Is there a way to know how many are left???

[MarcDeSoto]

I've been wanting a certain car for many years, or decades.  It's a 1949-51 Dodge Wayfarer roadster stock.  If you add up the production totals for the three years, they made about 9000 of them.  Is there a ball park method to figure how many might still exist in restorable or better condition?  I told someone that using a rough rule of thumb that about 10% might still exist, or about 900.  He thought that the 10% estimate was too generous.  I guess a lot depends on age of car with older cars having an increasingly lower survival rate? 

Edited January 25, 2015 by MarcDeSoto

[Young Ed]

10% is the average. I would say the more desirable models such as a convertible would have a slightly higher rate.

[fstfish66]

im guessing ??  convertables  would  of rusted out sooner  then a hard top ??

[TodFitch]

im guessing ??  convertables  would  of rusted out sooner  then a hard top ??

Probably varies by year but generally convertibles are more desirable and would be kept and repaired even with more damage.

 

Less desirable body styles, even in good shape, were often junked or used as parts cars to fix the more desirable body styles and so can disappear faster.

[Plymouthy Adams]

even cars with a dedicated registry does not get all cars accounted for...one can guess at the rate of survivorship...for every car on the road and or registered there could well be two that are not accounted for...I have five such cars that registries have been established for some 20 years or better, these cars do not total more than 7000 cars of each type in their combined number of years of production....still my cars are not included, again personal choice,  it all depends entirely on each individual either knowing of the register or wanting to be included in the registry...

 

if one is seeking to own a car of a certain make or model..there are other avenues to ascertain availability and eventual purchase..it basically depends on one diligence in searching these models out...I spent a good number of years trying to find the cars I have...of course...some are always being flipped at certain auctions, that source is usually reserved for deep pockets...it is all pay to play and just what level you wish to jump in..

[captden29]

Plymouthy, how does one know if their car has a dedicated registry? I would be curious to know about my 1954 Windsor convertible. only 500 were made.   captain den

[Uncle-Pekka]

Wayfarer roadsters for sale currently;

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/dodge/wayfarer

[Plymouthy Adams]

captden29, on 25 Jan 2015 - 12:49 PM, said:

Plymouthy, how does one know if their car has a dedicated registry? I would be curious to know about my 1954 Windsor convertible. only 500 were made.   captain den

usually one can find them on the internet by model and the word registry

 

 

if nothing else, contact the POC itself and make an inquiry...they may know right off if there is one out there.  a lot of the registries were the brainchild of a dedicated owner who would seek out owner through clubs, forums and events to compile a list of fellow owners.  This may be something you could start if you come up empty handed.  Good Luck

[robt]

My guess is that quite a good number of the restored cars will make a registry but a smaller percentage of unrestored cars will make it on a registry. My father has 2 wafayer roadsters both non restored but both titled cars and neither is on a registry. He has been trying to talk me into restoring one of them. I think I would need one more donor car and it wouldnt need to be a roadster. I need to finish my 47 truck before i get to serious about that project. Probably my best opportunity at owning a rare old Mopar.

Rob

[Dodgeb4ya]

I think there are quite a few 1949-52 roadsters out there.

There are at least six or more here in the great northwest. The cars are kinda unique and for that reason a lot were saved from the scrapper to be fixed up at a later date.

[Dan Hiebert]

Don't know how one would pursue it, but each State can account for any year/model/etc. car registered in that State.  One of my employees here in NY has a Mercury Monterrey convertible (forget the year).  When he registered it with NY, they told him he has the only one registered in the entire state.  When we were still living in Texas, a friend had a 1945 Ford PU that was one of only two registered in Texas - according to Texas DMV.  That wouldn't account for vehicles that aren't registered, though.  I'd heard in the past that there are people that can check for you - for a fee of course - but with current privacy issues, that may not be doable anymore. 

[wayfarerstranger]

Had a 52 Wayfarer Coupe I drove for years traded it a few years back . Still have 2 Wayfarer convertibles a 49 & a 50 hopefully will have them rolling down the road in the near future , great looking cars !

[Robin (UK)]

When I got my convertible, about 10 years ago, I contacted Jim Benjaminson about his list of survivors.
His estimate was that up to 200 P15 convertibles survive, worldwide.

That would be about 1.33% - and I imagine he's fairly close with that figure.

I just did a google search and found this interesting information on an AACA Forum thread.

1% of total P15 production would mean that there are about 11,000 cars out there.

 

 

 

FROM AACA FORUM

For several years, I have been collecting all kinds of data about Buicks in relation to their frame and engine numbers for the years from 1904 thru 1958. It now is complete and covers about 9.6 million Buicks. Much of the data was compiled and checked using survivor cars, since if my ideas about how Buick did things was correct, the survivors must fit the patterns of numbers that research finds. The compiled data is the "theory", the cars themselves are the "facts".
Based on this, it appears that the survival rate runs around 1% of the cars built. Some years (1939's as an example were notorious for overheating) are lower. Survival rates of convertibles and convertible sedans run higher.
One thing seems to be true of all survivors. That is the fact that when the car was from 12 to 25 years old, it was owned by someone who "loved" it and took care of it. That gets it thru the period when it's only an "old car", and it becomes a "survivor"
I would like to hear others in the hobby comment on this subject.

[Andydodge]

Robin, that P15 convert figure sounds reasonable to me, however the total P15 figure of 11,000 seems completely over the top, I have NO figures or anything to back up my statement apart from the fact that 11,000 seems just a huge number........from my own experience here in Oz and with my own car and my level of expertise being the Oz 1940 Dodge I bought my Coupe in 1969, pulled it apart as all 15yr olds do, have seen or heard of 3 others since then, total of 4.....I bought the 1940 Dodge Sedan in 1971, originally to use as a parts car but found it was too good to do that to so started restoring it, then saw the light and hot-rodded it.......lol.....but have also purchased 5 other 1940 Dodge sedan parts cars over the yrs for spares.....have only ever seen 4 other "restored or going 1940 Dodge Sedans since I purchased mine.........and I have been involved in the restored car/hotrod side of things at various individual and club levels........so even tho I'm in Australia and I have no experience of the USA I still think that 11,000 vehicle figure is exceptionally high, my "gut" feeling is that realistically that figure is 25-30% too high if not more........but......am happy to be proven wrong.......what says others?....btw my car is body # 475 of who knows how many were built but no more than 1000......so my personal knowledge is of 9 in total...........Andy Douglas

[Robin (UK)]

Hi Andy,

I'm not suggesting that we should expect there to be 11,000 cars out there.
I'm just pointing out that 1% would give that figure - which has to be the upper end of the estimate for the likely total of survivors, even if you include unrestored cars, parts cars, street rods, customs, etc.
It would be great to know, but it's largely down to guesswork.

[wayfarerstranger]

In 1949 3,433 Plymouth Woodie's were built about 30 or so are known to exist , may be a few more stashed away but couldn't be to many .

[ChrisRice]

usually one can find them on the internet by model and the word registry

 

 

if nothing else, contact the POC itself and make an inquiry...they may know right off if there is one out there.  a lot of the registries were the brainchild of a dedicated owner who would seek out owner through clubs, forums and events to compile a list of fellow owners.  This may be something you could start if you come up empty handed.  Good Luck

 

As some of you may or may not know, I design websites and even have a Mopar dedicated website.  I have thought of creating online registries of some of our classic cars (as far as I know, my car line does not have a registry dedicated to it.  My question is this:  If I were to design an online registry for various Plymouth/Dodge lines, would any of you be interested in adding your vehicles to it? ( I would, of course, make it easy for other website owners to include it into their websites for versatility purposes).

Edited February 1, 2015 by ChrisRice