VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION New User Forum What is my 31 Chevy pickup worth?

Hey guys, newbie here. Have an all original complete 1931 chevy pickup with 35000 original miles. My deceased father in law bought from the original owner back in the late sixties. Crank it up every year and drove it last about 5 years ago on the road. My question is do I restore this or sell this truck to someone who would restore it to original again. If I would decide to sell, what kind of money should I expect to get out of it? I know the 31 is rare, especially one that is still 100% complete and all original and running. Any help would be appreciated.

Hello I can't help you but I know that some photos of the truck would help you get the information. You can post a link here to your photos I think.

...and even though there is a lot of truck info here , you could try the folks over at stovebolt.com they are mostly all truck and may be able to help you .....need pictures ....and " original" can mean different things to different people...

And.... to get started, you should go to your local book store and buy a copy of the latest OLD CARS PRICE GUIDE. That will give you some ballpark prices for the cars.

You can then mark them down for a truck. Ooops did I jsut say that? Yep. I will lob a stink bomb and state that a '30's pickup truck is probably worth 3/4 of the price of a comparable coupe. So, value is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Good luck.

--Bill B

(PS. All opinions are my own and don't need to be commented on --- unless you agree. Ha!!)

I am going to break rule no. 1 sorry Bill. The prices in the published guides particularly on older trucks generally don't reflect the current market. Main reason there just are not that many trucks going through the auctions so they don't have concrete data on recent sales to base their numbers. Based on limited data I have on private sales well restored pickups will bring similar prices as the more "plain jane" passenger cars. The Roadster Pickups being more rare will bring as much as the open cars. Trucks have been one of the HOT categories in the past few years.

Price guides can be used as one of several data points. I've watched mostly pre-war truck sales fairly closely for the past 12 or so years. Auction sites, various car publications, and online listings seem to indicate validity to the often quoted mantra "they're worth what a buyer will pay". I and I'll speculate many of us here, have seen some cars and trucks sell for way more than we would have expected and some for way less.

All the above is good advice about the value of the truck, but you should also consider NOT restoring it. Totally original unrestored vehicles in good condition are very unusual and their value has increased in recent years. If its in really good shape, why not just keep it and enjoy it sparingly.

All of the major national car clubs (AACA, VCCA, etc) have a judging class called "Historical Preservation" for cars and trucks just like that and people do love seeing them that way.

Above all, if you do decide to sell the truck, many of us would be happiest if you sold it to somebody who will either keep it as is or restore it to original, and certainly not to modify it or hotrod it. You have a piece of history.

All the Best, Chip

For what is is worth my new Old Car Price Guide lists the following.
# 4 Condition 5,200, # 3 11,700. If it were mine I would keep it, drive it, and enjoy it. I had a low mileage '31 pickup about 40 years ago and I wish I had it today. Once you sell a vehicle you'll never get it back.

Thanks for the help and links. I will do y best to get some pics up. The truck spends most of its time on the concrete floor in the heated shop behind a barricade of stuff. Been that way for 40 years now. Trying to decide if someone who would use it more should have it or keep firing it up couple times a year and hang onto it. Would have to go to the right person who wants to preserve it. Nice to see others out here that enjoy the humm of an old engine to the roar of a new big block in an old body.

Most of us on this site (there are a few exceptions) prefer to see and hear the old cars and trucks as they were and if as safe as were in their day driven as they are today.
Tony