1959 Cadillac Convertible Converted from a Coupe price.

[FireballV8]

Hello Everyone
What value would one place on a #3 Cadillac series 62 Convertible, that started life as a Series 62 Coupe, but was converted into a convertible with all working convertible parts. 

The car is missing the Courtesy Tag of the door jamb as well as the body tag under the hood. Looking at the car you cannot tell that it is not a convertible. 

So what do you think it is worth? Same as a coupe, more than a coupe?

Looking for some ideas to establish a price.

Thank You

Steve

[auburnseeker]

If you find a non purist,  seems like coupe money would be a good comp maybe a tad more.  To any purist,  they will run away from it if they find out it's not original.  It kind of falls into the hot rod category.  Are there any comps out there for 59 caddy hot rods? 

Might be a tough sell down the road.  

[Xander Wildeisen]

Value would be more than a coupe. If the quality of the conversion is done to a high level, it's value would be under a factory convertible. But a buyer might not care if it is done right. Missing tags/title will be your problem, just be honest in telling buyers it was a  coupe, or a very large patch panel to repair a convertible.

[Lebowski]

How about some pics?

[Rusty_OToole]

Why do you want a price? Are you planning on selling it for a profit? Is it your car, or are you hoping to buy it cheap and sell it? Are you in the market for such a car for your own use?

 

You can buy a magazine that is nothing but a list of prices for old cars. They sell them at any magazine or book store. It will tell you what 59 Cadillacs are worth. As for what that particular one is worth, it depends on condition and a lot of other things. I would say it is worth less than a genuine convertible but how much less who can say?

[vermontboy]

You say the "tags" are missing - does that mean that it does not have a VIN ? Is there a title with the vehicle ? No body tags and no title will have an effect on value. No VIN will be a deal breaker in many cases depending on what state the vehicle is in and what state the prospective buyer is in.

[John_S_in_Penna]

For most cars, convertibles have special 

reinforcement of the frames to make them

more rigid.  Was the extra reinforcing installed

during the conversion?

 

If not, the car will be more flexible than it

should be, and the whole assembly won't be

properly engineered.

 

Myself, I'd be very cautious about a conversion,

especially a home-made one.

[Matt Harwood]

This is a great place to use my new favorite old car phrase, taught to me by my friend Motoringicons:

 

Easy to buy, hard to sell.

 

A cut-up car with no pedigree and missing tags built buy whom? I agree with John S--it's very hard to make a convertible the way the factory did it. There's so much that just isn't accessible after the car is assembled that would be incredibly difficult to do on a finished car. I'd worry about doors that stop opening, windows that don't seal, and windshields that crack when you hit a big bump. But you won't see any of that until you own it and drive it for a while--I can almost guarantee the guy who built it isn't driving it much.

 

There aren't many buyers for a car like that unless it's cheap enough to attract a guy who could never afford the real thing, but I bet even most of them have reservations about it because they're afraid of what the NEXT guy is going to think. It's got to be cheap and I think comparing it to a coupe is apples and oranges, and comparing it to a real convertible is apples and grapefruits. If it's cheap enough and you'll enjoy it and you don't care about trying to get your money back and have plenty of time to wait when it's time to sell it, then have fun. If you're thinking it's a smart investment or a way to make a few bucks by flipping it, you'll be disappointed. It is not a good investment by any measure. It might be fun, which is the right reason to own an old car.

 

You should buy an old car because you love it, not because you can make money with it, and be prepared to take a hit when it comes time to sell.

[padgett]

Probably worth more with a new bagged chassis and an LS. Restomods were bringing more than originals at BJ.

[auburnseeker]

35 minutes ago, padgett said:

Probably worth more with a new bagged chassis and an LS. Restomods were bringing more than originals at BJ.

But then again it's still not a real conv't  which will probably matter to 99 percent of the prospective buyers.  I've had guys pick genuine cars apart.  I always try to be very knowledgable about every car I buy,  but it seems every car I sell is sold to the world's leadning expert on that particular car,  or atleast they act like they are. 

[Matt Harwood]

9 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

it seems every car I sell is sold to the world's leadning expert on that particular car,  or atleast they act like they are. 

 

Ain't that the truth, brother.

[cheezestaak2000]

that's an easy one. take the value of an identical coupe with the exact same miles, in exactly the same condition. add the value of a

convertable in exactly the same condition with identical millage, and divide by 2

[C Carl]

Whew !!!!!! If only it were so simple.  -  CC 

[padgett]

I usually spend more time inspecting under a car than on top. Need to ask if the frame was stiffened or just sit in the car and see how easy the door is to open.

[Bleach]

That should be a good way to check but you'll know if it flexed once you got in when you wouldn't be able to close the door. Or you could open both doors, get in and then try to close them.

I'd suggest driving it over a patch of really bad road, a bad railroad crossing or even a few potholes to see if the the windshield cracks as Matt mentioned above.

A real convertible will flex too but usually only if you jack it up at a corner with the bumper jack. The doors often won't open.