1954 Buick Special 2 door

[wildcatsrule]

Listing for a friend. See contact information in the pictures. Car is in New Mexico- originally from Dallas. Always a Southwest car.

Edited May 5, 2019 by wildcatsrule
additional info (see edit history)

[rgs455]

Appears to be a very nice car!  Good price point for someone to get into the hobby. 

[Pete Phillips]

That air cleaner should be black, by the way, unless you're just trying to be different.

[John_S_in_Penna]

The later upholstery doesn't resemble

the original.  If there are any unknowledgeable

potential buyers, especially young ones or 

newcomers to the hobby, the seller will do well

honestly to point that out.   

[B Jake Moran]

That's the single biggest drawback to the hobby is upholstery.  How many times have we seen reupholstered in a for sale description and then we see non authentic upholstery.   We need more professional upholsterers as a craft, IMO.

 

I don't know, however, if the N.O. upholstery is a huge setback on this car. Lamar would know what it is supposed to look like. I believe that $16,500 is all the money for a 54 Special like this with 124,000 miles. Paint and chrome are great, as is the cleaner than usual engine compartment. 

[old-tank]

On 5/5/2019 at 8:51 PM, Pete Phillips said:

That air cleaner should be black, by the way, unless you're just trying to be different.

 

On 5/6/2019 at 8:09 AM, John_S_in_Penna said:

The later upholstery doesn't resemble

the original.  If there are any unknowledgeable

potential buyers, especially young ones or 

newcomers to the hobby, the seller will do well

honestly to point that out.   

You will never sell the car with this kind of help.  This is why I will never try to sell a car here.

[Buickborn]

35 minutes ago, old-tank said:

 

You will never sell the car with this kind of help.  This is why I will never try to sell a car here.

I'm not sure I understand what Old-Tank expects of contributors to this (or any) forum.  Surely we can all agree that our purpose here is to share our knowledge and experience -- not to engage in the hype connected with ignoring deficiencies in pursuit of  maximum prices.  Seems to me that there's plenty of sales "help" available here -- as long as the objective is a fair and realistic sale to a properly informed, unblinkered buyer.

[MrEarl]

All I'd have to say to anybody with 16 grand in their pocket considering this car is  CAVEAT EMPTOR  and if you need help with that call me. 

 

[MrEarl]

1 hour ago, old-tank said:

This is why I will never try to sell a car here.

 

Shoot Willie, this would be THE place for you to sell one of YOUR cars. Your attention to detail and honesty precede you, I doubt much discussion would be carried on at all, much less negative.

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, old-tank said:

You will never sell the car with this kind of help.  This is why I will never try to sell a car here.

 

Proper knowledge is very valuable.  It's not kind

merely to criticize for criticism's sake, but sincere

evaluation is helpful to a potential buyer, especially

someone looking to enter the hobby who doesn't

know as much as others do.  Why, for example, should

a high-school student buy his first antique Buick only

to learn, later, that the interior is wrong, and that

correcting it will cost thousands of dollars?  Does he

have that much extra money to spend?  Would such

an uncorrected mistake leave him with a happy feeling

for Buick sellers and antique cars? 

 

On another thread a few years ago on the AACA buy-sell 

section, there was a purported 1942 Chrysler custom-bodied

parade phaeton offered for sale.  Knowledgeable people,

including our AACA national editor, commented that it

didn't look right.  Someone even knew that the purported

Derham coachworks didn't apply a particular emblem in 1942!

Eventually the seller admitted that the car had no top.

Forum-goers concluded that it was actually cut down from a sedan!

Can you picture how many TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars

a potential buyer saved by sincere members' comments? 

[old-tank]

52 minutes ago, MrEarl said:

 

Shoot Willie, this would be THE place for you to sell one of YOUR cars. Your attention to detail and honesty precede you, I doubt much discussion would be carried on at all, much less negative.

I tried a few years ago and I had to get you to delete the posts from the some of the same folks that pointed out some deficiencies in the car and my description (they did not know what they were talking about).  If you are not a buyer, shut up!  If you are a seller check your PM for opinions.  If you are a buyer PM the seller or open a new topic asking for opinions.

This particular car is nicely represented and you could not get a lesser car to this condition for twice the money.

[Buickborn]

It is very heartening to see that the overwhelming consensus here is in favor of open and untrammeled discussion.  The notion that our perspectives should be suppressed unless we have cash in hand is about as antithetical to the definition of "forum" as could be imagined.

[Beemon]

11 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Why, for example, should

a high-school student buy his first antique Buick only

to learn, later, that the interior is wrong, and that

correcting it will cost thousands of dollars?  Does he

have that much extra money to spend?  Would such

an uncorrected mistake leave him with a happy feeling

for Buick sellers and antique cars? 

 

Well if a high schooler is buying a classic car, it's probably with daddy's money to begin with. 

 

What do you guys think is affordable for high schoolers? $2000 max is affordable, not $16k.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Beemon (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

7 hours ago, Beemon said:

Well if a high schooler is buying a classic car, it's probably with daddy's money to begin with. 

What do you guys think is affordable for high schoolers? $2000 max is affordable, not $16k.

 

That's not the point, however.

The point is honesty, whether it is a high-school boy

or a newcomer to the hobby, or even a long-term hobbyist.

A car's shortcomings should be stated, just as its

strengths would be.  Shouldn't Buick sellers be principled?

 

I agree that a high-school student might have to get this car

for a more economical price, since teenagers' earnings are limited. 

But none of us would criticize a high-schooler if he

had to share ownership with his dad, and they made

it a supportive father-and-son hobby!

[lancemb]

I agree that we should be open about shortcomings here.  As respectfully as possible, but honest.  Nobody is saying the car is junk.  It's a nice car.  But, let a car be judged based on it's own merit with full disclosure. 

Remember, it works both ways.  I've also seen cars posted here with many favorable reviews pointing out especially appealing features or authenticity, often on cars that were being reposted completely unaware to the seller just because it looked like a really good car.

Edited May 8, 2019 by lancemb (see edit history)

[Buickborn]

On 5/5/2019 at 6:41 PM, rgs455 said:

Appears to be a very nice car!  Good price point for someone to get into the hobby. 

      Wow -- Given my ordinary/average circumstances, I consider $16,000.00 to be a sizable chunk of dough, and I'm envious of anyone who thinks that that figure represents an entry-level outlay.  If that is what it takes to enter this hobby, then surely we cannot expect much of a stream of entrants.

 

       In my own case, although I've been a collector for many years, I still occasionally grab what I consider an entry-level car -- such as my recently-purchased good-original '39 Dodge coupe for which I paid $6500.00.  For an even better example, a good friend of mine just bought a nice original '63 Studebaker Lark for $1500.00.  Now, THAT is my idea of entry-level!

 

 

[avgwarhawk]

None the less...there will that one that falls in love with this 54 and negotiate a bit of a better price.  Drive home happy.  Just the way it works.