What are show quality trucks REALLY worth?

[7dguy]

So I'm about to open the wallet on my 70 truck. As posted elsewhere, it's a rare bird: 70 CST 400 115", Fleet, Wood. I SEE ad's out there, but very few for show quality trucks, some over 25K. Most of these are resto-mods, some are original. While I intend to keep the truck for several years (may never sell it), I wonder what BB trucks brought back to day-1 are going for. Do any of you know what documented, very original, show conditin trucks like these actually SELL for?

Any known sales of high end, original trucks would be helpful.

Thanks.

[leddzepp]

It will sell for whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

[7dguy]

Amazing insight! Thanks.

[big_al_71]

you can see what some different style trucks have sold for in
www.barret-jackson.com you can look under auction results. I seen some go for mid 30k in original style and i have seen some pro-touring sell for 75k as already mentioned it is worth what someone is willing to pay.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by 7dguy

Amazing insight! Thanks.

The answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked a year ago.

[7dguy]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

The answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked a year ago.

I bet you're wrong about that. It's SOFT out there, more so than a year ago. I'm hoping to be in it for no more than 5K more than it's worth, we'll see. I hope I never find out where the market is on it...meaning I hope I can enjoy it until the kids fight over it.

FYI...It is all documented and all numbers matching. Will go to Barret to see results, but Mecum was dismal. One for 16K was about the best I found there.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by 7dguy

I bet you're wrong about that. It's SOFT out there, more so than a year ago. I'm hoping to be in it for no more than 5K more than it's worth, we'll see. I hope I never find out where the market is on it...meaning I hope I can enjoy it until the kids fight over it.

FYI...It is all documented and all numbers matching. Will go to Barret to see results, but Mecum was dismal. One for 16K was about the best I found there.

They are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them...that never changes.

[Flame Broiled]

Don't build cars or trucks with the intention of making money on them, unless you are building them for someone else and charging by the hour. The dollar figures that vehicles sell on such venues as Barrett Jackson are not really relevant, they are either way over inflated due to the fact someone with way to much money wants it, or way under the cost to build it. Build you car or truck the way you want it in the price range that you can afford to build it.

[pockets]

i'm glad you brought this up 7dguy, as I was thinking about maybe flipping a truck after I finish mine. I looked on ebay and there are few really nice trucks there to compare with.

I see a lot of people building really nice trucks, but not selling them.

[Musclerodz]

vague question. The answer in post 2 is also very true, however there is a little more to it. A restored vehicle's only value is in the correctness and how rare it is. The more rare the more valuable. A custom truck's value ( and I am speaking of a Fesler Built type of custom) the value is in the parts and a quality of craftsmanship put into the vehicle, and that is when the vehicle just becomes a base to work from and the demand for a vehicle of that type is based on whether it appeals to the masses which creates a demand for such a vehicle.

If your building it as investment to make money, forget it, not going to happen. if you building for your pleasure and willing to drop whatever your budget allows regardless of what it will sell for, go for it, and enjoy it when your done.

[pockets]

Originally Posted by Musclerodz

vague question. The answer in post 2 is also very true, however there is a little more to it. A restored vehicle's only value is in the correctness and how rare it is. The more rare the more valuable. A custom truck's value ( and I am speaking of a Fesler Built type of custom) the value is in the parts and a quality of craftsmanship put into the vehicle, and that is when the vehicle just becomes a base to work from and the demand for a vehicle of that type is based on whether it appeals to the masses which creates a demand for such a vehicle.

If your building it as investment to make money, forget it, not going to happen. if you building for your pleasure and willing to drop whatever your budget allows regardless of what it will sell for, go for it, and enjoy it when your done.

There is a lot of truth in that of course, but people do build to make money. I was comparing custom trucks to say the custom street machine / muscle car arena and it is relatively easy to build a 60-70's street machine and sell it for 25k-30k, assuming a good starter can be found that is.

[yote1234]

i have found out its always cheaper to buy a fully restored vehicle.because a quality restoration usually coast much more than the vehicle could ever sell for.thats why i call it a hobby, and not a investment. the only reason im restoring my 72 is i couldnt find a 72 short bed in hugger orange with its options.by doing a quality complete restoration, i'll be into my truck atleast 20% more money than it will be worth at time of completion. will there be a time that the equity will cath up to the value? maby in 5-7 yrs. but then i chose not to spend 40,000-50,000 on a brand new 2010 truck.but to build a brand new 1972 cheyenne truck. one that wont depriciate 1/2 price in 2 years. again,its a hobby that should hold its value over the many years to come. just my 2cents

[mr48chev]

I tend to look at them with the concept of "can I buy it for less than I could build it for?"

Quite often a world beating show quality truck is for sale simply because it has had it's year and won just about all the trophies it is going to win, at least in it's home area. Usually at a price well below what one of us could build an equal truck for.

If it's a "restored" truck I'd want to know a few things before forking over any money though.
How old is the restoration?
Who did the restoration?
How accurate is the restoration?
Numbers matching rig?
All the proper pieces that go on the truck there including correct manifolds and carburetor and air cleaner?
Correct wheels and tires and hubcaps?
Those are some of the things that to me add to or make a "restored truck" worth the extra money.

[71 super]

To build a quality "correct" original type restoration, you are going to have to locate alot of NOS parts- stuff that is getting much harder to find, and we all know harder to find means higher cost or finding an acceptable substitute. I restored my 71 super 8 years ago and the truck is approx. 95% NOS parts. I was able to do it then because I worked at a dealership that allowed me to exchange my pay check for NOS parts at a discount With that said, I am currently restoring 72 and it has cost more and has fewer NOS parts than I would have liked, but could not do it due to economy and availability. If you want to build your truck I say go for it, but do not expect to get rich because you will either pay someone to do the work or do it yourself. If it is your first time you will cut corners (reuse old wiring harnesses or buy new- simple choice for me, too much invested not to buy new- but lots of people dont replace yet say they are complete restorations) or spend more having to redo something. Also plan to live with someone elses schedule, paint took a little over 3 years at the shop that did my
71's paint. Currently the 72 is getting close to year 2 and is almost completed. In my experience and need for the best, I would buy a part, find a better one and then have twice the money invested ( did it several times during the first build), and there were several redos as well. The last big factor is how far are you willing to go? Are you willing to do as Paul Duncan is doing an not only search out NOS parts but correct date coded NOS parts - he was searching not long ago for the correct date coded mirrors, or are you like myself willing to settle for incorrect date codes, but NOS parts? I know for a fact that Paul passed several super nice pieces simply because he wants perfection and he will have it. Things like that also affect cash out lay and return opprotunitys. Regardless, as scott said it has to be the right color, the right price, right parts and the right behind for the seat to get top dollar no matter what you do. Good luck in what ever you decide.

[yote1234]

Originally Posted by 71 super

To build a quality "correct" original type restoration, you are going to have to locate alot of NOS parts- stuff that is getting much harder to find, and we all know harder to find means higher cost or finding an acceptable substitute. I restored my 71 super 8 years ago and the truck is approx. 95% NOS parts. I was able to do it then because I worked at a dealership that allowed me to exchange my pay check for NOS parts at a discount With that said, I am currently restoring 72 and it has cost more and has fewer NOS parts than I would have liked, but could not do it due to economy and availability. If you want to build your truck I say go for it, but do not expect to get rich because you will either pay someone to do the work or do it yourself. If it is your first time you will cut corners (reuse old wiring harnesses or buy new- simple choice for me, too much invested not to buy new- but lots of people dont replace yet say they are complete restorations) or spend more having to redo something. Also plan to live with someone elses schedule, paint took a little over 3 years at the shop that did my
71's paint. Currently the 72 is getting close to year 2 and is almost completed. In my experience and need for the best, I would buy a part, find a better one and then have twice the money invested ( did it several times during the first build), and there were several redos as well. The last big factor is how far are you willing to go? Are you willing to do as Paul Duncan is doing an not only search out NOS parts but correct date coded NOS parts - he was searching not long ago for the correct date coded mirrors, or are you like myself willing to settle for incorrect date codes, but NOS parts? I know for a fact that Paul passed several super nice pieces simply because he wants perfection and he will have it. Things like that also affect cash out lay and return opprotunitys. Regardless, as scott said it has to be the right color, the right price, right parts and the right behind for the seat to get top dollar no matter what you do. Good luck in what ever you decide.

wow. couldnt have said it better... just nos wiring is close to 1200.00 alone for mine! and very lucky to just find those!

[7dguy]

Originally Posted by yote1234

wow. couldnt have said it better... just nos wiring is close to 1200.00 alone for mine! and very lucky to just find those!

Where, by chance, did you find the wiring?

[yote1234]

Originally Posted by 7dguy

Where, by chance, did you find the wiring?

from this site.. last one he had...

[Zoomin]

After you have restored one, you'll truly appreciate the craftsmanship and effort that goes into these. If someone does make money on these, it's probably because they don't put a price on their time invested.

A huge pitfall for me, is that once they're done, you won't want to use them because you know the time/expense/effort involved to get them to first class shape.

Every hobby has some kind of expense. I piss away more money than I care to think about on NBA tickets. Vacations are great ways to make money disappear. So in comparison to those things, it's not so bad.

[MAK191]

$75,000 for this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...fCarsQ5fTrucks

[AusTx68]

No way in hell I would give $75k for this truck but that's just me.

Originally Posted by MAK191

$75,000 for this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...fCarsQ5fTrucks

[Jobe72]

Do you think there is anyone out there that looks at that truck and says " oh my god, that is exactly what I've been looking for!!!!"

Originally Posted by MAK191

$75,000 for this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevr...fCarsQ5fTrucks

[rob32472]

Originally Posted by Jobe72

Do you think there is anyone out there that looks at that truck and says " oh my god, that is exactly what I've been looking for!!!!"

I do everytime I look at my truck!

[magwakeenercew2jh]

For a bunch of reasons, including geography, access, and need, I made friends with Mark and SAtan at Early Classic Enterprises during the (non-correct) resto of my last REAL truck, a metal-floor '72 SWB with a 350/350/350
(Ha!...The middle one is the HP) .

The primary reason we made friends is that they were WONDERFUL to this rookie while I was building. Going waaaay further than just a bunch of folks that make a living from selling parts.
Aside from the friendship, which in the long-run has been more important to me than the truck, the result was that the truck made a really large and nice "reader's ride" spread in Classic Trucks (March of '04) and landed on the ECE website.

I was proud of the truck. But, alas, doo-doo happens. The truck was sold as a part of my retirement plan. I went down to ECE to check the bulletin board they have on the wall. I asked the guys what they thought I sould sell it for.
They said, "Write down what you have in it".

I didn't want to do that. I was already depressed enough by the realization that the proceeds of the sale had to go to spring me from the ball and chain of a 42-year work span.
But I did. It came to just over $26 large. Not a show truck, mind you. Okay, enough of a truck to win a couple of local get together shows. But not like many that grace the pages of this Board.
So, I made a list and then told Mark and Stan how much I had in it.

They both (if I remember correctly) piped up at the same time: "Cut it in half!!!"

After that, I took it to one more show. I put a for-sale sign in the front and rear window. Talked to the usual suspects all day. It won. The next day, a local guy called.
He came and drove it home for $12,000.

Point: The trucks bring what they bring on the day you sell them. As an investment, I absolutely believe that a lousy rate on a CD is a better idea. I respect the perspective that questions
how much to put into a truck...or even car for that matter (especially if it's a '79 falcon station wagon).But our investments are made not so much for the pure dollar value of the net.
The "value" is a little more esoteric. Much like a trip to Europe, or wherever, it's about the experience.
Including the pleasure (HA!) of the build.

I should know...I'm lame enough to be doing it all over again.

Here's the first one. A few more that you can "click" on at http://www.magwa.org

[N2TRUX]

You mention show quality and restored, but you don't discuss your ability to make it that way. It takes a very skilled individual to truly restore a vehicle properly. That means knowing the process that is used to correctly finish metal parts and apply it where it should be.

[OregonC20]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

You mention show quality and restored, but you don't discuss your ability to make it that way. It takes a very skilled individual to truly restore a vehicle properly. That means knowing the process that is used to correctly finish metal parts and apply it where it should be.

I think I meet the "very skilled individual" a couple of days ago. I will post pics of his work in the next day or two.