Buying a 1950 Champion

[moparguy]

Hi all -- new to the forum. I'm in the process of buying a 1950 Champion 3 passenger
business coupe. It's the bullet nose that got me. Seller lives about a half-hour from
my house and I'll be driving down there next week to take a more thorough look at the car
and make a deal if it looks good. Is there anything in particular I need to look for on
this car? I haven't been able to look under the hood to check the condition of the engine,
but the body looks very solid -- no rust visible, even crawling around checking out
the underbody and frame. The car has supposedly been driven recently -- about a month
ago, although it had been stored for some time before that. I plan on bringing a new
battery to get it going. It certainly needs new tires and the interior is pretty rough,
but fixable. Are there any big headaches to watch out for on this thing? I also own a
pre-war Chrysler, so I'm no babe in the woods -- just looking for the pitfalls.

[BShaw]

Personally, I think the fact that it's a bulletnose business coupe immediately outweighs any concerns that could be voiced about the car. Sweet! The biz coupes are hard to come by and the ones that are on the road deserve (and get) a lot of added attention. Basically, '50 Studebakers (like most all Studes) are pretty simple, straightforward and reliable automobiles... nothing real funky to worry about. Pretty much everything you need to get it running and keep it running is available from Studebaker parts vendors, Ebay or fellow SDC members. That Champion motor is no speed demon but there are upgrades you can do to make it pretty darned zippy (eg. Bonneville Salt Flats!). If you buy it, please consider joining the SDC and a local SDC chapter near you.

-Webmaster

[mjeansonne]

I agree, its a pretty sweet little car. I had a 1950 Champion with od back in the early 80's that I drove when I decided to go back to Law School. I drove it between Baton Rouge and Alexandria Louisiana a distance of 115 miles, one way. Since my family stayed in Alexandria, I was always eager to get home as soon as possible on Fridays! I would tuck myself behind an 18 wheeler and follow him home at speeds of 70 mph! The Champ never missed a beat!! It was the most dependable car we had!! I wouldn't advise traveling that fast, but... Best of luck.