BAT-crazy prices and a 29 phaeton

[ronn]

$29,000.00 is not what it was 20 years ago.

you are correct. and neither is a million dollars, but most Americans I know, dont have a million bucks.

To me the car is a hot rod and better suited on the HAMB
Ive watched ebay sales for over 25 yrs now and far better cars can be bought for the money. When a fella decides he'll use some old black paint thats laying around to paint the motor or better yet, do a swirly design on the gas tank, or thorw the wrong seat spring in the car and upholster "around it" I have to wonder how well the car was "refurbished".
you read that right. refurbished, not restored.
if you want to buy a nice car, look no further then the MAFCA site and there are beautiful cars on there daily.
If you want to deal with PT Barnum, then yes, BAT is for you. BTW, dont forget to factor in BATs fees, and shipping. So maybe 35k for the car. Doesnt faze you?
Why not spend 75k then. Money obviously has no meaning for many of you.
BTW, living in NJ, I am well aware of costs and rates. Philly and NY are at my back step...... LOL

[jack backer]

Don’t know how you can tell condition from picture.. is it authentic? No, but not many cars are. Is it clean and fresh? It looks that way. Is it my cup of tea? No.. it’s a sporty ice cream runner, and like mentioned already, dollar value is fluid right now, to say the least.

[rotorwrench]

I wouldn't pay that much for any model A but that's just me. I certainly think it's fine if someone else is willing to pay that. Not all auto interested people have the want or the capability to do a restoration on their own. There are also so many other cars out there that are likely a better buy for the same amount of money so that affects what I think about that amount. What the car is worth is based on the perspective of the potential buyer. Younger folks that don't know what happened to their family during the depression and WWII definitely have a different take on life than I do. Money means something different to each individual. It would be nice to afford a "money is no object" way of thinking but I can't. I purchase old cars with the express intent of doing the work on them myself so that makes me different and think differently than a lot of folks out there.

From a seller's point of view, more is better. No telling how much money has already been spent on that car over the years to keep it in the drivability range. It is likely a lot more than the selling price. The previous owner likely spent more than that but it depends on whether they restored it or not.

[Model A Ron]

I do not think this car is close to being a hot rod as it has the original 4 cylinder and for that fact it does not even have a Mitchel Overdrive....

As for the money lets look at it like this. Starting in January of 2021 this country went off the rails and inflation has gone BAT Crazy......regardless what they tell us inflation is at a minimum 40 to 45% so now back to the Phaeton

$20,000 in 2020 is now $29,000 in 2023 thanks to 45% inflation

If you think 45% inflation is Bat Crazy I agree with you but since some of you are living in the past does $20,000 sound like it's to much for the car?

[stickshift]

Originally Posted by ronn

$29,000.00 is not what it was 20 years ago.

If you want to deal with PT Barnum, then yes, BAT is for you. LOL

Speaking of PT Barnum...If the description reminded you of PT Barnum, read the comments. This guy was really slick. He does have the gift of gab. I'm sure this did help to achieve a good price (one born every minute). Seriously, I'm sure the buyer is happy and will enjoy the car for years to come. Probably even turn a profit when he decides to sell.

[nkaminar]

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I am very glad that there are people out there who restore Model A's to the as-built condition. This is part of the historical record. How else are future generations going to know what a Model A truly looked like, sounded like, and how it ran.

But it is not something that I am interested in at this point in my life. As long as it resembles the original car I don't care if the paint color is not quite right or that white wall tires are on the car or that there is an overdrive or down draft carburetor. I love my car as it is and love driving it. I do restrict my driving a little for fear of ware and damage but if I had a 100 point car it would be in the garage under a cover and never driven.

[rotorwrench]

I've seen major inflation of the currency at least four times in my life. The two things that make it happen the worst is cheap money (low loan interest rates) and a major increase in the price of energy, ie the price of oil, which has happened before for different reasons. This current cause was something I've never seen before. It was entirely a man made situation that did not have to happen. I wish crazy would go away with a major return to sanity.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by stickshift

Speaking of PT Barnum...If the description reminded you of PT Barnum, read the comments. This guy was really slick. He does have the gift of gab. I'm sure this did help to achieve a good price (one born every minute). Seriously, I'm sure the buyer is happy and will enjoy the car for years to come. Probably even turn a profit when he decides to sell.

So we are clear on this, when you go with one of the premium service with BaT then BaT actually sends you an online questionnaire to fill out about the vehicle being sold, and then professional photographer is sent to your place to get the best quality pictures. After that, a BaT Writer studies the pix and writes a description for the website. For most Sellers, that is the best $400 spent as it gets positive results ($$-wise).

[Model A Ron]

You could also benchmark an add for a car like yours that got top dollar......seems simple to do.

[Lanny]

This is NOT directed toward anyone. We are all members here and need to
get along together.
It is very interesting to read the various opinions though, but you know what
the old saying is about opinions.
There are TONs of things going on this this world, and there are TONs of
different opinions about every single one of them.
Some of these things going on are Super Important, and yet we still have
TONs of very different opinions on how to all live by them.
How this one very UN important '29 phaeton deserved so much attention
is a waste of time. Let's all care about the more important things in life.

Lets all enjoy it as much as we can, together. Happy Motoring to all.



.

[trulyvintage]

The Market Is Determined By What
A Buyer Is Willing To Pay …

That applies equally to goods and services.

Opinions on an internet forum
won’t affect that in the least …


Jim

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by rackops

I can't begrudge the buyer on the car, to be honest. When I bought my first Model A back in 2008 (yes, I am young) I bought the prettiest one I could find. I had no clue about things like "judging standards" or any of that stuff. The car looked good and had won first place and people's choice in a few local car shows, so as far as I was concerned, it was exactly what I was looking for (and I paid nearly the same price as what this one sold for!)

Even though the car wasn't going to win any fine point awards, my family had a great time with it. When I was looking at getting another old car again, it was those positive feelings that attracted me back to the Model A family. I now have the privilege of owning a VE28 Australian-made car, so my priorities are a bit different. My family still enjoys it, but I'm going through the effort of finding the correct parts to prepare for restoration with the goal of making a fine-point car.

I'm sure the buyer of this particular car is far more attracted to the "look" of the car rather than nitpicking that the engine is painted...black...

(Photo of my first Model A below...whoever restored it had obviously never heard of the "judging standards" before...)

I agree 100% with Lanny, Trulyvintage, and Racktops. All this armchair QBing is a bit odd. If it wasn't your money spent, who cares? Someone wanted it, so they bought it. I wish more people would be buying and enjoying old cars. Good for the buyers and sellers out there.

Getting hung up on judging standards and such can sometimes prevent folks from finishing a car because it's not 100% correct and then enjoying a car because they don't want to ruin it for judging. Can be a vicious cycle that causes a car to sit in a garage not being enjoyed for what it is.

[WHN]

Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

I agree 100% with Lanny, Trulyvintage, and Racktops. All this armchair QBing is a bit odd. If it wasn't your money spent, who cares? Someone wanted it, so they bought it. I wish more people would be buying and enjoying old cars. Good for the buyers and sellers out there.

Getting hung up on judging standards and such can sometimes prevent folks from finishing a car because it's not 100% correct and then enjoying a car because they don't want to ruin it for judging. Can be a vicious cycle that causes a car to sit in a garage not being enjoyed for what it is.

Well said!

Our Model A’s are like our children. No matter their short comings, we are very proud of them, and rightfully so.

Haze Gray and Underway.

[trulyvintage]

There are a couple car forums that
will soon be in my rear view mirror
because of the a few folks who do
not have a Life outside of the Interweb.

I am just going to stop posting.
Those folks do not deserve to share
what I see in my travels ….


Jim

[Raaf]

Originally Posted by stickshift

Speaking of PT Barnum...If the description reminded you of PT Barnum, read the comments. This guy was really slick. He does have the gift of gab. I'm sure this did help to achieve a good price (one born every minute).

Stickshift is probably right on this one. If you read the comments on that particular sale, you will see an unusual amount of supportive and often comical engagement from the seller. Much more than your typical BAT sale, which is usually more like two opposing camps of arrogance. THE WINDOW REGULATOR IS A REPOP! I SAW THIS CAR IN PERSON IN 2017 AND THE PHOTOS DON'T DO IT JUSTICE...etc...

The seller was standing by the car confidently and that goes further than common sense for some buyers.

If you go back through Model A sales on the site, in most cases prospective buyers and commenters aren't that educated about old Fords. I think this one was an outlier for the reason mentioned above. Well presented and well-supported sale - and you know what? That will always sell a car.

This is in contrast to the presentation of cars I sometimes see for sale at shows. You know the ones...they have been for sale at numerous shows for a year or so. Same guy shows up, inflated price, power parks it up front...and posts up with the I KNOW WHAT I HAVE PROVE ME WRONG attitude. They want to haggle and think about where their car or transaction sits in the GREATER SPHERE of the hobby.

Every now and then, the right buyer meets the right seller and two happy folks go their separate ways with what they wanted in first place.

[Model A Ron]

I bet the guy who bought the Phaeton has no idea how much attention his car is getting hear......If he ever reads this I hope your enjoying that wonderful car

[ModelA29]

1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Phaeton

Sold for $40,500 on 2/23/23


Phaeton - seems to be the auction hook for BAT. I wonder if the 29 grand price was driven by the guy seeing what this one sold for.


A mail truck a couple days ago only brought $22,000 - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...d-model-a-115/

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by ModelA29

1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Phaeton

Sold for $40,500 on 2/23/23


Phaeton - seems to be the auction hook for BAT. I wonder if the 29 grand price was driven by the guy seeing what this one sold for.


A mail truck a couple days ago only brought $22,000 - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...d-model-a-115/

One thing about a Postal truck is ...what do you do with it? To me it is a display piece that can be driven, but even that is basically a limited event. The Phaeton that just sold has a real appeal because two couples can have fun going to dinner together, -or Grandpa & Grandma and two or three grandkids can share getting their hair blown on the way to get ice cream.

There were basically 4 different bidders that bid over $25k on this car. I doubt all of them were shill bidders, and because the 180A bodystyle is so different, I am going to guess the reason this car was bid to $29k is because each of those bidders liked the look and the color enough to want to be seen in it.

[alexiskai]

Not to prolong this discussion, but I think Brent makes a great point. The 35A/B body is the quintessential see-and-be-seen model (except for the 180A which costs substantially more). As such, the market for those is going to include a lot of folks who just want an antique car that turns heads, regardless of authenticity, for parades and puttering about town. I think that explains why so many phaetons I've seen are decked out with extra chrome, dual side wheels, whitewalls, the whole nine yards. I remember seeing one that had the horn chromed and then added a second chrome horn on the other side.

I can understand why there would be a premium market for a show-off phaeton, particularly on BaT, with its marketing pitch of assured quality.

[Seth Swoboda]

Just remember this. If you want to sell your car, BAT usually will not dissapoint. Great place to sell.