Good Evening All, I am wondering...what is this 1949 Buick worth? It is complete with the exception of hubcaps and fender skirts. It runs and drives ( yes it has a flat)..has an automatic tranny and new brakes. Fires right up...everything works...the only dents are the driver side quarter panel and passenger side wheelwell(front). Driver side door glass has a crack ditto passenger side vent, other wise glass is good. All trim is really good...no dings and the bumpers have no dings or any signs of ... bumping into anything. Interior is complete but...64 years old but all there...the radio works too! What do you gents. think? Regards, 455NGLIDE
It's restorable, but the basic 4-dr is about the least desirable body style. If there is little or no rot, it would be more valuable. Dents are cheap to fix - rust is not. This is the sort of car that from a financial standpoint is not worth restoring unless you have the ability to do the work yourself. It's a nice survivor, but the reality is that it will never be worth what it will cost to restore it. I would not go over a couple of grand for it, and I would have mixed emotions at $2Gs. Basically, it's worth whatever you are willing to pay for it.
@John Codman: Basically I thought it would be something different to have, my "plan" if you will is to clean up the interior, get good tires/whitesidewalls....paint the rims red andget some of those bonneville salt flat looking hub caps and have a unique cruiser. The patina is really nice so paint and body work is not in the equation but all that trim (which is in good condition) will clean up real nice, and thats it!...I can pick it up for around 850.00 . Best Regards, 455NGLIDE
I've had my eye on one of these for a couple of years. The car has been in their family since new. It's in better shape then yours but it's that thing that John is saying. It's a cool car but will you get your money out of it and can you sell it when the time comes. The owner of the one I'm looking at won't give me a price but tells me to make an offer. My impression is that they think its worth a few grand because it's a 49 and it runs but I wouldn't give more than $900 for it. I'd say at $850 it may be worth it if your plan is to only put in a few hundred more but keep in mind that it may be difficult to sell and get your money back when the time comes.
Any old car has a certain cool factor, no matter what it is. Just driving around in a 64 year old vehicle is pretty neat in my book. Your plan is a good one and I would say if you can get it for $850 that is quite a bargain. Good luck and let us now how it turns out.
It's worth 1000 a year just to drive something you really enjoy even if you junk it when your through with it. Hard to put a price on the fun aspect of anything. Some guys have 1000's invested in guns that rarely ever get finger prints on them. Most who buy a new car spend $1000's extra for something they like and fun to drive and worth half that after 3 years of depreciation. Many on v8 buick have way more invested than their buick is worth. But years of fun and experiences that have helped make a good life are hard to value in $. I could have a two tons of fun messin' with an old 49 Buick. Oh..... Not to mention the friendship and fun that goes with sharing the old car with all those who see it. ...PRICELESS!
So it runs and drives; that's a good start. The body looks pretty straight, not to much rust from what I could see. If the interior is serviceable, then $2,000 is about the most I'd go on it. If it's "original condition" with original paint and fairly low justifiable mileage, then you could look at dropping more cash on it. Somehow I'm not sure of that shade of Seafoam green though...and I've had a couple of GM based 49 models. It'd be a fun car to drive, and judging from what you've said, the missing parts shouldn't be that hard to locate. 1949 model Buicks were more desirable than both the 48 or 50; they had classic lines that still look sharp today. That said, the Dynaflow will make that thing pretty slow, and off of a stop light it'll roar like a DC-6 on a take-off run. But there's nothing quite like driving a Dynaflow Buick. Buy it and enjoy it; cars in that shape are meant to be driven and enjoyed. If you really fall in love with it and want to turn it into a piece of non-driving furniture, well, don't let anyone dissuade you. Good luck if you get it...
That would be a cool driver just like it is. Good find for that money in my opinion, and good plan for it.
two grand, $2500 if you really want it, I love the 49s and would give up a testicle for a 49 sedanette
Agreed, but you still have to consider basic safety. I would assume that all brake lines and hoses will need to be replaced immediately. I would also rebuild all wheel cylinders. Worn brake linings won't kill you, but with a single brake system, any hydraulic failure means no brakes. The ball bearings in the front wheels probably haven't been repacked in decades, and the seals should be replaced. The lever-action shocks will probably need to be overhauled. Driving a coil-spring car with really bad shocks is downright suicidal. This service is often advertised in HEMMINGS, but will cost something. The tires are probably tube-type. The tubes could be a half-century old. Time to replace them. You probably want a set of new tires. The tube-type wheels may not hold air, and are not intended to do so. If you decide to go with modern tubeless tires, you will have to come up with some tubeless wheels that will fit. At the least, you should replace the vacuum hose to the vacuum wiper motor. Unless this work has already been done - in which case you won't get it for $850 - you are looking at the better part of $1,000 just to make it safe. Just something to consider when you make an offer. If it were in my area, and I could get it for $850, I probably would. More then that, probably not. I am not into parting out old cars.
If that car had a recent quality paint job would it be worth more than $1000? In my opinion, that patina adds more value than new paint. It adds coolness to an otherwise boring car If it's in the budget, scuff and clearcoat to protect what left and bring out the colors. Jeff ~
Last nite Wife and I were walking through a cruise-in and there was a 64 Kingswood wagon there ... exterior was original patina with the top surfaces the worst while the suspension was bagged and it was slammed to its parking space. Underhood was an LS1 and the interior was done over nicely ... she said "Is he waiting to paint it last ?" I answered "It took almost 50 years to get the exterior to look like that ... anyone can slap a paint job on a car but only Mother Nature can make it look that good"
I like your plan. I think most of that rear quarter dent can be hammered back out without ruining that fine patina. $1,000 sounds good, but it will take another grand to get it road worthy or so I guess.
All, V8Buick is one good neighborhood, among other things...one thing I certainly appreciate is how folks readily share knowledge, experience and concern for safety....I feel much obliged to all. At this point I feel armed and ready to go cut a deal with the owner of the 49 Buick...much more so than before posting the pics. I thought the car was cool as soon as I saw it but now...I have an even greater appreciation for it...I will keep you guys posted, I go talk to the guy on this Saturday 6/8/2013. This is not to end this thread...the more input from every one the better. Thanks so much everybody. Very Best Regards, 455NGLIDE
For $850 I wouldn't have left the place without it. Buy it now and figure out what to do with it later. Here's another scenario. Imagine a guy who's restoring a convertible or a two door and he needs a nice straight grille. What do you suppose he'd be willing to pay for one? $850? It wouldn't surprise me one bit. Better go buy that car before someone else does.
Re: opinions please... follow up Good Afternoon All, Well the owner of the 49 was supposed to call me by Friday, he didn't so I followed up with him. Well the long and short of the potential deal is this. He went ahead and pulled the engine because he knows " a little old man" that is good with Buick straight 8's...and is having the tranny rebuilt as well, said there is a box in the transmission that needs to be replaced so it would work right(???)...by this point in the conversation my dream for this old car had evaporated. He went to say that it was a matching numbers car and that he could get 3-4K for it...I told him thanks. I live in El Paso Texas, for all practical purposes it is an island...and the only types around here that would be interested in it would make a low-rider out of this car..since it is not too desirable anyone that would do a full resto would look past it. I feel pretty sickened by this...I would have offered more if he told me he was gonna pull that little fast one on me. I dont care to bad mouth any one....not much to report at this point. What a drag. I appreciate everyones comments. Gonna focus on my 69 GS tribute car now. Best Regards, 455NGLIDE
That's too bad, because the owner will never get back what the engine and transmission work will cost. The car will sit until the guy dies or is taken to a home. If it sits outside, it will be junk, and if it sits inside, there will have been no point in doing the work. If the engine and tranny don't make it back into the car, the thing becomes a parts car. Unless you are Jason, it is very difficult to get what you put into an old car back out of it.
