car values - crazy comparison

[Robin (UK)]

Guys,

This fairly tidy looking P15 convertible failed to meet its reserve on Ebay and hit a top bid of only $15,300.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Plymouth-Special-Deluxe-1948-Plymouth-2-Door-Convertible_W0QQitemZ260218996827QQihZ016QQcategoryZ6387QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This rough Ch*vy is already at $12,000 with 5 days to go!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Fleetmaster-Convertible-Street-Rod-1948-48-Chevy-Chevrolet-Convertible-Street-Rod-Rat-Rod_W0QQitemZ160219133076QQihZ006QQcategoryZ6173QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Everything's in the name!!!

[Norm's Coupe]

Fords and Chevys have always been more popular than the Plymouth.

That said, you really can't determine the value of old cars by those sold or listed on ebay. You either get bidders that bid low or ones that bid way too high. The best way to get what the cars are worth is in something like the Old Cars Weekly price guide, and others like it. Even that price is not exact, it's just the average selling price. Most P15 convertibles in good shape usually will sell for around $24,000 to $32,000, regardless of what the price guide says. A real nice 46 - 48 Ford Convertible will usually go for around $35,000 to $45,000 in the same condition as the P15 would be.

[BobT-47P15]

Reminds me of how the top was when I got my car......

Not too bad for it's age, but the car needs everything re-done.

[BobT-47P15]

Actually, I think the Plymouth was in notably better condition than the

Chevy. But as has been said, Chevys and Ferds have always been more

popular than Plymouths.

[Jim Saraceno]

So the bad news is out cars aren't worth as much, the good news is their more affordable.

I've always had an attraction to things that are under-appreciated rather than over-priced.

My '35 would be worth twice as much if it was a Ford or a coupe but it would have been out of my price range.

The fact is, if I was going to buy a new car in 1935, it would probably have been the one that I would have bought. Four door sedan with a built in trunk. The grocery-getter - mini-van of it's day.

[Plymouthy Adams]

sad to say the Ford and Chevies are enjoying psoitive sales..but that is because of the huge aftermarket insudtriy geared up around them,..even sadder is the fact that mopar has shot its motor history in the foot by not allowing a cottage industry around these cars..

[mackster]

Your so right, there is this idea that, it must be a furd or chubby to be a good business buy... I say, you can keep away from the mopars, that's O.K. more for us...

[bigred48]

I know that if my Plymouth was priced like a ford, it would be a long time before I would have been able to buy a old car. If it wasn't for the lower price of mopars i would not be able to have all the fun i'm having today. it is a great way to enter.

[Norm's Coupe]

I was actually looking for a Chevy when I ran across my coupe in April of 95. Still didn't buy the coupe then though, kept looking for the Chevy. Then finally in June of 95 at a swap meet was looking at a 48 Chevy coupe. The Chevy was in about the same condition as the Plymouth was in at the time, but twice the cost of the Plymouth. Brother in law was with me at the time. Told him about the Plymouth coupe for half the money on the SE side of the city. We left the swap meet, drove over to the house the Plymouth was at, looked at it some more. Gave the guy $100 deposit and told him I'd pick it up the next day around noon.

Prior to that all the Chevy's I had looked at for the past year were twice the amount of my coupe, except for a 52 Chevy coupe I found. It was only about a third of what my Plymouth cost, but...............something had died in that thing and I couldn't bring myself to even get into that car, it stunk so bad.

[Robin (UK)]

Hey guys,

I was just trying to use the comparison to illustrate the point that either Chevy and Ford are overpriced or Mopar is undervalued.

I think it's great that we can have such great cars for less cash.

And the 40s Mopars are certainly (at least) the equal of the other makes.

It seems like we are guardians of the classic car world's worst kept secret!!!

[greg g]

If they were sitting side by side, it shuld certainly be apparent as to which car had more value for the buyer. Bsides that Chevy is butt ugly. all out pf proportion and lines going everwhere.

[Norm's Coupe]

People buying and collecting old cars and other antiques are usually doing it for nostalgia purposes. Back in the 30's - 50's Ford and Chevy was the most popular cars. That was because there was more of them and they were cheaper. Not only that but Ford had the V8 and Mopar didn't until the Red Ram in the early 50's. Plus they were cheaper to buy. So.........the younger people (teenagers) usually went with the Ford and Chevy because they were cheaper and easier to hot rod. So..........now that those teenagers and people who grew up then are older looking for both nostalgia and old cars look for what they had as a kid. In this case, Fords and Chevy's. Of course over time the old Fords and Chevy's got harder to find and the prices for them went up because of that. The old "Supply and Demand" force raised the prices, not the quality of the product.

Now, with those getting harder to find the Mopar's are starting to catch up.

[Tony Cipponeri]

Yeah, You can buy a mopar cheaper, But we have to pay more for our parts than ford or chevies. The later muscle cars are even worse. Tony C

[FMSPEED49]

The mopar has no title, this to most severly affects the value.

[wilmot andy]

Don't know if anyone saw, but there was a beautiful 1940 Plymouth on ebay, Not too far from me in Illinois. It was grey and had a visor.

[Normspeed]

Missed that one. I love 41 coupes, and the 39s and 40s are great too.