Anyone here know the Model A Ford market?

[techweenie]

I was asked by a friend of a friend to help a partially-disabled widower get rid of a couple of his cars.

One is a 1931 Ford Model A 5-window coupe in "barn find" condition. It is complete and was parked only because a water pump gave out. But that was in 1980. Only variance I found from original (not that I'm an expert) was that a sealed-beam conversion was put in the headlights.

Some scammer "bought" both this car and the '79 SC I have listed in Porsches for Sale for $3200 -- until the neighbor intervened. The owner is 83 and suffered a stroke, and I don't want him taken advantage of.

Any referrals to Model A experts or fans appreciated.

[kaisen]

Tamas Opra seems to be pretty knowledgeable. And Groesbeck Hurricane was selling one, so he may have done the research.

Otherwise, there are sites dedicated to them. An hour or so spent perusing should give you a good idea.

[onewhippedpuppy]

My grandfather had 5 of them in various stages of condition before he passed away last fall. I think the nicest one sold for $12k, it was an older restoration that needed a mechanical refresh. I think the ones needing restoration were in the $4k range.

[techweenie]

I did a lot of research -- Hemmings is full of completely restored comps for $14-15K asking. Decent complete running cars as low as $8.9K asking. But there are subtleties in any market that take specific knowledge to suss out. A 5-window coupe with a rumble seat and no perforations in the original metal may have more value than a restored car with replacement parts. Ot it may be most valuable as a parts car rather than as a complete car. I appreciate any input...

BTW, had it been a '32 instead of '31, the value would be 2X plus.

[kaisen]

Those Tide boxes appear to be 40 years old

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Those Tide boxes appear to be 40 years old

Perhaps that's the hidden value in this find.

[ShakinJoe]

I am looking for one of those. Is it for sale?

[techweenie]

It is for sale. I'm trying to find a proper value.

[ShakinJoe]

$3-5K. They go for $15-$18 all day Completely restored. This one needs a lot of work but would be a shame to part out.

PM me if we can discuss further.

[GG Allin]

Reminds me of the Hartung auction. See the results of that below. There were several of those that sold with no reserve.

Auctions America - Collector Car Auctions

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by mbrouder

Auctions America - Collector Car Auctions

Based on this, it appears that somewhere between $6500-8000 is the money

[BE911SC]

I would think the SoCal hot rod (and trad rod) crowd would like the fact that it has black CA '63 plates on it.

[Yorkie]

My Dad messes with these and Kaisen is on the money at between $6-$8K.
You can get driver quality 5-window coupes for $10K to $12K and Sedans from $8K-$10K. We picked up a 4 door Phaeton restoration project for $6,500 a couple of years ago and a '30 5 window driver for $8K about 4 years ago. Prices are not rising. Sadly the market for restored A's is dropping as they appeal to an older generation who is dying off. Though some may cringe, the younger generation of hot rodders are keeping them alive. Certainly a challenging drive...

[widebody911]

I saw a very nice (ie museum quality) '29 pickup a couple of days ago for $12k

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by widebody911

I saw a very nice (ie museum quality) '29 pickup a couple of days ago for $12k

Damn! got a link?

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

Damn! got a link?

This was in meatspace; unfortunately the technology for hyperlinks hasn't yet been invented.

[mikeesik]

Wow-just wow.

I have been looking for a 1927 model T speedster for years.

This car is not worth less than $9 K . Please don't sell it cheap.
..And it's got a Rumble seat. Not too common this model.

I wish really we could do business because I am seriously interested.
All the good cars are either redone or a major work in progress. I wish to have a middle to lesser ground.

I've never imported a car from the States but if you are willing to work with me I am interested.

[techweenie]

Hi, Mike. I have exported a lot of cars. It's not a huge challenge. I'm happy to work with you. PM me your email address, I'll send you larger pictures and let's discuss it.

[intakexhaust]

Desirable model with rumble seat. Going from the photo's, looks complete but needs a total resto. A pure DIY candidate and needs a hands-on owner. Forget buying and sending it out as a most basic minimum resto from a shop is $20k. Going from looks, the car is $4,000 to $4,500. Model T and A collectors as a whole are considered cheap... just the facts from experience. 90% of the resto's are fun driver / tour cars. Done right for the points, draw strong but you'll pay for the job to get it there. I wouldn't cut that car up either. Too bad many have been for rods.

The Lee Hartung collection auction could have brought much but for just 3 days, it wasn't feesible to jam it all in. Steals for sure. The sale management should have spread it out, itemized piece by piece online over 6 months and they would have made ten times the amount. By the way, T and A parts are cheap to start with but you have to look carefully at them. Also, the china knockoff parts are marginal, so there's much to consider. Good luck

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by mikeesik

Wow-just wow.

I have been looking for a 1927 model T speedster for years.

This car is not worth less than $9 K . Please don't sell it cheap.
..And it's got a Rumble seat. Not too common this model.

I wish really we could do business because I am seriously interested.
All the good cars are either redone or a major work in progress. I wish to have a middle to lesser ground.

I've never imported a car from the States but if you are willing to work with me I am interested.

Did you call this car a T speedster????

If in fact this is what you want, contact me.