Considering purchase of Town Sedan, help please

[Gwill65074]

I have an opportunity to buy a 1930 Town Sedan and would like some pointers please.
I am not familiar with this model and so I'm not sure what to look for and what I should be paying for it. I am in the process of reading about them though.
I have briefly looked at this car and the owner says the engine and drive train have been rebuilt and a new interior installed, which seems to look like the Briggs Town Sedan pictures I have looked at.
The exterior has not been touched and appears to be the original black paint and I did not see any rust. Here are some pictures I took of it.
What would be a fair price for a car in this condition, still needing paint, and after it is painted?
Thanks for any help. Glen

[fredski]

Should a town sedan have rear arm rest in back seat, this car seems
Not to have?

Fredski

[Charles Coe]

The car is a 31 Slant Windshield town sedan which did not have the center armrest. I like them better than the 30 models because they do not have all the wood to worry with. I would have done the paint and body work first before installing the interior. Value is going to depend on how much of it is original parts versus reproduction and the quality of the workmanship. It would probably be helpful if you had a knowledgeable Model A guy to go look at it with you.

[fingers]

It looks to me that it is a 1931 160B slant windshield.

[davehc]

Are you sure its a "30" , the grill shell is "31" , and I also thought town sedan had arm rest in center rear . Nice looking car though . Oop's , got this in too late .

[mshmodela]

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Originally Posted by davehc

Are you sure its a "30" , the grill shell is "31" , and I also thought town sedan had arm rest in center rear . Nice looking car though .

Yeah might have a 30 engine on a 31 body --like my 31.

[Gwill65074]

The man that owns it used to have a car shop before retiring and said he bought it from the original owner that was living in a nursing home. He said he has done all the work on it and he has rebuilt what needed work rather than buying repro. You are correct, it is a 1931, not 1930. What do you guys think a fair price range might be on this?

[bikejunk]

I like the original paint on the body ,other people might not value it as much

[H. L. Chauvin]

Just for the type of vehicle, I like Town Sedans & 4 doors because:

1. First, you can travel with friends, relatives, and/or several dogs on the back seat.

2. Second, with a rear door to enter & exit on "both" sides of the rear seat, you can travel with arthritic senior friends, or larger friends, or whomever may have physical difficulties, who can better negotiate the rear doors with little help or no help.

3. But, again, each to his own because some may prefer not to have to travel with relatives -- i.e., we can always choose our friends to come along ....... but some may prefer to leave some of their demanding relatives at home ...... sometimes best not to relate too much why one prefers no back seat.

[Mitch//pa]

any engine bay or undercarriage shots

[fireup4]

Look for about $5,500 for painting this car. A finished '31 S/W in the same otherwise condition can be bought for about $18,000. A show car restoration can be anything the buyer wants to pay for it, but I would go for 12 or under on this one that has some unknowns, as i own a '31 S/W about in the same level of value, and could not expect more. Fireup4

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Gwill65074

I have briefly looked at this car and the owner says the engine and drive train have been rebuilt and a new interior installed, which seems to look like the Briggs Town Sedan pictures I have looked at.

It's not a Briggs either. It has the Murray side windows

[Charles Coe]

On the 160B, Murray, Briggs, and Ford bodies all had the same side windows.

[Tom Elliott]

I don't think there is a difference between a Briggs or a Murray windows on a 31 s/w

[rusty12]

I think you need to ask yourself if you like this car just the way it is, or if you want to have it completely restored. I like the car the way it looks now, although I would "rough up" the shiny wheels so they don't stand out so much and match their condition to the rest of the car's finish. If you want to finish restoring the exterior of the car, it will likely cost a lot of money to do the body work and paint-especially if you have it professionally done. If you want a shiny, restored car I would pass on this one and look elsewhere. If you want an original looking car, I would go for it.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I agree that the black could remain as is. I would woodgrain the interior trim, and the Chinese-red wheels would have to go. Maybe change them to a nice apple green. That's a nice interior and looks like it could be a good buy for about 10K, but it's hard to know without knowing anything about the mechanicals.

[Skibb]

It's too bad that many are forced to sell their cherished A's from a nursing home bed for from the widow's hands.

My limited experience tells me you need to know more about the mechanics of the car. If it's as the seller says my guess is the value is $14 k. But he'll sell for $ 8 to 10 k - just guessing. So much for my reading of tea leaves past my bed time.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Hi Glen,

All excellent advice above.

To sleep better check out prices on internet, like:

"1931 Model A Town Sedan for sale" ..... check ads & look at pictures of:

1. Hemming's Motor News where 5 are on sale with "asking" prices.

2. "The Restorer" MAFC magazine where a few 4 doors are for sale with "asking" prices.

3. Plus others ....... and as mentioned above, 1930 wood bodies can be risky & if they are not in tip top shape & can be most expensive to repair and/or replace.

Next, if you know of nobody who can help to look at this car, at the very least, go start the car, drive the car, try the brakes, horn, lights .............. when driving, does it sound like 2 skeletons jitter-bugging on a tin roof? ....... does it leave a smoke trail? .. is the radiator leaking or overheating?

Remember that a sound drivable car sells quickly in a used car lot .... those that cannot start usually do not sell for much, and it is only worth what you can sell it for the day after you buy it so make sure it suits you.

Then, will this be your hobby or your thing?

Some spend far more money tailgating at football games; some spend far more gambling & drinking on cruises; some chase wild women which may be more expensive than a 127 parking lots full of Model A's.

How much can you afford to loose if it is not worth what you paid for it?

For a wise man, taking chances will always be fun because like you, they ask & do their homework prior to purchasing.

The answer to your sincere offer to this guy for this particular car will "always" be "NO" ....................................... that is, until you offer him a price !

Could write more but have to go back to work. LOL

[ronn]

sold an all original 4dr 29 for 8300. 2 years ago-purred like a kitten.............

my interior was not redone-so depending what you like, that can ad value to the one you are looking at. good advice to buy the slant 31 wo the wood-also good advice to buy this car if you like it the way it is. If you want a new paint job, keep looking at fully restored cars, because of the paint work, new rubber and maybe new glass, just for beginners..... A restored car, depending on the grade, can be bought in the 12-15k range. I would value this car at 9500. with the info at hand.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Charles Coe

On the 160B, Murray, Briggs, and Ford bodies all had the same side windows.

Thanks Charlie, I did not know that.