well i have a guy that is really interested in my 1931 essex coupe. he says if its what i say it is and looks like it does in the pics, hes willing to come pick it up and give me what i want in cash. its going to ba sad to see it go, i had a lot of fun with it, some good memories crusing around in it with my dad before he passed away. some funny "adventures" with my wife. it was interesting to say the least. awsome car, i love the way it is built, it seems to be a supperior car compared to a lot of others of the time. really solid piece. its just isnt in the cards right now, i didnt work on it much if at all in the last year, only times i drove it was to mel's "motor speedway" maybe i took it out 4 or 5 times last year. i dont feel right about putting a saftey seat in it for my baby boy. i have 2 muscle cars, and im a little more into them. i only have a 2 car garage. maybe one day if i wind up with some extra storage space ill be looking for another 30-31 essex, coupe is cool but i would probably be looking for a 2 dr coach with space for a backseat. a hamb'ers pic of it at motor speedway
If your into muscle cars then an apparently stock 31 Essex won't cut it...thats for sure. Did you ever consider Hot Rodding it? Looks like the car is in amazing shape. I'd consider doing some basic upgrading/swapping to the powertrain, brakes and steering. Cutting it up would be out...but you could still get an exciting and different car out of it.
it really is in amazing shap. i bought it not running, everything was removed from the short block and given to me in boxes. i had every intention of hot rodding it when i bought it. i collected my parts i wanted to use, rover v8 with 2x2 offy intake with 2 2g carbs, bellhousing and flywheel to mate it to the s10 t5 trans, mopar 8 3/4 rear. i was going to go for an early 60s build look. not it wasnt going to be period correct, but i wasnt cutting up the body, chopping out the firewall... the rover was available in 61 as the 215 v8, so i was going to dress it out as one. also has a baby nailhead look to it. i wanted the t5 with the od for long cruises. the 8 3/4 has been in use for ages and im a mopar guy so that was a no brainer no matter what i did with the drivetrain. so i got it runnign in stock form, and just wouldnt feel right about modifying it, then i started thingking a big hudson six, bang for the buck jasut wasnt there. so then i figured i could probably get enough power out of the original 6 and be pretty happy with the car with a later model carb, a fuel pump, a header and adapt the t5 trans, 8 3/4 and hydraulic brakes, with a set of 16" steel wheels. i have decided to let some one else enjoy it for what it is. its fun, but im really not into the factory stocker deal, and everything is there. here is another member's pic of it at motor speedway, with my buddies 32 plymouth.
That's a great looking car. I doubt that I could sell it if it was mine. I agree with Bill...just make some upgrades to the drivetrain and enjoy it!
There are some cars and bikes that I used to have that I wish I had back but I sold them because I needed some cash for other things, house, family etc and not having enough inside storage is also a big problem. We can't store them outside here in the NJ climate without causing damage. The Essex is a great car very similar to my 31 Plymouth coupe but if you feel that you need to sell because of not enough storage space or not enough room for you family in the coupe just make sure you get your price. When time, space, money permits you can always buy another. It might not be an Essex but there are many other cars of that era that are similar that I am sure you will enjoy. Good luck
I am onboard with the "update and keep". Not only is it a very nice vehicle in great condition, but you have those memories. Will you regret not seeing it in the garage? Remember, money comes and goes, but you can never stop paying for regret of something you cannot get back or ever replace..
I've had car's to nice to modify, it's kinda like you get ready, but then reality soaks in and you stop. A few years like that and the right money and no more thinking about it.
Don't sell the car, You can't re-make the memories with your dad, unless your family is hungry or homeless DON'T SELL....
That would really be something with a Hudson six...Lot's of guys made fun of muscle cars in the sixties...(like "Daddy bought" etc.) If I didn't have too many projects, would love to have it.
I would say in about a year or two you'll be kicking your self in the ass for selling it. If you have two its one thing. I have sold cars that I wished I never had. You have a lot of memories in it with your dad, wife ,and kids.... I say don't sell it just put it up and drive it when you want......
If the Essex does not really " DO IT " for you, then by all means sell it. It looks too nice and complete to cut on. I am 61 and have had LOTS of cars in the past 45 years or so. I only regret selling two of them. I sold a real 1969 Camaro Z-28 with the RS option and a 1940 Ford standard business coupe ... that I regret selling. Some folks who know me have said ... You have had a BUNCH of cool cars. Bet you wish you had kept them ... But something had to leave for another one ( COOLER or MORE DESIRED ) to be bought. So I do not really regret selling them ... except for the two I mentioned. 1 ) 1969 Camaro RS Z-28 Sold it to buy a house. Still have the house and the wife who wanted the house ... so I can live with that sale. 2 ) 1940 Ford standard businessman coupe Sold it so I could buy a 1932 Ford 3W ( Henry Ford ) coupe project. Still have the 3W, now finished and on the road ... so I can live with that sale also. I do regret selling them but ... I can live with it
you will regret selling that car someday. sell 1 muscle car and keep the essex, this way you can have the best of both worlds.
I think you have already made up your mind and already having second thoughts or you wouldn't be asking our opinion. And you know what we think!
I agree with those that say you will regret it.You need to let it cool for a few years first.I lost interest in a 32 Ford coupe I once had when I got into Corvettes so I sold it.Now I would like to have it back but they are bringing crazy money.If you sell it,you will not be able to find another later as good or as reasonable.Hey, it isn't eating anything is it?Store it.
Honestly, here's what I think. Sometimes it hurts to let a beloved car go, but if you have two other cars, and you're willing to sell the Essex before selling one of the others, then maybe the Essex isn't your dream car. So yeah, it will hurt to let it go, but it's hopefully going to someone who will treat it properly and it will be THEIR dream car. The good memories of your dad will still be with you, you can never get rid of those, at least not without a lobotomy or several harsh treatments of electroshock therapy. Maybe someday, when the situation is right, you can get another Essex that may be not as clean and complete, that you won't mind modifying, and rod it the way you wanted to, and you can make it your dream car.
you know, i killed him out of the hole with the 5:1 gears, even chirped the tires but hed get me up top due to carb issues. that was a cool day. but with both of us having 11 second street cars, it wasnt the most exciting. i actually did sell one of my other cars thinking i could concentrate on the essex, i was really hoping to do something constructive with it this winter and have it going for spring, i started realizing that maybe this car just isnt for me and after doing all this work and investing a decent amount of money, i still cant put my wife and kid in the car.
Money will come & go Just like family & friends Memories stay with you forever Unless you have another symbol of your Dad, your wife, your family that has greater significance ...... Think carefully before you sell Jim
i had a 67 impala that my dad an i were working on before his health really failed, when he died i was left with it, i got caught with m pants down and no where to keep it. i tried to sell my 67 dart i was working on as a street strip project to keep the impala and wasnt very succesful, so i had to sell it. he got me into the cars and always let me know, they are just cars, they can be replaced. last winter i sold that 67 dart thinking id focus on the essex as the street strip car really wasnt a good idea with a baby on the way. only to realize neither was the essex. the impala wasnt the first hard one to sell, dad bought a 72 lemans convt in the 80s after he was in a real bad wreck in a brand new car. i was just a little kid and i helped him do an engine swap, we later installed headers, 4 brl, did a lot of body work. now that car had some serious memories. it was his daily driver hed pick us up on sundays in. i learned to drive in it. i drove it while in highschool. my brother drove it while he was in highschool. it was a loaner to family members if thier cars were broke. as kids we scraped up some cash to bring him to a fathers day muscl car show n go at e-town, guy at the gate convinced him to put it in the show, he a 2nd place trophy in his class, with his daily driver that he put about 300,000 miles on. years gone by, he had kidney failure and once again caught with my pants down he gave me the car and told me to sell it or do with it what i want. he asked me not to keep it, to find something better to work on but if thats what i wanted to do, fine. so i had to sell it with no where to keep it. you want to talk about a car having some memories... the other thing effecting the sale of this car, with a 5 month old baby, i dont want stay in this house forever. the cash will be nice to have, and it would be nice to have a few less things to deal with when it comes time to relocate. maybe ill find something else. unfortunately i even have my wife telling me not to sell the car. i appreciate the comments guys.
new owner picked the car up this morning. came from minnesota to nj through the snowstorm. hope he enjoys it. maybe something old will follow me home again.
actually i never posted it for sale here, i just wanted some ideas. i know where the for sale section is and i would have posted it there if i was trying to sell it too hambers. i didnt post it on ebay or craigslist. what would i gain trying to sell it in the general section? it was a nice complete stocker, and i just didnt feel right about modifying it, and wanted to know what the guys thought.
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