Projects Model A Coupe Build Thread: I bought the "What Is a Fair Price For This Car"

If everything checks out, $10,500 is more than reasonable. In this part of the world you would be hard pressed to even get a bare body for that price. A complete coupe in the condition this one appears in would be worth more than double that over here.

 

It appears to have old paint which is good. Take a good look at sheetmetal thats where the money is. Joe

 

I would go to the Pomona swap meet and look then if if you have not found anything, plan on going to the LA Roadster Show.

 

one of our guys at our shop bought one this year in similar condition for $7500.00. His had been parked for a few years but did run and leak fuel. He is keeping it original as possible, and has spend about a grand to get it reliable. Came with a good title, his is a 29.

 

It's a better market for fully restored than it is for unrestored original or older restoration parts. Starting with a complete car will get you a complete body and save you time, and time is money reguardless of resale parts/chassis market.

Now if looking for all the little stuff that will be missing on a shell is fun for you, then don't negate that fun factor. Of course there will be the following task of restoring the 80 year old derelict parts to working order.

Ordering and paying for a complete list shell completion components is going to be well over that 3-5k savings you projected. And it will get you a pile of Chinese parts that sorta fit, and leave you still with a derelict body that needs all kinds labor time.

 

Ask her if she ever sold the Rainman Buick she had last year???

 

Those cars and bodies may grow on trees and be cheap out on the west coast, but here on the rusty east coast., especially in the south they get top dollar. That's sound like a very fair price, around here anyway.

 

I know the rule of thumb for used parts was always half of new. So I'd say $350 to $400 would be fair.

 

I've been looking for a 30-31 coupe body for months now and all I see is junk for $5000-8000.

 

Yep!

 

I'm in Wisconsin so my opinion probably means very little but around here that'd be a very fair asking price and would probably sell fairly quickly. I'd bring a battery along and see if it really will start right up, when it doesn't, you've got a negotiating point. But if you could buy that for 8 or 9K I think you did fine. There's a market for complete, stock running A chassis, if it really does run, it shouldn't be hard to get $1500 for it, fenders are worth something too if you're not going to use them. Might not make you a ton of your initial purchase price back but that stuff is all worth something.

If you're going to chop and channel it and you'll end up changing all the glass, losing the top insert, and redoing the whole floor and subrails, you might be better off to just buy a bare body, but if you are going to use the body pretty much as-is, this is probably a better buy. And really good bare bodies with titles are pretty thin on the ground, at least around here.

 

i'm also in wi. and agree with squad above that would be a fair price here and I would be real happy if I could talk him down just a little and get it for anything just less than the 10k mark but if he turns out to be firm at 10.5 I would cough it up if I had it. .

 

In the midwest it takes $6k to buy one that needs about everything and hasn't run for years. Rough original drivers are $8k and up , that one looks pretty nice and would bring $10 around here. Best of luck.

 

Exactly. ^^^^^

Tell you a story, a few years back we needed cash to take a trip, I had a little late model car that I didn't really need at the time so I put it up for sale. It was a 1,500-1,800 but it needed brakes. So I wanted it go and put it up for 1,000 cash needs brakes as is where is. Got lots of 500 dollar offers on it then this shrewd buyer offered me the grand if I put brakes on it. I smiled and told him I would put brakes on it for 1,500 or 1,200 if he bought the parts. He smiled back peeled off a grand and showed me another 500. I put brakes on it, I had about 150.00 in parts and that makes good cash for an afternoon's work.



Seems like last I checked B and C restorations were in the 7-15K range. Too rich for my blood but not bad for a solid base if you are building a rod and have money to sink into one. Like @KoolKat-57 says offer him 2K less then the asking, that makes it worth a buck fifty and an hour to make it run.

 

So if I offered $8500 & they accept that's a pretty decent price for a Model A Coupe?


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If its in your price range and you are comfortable spending that much to start a project then yes. I am not thee to crawl all over it but there is a lot to be said for starting with a good solid body and rolling chassis.

One thing about it, there is a lot less work there than what a lot of us start with, and sweat equity is cheap but not free.

 

Where I live, yes.

 

For the whole car?
Hell yes!!!!

 

Currently, in Yucca Valley, there is a complete decent 31 with a stuck mill posted for sale on the "Ford Model A Hotrod Builders" facebook page, $7,500. $3,000 savings!!!

 

You've heard all sides of the argument. What it comes down to is how much time, money, and talent do you have? For $1500 I'll sell you this sport coupe. Add another $500 to it and I'll throw in roof to weld on. Sure it needs subrails, lower patch panels, and a deck lid skin. But for the initial $2000 buy in and $700ish worth of repop stuff, you can spend a little time on it and still be way farther ahead ($ wise) than buying a complete car just for the body. SOLD!!!!

 

From the 'picture goal' that you've posted, there is many thousands of $ over/addition to... the purchase price of the stock A you've pictured...to get there. People keep talking 'rolling chassis'..ha, you will be rolling it out from under the body to sell. If keeping that chassis, you will put plenty blood/sweat/$ into it and end up wishing you'd ordered another. What skill level and resources and equipment do you have to save $ doing work yourself ? All things to consider. It's one thing to buy a stock model A...'that needs a battery', money wise, and drive enjoy it. It is an whole different animal to buy just for good body and spend countless $/hours to get where you want to go.
I've learned one thing, for sure, starting like you are saying/doing, and that is...should have saved/bought a running car built as I liked and wanted. Would have saved a ton and been enjoying it all along. Where's the fun in this though..ha !

 

Just the shell completion stuff not including any of the metal work to the body -
is this included ?
Windshield frame, hinges, slides
Door mechanisms and handles
Window mechanisms and handles
Door stays
All Garnish moldings ? 2 doors, 2 quarter, 1 rear, windshield
All the hardware, that goes with every damn thing. There's Pages upon pages of stuff needed in any Model A parts book.
A Seat
A Interior
Roof insert
Drip gutters

 

That's s great offer Corn Fed, but IA is a little far for me. Just getting it here would cost me a bunch of money. Thank you.


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I have always been of the opinion that it is the best thing to start a new project with the very best car you can find. That always means you pay a little more up front, but regain a hell of a lot on the building end. If you are skilled enough to bring back a body from the brink, then you are only going to spend a few thousand, if you have to farm this out then you are going to spend many thousands in rust repair alone. To verify that just check with a couple of shops and get a quote on what they charge by the hour for rust repair.

If you start with a known good car, there is quite a bit to sell right from the beginning. Fenders, running gear, suspension etc. You also gain all of those little pieces that are so damn hard to find when you are building a car from scratch. Now all of this stuff you sell is "NOT" going to recoup the original purchase price not by a damn site but it helps. Start with a carcass and you start spending money from the very start, and some case's a lot of money.

Now you have posted a picture of what you hope to attain in time. Damn cool little car too, you could also build that car a little at a time. You could build it on the Model A chassis to begin with, chop it and get it were you like that part of it. You also could be driving it all that time and enjoying the car. Then you could start the Duece chassis and make the switch when it is ready.

I did a little searching for cars on your side of the country. Here's one for half the money, not much of a start but it would be a start. https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/d/ford-model-hot-rod-coupefive/6488133279.html

Here's another one little less money to start but a lot to spend from there. https://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/d/ford-model-coupe/6473050262.html

This one is the one I personally would buy, running driving rust free car. For me this would be a great start, and it's asking price is less. https://yuma.craigslist.org/cto/d/1930-ford-model-coupe/6474404817.html

This one here would take quite A LOT of work but it is less money. I actually had to call this guy to get a price and he said $7,500. Seems a little steep for what you get though. https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/d/ford-coupe/6466565555.html

And finally this one, it is also a car I would buy to build. It is a little more money but it does say OBO I would just bet it could be had for a grand more than the one you are considering maybe even less, and it would be a great start with tons of good stuff to sell you don't even have to pop for a battery up front. Little driving time to get it as it is in Oregon but hell driving is our thing right? https://salem.craigslist.org/cto/d/1930-ford-model-coupe/6472961563.html

 

That would be the one to get if you really the liked green.

 

Color is a big deal, I have sold cars because I just could not live with the color. The I discovered PAINT...

 

Oh yeah,
I can paint any car any color but for a hell of a lot more than money than $95.99.

 

First one I talked to the guy a few weeks back. Said $4800 for the rolling frame, body, & flathead motor. Here's more pics that he sent me. I just wasn't digging the frame.



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Second one I've sent multiple emails & he finally responded asking what questions I had. I asked my question & haven't heard back from him.
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I contacted the 3rd one & he sent me more pics & said he'd take offers. Here's the pics he sent.


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