First timer... interested in a car ('56 Olds)

Hi all,

I'm looking for a daily driver/cruiser. I found a '56 Olds 88 4 door for sale a couple hours away. It's all original, right down to the paint. It has a 324 with the hydramatic transmission and looks to be in decent condition. Odometer reads 24k (unverified, maybe rolled over?).

I was wondering how much this car would fetch to the average hamber? I'm not looking for a money pit, just a nice ride. Plans would be to slap on some white walls, heat/cut the springs and cruise.

So what would you offer?

 

$4000

more or less,idon't know aboot the exchange rate for CDN money

if it's 2 bbl. carburetor equipped there's a good chance it has the good Hydra-Matic instead of the jetaway

 

BTW cut,don't heat,springs.

 

Engine shot:


No yellow "oldsmobile rocket" on the side?

It's not stated in the ad, so I'm unsure if this is a super or not.

How would open headers/straight pipes sound with the 324?

 

Very good choice for a first-timer, in my humble opinion.

But... If you get it, don't let over-enthusiasm to be "one of the crowd" dim your good sense.

Lower the car MODERATELY at first by taking one coil off the front springs and see how you like it. Going crazy and chopping the snot out of the springs will make the car ride terrible and be unsafe! Cars need a fair amount of spring travel to corner safely on rough pavement. Heavy duty shock absorbers front and rear will help a great deal, too, by helping to prevent bottoming on the shortened springs.

Same goes for the exhaust. Have a good set of 2" duals custom bent by a reputable muffler shop using 24" (or so) glass packed mufflers. This will give you a nice tone but won't drive you out of the car on long drives.

I'm old and I've made all the mistakes you've mentioned. But I'm smart, and I learned from my mistakes...

Just my $.02

 

Nice car,I would offer up 2500.00 first .

You can always go up on the price,

3,000.00

3,500.00

4,000.00,

Go slow.

 

That's a real nice looking 56 Olds. I don't think it's a Super, because it looks like a two barrel. I believe all Super's had 4 barrels, but it's optioned nicely with A/C and power steering. If the A/C works that would be a big bonus. Good Luck.

 

I'd only go about $3k tops since it's a 4 door and a post car. I'd start lower.

 

my first car was a 55 4 door ht , i would offer 2 grand then go up from there.
straight pipes sound real good on these cars! good luck

 

How are the bumpers? They're extremely pricey to have replated and good cores are hard to come by as well. The windshield is another pricey item if you had to replace it. What's the interior look like? Can we assume it's roadworthy as-is?

Assuming it has decent interior, glass, bumpers, and is fully roadable, I could see this car being worth $4k in USD. If the back bumper has a rot hole in it, if the windshield is cracked, if the interior is tore up, if it needs brakes or exhaust or something else to make it driveable, I could see as little as $2500.

Wide whites and a coil off of each spring sounds like a good plan for it too, maybe some nice sounding twice pipes.

If this car is nice already, you bought it for $4K, then added exhaust, tires, and maybe a hidden stereo, for another grand, for a total of 5K done and ready to drive? That seems pretty reasonable to me, and an excellent way to get into the hobby without spending a shit-ton of money or spending 3 years on a build before you can drive it.

 

Nice car. straight pipes will break windows with that car

 

Any "nice old car" that runs is worth $1000, be it a '56 Olds sedan or a '96 Camry sedan.

Take all the above guestimates and deduct the price of rechroming those bumpers. (That's why I traded off my $75 '55 Olds Super 88 back in '88. I didn't think it would ever be worth the price of chrome at the time.)

Easy way to tell which trans it's got is the Jetaway has trans cooler lines going to the bottom of the radiator and the "good" earlier Hydra-Matic has NO external cooler. Just look for the lines at the radiator bottom tank below the fan.
Better still is a three speed stick shift. does it have three pedals?

 

I haven't seen the car, it's 3-4 hours away. Ad states that it runs and drives good. Interior looks to be in half decent shape. Maybe more pics will help you guys gauge a price...

 

The back bumper looks clean, the front looks useable with a front licence plate covering up a couple dents. The interior looks good too, and sounds like it's fully roadworthy.

This could be a 4 or 5K car the way it sits. Most will agree that a 4 door generally sells for half of what it's 2 door counterpart would sell for, and if this was a 2 door it'd probably be a 12K car being that it's in such nice original unmolested condition. I'd rather have this original untouched car than the fixed up version that has someone else's bodywork and mechanical fixes in it.

You need to find an asking price and work from there. If the guy wants 10K then you should probably keep looking. If he wants 5K, then you should offer 4 and see what he says. If he wants less than that, it seems like a fair deal.

For a "first timer", a nice clean original car that's already driveable but not flawless or expensive seems like an ideal starting point.

 

Offer 4500 and see where it gets you.

 

that's a 4-5K car around here.

 

In bakersfield someone would probably list that for 8000. I hate bakersfield.

 

Can you find out the asking price if there is one and post it. I bought a 58 chieftan in same shape 2 dr post for 5500 and thought I stole it. If I had that car and it was indeed roadworthy I don't think I would let it out of my driveway for under $5000 four doors included. It is a great great first car with out a ton of investment. That is one of those cars you can by in that price range, do the pipes, smithys is my choice, lower it and tires and wheels and not loose a dime if you want to sell it. Now if your intent is to fix it up with new paint & interior, rebuild or replace the drivetrain, new chrome and trim etc. it is not the car that you will get your money out of after all that. I say get a feel from the seller and if it is in the 4k range you can't go wrong. It will be a blast for you and your family, Joe

 

this was when I bought it. Bty to lower mine I drilled out the rivets that hold the plate to the bottom of the control arm. Once I did this the spring drops right out and cut a coil off and it was bitchen. I wasn't enthuised about taking the ball joints loose and all that. This seemed easier. I just compressed the spring and bolted the plate back in, Joe

 

I will check it out in about a weeks time and update you guys. The car is at a classic dealer lot. They bought it at auction in the states. He said he drove it out 4 miles to their storage facility. Do you guys think its up for a 3 hour drive? How could I ensure it is?

 

Estate sale usually means it sat around forever. Therefore, I would NOT drive it back unless the dealer has completely gone through the brakes and the tires were not cracked.

Personally, I would rent a U-haul car trailer and tow it back. Getting stranded 2 hours from home will cost a lot more than if you towed it the first time. Something as minor as rust in the gas tank, old gas, or a marginal fuel pump can lead to trouble. I won't drive a car any long distances until I've had a chance to throughly go through it from bumper to bumper to check out the condition of the brakes, fluids, fuel and brake lines, tires, rad, etc. etc.

Good luck.

 

Old Cars Price Guide values for a '56 88 4 dr sedan (not Super 88, just 88)
1. $21,500
2. $15,050
3. $9,680
4. $4,300
5. $2,580
6. $860

 

i paid $2200 for a '55 pontiac four door that was completely rust free with 55k miles on the clock...so I would say somewhere around there would be a good price

 

Thanks 49coupe, I'd have to look into whether an inspection was done or not.

Arkiehotrods, do those values coincide with condition? Where would this '56 fall?

 

I still think in the 4 to 5 range is realistic. Did you ever get an asking price from the dealer. 3 hours is not to far to get a car but if he is wanting you to make an offer and he is expecting to hit a lick on it for 8500 dollars a 20 minute drive is a waste of time. I felt I asked the right questions on the pontiac I bought and fortunately the dude was honest and I drove an hour and a half to get it. And drove it home and that night I cruised in our hometown cruise. It had not been on the road in 3 years but it was driven regularly up till that time.

 

That's a pretty nice looking 88. If I were to buy it, I would be aiming for the $3,000-$4,000 price range, you can always go up. If I were selling it, of course I would want $5,000-$6,000 out of it. I paid $1,000 for my `56 Olds 98 coupe with an 88 sedan parts car 5 years ago & I recently purchased a `56 Olds 88 4-door hardtop for $750.00 that ran & drove, but the floors were rotted out. As far as driving it home, I wouldn't. Plan on towing it home, then get it sorted out & start driving it.

 

I would love to find a car like that around where I live for $3-4k.

 

Good engine and tranny for a hot rod too, the hydo's are bulletproof

 

There's also this '54 Olds in my area.

I called the owner, he said it had a tear in the drivers seat, pitting on the front bumper, and it's starting to bubble at the seam of the quarters. It's been repainted once (original color was a light green). He wants roughly $5000. Worth it?