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1953 Buick Skylark - $35,000


cjp69

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https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/d/goodyear-1953-buick-skylark/7437244083.html

 

1953 Buick Skylark - $35,000 (Goodyear)

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1953 Buick Skylark

condition: good
cylinders: 8 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 45666
paint color: blue
size: full-size
title status: clean
transmission: automatic
type: convertible

For sale is a very coveted and beautiful 1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark. One of only 1,690 made and much less in existence today, especially in “survivor” mode. Most are restored to the point of being unaffordable, or are total basket cases. It is rare to see one like this - barely touched.

This particular car was seen in the movie Forrest Gump. In the film, it was parked in a state of neglect at Bubba’s shack when Forrest went to deliver Bubba’s share of the Bubba Gump business profit to Bubba’s mom (touching scene)! I have documentation from the family in Walterboro, South Carolina, where a good part of the film was shot. The family had it for over 60 years.

The drivetrain – The 322 V-8 cranks, but does not turn over. I did not try to mess with it further after putting new spark plug wires and a battery. I was told that the transmission needs to be rebuilt. In the trunk, you will find a torque converter and a flywheel.

Body – the body is razor straight with no dings or dents at all. There was a small spot of rust (see photos) on the driver’s floorboard and on the wheelwell in the trunk. These were patched up and painted. It only needs minor work and paint to be perfect. Or leave it as is and do it patina style.

Chrome – All complete, but need to be re-plated for show.

Brakes – Need to be rebuilt or upgraded (around $1,500 - $2,000 for disc brake upgrade).

Electrics – The glass is intact, but the windows do not roll up and down due to the hydraulics being disconnected or in need of repair. There is a kit for around $1,000 where you can upgrade the operation to electric. The top goes up and down manually, as I disconnected it from the hydroelectric operation. The lights work fine. I have not tested the instrument panels.

Interior – Original side panels and seats. The seats were reupholstered in non-original material at some point. Minor rips, tears or scratches. The chrome that covers the top of the door panels are missing (this is the only missing item).

Top – Ok for a driver (hole on side of driver, ripped at passenger side). New material costs around $300.

When done, these cars sell for $80,000 to $150,000. Just check them out on the auction circuits. Parts are scarce, but there is a strong support base within the Buick Skylark club. This one would not take tons of work to restore.

310-647-7150 for more information. Clear title. Open to offers.
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So, this is a restoration project being sold as complete and solid.  It needs $150,000 or more in restoration costs, so the seller's hyperbole regarding this being a "tweener" I would not agree with.  

 

I don't know what restored 375 to 400 point Buick Skylarks go for.  I will say this, that is a nice color.   Interior is atrocious.  

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3 hours ago, cjp69 said:

The 322 V-8 cranks, but does not turn over.

So the engine doesn't turn over but it cranks?  That's a new one.  

I think it's cool as is and agree do some mechanical work on it and drive it like it is.   From the sounds of it though it needs alot of mechanical work.  That can get expensive fast fi you have to go deep.  

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You guys are driving me nuts!   Isn't the transmission out?  etc.  Needs a full correct restoration.  There are a TON of millionaires in this country.  I'm not one of them!   It would be no big deal for a millionaire to drop $200,000 on this restoration and put it back in the gene pool. 

 

As it sits now, it obviously is just trading hands for maybe a net profit of $1,000 to $2,000 each time.  But $35,000???  I could buy 4-5 cars for $35,000 that would provide me just as much hobby enjoyment.  Restore it or go home.  

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You could restore and get out of this car with a SMALL FORTUNE,

 

but only if you started with a LARGE FORTUNE !!

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7 hours ago, alsancle said:

Generally you don’t get to be a millionaire by being an idiot. Restoring this car would make you an idiot.

Lots of people restore cars knowing full well it will cost more than the car will be worth; I don't think that necessarily makes them idiots.  Sometimes it's worth it just to know that it was restored in a way that you are comfortable with and trust.  A lot of "fully restored" cars are full of bugs that would take many dollars and/or hours to correct, sometimes then resulting in as much cost as if one just restored one themself. 

 

This car also doesn't seem to be original enough to be a shame to restore, but a really nice base, so it's a good candidate IMO.

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The 53 Skylark is cool,  but plentiful and hardly rare.   They are a bit like Corvettes in the sense that nobody ever sent one to the junkyard so survival rate is high.    There are always at least 1/2 a dozen decent examples available for 75 to 125k.  

 

This blue car requires 300k worth of professional restoration (and probably 5 years in the shop)  or 150k worth of home restoration (and probably 15 years).

 

Why would somebody not spend the extra 50-75k to just buy a nice one if that is what they want?   That is not the same as leaving it alone, which I understand.

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On 1/27/2022 at 6:50 AM, alsancle said:

The 53 Skylark is cool,  but plentiful and hardly rare.   They are a bit like Corvettes in the sense that nobody ever sent one to the junkyard so survival rate is high.    There are always at least 1/2 a dozen decent examples available for 75 to 125k. 

Excellent point:  Despite low production numbers,

Skylarks are quite common!  Many Buick models

once thought common--for instance, a 1973 Centurion

4-door hardtop--may be 10 or 100 times rarer.

 

I've heard that Skylark prices have receded over the

past several years.  Do others agree?

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Surely there is no question that cars such as the Skylark are declining in value as older collectors age out of the hobby, to be replaced by a younger cohort more interested in later vehicles.  Not only that, but it appears that convertibles in general are slipping in value, as modern driving conditions (i.e., freeways and thick city traffic congestion) take the fun out of open cars -- especially for occupants raised with airconditioning.

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I still see a fair amount of salt and pepper haired dudes at the Scottsdale auctions buying these but they are not rare at 1690.  
 

I could be wrong but I believe most that CAN be restored ARE.   And that is what you are seeing here. The present owner has no intention of being the guy to restore it.  And all the monied guys have or have had one.  
 

The 1953 halo cars as a whole have had their day in the sun.  They were the girl with the curl about 20 years ago when prices soared.  Eldorados, Fiestas, Skylarks, Hudson’s, Kaiser Darrin and the Packard Caribbean.   Now they are more respected - except the Eldorado which still seems strong but not appreciating.  

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2 hours ago, B Jake Moran said:

I could be wrong but I believe most that CAN be restored ARE.   And that is what you are seeing here.

 

I feel this way about almost anything.   The only cars that can still restored are ones that might win a class at Pebble so it is not so much about the value of the car,  it is about competing and the journey for someone with lots and lots of disposable income.     The Buick Skyark is cool,  but not winning any classes at Pebble.

 

 

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On 1/27/2022 at 3:50 AM, alsancle said:

The 53 Skylark is cool,  but plentiful and hardly rare.   They are a bit like Corvettes in the sense that nobody ever sent one to the junkyard so survival rate is high.    There are always at least 1/2 a dozen decent examples available for 75 to 125k.  

 

This blue car requires 300k worth of professional restoration (and probably 5 years in the shop)  or 150k worth of home restoration (and probably 15 years).

 

Why would somebody not spend the extra 50-75k to just buy a nice one if that is what they want?   That is not the same as leaving it alone, which I understand.

 

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The question quoted here is a very common one; that is, why not simply pony up for what you want rather than undertake a costly and challenging restoration?  Usually, the answer has to do with the satisfactions offered by a meritorious project.

 

But I suspect that a more pertinent matter applies here:  spousal opposition -- a topic that does not seem to generate as much discussion on club forums as it surely merits.

 

Simply put, for those of us (and possibly that may be the majority of us) facing such problems, it is far easier to allay the objections of an oppositional or unsupportive spouse when a prospective purchase involves a smaller price than a larger one.  And in the case of a car needing restoration, the ensuing expenses can be incurred gradually, so as not to appear so bright on the radar screen.

 

I'm sure I'm not alone in the sense of having to restore my way to a nice car because the domestic difficulties entailed with buying such an expensive item outright would make the purchase not worth the candle -- or even possible.

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/27/2022 at 6:50 AM, alsancle said:

The 53 Skylark is cool,  but plentiful and hardly rare.   They are a bit like Corvettes in the sense that nobody ever sent one to the junkyard so survival rate is high.    There are always at least 1/2 a dozen decent examples available for 75 to 125k.  

 

This blue car requires 300k worth of professional restoration (and probably 5 years in the shop)  or 150k worth of home restoration (and probably 15 years).

 

Why would somebody not spend the extra 50-75k to just buy a nice one if that is what they want?   That is not the same as leaving it alone, which I understand.

They've always been rare.  I want to go back and read this again, and at 83, I'm not a candidate to buy it.  But why would you want to change to disc brakes?  The brakes were plenty good and parts are readily available.  Seats are good enough for a very spiffy cruise-in car.  Go on a day when it isn't raining and put the top down.  The worst I can see, especially for a decent home mechanic is the missing door tops.  They'd be living hell to find and would cost a fortune to somehow make or duplicate.  Not everybody needs an AACA show winner.

 

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26 minutes ago, Dynaflash8 said:

They've always been rare.  I want to go back and read this again, and at 83, I'm not a candidate to buy it.  But why would you want to change to disc brakes?  The brakes were plenty good and parts are readily available.  Seats are good enough for a very spiffy cruise-in car.  Go on a day when it isn't raining and put the top down.  The worst I can see, especially for a decent home mechanic is the missing door tops.  They'd be living hell to find and would cost a fortune to somehow make or duplicate.  Not everybody needs an AACA show winner.

 

 

When I hear "swapping in disks brakes" or  "converting to 12V"  my brain turns off.

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First, a '53 Skylark had 12 volts.  As for switching to it prior to the 53  50-70 models, living in Florida has made me a believer.  You really need A/C down here and there's no other way to get it.  Switching a flat-head Ford product like a '53 Mercury for A/C may not be feasible from the A/C viewpoint.  I've never seen a flat head with A/C and if I did, could you keep it running relatively cool.  The same almost goes for a straight 8 Buick.  I did see a '42 Century so converted, but he had to install a big aluminum radiator.  Later I saw that car for sale without the A/C  in it.  So, I don't know about the success in a straight 8.  Imagine A/C in a '39 Buick with the small nose.  Original radiator held 13 quarts and that wasn't big enough to provide any depth as these cars were famous for running hot on occasion.  Buick put out a fan shroud and radiator top baffle in mid-year which does help a lot, except God help you if you need to change a fan belt on the road.

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10 hours ago, B Jake Moran said:

Not to get too sideways but why do people love Florida?  It lacks geography, really isn’t tropical just hot.  You see so many snowbirds that some places look deserted in July.  

Because to many, freezing winters suck.  With no sales tax, FL is also a friendly place to spend money.  Just my 2 cents.

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Freezing winters suck after 60 years yes.  My Dad was a snowbird the last 20 years of his life and that is why he was a snowbird.  I'm 58, and I love Iowa until after the holidays.  For me, I will probably just go on a long vacation for 4-6 weeks, come back in mid February, endure about 4-6 more weeks of gradually improving temperatures rather than live in oppresive heat for 8 months of the year, daily rain, humidity and the need for A/C to make cars and homes comfortable.   

 

The 4 seasons of the midwest to me is the best compromise.  

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11 hours ago, lancemb said:

Because to many, freezing winters suck.  With no sales tax, FL is also a friendly place to spend money.  Just my 2 cents.


more importantly there’s no estate tax. Which could be a pretty big deal in the end, depending on how you feel about your kids.

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4 hours ago, B Jake Moran said:

Freezing winters suck after 60 years yes.  My Dad was a snowbird the last 20 years of his life and that is why he was a snowbird.  I'm 58, and I love Iowa until after the holidays.  For me, I will probably just go on a long vacation for 4-6 weeks, come back in mid February, endure about 4-6 more weeks of gradually improving temperatures rather than live in oppresive heat for 8 months of the year, daily rain, humidity and the need for A/C to make cars and homes comfortable.   

 

The 4 seasons of the midwest to me is the best compromise.  

 

 Dang! I remember Iowa being miserably hot in the summer.

 

  Ben

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Ben Ben Ben. Not like Florida!  I lived in Houston for 4 years.  I too loved the winters.  But it got stinking hot in February through December. 
 

Iowa is hot and humid from July through September 25 or so.  Convertible weather here is October 1 to November 15.  Yes November!  Just put the heat on and enjoy.  Also spring of course.  

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