Need Advice Selling - NY - 1924 Franklin, 1924 Essex, 1929 Essex, 1947 Studebaker truck

[jscheringer]

My father asked for my help selling his old cars.  He has four vehicles, I believe they are in good original condition.  Location - Hudson Valley, New York.  These are the best photos I have currently, I plan on taking them out of the garage this summer to properly photograph.  He has owned them for close to 40 years.

 

• 1924 Franklin 10C Beach Wagon
• 1924 Essex Roadster
• 1929 Essex Town sedan
• 1947 Studebaker truck

 

Looking for guidance regarding sites or services with good reputation within the community.  Thank you.

 

 

 

Edited May 1 by jscheringer (see edit history)

[JACK M]

Pictures?

[jscheringer]

Thanks for the suggestion.  I will add some when I get home this evening.

 

[DAVES89]

And location

[DLynskey]

This forum is a good starting point. Ads are free. Everyone on it is interested in old cars and, consequently is a possible buyer.

 

Start a new thread for each vehicle. Otherwise things get confused as far as which one they're looking at.

 

Give the location. We have members from all over the world, and a nearby car is much more attractive than one half a continent away.

 

And yes, photos.. not just photos, but Good photos. Be sure to show interior as well as exterior pictures, and also photos of the engine. The more information you can include, the better.

 

Good luck with selling the cars.

 

Don

[alsancle]

Title status will make or break your ability to sell them. Above all other things.

[alsancle]

As well location. For example, if you were tucked away in a corner of Idaho, with no titles for the cars, i would just see what they were worth for scrap.

 

EDIT:  I guess a bit of hyperbole but I'm trying to be realistic.    Location and title status mean everything. 

Edited April 30 by alsancle (see edit history)

[JFranklin]

Don't let the negative posts put you off. Think positive as there are many that may be interested. You may get less but things do sell even with some complications.

[Gary_Ash]

For the Studebaker truck, try these:

 

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/sale-want-found-cars

 

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/studebakertrucktalk/

 

As mentioned in the above posts, be sure to state the location, condition, and price.  State if running or not.  Include photos of front, side, interior, and engine compartment.  Photo sizes should be about 1024 x 768.

[zepher]

As Gary suggested, contact or even join a club dedicated for each marque and offer the cars up for sale on those platforms.

With marque clubs you will find people that know what you have and they can give you a fair value.

[3makes]

As much history of previous owners as possible is always helpful. With the Franklin, provide engine and serial numbers.

Edited April 30 by 3makes
Additional information suggested. (see edit history)

[CChinn]

How much time do you have to help your father sell his cars?  It can be time consuming for 1 let alone 4. It there a time deadline you need to meet?  A few months, a year or no time constraints to sell?  Are the cars running?  Do they have clear titles?  Those will be important considerations WRT ease of selling and pricing. When you mentioned services, did you mean consignment services?  There are several companies that help sellers sell their car(s), do much of the leg work such as advertising, interacting with interested buyers, supervise test drives, negotiation, etc., but at the price of their commission 

[60FlatTop]

Look at the negative comments as they apply to the cars. The experience of selling to orphan car fans is going to be something unique in its own rite. You may want to take good notes on each part of the adventure and write a book, could bring more than the cars.

 

When I was 16 years old I advertised a Kaiser for sale. There really are stereotypes and they tend to be perpetuated.  My mother greeted one of the potential buyers of that Kaiser and she remember him like a Reader's Digest memorable character until the day she died. You will soon find out.

 

Here is the best tip I can give you in preparing to sell a car. Answer these questions about each car as a basis for your sales presentation. You and your Dad should have a great time going through them. They work for both buyer and seller.

 

Car Sale Questions

 

1. Do you own the car and have legal proof?

2 Is the paperwork clear and free of liens, unbranded?

3. How long have you owned the car?

4. Is the car currently licensed and insured?

5. Can it be driven on the road, legally, today?

6 Is the car in storage? If so, how long has it been stored?

7. How many miles did you drive it during the last 12 months?

8. Have you done any major work on the car since you have owned it?

9. What and when was the most recent service or repair?

10. If you decided to keep the car what improvement would you consider important?

Edited April 30 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[jscheringer]

Added photos to the original post.  Thank you all for your contribution!

[JFranklin]

They are in better shape than what I was imagining. Photos help.

[John_S_in_Penna]

15 hours ago, Gary_Ash said:

For the Studebaker truck, try these:

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/sale-want-found-cars

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/studebakertrucktalk/

12 hours ago, zepher said:

As Gary suggested, contact or even join a club dedicated for each marque and offer the cars up for sale on those platforms.

I agree with the advice above:  Through clubs dedicated

to each make of car, you will reach the people most

interested in that car.  And there indeed are clubs.  Advertise

in their magazines, and if they have an active space for

ads on their electronic media, use that too.  In print media

(my first choice for your case), pay for an ad with a photo.

Price the cars very reasonably to sell;  never look at others'

asking prices, which may be totally unrealistic.

 

 https://franklincar.org/index.php    [H. H. Franklin Club]

https://production.hetclub.org/     [Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club]

https://antiquestudebakerclub.org/    [Antique Studebaker Club]

 

Edited May 1 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[alsancle]

12 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

Look at the negative comments as they apply to the cars. The experience of selling to orphan car fans is going to be something unique in its own rite. You may want to take good notes on each part of the adventure and write a book, could bring more than the cars.

 

When I was 16 years old I advertised a Kaiser for sale. There really are stereotypes and they tend to be perpetuated.  My mother greeted one of the potential buyers of that Kaiser and she remember him like a Reader's Digest memorable character until the day she died. You will soon find out.

 

Here is the best tip I can give you in preparing to sell a car. Answer these questions about each car as a basis for your sales presentation. You and your Dad should have a great time going through them. They work for both buyer and seller.

 

Car Sale Questions

 

 

 

1. Do you own the car and have legal proof?

 

2 Is the paperwork clear and free of liens, unbranded?

 

3. How long have you owned the car?

 

4. Is the car currently licensed and insured?

 

5. Can it be driven on the road, legally, today?

 

6 Is the car in storage? If so, how long has it been stored?

 

7. How many miles did you drive it during the last 12 months?

 

8. Have you done any major work on the car since you have owned it?

 

9. What and when was the most recent service or repair?

 

10. If you decided to keep the car what improvement would you consider important?

 

 

What Bernie is saying here is good advice.    Selling cars is a huge pain in the ass even for the guys that do it for a living.    Estate situations or helping an older parent liquidate cars is a frequent source of discussion here.    Before you do anything you need to find the paperwork and verify that the numbers and names are all correct.  If there is no paperwork then you need to get it.    All the other advice you are getting is well meaning and good, but useless until you see if your dad actually owns the cars you want to sell.

[DavidinCA]

It might be helpful to read some of the “For sale, not mine” threads and you can see what comments are made about car ads and avoid some of the pitfalls.  

 

Things to consider:

 

As others have said, a good ad should include the title status.  If they are/were registered in NYS, that means a transferable registration since a pre 1972 car won’t have a title in NYS, just the transferable registration.  If it has expired, a trip to the DMV might be in order to renew it.  

 

Clear good pictures of each car, both sides, front, back, interior, engine will be a big help.  For pictures, more is more and since they are easy to take, there really isn’t any reason to skimp.  

 

Include whether or not they run and are drivable. A non-running car is worth a lot less than a running one, even if the problem is minor.  Drivable is a big deal as well.  If a buyer needs to have them shipped, the cost to ship a non-running/driving car is often much higher.  

 

This site is a great place to start.

John_S listed the marque clubs which should be a great resource, since older and orphan cars appeal to a specific audience.  

 

I’ve sold newer, collector cars on eBay, but it can be a pain and there is the risk of a non-paying bidder.  On the other hand, it gets great exposure and if you start at a reasonable price, you’ll get a good idea of what the world thinks it’s worth as you watch the bidding.  The last few hours/minutes are key, since many people wait until the end to bid.  

 

[Peter Gariepy]

Considering the photos already provided I bet they'll not be hard to sell.

 

Make your life simpler by having or getting good titles, and by collecting and providing all the vehicle info upfront.  Photos (lots!), description, price, location, etc.  

I cannot stress this step enough!

 

PRICE:  start surfing to get comparative prices from auction sites, etc.  Hiring a mechanic to get them back in running condition (if possible) will have the biggest impact on price. Next would be a general cleaning before you take well-lit photos. (no garage photos if possible)

 

DESCRIPTION:  Reach out to the respective club's technical advisors, chief judges, or officers, to get some feedback on description and price.  Surprising how valuable a phone call can be.

 

Asking here in the forum "what's its worth" is not productive and turns into a circular debate.  

 

WHERE TO SELL:

This forum is a great (and free) place to start.  

 

Post in the for-sale forums.   

• https://forums.aaca.org/forum/14-automobiles-and-parts-buysell/

 

Also, post then the respective "make" forums.

• https://forums.aaca.org/forum/59-franklin/
• https://forums.aaca.org/forum/61-hudson-essex-terraplane/
• https://forums.aaca.org/forum/21-studebaker-erskine-rockne/

 

Also consider marketing them to the respective clubs (Franklin, Studebaker, Hudson/Essex)

 

Auctions are great, but not sure your cars are suited for that market.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[jscheringer]

24 minutes ago, DavidinCA said:

 

As others have said, a good ad should include the title status.  If they are/were registered in NYS, that means a transferable registration since a pre 1972 car won’t have a title in NYS, just the transferable registration.  If it has expired, a trip to the DMV might be in order to renew it. 

Thanks for this info.  I was asking my mother about the titles and she said they were too old for titles, so your statement rings true.  She says they are registered so I will see about getting them up to date.  I know he used to drive them to the Rhinebeck car show every couple years but not sure the last time they were on the road.  Good advice thank you.

[CrackerGc]

Nice!!!

 

[Billy Kingsley]

I'm in Wappingers Falls. I'd love a chance to see that green truck in person.  I am unfortunately not in position to buy, my health prevents me from driving or owning an old car. Just an enthusiastic fan. 

 

Rhinebeck is this weekend, you could always put them in the car corral. 

[Terry Bond]

Peter's advice is golden. 

Terry

[jscheringer]

I'd like to thank everyone for their input.  Excellent advice.  Glad I posted!

[Peter Gariepy]

3 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

Peter's advice is golden. 

Terry

[George Albright]

I would be interested in the 1947 Studebaker truck. Please send photos. Thanks George Albright Ocala Florida cell 352 843 1624. Email gnalbright@gmail.com 

[PFitz]

For what it's worth, NY State does not issue titles for any cars older than 1972. 

 

Paul

[jscheringer]

1 hour ago, George Albright said:

I would be interested in the 1947 Studebaker truck. Please send photos. Thanks George Albright Ocala Florida cell 352 843 1624. Email gnalbright@gmail.com 

Hi George, I will be in NY this summer to get proper photos.  I will keep your info and be in touch.  Thank you!

[jscheringer]

9 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said:

I'm in Wappingers Falls. I'd love a chance to see that green truck in person.  I am unfortunately not in position to buy, my health prevents me from driving or owning an old car. Just an enthusiastic fan. 

 

Rhinebeck is this weekend, you could always put them in the car corral. 

Hi Billy.  I will be in NY this summer.  I will be in touch, my dad loves to show his cars!

[Steve Braverman]

I've know about this Franklin for a long time and wondered what happened to it. I would suggest posting it to the Franklin section of this forum and also on The Franklin Club's web site at franklincar.org. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

11 hours ago, George Albright said:

I would be interested in the 1947 Studebaker truck. Please send photos. 

9 hours ago, jscheringer said:

Hi George, I will be in NY this summer to get proper photos.  

Mr. Seller, you have interest in one of your father's

vehicles.  If you can, you should strike while the iron's hot.

There are probably people on this forum, or at least within

the AACA, who could look at the truck for George, take

pictures, and give him a report.  We help each other.

 

Edited May 2 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[George Albright]

1 hour ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Mr. Seller, you have interest in one of your father's

vehicles.  If you can, you should strike while the iron's hot.

There are probably people on this forum, or at least within

the AACA, who could look at the truck for George, take

pictures, and give him a report.  We help each other.

 

I would be interested in the 1947 Studebaker truck. Please send photos. Thanks George Albright Ocala Florida cell 352 843 1624. Email gnalbright@gmail.com 

[R Walling]

 First thing to do is give them a good bath and clear out all the "junk" around the car so that people can walk around them!  

 

Second, advertise them very soon, tis the season to buy!

                  Plenty of pictures in the ads!  (The #1 request that you will receive will be to send them more pics, this will drive you crazy!

                    Write a long resume explaining everything that you know about the car. Include your e-mail.

 

Third, Put in a new battery and get them properly started if possible or at least, oil and turn the engine over by hand.

 

 

[George Albright]

I’m interested in photos of the Studebaker truck if the condition is good and price is fair. George Albright Ocala Florida cell 352 843 1624. Gnalbright@gmail.com 

[Ryan N]

If still available I would love to check out that green Franklin. I live very near to your father (I’m just outside Poughkeepsie) and would love to possibly buy the car and take it on many of the Franklin tours (that I’ve attended regularly throughout my life). Please feel free to contact me at Ryannippert@aol.com  Maybe we could exchange contact info and go from there, either way beautiful collection of cars! 

[Hans1]

The blue car, appears to have:  1920's Hudson radiator shell, a 1931 Essex engine with road draft tube, an interesting compilation of many years of parts.

 

 

Edited May 3 by Hans1
added Hudson to description of radiator shell (see edit history)