1925 Essex 2dr. Sedan Reduced from $38K to $20K

[Leif in Calif]

What appears to be a nice example offered at a totally ridiculous price ($38,000) with poor pictures and little info. 

Looks like it got half way out of the garage and then died.    Is that a BMW "Baroque Angel" up on the rack?

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/san-jose-1925-essex-2dr-sedan/7700216237.html

100 years old, Rare all original condition runs and drives great. 6 cly 3 speed transmission. interior is original, perfect like new. (408) 205-1041

 

Edited February 12 by Leif in Calif
price reduction (see edit history)

[31 LaSalle]

Nice looking car but is that the price or the mileage !

[TAKerry]

Broken Record: For that amount of money I would think that should be the finest one out there. And maybe come with the trailer?

[Xander Wildeisen]

Stop picking on the poor Essex. It’s whole life it has had to live in the shadow of it’s big brother Hudson. Never being able to produce the same power, never able to be as physically large. Also told your brother can climb that hill, why can’t you. Go easy on the little Essex.

[suchan]

Looks like a tattered runner you could improve as you drive.

I can't see more than Model T money for it, though. 

You'd have to go way up the food chain to find a 1925-vintage 2-door sedan in #4 condition worth $38K.

[Leif in Calif]

I reckon it's about $25K high! Maybe that's a Bristol on the rack.  

[cjmarzoli]

Seller's math is off.  Its 98 years old.  People seem to think once something hits 100 years old that it's value triples.  If he took a zero off the price it would be a good deal.   Can't see it bringing more than $7500 on a good day.  And I doubt that paint is original.  The interior may be, but I guess it isn't nice enough to bother taking any pictures of.  

[58L-Y8]

2 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

Stop picking on the poor Essex. It’s whole life it has had to live in the shadow of it’s big brother Hudson. Never being able to produce the same power, never able to be as physically large. Also told your brother can climb that hill, why can’t you. Go easy on the little Essex.

The Essex's claim to fame was being the first car to give the American car buyer the choice of a closed car for less money than an open touring car.   It was a major leap forward, hugely influential on the auto industry in general.   

[Xander Wildeisen]

27 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

The Essex's claim to fame was being the first car to give the American car buyer the choice of a closed car for less money than an open touring car.   It was a major leap forward, hugely influential on the auto industry in general.   

going by the comments of people on here, those days are long gone. I have never messed with an Essex, they all seem to struggle in the market place. People look to Hudson and Terraplane over the Essex. Even the Essex Boat tails have a hard time in the market.

[58L-Y8]

1 hour ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

going by the comments of people on here, those days are long gone. I have never messed with an Essex, they all seem to struggle in the market place. People look to Hudson and Terraplane over the Essex. Even the Essex Boat tails have a hard time in the market.

The Essex Six that arrived for 1924 had some functional and durability issues which were eventually worked out.  Even then, the Essex never shook its 'boxy' low-priced car image, the boat tails notwithstanding.  To current collectors, the Essex is viewed the same as its competitors with smaller displacement sixes like Pontiac, Whippet, Dodge Victory Six, Erskine, Chrysler 60/62/65, Nash Light Six, Oldsmobile and others, nice cars but in no great demand.

 

The concurrent Hudson Super Six was and is a robust chassis with the torquey 288 ci. which promises more satisfying performance.  Once the 1927-'29 F-Head engine, longer wheelbases and stylish bodies by Biddle and Smart were catalogued, there was much more reason to select a Hudson Super Six over an Essex.  Conversely, other than the 1933 Terraplane Eight for obvious reasons, mostly the collector interest in Terraplane is their Art Moderne streamlined styling.  Oh yes, and people like telling others they drive "a Terraplane!" 

[Xander Wildeisen]

I went with the Hudson super six. The 288 ci engine does have good power.

[Billety]

I had a 1928 Essex sedan. Stump pulling diff prevented it from travelling at more than about 30 mph. Thermosyphon cooling also was a problem in our warm Australian weather. I only paid the equivalent of US$5000 for a restored car though.

 

[JRA]

The 1925 Essex Coach is an important landmark in automotive history, once it was the first time a manufacturer priced a closed car below the open body ones. 

[28StutzCabriolet]

This looks like the car that was in my home town of Santa Cruz CA for many years. I like this car, but agree that it is worth about $6K in today's market. I hope it finds a good home.

[wayne sheldon]

I have seen several Essex automobiles that I did not care for up close. (Blockish and cheap looking.) I have also seen several Essex automobiles that up close I liked a lot! i am pretty sure I would really like this one. But criminy the price is beyond ridiculous! In the recent few years I have seen at least four running and drivable 1926/'30 Packard sedans (mostly earlier sixes) sell for around $10,000. No Essex is worth four times Packard money! And this car looks like an older cosmetic restoration after a couple decades of bad storage.

Tom LaFerriere had a Packard (1928 if I recall correctly?) I drooled over photos of for about a year before he sold it. 

[JRA]

I really think interesting this square look of the 1925 Essex Coach, from radiator shell to the rear. Sharp edges all over it!

[Leif in Calif]

Now no longer "ridiculous high" and only "unrealistic high".

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/san-jose-1925-essex-2dr-sedan/7716728209.html

100 years old,Rare all original condition runs and drives great. 6 cly 3 speed transmission. interior is original, Clean California title

email:  43eb4c052a6e396dba57807991c54e9e@sale.craigslist.org

[Xander Wildeisen]

Essex is a tough sale, should have bought a Terraplane.

 

[JohnS25]

I’m certainly not a Essex expert but I don’t think that is the original interior