Customs Legit low milage 40 Merc barn find!!!

My son and I were working at a old farm house today and when we left for lunch we drove around the back side of a tin out building and there it was. A 1940 Mercury coupe with 44,168 miles on it! Holy shit!!! I asked the gentleman about it and he told me his aunt bought it new in Colorado. He purchased it in 1964 and then brought it to Iowa. He only drove it a hand full of times and its been parked since. He assures me the milage is correct and I believe it, there are still factory ford radiator hoses on it! I have to buy it so help me put a fair price on it. He claims the dents on the passanger side are from his horse, can you believe it?

 

More pics

 

couple more

 

Very Kool!....If he hasn't given you a price? Start at $2000.00 to $2500.00 and go from there. One of the value guides I use has the car at $4200.00 in # 5 condition.

Some here will say start lower, but you have to feel the guy out before you make any offer. Good Luck.

Murph

 

I had no clue of the value but thought it would be higher. Thats good for me though! What is a good old car price guide? I've used Old cars report price guide but it only goes back to 1955.

 

I'm thinking maybe $3000, no visible rust, though it could be there, old Mercs did have rust issues, but this one looks pretty clean...anyway, GOOD SCORE!

 

I paid $7k for a 39 that is probably in a similar condition. They are fairly rare so it's a bit harder to compare prices. Depends on how bad you want it! $3-4k is probably a good starting value if you're afraid to insult the guy.

 

He would not give any hint of a price and that was my fear is to insult him and break the deal. I'm not sure but kinda got the impression he might think its worth more than it is.

 

What a great find! Good luck on purchasing it.

 

If he hasn't offered a price, it's kinda hard to insult him. An often quoted phase in negotiations is that "the first one to name a price is the loser." Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Offer him $2000. It will at least get the negotiations started.

 

'40 Mercs are great old cars and that one sure shows great promise to be a cool cruiser. I'd start at $3,500. and see what the response is, go up but I'd think $5,500. would be max. Good luck and hope it becomes yours.

 

keep us updated on how it goes. a 40 Merc is on my short list..

 

Easily $4500 + . Another hamber sold one recently that he cleaned up a little for right around 10k just keep asking him what he would like to get out of the car and maybe he ll spit a figure out at ya... And nice find, you suck.

 

Cool, hope you get a chance to purchase it. Looks like a real solid car for being in Iowa.

 

5K,,,he'll be happy and you can sleep at night...done.



(if you dont feel comfortable with that,please give me his number...)

 

Check for mice in the headliner.......then price it.....It is IN Iowa.

 

Wow! Hope you are able to get that puppy. I have a 40 cp. Fun car 'cause not many people know what they are. I'd say between 3000 and 5000.

 

Very nice find - good luck.

 

That was me. Had a bit more work in it than just a clean up but yes almost got 10k out of that car, sold it in an hour and could have sold it 10 times over. There's just something magical about these cars and they're getting impossible to find. Looks like this one is nearly as solid as the one I sold to. Those miles are ridiculous! I'm thinking if you could get it for four figures you'd be doing well.

 

x2^

 

I agree with Jim, there is no way he can be insulted if he passed the responsibility to you to make the first offer, and if you make the offer in the right way. I would simply say, I could pay $ 1500 for it, is that fair ? Then, if he says no you at least have begun the negotiations.

There is a difference between robbing an old Widow out of an old car because she doesn't know the value and in getting a good price on a car that has been sitting unwanted in a barn forever with horses using it for target practice. He may be thinking it is worth $500 and your $1500 offer would be more than fair to him. You can be sure that if you don't get it some scrapper will someday for less than that.

Don

 

I'd pay $5K for that car all day long and feel like I stole it. You gotta take your geographic location into consideration. If you live in a place where cars get rusty in the winter, a rust free car costs a lot more.

 

If it were mine to sell I would want at least 5-6 K

 

The last car I bought(33 vicky), when we were pulling it out of the shed the neighbor ask "So many people have tried to buy that car, why are you selling it now?'' His reply'' Because is the first guy that made a decent offer''. Don't low-ball it may insult him. Harley

 

That sounds pretty good. I can remember when you could have bought one of those for $100.00, but those days are long gone. Great find and good luck. If you get it, please consider telling us what you paid for it. Everyone on here seems to think that should be a big secret, but I don't see why. I think it's good to give everyone a base, at least, to what fair prices should be. Just my opinion though. Good luck!
Tom

 

I'd start at around $3K and go from that point. It's a Colorado car, so rust should not be a huge issue, if at all. Colorado sanded back then, Iowa has always been a salty Winter environment. Hope you get the car, it looks like a superb project. Might just need cleaning and a complete change of fluids, who knows?

Mandatory check for rat/mouse droppings!!! Hantavirus is not something most people recover from.

 

You're working at his farm? Swap him some work for the car.

 

That is what I was thinking. Probably full of mouse nests, piss, crap, and will have to be gutted. Most likely have tons fo mud dauber nests also. I would alos be wanting to a good look at the floor pans before making an offer. May be OK, may be swiss cheese.

 

Man, I'd hate to see the horse.....

 

Thanks for all the replies and great info. I'm not trying to steal the car, I want to give a fair price for him and for me. The last thing I want is to offend him and not get it. I think geographical location has alot to do with it. I never thought I would find a 40 Merc in Iowa in this condition! I'm happy my son and I found a true barn find and it is the ultimate one to us. I gave up on barn finds and thought those days were over. Yesterday was kinda a quick conversation so this afternoon I'm headed over with cash and I will let everyone know tonight. Thanks Scott