Quote:
Originally Posted by CHuDWah
Your critique of the car seems to involve two issues, safety/reliability versus authenticity that doesn't affect the first issue. Authenticity may or may not concern a buyer. But safety and reliability should. Thing is, any old car is a crap-shoot. You can get an idea of condition by inspecting/driving it, but you can't be certain without tearing down the components you mention, as well as others. If you're going to do that, you may as well bite the bullet and restore the car correctly. IOW, hope for the best but expect the worst.
How all that affects value depends on variables specific to the car. As others have mentioned, this one is an A-400. Bottom line, a car is "worth" what a buyer will pay and a seller will accept. Apparently this one is worth $22K.
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I think part of what you are saying is spot-on, ...and I also feel there are many (about 400 as of now) that are reading this trying to learn, so there is value in us discussing this topic.
So often I have talk with potential customers, and new customers about this same thing. Often they made a purchase without considering many of the things we have discussed above, and after purchase they unfortunately find themselves forced into spending more money because the car was not what they thought they were buying. It doesn't need to be this way IMO. Unfortunately, just because someone paid a certain price for a vehicle does not mean it is worth that amount. I think more often than not, the buyer makes the purchase based on what they think they are getting instead of what they are actually receiving.
As for the authenticity part of my post, part of what increases the value of 'restored' car is the appearance of being authentic. The opposite of that also holds true with values.
As for the 'crap shoot', your point is valid however the experienced Model-A mechanic should know enough about what (s)he is looking at & listening to during the test drive to make a great assessment of that vehicle's condition. Most of us here are experienced well enough with a Model-A that we can tell an engine's condition by listening to the starter spinning, by listening for bearing noises, listening for exhaust leaks, looking at the oil fill tube for blow-by, and watching the crankshaft pulley spin. A quick drive around the block shifting gears noting how loose the shift lever is, listening for gears growling, and checking for jumping out of gear on quick deceleration. The same for steering. Just because they claim it has new spindle bolts does not mean they were installed correctly. Turning the steering wheel while driving slowly tells us much about the condition of the gearbox and linkages. Shaking the front wheels tells me much about the steering arms, spindles, and bearings. By doing this, most experienced Model-A restorers can take most of the 'crap-shoot' portion out of the buying experience IMO.
So bringing this full circle, if any of us participating in this thread would have accompanied the Buyer to inspect that vehicle, -and if we had shared with them exactly (-i.e.: only) what we have discussed in this post, do you feel they still would have made the purchase for the same amount it sold for, ...or would they have possibly bid a lesser amount? My vote is the latter. So often people get caught up in the vehicle's 'shine', or because they like the bodystyle, ...and they just let their emotions set the price of the car for them. That is why I feel it is so important for a novice buyer to have a well qualified Model-A mechanic there to do the evaluation and the inspection with them.