Rooster Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Trying to help out a fellow club member here. He is an elderly fellow that had a well known Buick collection here in Australia. Now getting older and health deteriorating he has sold off most of his collection. He has one left that is for sale but can't put a value on it. His memory is fading and he can't remember how much he paid for it some 25 years ago or so.The Buick is a 1958 model 66-R Century 2 door hardtop, 8110 built. He bought it at Carlisle swap meet from a dealer who was selling it from the original estate.The original owner bought it direct from the factory and it supposedly went straight into a private collection. It was sold at Carlisle with 72 miles on the odometer. It now has 149 miles on it.The car has no power steering, power windows or power seats apparently ordered that way by the original owner ?It has the Kelsey Hayes wire wheels with Coker cross ply tires , but I suspect these are not original. It has the original exhaust stamped Nov 1957.Even though the car has not seen much bitumen , the car has suffered very minor wear and tear over the years eg. there might be a belt buckle scatch on the paint and some section of white upholstery are slightly darkened by finger marks etc. There are a dozen or so paint chips that was caused by spilt brake fluid, minor but they are there.I told him the market will be different here than in the US / Canada, so just asking for your comments on what it may be worth.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Well, a very nice car indeed, but hard to believe it went directly from the factory to the owner with that dealer script on the trunk. But I could still believe the car was never driven story based on the condition of the car itself. Good luck figuring a value. The car would be real trouble for me. I would not want a car that I could not drive unless it was a 100K vehicle. And, with all due respect, I'm pretty sure this is not one of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 Thanks John. Probably what I should have said --- sold from the ( factory ) Markl buick dealer to private collection. Are you game to have a stab at value ? I'm with you also, no point in having a car if you can't drive it rain or shine. But every one to their own.One think I forgot to mention, there is a decal on the driver door from 1963 says -- next service due at 50 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Ok, here's my guess. If the car were mine, I'd start out asking 22K in USD. I might stick with that price for a while and try e bay or some other mass marketing strategy. Or, I would just sign it over to one of my kids and let them worry about it after I put 30,000 miles on it to "test" it out. But I suppose the right response would be to hire two appraisers to do the research and give you a price, then average that price and follow step one above. If your friend can't remember what he paid, then anything is a profitable deal. I hope he finds it a good "new" home. It does look like a fantastic car to own when the world runs out of gasoline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I agree, the mileage and condition dictate that this car should sell at a premium, in the States I bet it would go for $25-30K....but the downside, as mentioned, is it would have to go into a collection or museum, any miles on it probably reduce value considerably.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Ken,This is a link to a previous thread about the same carhttp://forums.aaca.org/f115/1958-century-66r-280594.htmlI'll let you know what the " consensus " is from my inquiries for Les re the cars potential value - I don't think it's the answer he's after! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 OK, so we've got from $22 -30,000 as a start.Anybody else game to come in and offer an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'll let you know what the " consensus " is from my inquiries for Les re the cars potential value - I don't think it's the answer he's after!But it may have cost $2,000 ~ $7,500 (25 years ago) to get it from USA to WA:- that's lost money. You just hope the car values increase with time. To me in the last 5 ~ 10 years the value of collectable cars like this has not increased much, if at all. Sadly if was a Chev or Ford it would be worth more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Well, sounds like the end result will be that the owner thinks the car's worth $100K or such..... who knows, at some crazy auction fueled by alcohol and ego it may be..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Well, sounds like the end result will be that the owner thinks the car's worth $100K or such..... who knows, at some crazy auction fueled by alcohol and ego it may be.....Yes, I think you're right on the money there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhambulldog Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I agree, the mileage and condition dictate that this car should sell at a premium, in the States I bet it would go for $25-30K....but the downside, as mentioned, is it would have to go into a collection or museum, any miles on it probably reduce value considerably....I disagree with that. If someone drove it 5,000 miles a year, it could do that for many years and still be a low mileage carI do agree with $25K - $30K (US$) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Does anyone think it's worth more than $30,000 ? I agree if it was a Ford or Chev probably worth more ( not to me ) on the market to those enthusiasts / collectors. Would the car sell for any more at say a Mecum auction or similar ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhambulldog Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I think $30,000 is an auction price, IMHOThe low miles make $25,000 a realistic price.A similar restored car with less than 99,000 miles would be a $22,000 car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZRIV Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Does anyone think it's worth more than $30,000 ? I agree if it was a Ford or Chev probably worth more ( not to me ) on the market to those enthusiasts / collectors. Would the car sell for any more at say a Mecum auction or similar ?It seems the owner is mislead by the ultra low mileage being the main driving force to approach six digit value. This is a great example where ultra low mileage only goes so far in adding value. To break the $50k level for any Buick it has to be one of the few highly sought after models and the 58 Century hardtop doesn't fall into that Category. And then this car is what many would perceive as a full blown feminine color reducing the perspective buying poole even more. I'm far from an expert on these models but do watch what old Buicks of any model sell for as a hobby and prices stated seem to be consistent with what I would expect. As far as what it would bring in a big name auction??? You need at least two people present who want it "really bad" to run the price up and likelyhood of that happening probably isn't good. Certainly anything is possible at an auction but probable? There are some cars that you just know the bidding will be hot on before it even starts. This is not one of them. If the average joe was at a BJ or Mecum auction with $50-60K his pocket there is a lot of killer cars, hot trends, etc competing for that money. While its a beautiful example, it just doesn't have the mass public appeal to drive the price up at an auction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 This car begs to be in Arizona in January. Consider last years Lambrecht Auction in Nebraska which was run by Vanderbrink Auctions. This is the mostly Chevrolet low mileage collection liquidated by auction where many of the cars had between 0 and 250 miles but many suffered from outside storage and most sold at a premium. Not apples to apples but, we know from Velocity, magazines, media and pop culture that the latest buzz words are survivor and barn cars. That is because of over-restoration emphasis in the prior 25 years which has led to the trailer queen negative image. But, at most local shows the "original survivor" garners much attention. And so, with correct placement this car is a $45,000 sale. Barring that, I tend to agree with many that this is a $30,000 car all in. As with Jason, I am no expert but offered some back story to support my theory. Since the car is in Australia (correct?) this will need to be reverse marketed to the USA, probably through word of Buick mouth or ebay. A well done ebay auction would start at a high reserve and I would lower it over time. I think it would take 6 months on ebay with a reserve around $32,000 to get the price high because it would take a while for the word to get around to the money crowd that a super low mileage museum car is for sale. Might even end up being an off-ebay sale. As to whether a 58 Century 2 door hardtop with this low mileage is in demand, it isn't and it is. Could be worse, could be a four door hardtop wherein the all in price would be $20,000 IMO. But, a 58 Century 2 door hardtop is still the number 2 nicest body style for a 58 Century, passed only by the convertible. You can't overlook the feeling of rolling down all 4 windows and cruising pillarless to a local drive in or testing the BCA's 400 point judging by showing up with this car (what a hoot that would be). Consider as we all know, no 58 Buick could be restored for anything close to $30,000, probably more like $40,000 to $50,000 with all that chrome and interior detail. Any decent nailhead restoration costs $6000 to $10,000 alone. That's the tipping point: finding a buyer jonezin for a 58 Buick with retirement money burning a hole in their pocket and being told what it would cost to restore any 58 Buick 2 door hardtop, and you have a sale. $30,000 low side, $45,000 high side, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I agree with Jason. I looked the pictures over thoroughly but figured I'd let someone else comment. I don't always want to look like the cynical bad guy.An auctioneer would quickly fill you all full of crap about how much it would bring. And just as quickly console you when it didn't bring what he told you he expected.Right now the car probably needs at lease $6,000 US put into it to make it a driver with tires, brake rubber, tires, hoses, and consumables that are time, moisture, and oxidation sensitive.The best way to sell it is get it out next spring and expose it at Buick meets. It is going to cost miles, but a 1500 miles car that is seen will sell better than a 150 miles car hidden away.I'm old and my health is deteriorating. I had a stroke and a heart attack, functioning pretty well again and looking to last a few more decades. I felt really guilty when in two years only 75 miles were racked up on my Riviera. I got about 600 on the '60 Electra last year and only 180 on the Impala. Didn't do many at all on the convert. The LAST place any of them will go up for sale is at an auction. Get them out and drive them, even if you have to hire someone to put 15 miles a week on them. That's when the value shows.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Seems to me the 58's do better abroad than here - I would think he could get more money for it off the US shores than on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob McDonald Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Seems to me the 58's do better abroad than hereAgreed, I think this Buick has "Sweden" written all over it. Those "other" northerners would think nothing of fixing this car's few flaws and then enjoying the loveliness of it, without a care for what the odometer says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 $25K-$30K as she sits. If she had all the power goodies I would go to $35K. The 58 has really grown on me as far as styling. She is a beautiful car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 It's hard to remember the last time a thread had me in agreement with everything being said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 There are some very wise comments there.Yes the car is in Australia and with the owner's current situation there would be zero chance of him shipping it back to the US for sale. So he will just have to advertise it locally and yes, I do believe his best chance of a sale is Ebay / classified magazine or a classic car auction --- and that would be on the East coast so logistics of storage / shipping it there will have to be taken into consideration --- which I don't think it probably would be.I am inclined to think it will just sit there and the family will have to take over responsibility for it , or him sell it for whatever someone's prepared to pay for it ---- it's true worth and that seems very likely to be in the $30 -- 40,000 range.Thanks everybody for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 The cost to ship this car internationally is of no great concern to the potential buyer of a car of this caliber. I don't think the fact the car has no power steering, power windows or power seats really hurts the value of this 149 mile 66-R Century 2 door hardtop car at all. The owner should run the car on eBay where he will get a fast international market for the car, starting it at no less than $40,000 with a $45,000 reserve and a $50,000 Buy It Now. I think it could easily be headed to Sweden within a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 I agree Lamar. I think a Europe sale has the best potential. He himself won't be able to get involved in any advertising / sale because he has no computer ability.This is where his family will have to step up. There is still a big stumbling block ----- I think he believes the car is worth far more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Hi Rooster,I think there are more than a dozen American car fans in Australia, so if it's sold, it should really stay right there. Imagine what a waste it would be to send it to The States and not have it sell for a good price. If you can sell it for one price there, there's no reason to send it here to get $3,000 more. Trying to think of an alternative, what environment would not require the Buick to be driven; where there is money to spend on a show car like this; and where the over-the-top display of unusual color, tailfins and chrome would be a plus: dealers. Maybe there is a Buick dealer somewhere(Canberra?Chicago?China? Canada?) that would buy this '58 to attract customers. No matter what you think of the styling, you have to admit they are never building a car like this again.----Jeff Edited February 25, 2014 by jeff_a (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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