers?

Oh... Please include the most Realistic Lowest and Highest offer you would make to the seller without getting Laughed at in your face and told to leave OR the other extreme, Invited to have dinner with him and meet his family.

Have no other technical or scenario information available to offer at this time then just what you can observe and derive from the photos.

Edited February 24, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[Paul Falabella]

Looking at the photos, I'd have to consider this a parts car. 2 clips and 4 doors.Deep into 5 figures to make a decent driver.

Laugh at me, throw me out but I wouldn't go past 3 figures.

[trimacar]

$500 max for parts...maybe $300 more if you need trim for a current restoration....wild a** guesses but you asked..

[g-g-g0]

Zero!! It might have a few useable parts but you cannot even scrap it in Indiana with out a title. I don't think the wife would appreciate the remains as yard art!!!

[Smartin]

I was thinking $500-800 depending on if you were doing a 4 door and bought this for parts.

[buick man]

A) I figure the chrome front end assembly components including the clean & O.K. elusive grill bar, turn signals, hood letters and emblem total in the close retail neighborhood as follows:

Donuts: $ 80 each x 2

Corner Assemblies: $ 150 each x 2

Inner Cones: $ 45 x 2

Grill Wing Badge: $ 150

Inner Slat Grill: $ 50 ( Broken )

Upper Grill Bar: $ 350 ( Try and find a good original one )

Center Bumper Section: $ 85 ( Clean Core )

Center Bumper Section Guards: $ 45 x 2

Turn Signal Assemblies: $ 35 x 2

Head Light Assemblies: $ 60 x 2

Hood Letters: $ 65

Hood Ornament: $ 55

Chrome Cam-o-matic & Wiper Arms: $ 65 x 2

( A ) SubTotal: $ 1,715.00 - Retail

I figure the rear sectional components as follows:

Rear Chrome starboard & portside Splash/Mud Guards: $ 125 x 2

Rear Chrome Corner Elusive non rusted out Corner Exhaust Ends: $ 175 x2

Rear Chrome Outer non pitted Light Bezel: $ 95 x 2

Rear Chrome Inner none pitted Light Bezel: $ 60 x 2

Rear Light Assmbly Lens: $ 45 x 2

Center Chrome Bumper Assembly w/nice fuel door: $ 150

Trunk Stainless Straps: $ 75 x 2

Trunk Lettering: $ 15 x 10

Trunk Chrome Lifts: $ 35 x 2

( B ) Subtotal: $ 1,525.00 - Retail

C) I figure the Side Areas Components as follows:

Side Stainless Trim in overall good condition: $ ( 45 x 5) X 2

Drivers Chrome Mirror: $ 45

Clean California Door Handle Assemblies: $ 45 x 4

Antennae: $ 35

Roadmaster Rear Door Emblem: $ 45 x 2

Front Fender Stainless Ports: $ 85/set x 2

© Subtotal $ 970 .00 - Retail

Grand Sub Total Sum of A, B & C Totals: $ 4,210.00

This does not obviously include any Interior Components nor Sheet Metal Components nor Chrome/Stainless Door Assemblies, Windshield, Door Glass Components, Engine and Dynaflow.

To these items I would assign a Composite Group Value of: # 1,200 - Retail

Sub Grand Component Utility Value: $ 5,410.00

Plus Car Wheels and remaining Carcass/Components: $ 450

Grand Total Utility Value of Components: $ 5,860.00 - Retail

Adjusted Purchase Price at 25% of Grand Retail Utility Value: $ 1,465.00

Minus Deployment Costs of Acquisition: $ 300.00

$ 1,165.00 - Equates to Total Investment that can be rendered to acquire Subject Car

[Guest 54fins]

Buick man, good accounting. Obviously, if you need a parts car and have a friend with a horse farm and he owes you money, this car could be well worth the $1000 easily. The problem with parts cars is the demo is generally more time and effort than just buying what you need. It probably has a few grand worth of parts, but the hauling, storing, breaking rusty bolts, cleaning rat turds etc. is often a loosing proposition. Don't forget that scrap metal is fetching a decent buck, I see a lot of old car junkyards scrapping out.

[buick man]

Buick man, good accounting. Obviously, if you need a parts car and have a friend with a horse farm and he owes you money, this car could be well worth the $1000 easily. The problem with parts cars is the demo is generally more time and effort than just buying what you need. It probably has a few grand worth of parts, but the hauling, storing, breaking rusty bolts, cleaning rat turds etc. is often a loosing proposition. Don't forget that scrap metal is fetching a decent buck, I see a lot of old car junkyards scrapping out.

... This car has a lot of already hard to get (and for a decent price) parts. At scrap prices it will just get harder and the good thing here is they are all in one spot.

It will take me a day to deal with getting it but will have all that luscious shinny metal you see as cores on my shop shelves. It will take me a day or two to strip the bright work and stainless off. Much less time then it would ever take me to hunt down these parts individually one by one and finding them in good condition.

Somewhat current Comex pricing index for light ferrous metal is around $ 371 per GT ( Gross Ton)

About a year ago it was $ 18 per 100 lbs. Gross Ton Scrap. 41 x $ 18 = $ 738.00

Edit: Scrape Notice - It appears as of today it has come down to around $ 255/GT or in that neighborhood - I am told.

Edited February 28, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[55 SURVIVOR]

There are alot of factors to consider,how bad does A person want it? As in the case of any antique,it may have personal meaning or sentiment.For someone that needs spare parts,and sell the rest,it would have served A purpose.Interior parts? locked motor,tranny intact? How is the frame,trunk,floor? Stored outside on the ground could wreak havoc.From the pics you have posted it looks more than A parts car,I have seen guys create A car from an oil stain on A garage floor,It doesn't look that bad,again it is A 56 year old car!!!!!! I would say 1800.00 to 2500.00 all day any day!!!! Just my $.02 Mark

[buick man]

Good call 55 Mark. After all the guy can simple pick up the phone and get $ 700 bucks for it. If everyone did that after receiving silly low ball offers for the cars they have saved, me thinks our supply of survivor parts would dry-up pretty darn quick.

[Guest 54fins]

It is interesting how you can pick up a catalog and get whatever you need for a tri-5 chevy, mustangs etc. But a 57 buick is a pretty neat car and I can't imagine a big repop market springing up. If you don't have storage, the lowball offer is better than nothing but there can be some substantial value there, both for the guy needing parts and the seller.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

500 bucks and that's only 'cause it might have a couple of things that I need. Those would include not-so-pitted taillight assemblies, a couple of trunk letters, and a plastic frame for the centre A/C vent (although I don't think you noted that it has Car Cooling).

There's no way I would ever haul this faded beauty home to Canada. I'd have to ask you to arrange storage in Hotel California's basement parkade, while I parted it out over time. Selling the parts online would be tough enough but shipping them out of the hotel might be impossible...

[buick man]

Hey Rob, I was hoping you would show up sooner or later on this post. Yes your right, Hotel California has a holding area designated for collectables in the lower drive-in area. An adjacent work room is well equip for tacking this sort of venture.

Personally, if one wants the car, the offer has to be greater than scrap value. That puts a value today at around $ 550 since prices have dropped lately. The front and rear chrome bumper component parts appear to be of the solid core variety but can't tell if they could be made to be simple cleaned-up "bolt-ons" however. Aside from my caffeine driven cost analysis above, I would value useable parts bought at low wholesale for myself personally at around $ 900 give or take.

One would still need to sell or scrape the carcass to break at the " I got my parts that I needed for free" level, that is If you spent any thing more on the car like in the $ 1,500 level to acquire it. IMO

Edited March 2, 2013 by buick man (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Aside from my caffeine driven cost analysis above, I would value useable parts bought at low wholesale for myself personally at around $ 900 give or take.

One would still need to sell or scrape the carcass to break at the " I got my parts that I needed for free" level, that is If you spent any thing more on the car like in the $ 1,500 level to acquire it. IMO

Robert, as a song of old echos in my foggy mind (or is that smoke) ....."Plenty of room at the Hotel California...any time of year - any time of year......you can find it here"....

David, I am glad you explained that it was caffeine behind your cost analysis, I myself was sorta wondering "Wha's that boy been smokin?" but I hesitated to comment. I think your latest figures are much more realistic. It is very tough to make a buck on salvaging these old hunks of iron these days with the cost of gas to haul, diminished interest in such restorations, and now the lowered price of salvage metal. Back before gas skyrocketed, I was buying a few of these ('54 - '56's) in hopes of maybe restoring 1 or 2 and pulling and selling parts when I retire. Now I am about to retire, have a pasture full of rusted iron and no one is restoring or needing parts. My first formula for limiting what I would let myself spend on a non-restorable "all there" junker was "if cost of car plus cost to go get (I like your term "Deployment Costs of Acquisition") exceeds $300 it's a no go". then I increased it to $400, then $500 then $600 which is what it is currently at. (Add $100 for a full optioned Roadmaster or A/C) Basically what I now have is like I said, a pasture full of junk of which I do good to sell the parts at cost of $15/hr labor to pull. In other words, the part is free, you just pay the labor. And that doesn't include labor for rounding up boxes, packing of heavy cumbersome ass parts so they survive USPS shipping and trips to the post office and dealing with the big hair post office lady who grimaces every time she sees me walk in with another 70 lb scale tipping package. But you know what, I don't regret buying a single one. The fun I have had and the people met along the way.......priceless!!! And as long as God grants me the good health to crawl around, in and under them and turn a wrench, I'll still be doing it.

sooooooo, if there is indeed 'room at the Hotel California" and if you got the car for a price that will reap you a few parts and still be able to sell a few more plus the carcass some day and break even, just attribute the skent knuckles, road dirt in your hair, eyes and ears and the smell of GoJo still lingering when you retire with your glass of wine in the evening, to the great and fun Antique Auto Hobby. I think you did alright.... And as Father Buick says......"Happy Wrenchin"

[Pete Phillips]

" And as long as God grants me the good health to crawl around, in and under them and turn a wrench, I'll still be doing it.

sooooooo, if there is indeed 'room at the Hotel California "

Another verse goes, "You can check out anytime you like, but you can NEVER leave!"

Amen, to that.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

[buick man]

The gothic cost version 1.0 as released above, consisted of "retail" prices I have noted and recored over the last couple years or so. At any rate, in the analysis you may have noticed the Retail monster is quickly harnessed from expanding retail bloat by some 75% to bring things down somewhat to what one needs to pay and stay airborne. But to do that as we see involves buying a parts car. So there you have it. BWTS, a lot of us hobby guys just can't buy a parts car cause there is not enough room already for the car were working on not alone a new bone bag car as well.

If this car had great "just clean em n bolt em on" chrome parts then of course the acquisition price would be greater as well. So I take it from all your responses that pretty much everyone would agree that you could pay a purchase price of around about $ 1000 for this car and still stay airborne. But what it comes down too is I guess: "Would'nt you really rather have a Buick?"

Amen.. say it again, Amen. ..... And into the cool of the evening strolls the pretender - Who knows all his hopes and dreams begin and end there."

[MrEarl]

Amen Pete, Amen David...........