No More WD-15

[scottmandue]

Wow, {insert really, really want racoon}

[wildthing]

So... will you change your username/handle?

[wdfifteen]

I got to know the buyer, Jack, when he picked up the truck and in subsequent phone calls. Nice guy. I got a call from Jack’s son in law a few days ago. Jack was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April and died a couple of weeks ago. I hope he was able to enjoy the truck in that short time. He was really enthusiastic about owning it.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I got to know the buyer, Jack, when he picked up the truck and in subsequent phone calls. Nice guy. I got a call from Jack’s son in law a few days ago. Jack was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April and died a couple of weeks ago. I hope he was able to enjoy the truck in that short time. He was really enthusiastic about owning it.

Sorry to hear this. But I would venture to guess that he was smitten the day he picked up that beautiful truck. RIP Jack.

[LWJ]

The cool thing about Jack, he got to have a top shelf toy in his life. We can’t all claim that. Sounds like a life well lived.

[masraum]

Fortunately, it seems like Jack went fairly quickly, as I think is often the case with pancreatic cancer. So that's a blessing. It seems like Jack had several months with the truck which is great.

[M.D. Holloway]

LOVE IT! Hope you get $50K for it!!!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

LOVE IT! Hope you get $50K for it!!!

He already sold it a few months back. The buyer already died. Somehow, I find this story more depressing than some other posters, maybe because I've lost family members to that particularly cruel form of cancer. They barely get to say goodbye, much less do everything they want to get out of the way or get their affairs in order. It was a nice old truck but I would guess that it was literally the last thing on his mind starting the day of his diagnosis. Now his family has to deal with selling it on BaT again.

[wdfifteen]

After trying for 2 years to sell it locally, Jack’s son-in-law finally put it on BAT last month (thanks Shaun for alerting me). I don’t know what reserve he had on it, but it didn’t sell at $20,000. I was busy and just caught up with the auction today. I read through the comments and was surprised at how obsessed one guy was about the windshield wipers. WTF? I’ll post a link when I get access to my computer again. You can search BAT for 1947 Dodge truck if you’re interested.

[Steve Carlton]

Here it is:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1947-dodge-power-wagon-wdx-2/

[HobieMarty]

Wow, that is such a nice looking truck!!! What's the story on the windshield wipers? Lol.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Steve Carlton]

Well, now I know what wdfifteen means. I thought you were some sort of lubricant.

[speeder]

I wonder why it performed so much worse the second time around? That can be a common thing on BaT but not always...sometimes vehicles do better in subsequent auctions. BaT is unique with disclosure, they always mention and portray any previous auctions with a one-click link to them.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

After trying for 2 years to sell it locally, Jack’s son-in-law finally put it on BAT last month (thanks Shaun for alerting me). I don’t know what reserve he had on it, but it didn’t sell at $20,000. I was busy and just caught up with the auction today. I read through the comments and was surprised at how obsessed one guy was about the windshield wipers. WTF? I’ll post a link when I get access to my computer again. You can search BAT for 1947 Dodge truck if you’re interested.

I just read through the comments and there was exactly one question about the wipers. They seem to be completely missing, which is strange in an extensively restored vehicle. Is this truck meant to be just left in a garage and looked at or actually driven? Unless you are in Southern California, it rains often and sometimes unexpectedly in the Heartland. WTF?

[Steve Carlton]

No wipers? Knock off 40-50%.

I suspect there were 2-3 bidders that wanted that truck when WD sold it, and not so this time.

[Zeke]

At the risk of PARFing this up, which is not my intention, and it doesn't need to get PARFy if people just behave. But the word seems to be that the classic car market is and has been softening. The best cars, those that are more rare and therefore more collectible, are stable. Just that, stable, not appreciating at double digit rates. One source leading to my opinion is Jay Leno. Another is Ed Boolean. I follow a few of these guys as well as Hagerty.

I won't repeat numbers because IDT any are much more than speculation. The whole thing has been speculation all along. You know what happens when that word is involved.

Argue if you will, or just let it be, but the run up of just any car with a chrome bumper is not what it was in recent years. There are a number of reasons, none of which can be substantiated, but suffice to say IMHO only, things are backing off.

Now can the rest of you deal with that and not discuss anything but car values? I doubt it knowing this place, but I can ask.

[David Inc.]

Originally Posted by Zeke

At the risk of PARFing this up, which is not my intention, and it doesn't need to get PARFy if people just behave. But the word seems to be that the classic car market is and has been softening. The best cars, those that are more rare and therefore more collectible, are stable. Just that, stable, not appreciating at double digit rates. One source leading to my opinion is Jay Leno. Another is Ed Boolean. I follow a few of these guys as well as Hagerty.

I won't repeat numbers because IDT any are much more than speculation. The whole thing has been speculation all along. You know what happens when that word is involved.

Argue if you will, or just let it be, but the run up of just any car with a chrome bumper is not what it was in recent years. There are a number of reasons, none of which can be substantiated, but suffice to say IMHO only, things are backing off.

Now can the rest of you deal with that and not discuss anything but car values? I doubt it knowing this place, but I can ask.

This vehicle is a beautiful but otherwise mundane truck. Unless you grew up in the passenger seat with your grandpa at the wheel there's nothing special about it. The only people this thing is going to appeal to are those who have nostalgic value for it. I mean it's pretty as an art piece, but it probably sucks to drive, and it's too pretty to use for truck stuff. So maybe now a lot of the buyers that this appealed to are simply aging out of the market.

I actually saw a truck of similar vintage just the other day, and I thought to myself, "neat". That's it. That's all. Certainly wasn't about to turn around to look at it in the parking lot--I'll see a thousand of them in a couple weeks at Woodward Dream Cruise.

I have this same feeling about cars from the 60s that everyone in their 60s was lusting after 10-20 years ago. They were mostly regular ass cars for the era that elicited nostalgia for older buyers. Imagine someone 50 years from now gushing to their wife, "Guess what honey, I bought a mint condition '2018 Ford Ford Fusion! Only 1 of 300 in this shade of white made that year! Let's go for a drive!"

But hey, if something has nostalgic value it has value. I'm not going to pretend that seeing a mint condition Dodge Omni two-door like the one I grew up in wouldn't butter my bread.

Edit: Sorry, just saw you wanted only to talk about the values, but I apparently don't know how to separate the why from the what.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by speeder

I just read through the comments and there was exactly one question about the wipers. They seem to be completely missing, which is strange in an extensively restored vehicle.

I bought new wiper arms and blades for it and kept them in the glove box. UV light deteriorates rubber, and since I didn't intend to drive it in the rain anyway (if you ever had the experience of using a 30's era car's windshield wipers, you would understand), I didn't see a reason to put the arms on until I could foresee a need.
I don't think the truck sold well this time because the guy doing the selling didn't know anything about it. He couldn't even drive it.

[speeder]

That's true. Not a well run auction. The seller was earnest but completely inept.

[Scott Douglas]

That is really sad that the seller couldn't take the time to learn how to drive it.

I think that family is going to have a hard time recouping the funds spent to obtain it.