The unfortunate truth of pre-war “classic” cars is that the demand just isn’t there. There are a lot of folks interested in 60s muscle cars (and they command high prices) but not in 1920s and 1930s cars.
Cars are more valuable if they’re rare or interesting - a Duesenberg, for example, or a convertible coupe. With a top speed of 140 MPH from its supercharged 8 cylinder, a Duesenberg SSJ convertible can keep up with modern traffic, and still turns heads. They’re worth millions.
My car has great sentimental value - it was my Dad’s bought in 1963. If I put $100,000 into a frame off restoration, it would not be worth any more than it is. Anything I do to the car costs money without really increasing its modest value. Sadly, there just aren’t too many folks interested in 1930s cars.
So, this car? Which is relatively common? It’s missing the engine, transmission, some fenders, and glass and roof, the interior is gone and the paint is dead. A clean, nice example of this would be worth, perhaps, $10,000.
But this is a shell - it’s worth many hundreds. Tops. IF someone wants it - it’s for parts or because hey want a project, but the underlying value is low. I am sorry to say this - but that’s the reality.
If you bought this - and did $30,000 worth of work to it, adding the missing parts, restoring the interior, repainting it, and getting everything working, you would have a $10,000 car. Fun to do, rewarding work - but a great way to turn a lot of money into a little money.
