1959 Silver Hawk, One Owner

[Ridealong]

Hello Everyone,

I am new here and I’m hoping to get some advice. In 1959 my uncle purchased a brand new Silver Hawk Coupe and never sold it. He recently passed and I am tasked with selling the car. I’d love to keep it, but the estate outstanding debt won’t allow for that.

I have discovered that my uncle meticulously retained every document associated with the car, from the initial transfer and loan documents with receipt for each payment, to every single receipt for repairs over the life of the car. He stopped driving it about 10 years ago because of a “knock” at speed in the engine and drove my ‘91 Miata until his passing.

The car I think is in great shape for its age. Paint is fine (yellowish white), interior in good condition (red), all original although I’m sure the engine was rebuilt a time or two over the car’s life (I haven’t gone through all the receipts to see when). My mechanic has drained the gas tank, replaced all the hoses, replaced the brakes all around, changed the oil and will fire it up soon.

My question is how best to go about marketing the car. Do collectors care about the fact it’s a one owner with all the paperwork? Any suggestions about the best sites or auctions to advertise? Any ideas about price?

Your feedback will be very much appreciated. I was thrilled to find this website as I am a novice with regard to this car.

[(S)]

Automatics with high miles are known to 'knock' due to cracks in the flex plate. About a 30 dollar part, some labor to pull the trans and bell housing.

Timing gears get chipped teeth and 'knock' quite often, or just stop running. Another day labor job to fix.

If it is an internal engine bearing rod knock, the engine will need a decent overhaul. Drain the oil. If it looks like metallic paint, it is some internal engine damage.

Having all the documentation is always good. Knowing about its repair history does add value if the repairs were done routinely.

If it is all there, and chrome and everything that wears is good one could low ball park it between 4-6 K if it ran/drove. If it is in really good shape it is more. I would suggest comparing it to other cars in the market places. Ebay, craigslist, and even right here. There are ads on the SDC page . Pictures would be helpful. Nice drivers and older restos seem to run 12- 16K . Fresh, restored ones near 20 k . I have no way to be exact without seeing it.

Sorry for your loss, hope this helps

[Ridealong]

Thanks so much for your response. I appreciate the feedback. I will start looking into some of those resources. I will also post some pictures.

[studegary]

Based on what information is available, I will "second" everything that (S) has posted (post #2).
I have bought and sold more than 50 Studebakers and have worked on many more.

I recommend putting it on eBay with some pictures and a good, honest description and include some of the history. Start with a very low opening bid to get the auction going and have a reserve that you can live with. The market will tell you today's real valuation. Price guides are almost useless, especially with Studebakers where so few change hands publicly.

[Ridealong]

Thanks a lot Larry. I’m in Southern California and the prices on Craigslist really seem to run the gamut from really high to middling so this should be an interesting process.

[creegster]

Craigslist is VERY different than ebay.

I did a search on Ebay and here are the successfully SOLD Hawks on ebay. Note that they are different years

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_Sold=1&_from=R40&_nkw=studebaker+silver+hawk&_sacat=6001&_fosrp=1

Both ebay and Craigslist: you can post any item for sale at any price- what really matters is whether it sells or not. I could put my 59 Lark up there with an asking price of $50,000. No one will buy it, so that doesnt tell me much about the going price. You will need to do a bit of research and it will help to narrow down the price window between the 2 sites.

[Ridealong]

Thanks a lot for the feedback. So, it looks like EBay is the recommended way to go based on the listings you posted? Probably gets a much wider audience than craigslist. Clearly a lot I have to figure out about where this car fits in the scheme of things.

[creegster]

You can also check out Bring a Trailer
https://bringatrailer.com/search/studebaker+hawk/

I dont know much about them though.

There are other places to sell, but those are the places I can think of.

good luck!

[(S)]

Ebay may be the way to go, but check the car over first and be prepared to get swamped with dumb questions if you don't. Words are free, so describe it as best you can. Good pictures of everything is a must.

Check the flex plate and other things mentioned. There is an inspection cover that removes easy and it should take 20 minutes to see what is in there. The fuel pump can also 'knock' and the timing gear is a bit more work to check, but as these age, it probably needs one anyway so it is fresh for many more miles.

A long screw driver can be used to hear the pump and the timing gear. If the knock is closer to the rear, it could be a rod or flex plate.


An 'unknown' knock can kill a sale, but if it is a simple fix, you won't be giving up thousands of dollars. Good luck.

[Hallabutt]

My two cents. Documentation has become all important when dealing with an original one owner car. The story has become a very sot after addenda for an original car. If it actually has it's original paint, interior, and is unmolested the value might be substantially more. However, the originality won't overcome significant condition issues of your car. Verifying the mechanical issues, can mean as much as 50% to the value of your car.

I agree with with eBay as an important showcase for your car, but presentation and timing can make all the difference in the world for showing the car in it's best light. Crisp detailed pictures and lots of definitive information. There should be no guesswork when a buyer is thinking about pushing the button that may signal his purchase, "the devil is in the detail." Try not to let any questions go unanswered. This is not a good time of year to sell your car, wait until spring.

There are several people who contribute to this forum who have done an great job at showcasing on eBay, I hope that you can look at some of their work. Good luck-we love pictures too!
Bill

[creegster]

Agree with Hallabutt-

Presentation is everything. This is a VERY snarky take on that, but it can provide some motivation and inspiration

https://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/bangshiftxl-spotlight/chadmouth-virtually-everyone-selling-something-facebook-imbecile/