1929 Nash 433 (?) value?

[cevensky]

Hey y'all,

I'm about to buy this car to save it from salty air and high humidity. It runs, everything is more or less solid (minus the windshield), and I was wondering what y'all would peg its value at based solely on the pictures, fact it drives, and that it's (allegedly) had a decent amount of money put in it in the last 5 years. 

Here's the pictures:

[J.H.Boland]

My best guess would be in the $3500-$4000 range tops.The cost of body/paint work, chrome,and tires alone would likely bring your investment up to quite a bit more than a 100 point car is worth.Other than interior, where was the money spent ?

[1912Staver]

With that amount of surface rust I would be quite wary.  Is it kept at a beachfront location ?  Somewhere with breaking wave spray perhaps ?  If you try to remove the rust on the worst of what can be seen you probably are not going to find much steel. As well lots of parts under the exterior are probably going to be quite rusty. It's a nice enough car , however in this condition it better be very cheap.

 

Greg in Canada

[1939_Buick]

An unpopular brand & unpopular body style with lots of surface rust, and probably a lot more hidden rust. 

But does look complete. Small parts, like headlight len's can be hard to get.

Do these have timber or metal frame under the sheet metal?

If it was a Ford/Chev would sell for twice as much, even though when it was made was a far better car & more expensive car.

 

But not the class of the '33 90 series. Better to put your money into that car.

Or are you looking to buy & flip the Nash?

Edited March 3, 2018 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[mikewest]

$2000 tops ... By the time this car is fixed proper , there wouldn't be any happiness left. Just my opinion.

[auburnseeker]

That looks like a California Tag on it.  I didn't think cars even near the coast in CA got that rusty.  My Dad bought a 47 Ford truck that sat on a pier for most of it's life,  the owner had a sail boat that he staid on.  It is now there near as rusty as this.  Infact it's cleaner than many other cars/ trucks I have seen from most places.   His has surface rust.  That tiny bit you can clean off with a scotch brite pad.  What parts of CA is it located in? 

[cevensky]

This is on the gulf coast now, formerly a well kept car bought from California for $9500, allegedly put $13,500 for things like carburetor stuff, new fuel tank, etc. not entirely clear, but the interior is well kept. 

Current owner has no investment in it. I offered a little more than y'all have suggested, now I guess I'll have to tell him that I can't offer my original but I'd still like to save the car. 

[Laughing Coyote]

Here is a nice one in Arizona. It's a four door, but a lot less rust.

https://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/d/1929-nash-antique-vintage/6490291929.html

[cevensky]

Thanks Coyote, I'm not actively looking for one, just thought it may be fun to have a driveable old car for the interim. I'm thinking most of the rust is not too bad, but won't know till I can touch it. However, I would have thought the fact it drives is enough of a plus. I don't have much money but again, I'd love to rescue this car and spruce it up a little. The interior looks beyond serviceable and the lack of missing major parts is encouraging to me. We'll see if he'll take less I suppose. 

[keiser31]

That is a very cool car and may not be rust through, although a LOT of coastal cars will rust from the inside out. First thing I would do is get an original radiator cap and get the trophy top girl off of there. $2,000-$3,000 in my opinion.

 

Edited March 3, 2018 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

Cole,

 

Assuming from the photos that this car is in coastal Louisiana/Mississippi (Grand Isle, Cameron, etc), I'm available to check it out with you, or could suggest other friends where the car is located.

 

I agree with the other p[posters that the rust repair on this car would be a MAJOR expense, and that even doing much of the work yourself, you would soon be upside-down with respect to value. Actually, if you were givien this car for free, but had to pay for chassis, body, paint, plating, rewiring, etc - you would be upside-down prior to completion.

 

This Nash may be much more of a project than you realize.

 

Please phone me to discuss if you wish

Edited March 3, 2018 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[George Smolinski]

5 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

Cole,

 

Assuming from the photos that this car is in coastal Louisiana/Mississippi (Grand Isle, Cameron, etc), I'm available to check it out with you, or could suggest other friends where the car is located.

 

I agree with the other p[posters that the rust repair on this car would be a MAJOR expense, and that even doing much of the work yourself, you would soon be upside-down with respect to value. Actually, if you were givien this car for free, but had to pay for chassis, body, paint, plating, rewiring, etc - you would be upside-down prior to completion.

 

This Nash may be much more of a project than you realize.

 

Please phone me to discuss if you wish

Class act Marty. Offering to help like that.

[carlm21]

$3500 tops. Not much then that

[Mark Wetherbee]

To my eyes both doors look to be sagging which can spell major wood framing issues. Because it’s a sedan there just isn’t any high dollar value at the end of the tunnel.

 

That said, if you like it and can afford to buy it with no expectation of getting any more than personal satisfaction from her I say go for it - but $2500 to $3000 would be all I would bet on this old horse...

 

 

[Mike36]

Cevensky, two thumbs up to you for wanting to save this old Nash !  I wish all the old cars could be saved. That Nash is something not seen often, and would be sharp when cleaned up. I would recommend having a close inspection done, paying close attention to the condition of the wood as well as rust damage. Keep in mind parts may be more difficult to find than for one of the larger selling brands. In the end, only you can decide if condition and expense are within your abilities and finances. Good luck.

[Rusty_OToole]

Nash cars were well made and under rated today. You can have a lot of fun with a car like that and it is likely to be nicer to drive than the popular Fords and Chevs. But as others have pointed out, monetary value is not high. I would buy it if I could do my own work and not spend large amounts of money. It is possible to brush paint a car like that and get a good job if you wet sand and polish, as good as it had when new. More the kind of car you would clean up and enjoy driving around to shows, not something you would put a lot of money into restoring. Maybe some day it will be worth a lot, and someone will bless you for preserving it.

[auburnseeker]

Looking at the front photo there is some very heavy popping rust starting.  I think it is much deeper than you think.  If you sand blasted a car like this it would be nothing but small holes along every seam that it is assembled.  I would also suspect any of the wiring might be heavily corroded as these cars didn't have the modern styled sealed wiring connections.  The broken windshield might have also let a lot of salty moisture into the dash area.  Glad you want to try to save it, but be prepared for it to be much worse than you think.  Shame as it does have a pretty nice interior.  Why do people take otherwise nice cars and just let them go to pot?

[60FlatTop]

If you really want it because it makes your skin tingle and you get nervous about someone buying it before you, just buy it.

 

I look back over things I did over the last half century, and my biggest regrets are over things I didn't do. And cars I didn't buy are at the top of the list..... all the list.

 

Contact me in 30 years, either way, and let me know how you made out.

Bernie

[Dave39MD]

Wasn't the owner of this car asking about it on this forum some time ago? Asking for advice on what to do as I remember. I could not find the thread, hope I didn't dream it.

 

Dave

[auburnseeker]

1 hour ago, Dave39MD said:

Wasn't the owner of this car asking about it on this forum some time ago? Asking for advice on what to do as I remember. I could not find the thread, hope I didn't dream it.

 

Dave

I think there was someone with one in NM asking about what to do with one.   It might have been gray as well.  There's was of course in a desert climate so the deterioration wasn't near as significant. 

[nzcarnerd]

Probably worth noting that the car here is a Special Six with the overhead valve engine. Its new price was half as much again as the side valve Standard Six in the link.  

 

Just clean it up and drive it.

[JustDave]

Possibly a Katrina car,     Dave

[CarlLaFong]

Unfortunately, that car will probably rot into the ground. It sounds like the owner has 20K+ invested in it. He may think it's worth half of that, at the worst. There isn't 10K there and it's not gonna get any better. The pix are hard to see. It could be heavy surface rust or much worse. Either way, that car won't be worth 500 bucks in a few more years

[Marty Roth]

A friend had seen this car sitting for nearly the past ten years. At that time the tires were flat and sinking into the sand/mud, and the interior was out of it - right on the Gulf of Mexico. I'm looking forward to actually seeing the car in its current state and will accompany the gentleman who started this thread when he is available.

[Rusty_OToole]

If someone doesn't do something soon there will be nothing left of it. Any potential buyer should look it over carefully and as others have said, not pay too much. It would be nice to see it saved but not if it is so far gone as to be an endless money pit. It will never be a real nice car but could make a decent driver with some work. I would worry about the wheels. Wonder how close they are to collapsing and if they can be replaced. Did Nash ever offer wire or disc wheels for that model?