1938 McLaughlin Buick Special

[PabloL]

Hi guys and gals, I'm new here but would appreciate some guidance.  A friend's dad is sick and is looking to sell a restored 1938 McLaughlin Buick Special.  I don't know much about these cars but I thought this might be an investment opportunity.  Family is asking for $35k Canadian and they say the car was valued at over $50K Canadian.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

Details:

1938 McLaughlin Buick Special
Rare Opera Coupe model with straight-eight engine.
A prestige car in pristine condition.
Fully restored. Runs perfectly.
Very low miles. (1300 miles since restoration)
 

[J.H.Boland]

Unless you did virtually all the work yourself,you couldn't restore a car like that for $35,000 CDN. 1938 was one of the nicest looking prewar Buicks and this one appears to be well restored. It should be able to keep up with all 50MPH traffic,but might have to breathe heavy on the freeway without an overdrive unit and/or a different rear axle ratio. As for an investment, that's a topic that has had a lot of discussion on this forum.Few of us in this hobby make a lot of money buying and flipping cars (figuratively speaking !). We buy them because we like them. We buy them because they're fun to drive and show. We buy them for their historical significance.You would likely wait many years to make a big dollar on this "investment", but you could have years of enjoyment with it and meet a lot of great people along the way. You will need a good dry inside place to keep it and it will require a little more maintenance than a modern car.

Jim

[MCHinson]

PabloL,

 

Welcome to the AACA Discussion Forum. I have moved your post to the Pre-War Buick Forum where you are more likely to find your target audience. Generally speaking, advertising an antique car as an "investment" is a bad idea. With that said, while I personally prefer four door cars, there are lots of people who love those coupes. The only downside is it is a Special instead of a Century. More information about the restoration would certainly help if you can get it. For example, It makes quite a difference if the rear end ratio was changed to a set of Century gears when it was restored. People in the market for these cars want to know as much detail about the work that has been done as possible, and more photos is better than less photos. 

 

I would also suggest that you contact me through the contact the webmaster link on the 36-38 Buick Club website: http://www.3638buickclub.org/contact-us.html

 

I will be happy to advertise this car for you in the 36-38 Buick Club newsletter and on the website. You can find out more information about the club here: http://www.3638buickclub.org/home.html

[PabloL]

Thanks guys for your great input.  It obviously shows I have little knowledge of this field, lol.  I think for now I will stay away as it looks to be way more involved than I had expected and I would rather invest 35k in something I know more about.

 

I really appreciate your time and input!

Best,

Pablo

[suchan]

$35K CAD is around $26.6K USD, and for a hobbyist buying the car to keep, that's an OK asking price. I bet there's someone out there who'd be interested. That's a nice car. Can forum members contact you for the seller's contact info? Or, with the seller's permission of course, can you share it here?