Studes and parts vanishing in my area...
The mountains of western NC were once filled with old Studebakers, some still in use and others just sitting and rotting away. I hardly ever ran across one that was actually covered. But since companies have been paying good $$$ for scrap metal, even the hulks are disappearing like hotcakes. I've been running an ad locally offering to buy Studes and/or parts. But, there's been virtually no response for the past month. This result corresponds with the pitiful listings in the local trade papers and on Craigslist. All you see these days are the same old over-priced vehicles. And most of these cars are 4-dr six-bangers or have been switched to Chevy power or some other brand x engine.
There have been only a couple notable exceptions in the last year. One fellow near Lenoir, NC had a nice 2-dr '65 V-8 with a 10' paint job. But I already have a '66 Commander, and really wasn't too interested. Another goofball near Statesville put out an ad a '63 R1 Avanti for $2800. I called him and offered to pay cash and have it picked up sight unseen, except for the pics, in the ad. But somebody else had called him earlier in the day and was trying to get the $$$ together. The owner hadn't actually promised the car to them cause they couldn't even leave a deposit. So I offered to pay $3k cash and have it picked up that day. But the owner knew nothing about Studebakers, let alone Avanti's, and was clueless. He also felt obligated to wait on a potential buyer who had no $$$. The car ad stayed up for a month. Each time I called the owner back, he was still waiting to get paid. After nearly 30 days, I called and he proudly said the guy had come by that very morning and picked up the car. Wait 30 days and get $200 less - go figure.
We also lost a key source of old parts. K & K Auto Parts in Lenoir, which was originally a Hudson dealership back in the 1950's, sold out their entire vintage stock of parts to somebody from the Winston-Salem area. These guys had some VERY old NOS merchandise for Mopars, Ramblers, Studes, etc. Certainly they didn't have most of what I checked on. But over the years they sold me motor mounts and a clutch, press plate and throw-out bearing for my '66 Commander. They also had a genuine rebuilt hi-amp Prestolite alternator for my '63 Avanti. It cost me $20 with no exchange. Which was great cause somebody had replaced the original Avanti alternator on my car with a standard Prestolite. Now this valuable resource is extinct.
I suspect the prices of our existing Studebakers go up in value every time somebody dooms one to the crusher. But I grieve for all the Studes that have been wasted over the last 40 years because obstinate owners would rather see them sit and rot rather than take a fair price. Nearly all the owners I couldn't strike a deal with are long dead and most took their Studes with them to the graveyard.
There have been only a couple notable exceptions in the last year. One fellow near Lenoir, NC had a nice 2-dr '65 V-8 with a 10' paint job. But I already have a '66 Commander, and really wasn't too interested. Another goofball near Statesville put out an ad a '63 R1 Avanti for $2800. I called him and offered to pay cash and have it picked up sight unseen, except for the pics, in the ad. But somebody else had called him earlier in the day and was trying to get the $$$ together. The owner hadn't actually promised the car to them cause they couldn't even leave a deposit. So I offered to pay $3k cash and have it picked up that day. But the owner knew nothing about Studebakers, let alone Avanti's, and was clueless. He also felt obligated to wait on a potential buyer who had no $$$. The car ad stayed up for a month. Each time I called the owner back, he was still waiting to get paid. After nearly 30 days, I called and he proudly said the guy had come by that very morning and picked up the car. Wait 30 days and get $200 less - go figure.
We also lost a key source of old parts. K & K Auto Parts in Lenoir, which was originally a Hudson dealership back in the 1950's, sold out their entire vintage stock of parts to somebody from the Winston-Salem area. These guys had some VERY old NOS merchandise for Mopars, Ramblers, Studes, etc. Certainly they didn't have most of what I checked on. But over the years they sold me motor mounts and a clutch, press plate and throw-out bearing for my '66 Commander. They also had a genuine rebuilt hi-amp Prestolite alternator for my '63 Avanti. It cost me $20 with no exchange. Which was great cause somebody had replaced the original Avanti alternator on my car with a standard Prestolite. Now this valuable resource is extinct.
I suspect the prices of our existing Studebakers go up in value every time somebody dooms one to the crusher. But I grieve for all the Studes that have been wasted over the last 40 years because obstinate owners would rather see them sit and rot rather than take a fair price. Nearly all the owners I couldn't strike a deal with are long dead and most took their Studes with them to the graveyard.
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