Car Talk: Cars, Labels and Such
I’ve always thought it interesting how different associations and organizations label cars. What is a classic car, or a muscle car, or a show car? Is it original? How original? Is it restored, refurbished or renovated? Should older cars be preserved as built, as a piece of history, or should they be driven, modified and rodded?
One site to visit for definitions is http://www.antiquecar.com/terms.php. However, no one agrees completely on what these terms really mean or where they should apply. Then there is the issue of determining a car's condition and, usually, assigning a numerical value to that condition. Some sources use a five point system and some use six points. However, the numerical systems at best are only a general guide.
What really matters is what do you as a buyer want in a car? While a seller may feel that the numerical guides describe his or her car, therefore indicating value, the real test is only is what someone will "write a check" and pay for a given car. Price guides can be of added help by showing one what has been paid for cars with a given numerical condition assigned. But, without seeing the cars one does not really know the extremes grouped together to get an average value. Also, this is an average value for cars with a given condition number, often quite like one foot in boiling water and one foot in freezing water, therefore on average things are just comfortable. Theoretically true, but not likely.
And as if this is not enough, what about the changes in technology and parts availability? Cars that would have always been classified as number 5 (or number 6) because of rust are now totally repairable. Many rusted floors, quarter panels, rocker panels, and rusted uni-frames can be replaced with new components. Biggest cost, labor or your time spent with much trial and error fitting and a good welder. So, are these cars any more junk than one needing an engine or transmission replaced? And, if so many parts are missing and unavailable that it would be hard to make a car original, is its value as a potential custom or hot rod still enough to keep it out of the junk category. As you can see, often the value will be totally dependent on the goal for the car.
A 1932 Ford (or most any make) three window coupe body is never really junk if it is complete and hardly junk even if you have to find a door or deck lid. A 1957 Chevy two door hardtop, post or Nomad wagon is never likely to be junk unless so rusted out as to be impossible to move without it just falling into pieces.
Added to the actual physical issues of the vehicle itself is the emotional issue around the owner or potential owner. We just acquired a 1951 Mercury four door sedan. Not the most popular Merc ever, but this one is fairly complete and equipped with the standard flathead and three speed overdrive transmission. While the mice had a field day with the padding the actual seat fabric is fairly intact and one can easily determine the original patterns to redo the upholstery. One reason for the purchase was the fact that a friend, during our high school days, had this exact car except for the color. A few of us on our football team took the car to Lincoln Nebraska to watch the Huskers play. Of course in 1962 that wasn’t quite the deal it would have been in say 1995. Fortunes rise and fall!
All of this really leads to the conclusion that you never know what an older car is worth, and what matters is what is it worth to you. If you are trying to make an investment out of it, you may have the same difficulties that a stock picker has. Some will be winners some of the time, but not all will be winners all of the time.
We feel the fun is in owning and driving a given car because you want to, and the car should be driven. The preserved for history group should even be driven occasionally because in history they were drivable. If not so now, what is preserved? A picture or clay sculpture will do. Also, we should recognize that at the top of the show cars, usually designated number 1, we are looking at craftsmanship! If the car originally was had crafted, then the handcrafted redo is a genuine restoration. But, if the car was mass produced, then the craftsmanship to make a number 1 show car is something that did not exist in the “original” form and the car is not restored (returned to original) but in effect re-crafted into the perfection that mass production likely did not attain. In one sense then it is the equivalent or one of the hand crafted customs being created or recreated (as in 57 Chev convertible or 67 fastback Mustang bodies ). If I buy a complete body, then assemble the rest of the parts and assemble them what do I have? Of course I would say, "one great car however it is done."