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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Advice sought - sale of 1935 Ford Coupe

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Advice sought - sale of 1935 Ford Coupe -- page: 1 2     stevenwham 02-11-2013 @ 6:09 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 5 Joined: Feb 2012 I have a 1935 Ford five window coupe that has undergone a $120000 restoration about 18 months ago. The car has about 200 miles post restoration. I bought it from the estate of the owner who commissioned the restoration. Fully documented and, I would say, museum quality. I am selling to downsize a collection, and have no idea what this vehicle is worth, and would appreciate any comments & leads on establishing market value. Many thanks. Steve Ham, Keswick, VA, 434.466.9820 ford38v8 02-11-2013 @ 6:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2780 Joined: Oct 2009 Steve, First advice I have for you is to not refer to the car as being in "museum quality", which is actually a derogative term when talking about a restoration. Next, invest in a professional appraisal of the car, and let the appraiser take the heat if it doesn't live up to the hype: What you've already posted here could come back to haunt you in this litigious world. With the appraisal, you are then free to explore the various ways to realize it's true value. Alan deuce_roadster 02-11-2013 @ 7:01 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 I think you will have a tough time recouping 120k on a 35 5W coupe no matter how it was restored. Seriously though, 35s haven't commanded the money that 34s or 36s have due to popularity but a nice car is a nice car. If it was restored properly and could easily get a Dearborn at an EFV8 meet you can ask for top dollar for whatever 35 coupes go for. You might take it to the Tahoe meet and see how it does on the concourse, that will tell you a lot. It is really impossible to tell how much something is worth from just a picture. Good luck. flatheadfan 02-12-2013 @ 5:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 stevenwham- Like others have stated, an independent appraiser with a knowledge of '35s is a good place to establish a value. However, a supposedly $120,000 restoration is suspect. I also have a '35 coupe and from my experience a 5-window '35 in top condition would struggle to bring something in the upper $30s in today's market. Just looking at the picture I see several things that are or appear to be "wrong" or incomplete. That being said, I also concur, a nice car is a nice car. Tom This message was edited by flatheadfan on 2-12-13 @ 12:13 PM supereal 02-12-2013 @ 10:22 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 The consensus of the better price guides shows a number one example, a rare car, topping out at just under $30,000 for a deluxe five window '35 coupe. Each drop in rating from #1 to #3 results in a one-third reduction each from the top number. This isn't to say that it is impossible to overspend on restoration. An often ignored fact about even the most amazing restoration is that, in the end, you still have an old car. When I sell, I'm usually pleased to recover the actual cost of the project, minus my own labor. If you watched the recent Barrett-Jackson auction on TV, you would see that splendid, professionally restored, often rare, cars either sold for a fraction of the level of earlier years, or failed to meet the reserve, and didn't sell at all, thanks to the poor economy. trjford8 02-15-2013 @ 8:10 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4232 Joined: Oct 2009 What someone spent on a restoration has little relationship to the actual value of the car. The car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Check around the auction sites and see what a car in this same condition has actually sold for in the past year. This will give you a pretty good idea of the current value. If anyone is going to spend top dollar on a Ford V-8 they will want to know the history of the car and will want to know if it has been shown at a Ford V-8 National Meet. They will also want to know if it received any awards , such as a Dearborn award, etc. Your car looks very nice in the photo, but it's tough to put a value on a car without actually seeing it in person. stevenwham 02-16-2013 @ 5:59 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 5 Joined: Feb 2012 Thanks for all the comments and good ideas. Much appreciated. I suspect the restoration was overpriced because the gentleman who commissioned it allowed it to be so. Nevertheless, I expect someone will be happy to buy it at 25-30% of the documented restoration expense. ford38v8 02-16-2013 @ 6:53 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2780 Joined: Oct 2009 Steve, I'd think that price would scare away some, but may draw an offer or two. Unless you're good at negotiating, and are willing to let it sit unsold for some time, you might consider a more realistic price. Just because 120k supposedly was spent on it doesn't make it a #1 condition car, which is what would be expected at the price. All the advice you've had from this thread is good, but in the end it's your decision on how to proceed. Alan 37RAGTOPMAN 02-18-2013 @ 4:15 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1969 Joined: Oct 2009 is that a BUSINESS COUPE, I did not see a step on the RR fender for a RUMBLE SEAT, rumble seats bring more money then coupes with trunks., my 3 cents 37RAGTOPMAN oldford2 02-18-2013 @ 5:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 275 Joined: Oct 2009 I am a little confused. You say the previous owner spent $120k on restoring it but do not say how much you purchased it for. Then you say you have "no idea what it is worth"! I think you should have made this post before you bought it. So, how much did you pay for it? John

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