Saturday, March 26, 2016

I should have kept them all...




The other day I wrote about picking up some handy skills while I was growing up, writing about it piqued my interest in the old cars I owned when I was a kid. I wondered what they'd be worth today.

Hagerty Insurance, specializes in old cars, everything thing from one-off hot rods to classics. Who would better know about the values? Hagerty's website has an interactive program to evaluate your car. Just for fun, I did a few of my old cars.

Hagerty defines Excellent as a concours example of the car, perfect in every detail. An excellent car would have every nut and bolt the same as when it rolled out the door of the factory. Every number must match. (I know a guy with a perfect '68 MGB, he's the car since '69. At the National MG show a few years ago he was pushed into 3rd place in his class because the car had a non-stock exhaust clamp on the resonator. The judges are relentless experts.)

Average is a car with few flaws, excellent paint, interior and mechanicals. You can have a non-stock exhaust clamp on an average car.

1950 Ford Tudor sedan with overdrive. Excellent condition $30,000, Average $22,000

1951 Chevy Belair 2 door hardtop. Excellent condition $33,000, Average $24,000

1954 Ford Sunliner 2 door hardtop. Excellent condition $35,000, Average $26,000

1957 Chevrolet Belair 2 door hardtop, Power Pack stick. Excellent $70,000, Average $55,000

1968 Mustang Fastback GT, 302 V8. Excellent $50,000, Average $41,000

1969 Plymouth Road Runner, 2 door hardtop, 383 V8, Torque Flite. Excellent $77,000, Average $50,00

1970 Porsche 911T Coupe. Excellent $110,000, Average $89,000

1959 Porsche Convertible D. Excellent $206,000, Average $180,000.

All my cars would have been average, except the Road Runner.


Both Porsches had non stock exhaust systems. The Mustang had non-stock paint.

There are alternatives...

John Steele is a retired Disney accountant with a small shop in North Hollywood, he builds flawless reproductions of Porsche Speedsters, Coupes and 505s.(James Dean died in a 505 Spyder) The cars are perfect. I priced out a Convertible D. He would build it, exactly like the one I owned, same color, same interior for just under $40,000.

The builder's personal car? A '59 Coupe, silver with dark blue leather interior powered by a Subaru engine with 300hp. It has air, cruise control and all the modern goodies, priced in the mid 40 range.

Fun to think about.







6 comments:

  1. After he died, I gave my Dad's 1956 Oldsmobile to a cousin who farms near Miami Manitoba.....provided she promised to restore it. And she did....spectacularly.

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  2. I was at an auction with a friend of mine, a white '65 Mustang rolled up on the block. The car looked brand new. One guy sitting in front of us turned to his buddy and said, "wrong paint, that's 15966,'66 Mustang white paint."

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  3. I don't think my old '48 Chevy would be worth a darn. I had to swap engines with a '47.

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    Replies
    1. If the body is good-10-12k for a coupe or a tudor.

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