For that amount you will not get anything in this country, at least nothing worth while.
That is not entirely true. My neighbor (who is now a widow) has a very nice, all original, 1938 Chevrolet coupe. Restoration was started on the car years ago and it has been sitting in my neighbor's garage for over 20 years. The front and rear fenders have been removed but the rest of the body is complete and on the chassis. The sheet metal is in excellent condition, the engine is rebuilt, the front and rear bumpers have been rechromed along with the bumper guards and the radiator grill (which is absolutely beautiful by the way). My neighbor sold the car yesterday to a friend of mine and we are picking up the car this morning and taking it to his house. The '38 coupe was appraised by a 1938 collector (who also has a restored 1938 coupe and a 1938 town sedan) for $4,000 because of the current market. The neighbor lady sold the car to my friend for under $5,000 and she threw in a very nice Mullins teardrop trailer as part of the deal! Excellent buys are still out there.
That indeed sounds like an exceellent dea. How many others out there I could not guess but surely there are some .
An aside: When I see cars noted as California cars, I immediately think of no or little rust. How does that apply to cars from Oregon and Washington states? Over the years I have come to think of them as similar condition overall as CA ones. Given the wet weather in northern Oregon and Washingtion, I can't see how this could be. What is the true picture when assigning weather related status to these cars?
I see you're in Australia. I have no clue as to prices there. Around my neck of the woods $5K will get you a non running vehicle with parts missing. I paid $2500 for mine in 2003. Pics are below.
VCCA Member 43216 Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. 1938 HB Business Coupe 1953 210 Sedan
Aus prices on stuff are close to Canada but about the same as Tiny said - $5k USD is a solid project. If you get in the $8-12k range you can find some very nice vintage drivers. If you are looking for a certain model and year you might have to pay a premium but if you are open to a few years and manufacturers you might find a deal if you keep an open mind...
1938 Canadian Pontiac Business Coupe (aka a 1938 Chevy Coupe with Pontiac shaped front sheet metal - almost all Chevy!) 1975 4-speed L82 Vette
Are you planning on buying a car there in Australia? If so, keep watching ads of cars for sale in places like Hemmings, or web sites and you will get an average over time of what price is being asked for these cars in American dollars. Then you can change the American values to Australian values and go from there. If you are thinking of buying a car from North America(U.S. or Canada) you might want to do some research on shipping costs to get the car to Australia. If you have your eye on a car there, do you have the means to get it home without any help? If not, there are some more costs to take into consideration. Bottom line: the purchase price of the car is just one of many costs you will be facing!
An aside: When I see cars noted as California cars, I immediately think of no or little rust. How does that apply to cars from Oregon and Washington states? Over the years I have come to think of them as similar condition overall as CA ones. Given the wet weather in northern Oregon and Washingtion, I can't see how this could be. What is the true picture when assigning weather related status to these cars?
Best,
Charlie
I don't know how it can be either, but it is. I do have some inkling why. First of all, in Washington there are 2 distinct climates. Western Washington is wet but temperate, Eastern Washington is dry with hot summers, cold winters and snow. The climate makes a drastic change as you cross the Cascade Mountains. I can't speak for Oregon, but I suspect it is similar.
The wet side of the state never had much snow. The dry side got a bunch, but we never used rock salt on the roads. In fact, we never used anything corrosive back in the day, just sand. Today we use "deicer" and corrosion related to that could be a problem, but not on cars that have been off of the road for a while.
Rust damage here is far less severe than what I see on cars from farther east. It will be in specific places, namely the places where dirt or sand could pile up and stay wet. A car might have the bottom of the rear quarters falling out for instance (a common spot), and not have that much damage elsewhere. Structural rust in frames is almost unheard of here.
Of course there are no hard and fast rules. Blackberries could cover a car up, keeping it wet, and completely destroy it. Eastern Washington cars will have sun damage, everything baked or burned to a crisp. Western Washington cars will have nice brightly colored lenses, but probably have moss or mold everywhere. Either one will have a LOT more good steel left than a car you found in the great lakes region.
Storm I would look at all the hidden costs before you buy. In 2005 I looked at doing similar (1988 and a 1989 Camaro) and it was going to cost $5k to get each car of the boat onto a truck just outside the dockyard gate. As I live 3 hour drive from the dock you can imagine why I canned the idea. Since then I have found that if you dismantle the car and list it as car parts it is a lot cheaper than as an assembled car but havent looked any further. Tony
what your attempting to say is that you want a USA stamped FISHER BODY and not the Holden produced body.
Currently the Australian dollar is stinking the joint out verses the USA $, probably in the range of 30 cents on the dollar. At that rate a $4000 USA dollar car will cost you $5200 Australian.
Think and examine the car in person YOURSELF before you purchase anything. Anything less and your wallet can be in for a lot of hurt.
