I need some professional Buick input. I went to go look at a 55 Special, 2 door, post coupe car this weekend for the second time. I used to have a 4 door sedan and sold it to eventually find a nice 2 door. Well, this one is the red and white two-tone, 322, Dyna-slush tranny with 67K on the ticker. It runs like a top smooth as glass. Body: The body is solid and fairly straight. I say fairly straight, because I would have like to have seen it block sanded a bit better before paint, but it is VERY presentable and really clean. There is very minimal if any bodywork in the car. The chrome and brightwork is..okay. Pretty much every piece of chrome has a pit here or there and the stainless is real shiny but has a nick or dent somewhere. Interior: The interior is presentable, but needs a headliner and seat covers. The Sonomatic radio clicks on but doesnt work. Underneath: The car appears clean. Its undercoated pretty heavily, but it looks like an older job (prior to being painted, judging from the white overspray) which is lacquer paint. The Dyna slush leaks like a siv. I think its the typical torque converter leak. The tranny mount is totally wasted too. It needs exhaust minor pinhole in the muffler no biggie. The only thing that bothers me a bit is some rot in the trunk support just between the trunk floor and the rear-most frame rail. The frame is fine though I had it on the lift and looked it over real good. Bottom line: The car is definitely presentable and drives nice. The owner started at $11,500 which was absolutely not an option for me I just dont think its worth it. The car was on eBay twice and only made it to $6900. Within a few days I had the owner down to $9000. He says thats his bottom line. Im thinking more like in the neighborhood of $8000-ish. What do you guys think? Im torn, because judging from the prices Ive seen others sell for, I dont really see why this car didnt do better in the worldwide market. If two runs on eBay only pulled $6900, whos to say Id do any better in the future if I decide to sell it myself? What should these cars be selling for?
I agree with you. I'm no expert, but it's not a hard top, and does have some problems to fix. I wouldn't even go $8k. I think you can do better. A lot depends on the chrome I think. There's a lot of money to spend on that. If you do buy it, I got some nice ready made seat covers for mine from a place in Mass. Good luck. I know how that car itch gets to you and it's hard to be patient. PS: Are you bidding on an eBay 64 LeSabre in S. Dak.? There's a gnlark eBay ID bidding. You? o No:
For guys that already own classic Buicks, we like to see the prices go up... mostly. Honestly, I'd like to see more people that love classic Buicks own them. I have a recent price guide that says the following about 1955 2 Door Special sedans: Parts Car: $760 Restorable: $2,280 Good: $3,800 Very Good: $7,600 Fine: $13,300 Excellent: $19,000 Good is drivable needing minor work. Very Good is complete operable original car or well done restoration. Don't let this get in the way of owning a car you love, though!
How much should you pay............... I bought a 57 Roadmaster and paid considerably more than your 8 or 9 thou. I hemmed and hawed about the price, paid more than I thought I should, brought it home and put another $2500.00 into it (after I paid the various exchange and taxes to bring it into Canada) I mention all this only to give you some reference point. Because when I drive it to a show or down the street and I get all those thumbs-up, I never once think about whether I paid too much. What can I tell you?? $1000.00 more or less .........in the long run, so what!!! Life is short, enjoy it. Happy "Buick" motoring.
Can anyone say retro rod? After ranting a little about money and reading some of the other responses I had to erase and stat over. I got lucky with my buick, ya I had to do work to make it safe and road worthy. Currently down because of a knock. But like the guy before me with all the looks and thumbs up you get when you go anywhere, thats pricless. Anytime I stopped for gas, which is alot, I alway end up answering questions, getting compliments. A elderly man in his 80's had some complements and asked if he could just sit in it for a sec, I already had the keys out and told him to go ahead. He actully got teary and said it reminded him of a car he had just after he get married. He went on and on. Thats just one story. These old cars dont just touch your life but alot of other people as well, memories that they get and the stories that come out. The chicks like the car too, its not a sports car but its pure class with power. Get the OLD CAR PRICE GUIDE magazine and see. They dont bring the prices they should, but it might give you a btter idea
I agree...... Like everyone else said when you buy a car like that and you know that you are part of a hand full of people that have such a "COOL RIDE" the extra money makes up for it. The car looks great as she sits and over time you can put a few dollars into her to bring it back to a real show stopper. It is in a lot better shape then most People start with! Most of the hard work is done so your way ahead of the curve. A car like that you have to buy with your Heart BUT try to get the best price you can. :laugh: GOOD LUCK P.S. She Really is Purrr-Teee! :TU:
Life can be very simple, if you like it buy it. Look how many people start with a whole lot worse condition car and try and get it to where yours can already be. The price of the car is equal to a good paint job. Buy the car and take it to a good body man, and let them buff it out. Bet that within a few hours work they can have it shining like a mirror. Now as far as the dyna flow leaking, that is one of the joys of owning one. Even re-sealed, it will still leak a little. They do that so you can find your way home, Buick didnt have a GPS satelite option back then. Go get yourself a set of wire wheels and a great stereo, and go have fun in it. But if you dont decide to buy it will you PM me the owner, as I wouldnt mind talking to him about it. BTW, here is a very cool trick for the dead sonomatic. Pull it out and remove the speaker system from it. cut a piece of sheet metal to fit the speaker opening, and install a remote control AM/FM CD player in that old speaker area. Remove the cigar lighter from under the dash and find the 2 small screws that keep the speaker grill secured to the underside of the dash. Gently pull the lower portion of the speaker grill towards you in an upward movement. You will find it is hinged at the top and will move up out of the way so you can insert a CD. When you push it back down it will snap back into place and stay there. Remove the cloth grill material from behind chrome grill so the infra red remote will work. Call Custom Autosound and ask them for a set of kickpanel speakers for the car.(1955 Chevy) Install and go have fun, add a speaker or two to the back package shelf and really have more fun and no one will know what you have done. Looks stock, and the hell with that AM radio. If your one of the Judges at this summers BCA nationals, please disregard this tip, I never mentioned this. :TU:
Since my original post, I did decide to buy the 55. :laugh: Very cool indeed! I'll tell you what - I get more thumbs up, horn honks and looks in that car than I do in my '65 and Lotus combined. Mark, great idea with the radio! :TU:
Radio Door I ended up doing this with the speaker grill on my 55 Special: I've got the full touch screen back there, an LCD display inside the AM radio window and a center console that sports my AC, air ride controls, and some other toys. Except for the center console, you'd have to look twice to notice that the dash was not stock. Congratulations on the new car! I am sure you will love it and enjoy it every time you hop behind the wheel.
