1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Gentlemen,

I have lurked for a few years and have learned from reading your posts. I am looking for a Model A Roadster and would appreciate your input as I came across this car on ebay. I am would prefer to keep it somewhat stock with adding a police head and white wall tires to it. No title but a bill of sale it is in Connecticut and I am in California so shipping is necessary. I offered him 10 k but was turned down. requesting opinions on a fair value.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1930-Ford-M...sAAOSwVIVfM9ek
Thank you,
Ace1347

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

For me 10k is close to fair. I'd think 12k would be high, at least too high for me. Could't tell from the posting if it has paperwork. They say "if the top goes down the price goes up." heard that from a fellow A enthusiast.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I would want to hear it run and see how it drives.

Just looking at the pictures, I think it could clean up nicely. If it were mine, that’s what I would do. Just a detailing.

Shipping is your problem not that of the seller and Connecticut does not title cars over 20 years old. I live 65 miles up route 95 from this car. I would not sell car for under $15,000.00. Maybe more depending on how it runs.

Good luck.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Model A Ford Club. https://www.mafca.com/cl/cl-v-sale.html

Model A Restorers Club. https://model-a-ford.org/classifieds...=cars-for-sale

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

price is on the mark in my book. 10k buys a heap that generally doesnt run.


if you want to spend 10k, look at 28-29 cars, they bring less then 30-31 roadsters by a good 10%.
the paperwork is not a problem. every state has their own whether it is a title or a registration state and Cali must honor the other 49 states regardless of what youre told on this forum by an "expert' or two. lol


so anti up a little more money if you want a roadster. I would also suggest you buy in your nect of the woods, so you dont have to pay the 1200-1500 to ship. you have rust free cars out your way.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Be sure to grease the skids by calling the California DMV. Get names if possible.

I noticed the VIN is 2910 which is obviously not correct. You might want to dig into that a little

Charlie Stephens

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I would say $15k is too high for that car. Sitting for 40 years isn't a good thing for a car, though some people seem to mention that as if it were a selling point. That's 40 years worth of crap, crud, and accumulation. Wonder what the wiring looks like? What about the brakes? That shot of the underside, you can see rust on the bottom of the wishbone, muffler, and torque tube. What about the frame? The body, floors, and rockers? Forty years of sludge sitting at the bottom of the trans, engine, and rearend...

Keep in mind transportation costs from East Coast to West Coast will probably run $2500+, so add that to your costs, obviously. No paperwork also doesn't help you in CA, though it's not a deal breaker. BUT, if it were me, I would get visual verification of the engine and frame number(s) and run them through the DMV BEFORE you do anything. You WILL have to take the car to a CHP office for a VIN verification. If they find anything odd, you could lose the car.

I see Model A roadsters for sale in CA all the time. If it were me, it would have to be a much nicer car for a much better price in order to make the effort worthwhile. That car in CA MIGHT be worth $10k.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

In CA, a bill of sale is basically worthless without a pink slip/title. And any out of state purchase is subject to having a VIN verification.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Agree with Potvin8, having resuscitated a 50 year storage vehicle, everything needs to be gone through before use. A lot of work, Could be full of oil sludge, distributor rusted in. I see the effects of seepage from the head - could just need a re-toruqe, or may have leaked into the cylinders at one time or during storage. I do like the car, has character/patina. but to make sure it is reliable a ton has to be looked with possible tons of repair/work to make an every day reliable driver. Also if tire/tubes are 40 years old you have that replacement cost.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I appreciate the input Gentlemen as the Model A bug has bitten. Having spent the last 30 years working on Lexus vehicles I am a noob to the classic car realm and realized there is lots to learn.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I bought a similar car locally a few years ago. Title's are not required here for cars 20 years or older so that was a non-issue. Be prepared to put at least $5k into to it to get it to a safe comfortable driving condition and that's with you doing most of the work yourself (I'm not knocking it, it's a good learning experience). However if you are not mechanically inclined and are looking for something to drive right away you might be better off spending a few thousand more and getting a running driving car, preferably something from southern California where they didn't use salt in the winter.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Love Standard Roadsters, don't see to many of them.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I bought a 1930 A. It had sat for about 50 years.
Took a few months of aggressive work to make it safe and reliable.
Took a couple of years to unscramble peoples funny ideas.

No title? California is not your friend.
I've done it. Never again. No No No

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

here is a swap meet roadster on this forum- 29 that is only 9500 and has a title. much closer to you and a much better deal


rarely do guys on this forum sell their roadsters this cheap- they only want to buy them cheap.......


A good A Roadster, $9500.look it up and no, I dont know the fella

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I looked at this car before it was sold to the ebay seller. I passed on it at 7,500.
the car was in a tight dark garage so only used flash light. In a nutshell, the body seemed good, paint was fair. interior ok. Top needed work. owner could not recall last time it ran, could have been many many years.
Undercarriage was surprisingly clean and rust free. Motor did not run. radiator showed where it leaked down to. Had shocks all around. gas tank had some rust inside but not bad. So with the assumption it needed brake work, new motor, tranny work, steering work, and top work and who knows what else I passed.

I also passed on it because there is a similar 1930 roadster in our area for 18,500.00 with new motor, great body and paint and needs zero work.

I figured if I spent 7500 and fixed it up I would be into it for 15-16K and it would still need paint.

just my observations on the car.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

I agree with McMimmcs. That's a lot of money to pay for something you can't actually touch. Either take a vacation and go see it, or find a club member in the area to look it over for you. He may become your best friend.
Marty

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

As of right now there are 236 Model A's for sale in Hemmings alone. Not to mention the classifieds for the major clubs. I will preface by saying I dont own an A, I too aspire to one day. I look at the prices on just about a daily basis. Being in the buyers shoes, I doubt I would spend 15k on that particular car. 16k-17k can get a really nice drivable A. It does look nice, but about many thousands of dollars away from a reliable daily driver. There are a lot of them in the west, you can concentrate your search there and save on shipping. I have seen quite a few with good prices but they have been located on the west coast. As for NO TITLE, that is a no go for me. MD requires a transfer of old title from issuing state, so not title in Conn. means no title in MD. I suppose there are ways around but that is going to be another expense and who knows what kind of aggrevation.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

As for you wanting to get into the hobby, I can offer this, take your time and be patient. The right car will come along at some point. I am a couple of years away from taking the plunge myself but I have been looking/lurking for several years now. Every once in a while I see a deal that is TOO good to pass up, but alas, have to let it go until the time is right.

Re: 1930 Roadster on ebay. Thoughts please.
 

Very true, ...but also very funny! http://www.model-a-ford.com/LOL.gif