1958 Buick Limited Value

[Guest Don McGrath]

Greetings from Las Vegas,

My name is Don McGrath and I would like to ask everyone here their opinion if I may. I would like to sell my Buick, but I am having a difficult time determining what the car is worth. I have looked on ebay and Hemmings Motor News for similar cars, but so far I have not found anything close to what I have. I'm hoping some classic car enthusiasts here can help me.

The car I have is a 1958 Buick Limited 4 door that has been in storage since 1968. The car has all of the options that were available when new. The body is very straight and there is ZERO rust on it. The engine has been totally rebuilt and the front suspension has also been redone.

The car spent its first ten years near Fresno, California as an every-day driver and then it was purchased by my uncle in 1968. He put the car into storage in a warehouse in Friant, California and it sat there for about 20 years. I bought the car from my uncle in 1988 and moved it to my home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

My original plan was to restore the car so I took it apart. The engine was rebuilt in 1990 and it's sitting on an engine stand in my garage. Unfortunately, I soon lost interest in the car and so very little has been done to it over the past 23 years.

The front clip on the car along with the engine compartment has been completely disassembled. I have all of the parts and all of the screws, nuts, and bolts. The car is complete, but disassembled. The front windshield has a crack in it and I do not have the title.

This would be a wonderful project for someone that has the knowledge of 1958 Buicks or someone that has the ability to put back together someone else's project.

A neighbor of mine has showed some interest in buying the car from me, but I have no idea what the car is worth. Could someone please offer me an opinion?

[JZRIV]

Don,

Welcome to the forum.

There are some folks here that are very familiar with those cars and am sure can help. First and very important you will want to get a title whatever it takes. This will be much easier for you than a buyer. Many people won't even consider buying a car they plan to put on the road without a title.

Next you will need to post some pictures because even those who are familiar with them will need to see something to get a good read on the condition because perception of condition varies with each person. If you need help posting pictures just let us know and I or someone will help you with that.

[1939_Buick]

Getting a title for the car will increase its value and ease of selling.

As its been in your family since 1968 what documentation do you have?

[Guest Rob McDonald]

DON, a rust-free '58 Limited 4-door is a very desirable item, particularly if the terribly expensive chrome and upholstery are still good. Two free online price guides, Hagarty and NADA, place a value of $6200 and $10,400, respectively, on a tired but respectable car that could be driven daily. Because yours is in pieces, you'd have to expect much less than those wide-ranging figures. Twenty-three years is a long time for a car to be dismantled and any buyer must be cautious about the completeness of the package.

As they say, a bird in the hand... You've got a neighbour who's interested, so talk to him about price. I suggest starting at $4000 (or however much you put into the engine, in today's dollars) and then work your way on down, as low as you can stand to go. Frankly, you should consider the price you paid your uncle as money lost when you took the car apart. What you have now is a collection of parts, which do have some value on their own. That includes a complete engine but unfortunately you can't say for sure how well it might run.

Sounds to me like you're ready to let go the dream of driving this car. If your neighbour takes it and makes something of it, you'd get the pleasure of seeing it back on the road. Tough choice but at the very least, you'd be getting your garage space back.

I gotta ask - what colour is your Limited?

[Guest Don McGrath]

DON, a rust-free '58 Limited 4-door is a very desirable item, particularly if the terribly expensive chrome and upholstery are still good. Two free online price guides, Hagarty and NADA, place a value of $6200 and $10,400, respectively, on a tired but respectable car that could be driven daily. Because yours is in pieces, you'd have to expect much less than those wide-ranging figures. Twenty-three years is a long time for a car to be dismantled and any buyer must be cautious about the completeness of the package.

As they say, a bird in the hand... You've got a neighbour who's interested, so talk to him about price. I suggest starting at $4000 (or however much you put into the engine, in today's dollars) and then work your way on down, as low as you can stand to go. Frankly, you should consider the price you paid your uncle as money lost when you took the car apart. What you have now is a collection of parts, which do have some value on their own. That includes a complete engine but unfortunately you can't say for sure how well it might run.

Sounds to me like you're ready to let go the dream of driving this car. If your neighbour takes it and makes something of it, you'd get the pleasure of seeing it back on the road. Tough choice but at the very least, you'd be getting your garage space back.

I gotta ask - what colour is your Limited?

The car is a lavender color called Laurel Mist.

[Guest Don McGrath]

The car is a lavender color called Laurel Mist. I thank you for your opinion on my car.

[Smartin]

The only (best) way to sell a car that is apart, is to reassemble it enough so that it shows the prospective buyer that it is reasonably complete. That is how I sold my Limited that was in 10,000 pieces. I had completed the chassis and drivetrain, 80% of body work, and the car was in primer. Doors and fenders were hung. I took all of the remaining body parts and fit them on the car, as well as all of the trim and bumpers.

Look at the last couple pages in this thread:

http://forums.aaca.org/f163/1958-limited-four-door-riviera-248848.html

I was able to sell the car for what I had invested in it, minus my labor. I would call that a good sale. Overseas buyers are HOT on these cars right now. Time to capitalize. eBay is your friend here.

PS: Find out what it takes to get a title. Otherwise, you might as well just part it out.

[56buickinga]

Not that I can really help with values (I am more into 56 3 holers) but I do live in Las Vegas and if you need some help putting back together, moving it or, anything I could give you a hand if you need it.

[60FlatTop]

Well, you did ask for opinions. Too bad you tore it apart. At least you got the cheap part done. To add any value beyond the parts you or your uncle need to get the paperwork in order.

The neighbor is going to need a minimum of $30,000 to have a car of minimum value after he reassembles it. If he wants a show car he will be nudging $100,000 and five years from now that amount of cash could be very dear.

I'd get that neighbor in a lawn chair at your place and tie his arms and legs until his wife brought $3,000 to rescue him, $2,000 if he forgot her birthday last year.

That project (it is not a classic, by definition) needs an uninformed buyer. If it was a good running car that had just been parked in the early '80's it would need the 30 grand in work. Cars really are a rich man's hobby. You just need to define rich. They have been since 1900.

Yep, I'm rich by some definitions. The amount of discretionary cash a man has starts by remembering the wife's birthday. Mine has hers today! Then a few other little qualifications.

Good luck, the paperwork is the big issue. A guy could be arrested hauling it home without papers.

Bernie

Edited November 23, 2013 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Guest Rob McDonald]

The car is a lavender color called Laurel Mist.

I was hoping you'd say that - my favourite colour for a '58.

[Guest BJM]

You have received some VERY GOOD ADVICE here. The forum at it's best. I suspect there has been a lot of 'lurkers' that wanted to weigh in but felt they did not want to be politically incorrect.

I did auto title work for Wells Fargo Legal for 2 1/2 years and Nevada isn't too bad for getting a title and the best way is to have a conversation - in person - with the local office and sort of latch onto a friendly person, staff or supervisor and start out playing dumb and making them feel like a million dollars, then the help will be more genuine.

Yes, it's a Limited, but ultimately it's so easy to get upside down on these that selling value will be a lot less. Off hand, I was thinking it's a $2000 car. Rob says maybe $4000 and I think a printed price guide makes a good fireplace kindling, and that's about all they are worth.

Again, though, great advice, go ebay on this one for max profit and a more motivated picker upper. You want someone who is motivated tohelp get it out of your storage.

Rob is correct, Laurel Mist is too die for on this car, the best 1958 color and one of the nicest ever. Wish I could offer on the car but it would be in the $2000 range as my transport to Iowa would run $1250 or so.

[John_Maine]

Just curious why not having a title is an issue? Maine does not title anything older than 15 years. All we need is a bill of sale. Does that mean someone buying a car here, for example, would have difficulty getting a title in their state?

[Guest BJM]

Just curious why not having a title is an issue? Maine does not title anything older than 15 years. All we need is a bill of sale. Does that mean someone buying a car here, for example, would have difficulty getting a title in their state?

Yes, although all the states have a understanding of other states title/registration requirements and perhaps a new title could be created in the state requiring title.

Having a title is still the gold standard of proof of ownership. Bill of sale? Well, what would keep a person who has the last valid title from stepping forward and stating the car is theirs? What a headache. A title conveys ownership, a bill of sale does not. This is a problem in states that think old cars are a burden and should be crushed whether they are a collector car or not.

[60FlatTop]

Those laws are not based on 50+ year old cars. They are to protect owners of newer cars from theft. I am sure the laws were written by lawyers with fairly new cars and keeping cars as long as we do seems pretty lame to them.

The law is also based on ownership of a capital purchase. They don't expect a capital purchase to suffer years of neglect, abandonment, and the misplacing of ownership documents.

Lose the papers and you end up with a car of ..... limited value.

Bernie

[Guest bueeek]

Hi Don,

Do you still have the 56 ?

If you get no response on selling the 58 as a whole I would think you could get more for just parting it at Nationals. Since I've seen the car it's got everything a person would need for a restore. I'm assuming it's still in that little garage.

Sharon and I are thinking of doing nationals this year, and just taking parts from the 53,57 60,62, and 70.

Jack Krietzburg