Is 1953 or 1954 better

[Hallabutt]

Just curious, but I think I know the answer. Within a short period of time there may be a 1954 Commander Starliner htp coming up for sale. I don't have pictures, but I know the car pretty well. A dealer has made an offer on the estate, in which it's located. In going over the available cars, this one seems to be overlooked by everyone. I brought the car up to the dealer, who was less then complimentary towards it's condition and the fact that it was a 54 and not a 53. He tried to tell me that everyone wants a 53 not a 54. I pushed back, but would like to ask if anyone has experienced any animus regarding a 1954. Maybe better said is there any reason to believe that 53's are held in higher regard then 54's? IMO the opposite should be true, what say you?

Bill

[6hk71400]

For those in the Studebaker know, the 54 offered many upgrades in build quality, brakes and all the teething problems were solved over the 53. Just my opinion, the "teeth" in the grille from an aesthetic standpoint seems to take a slap at the purity of the clean smooth 53 front end.

1954 was a bad year for all manufacturers except for Ford and Chevrolet. The blitz they waged damaged and caused merger fever with the four remaining independents.

Bob Miles

[ddub]

I think for a non Studebaker person you always hear about the 53, never the 54. As a Studebaker person I would prefer a 54 and change the grill if I couldn't live with it.

[64studeavanti]

Didn't Wayne Carini from Chasing Classic Cars purchase an original 54 in pristine condition?

[Bo Markham]

54's are the worst! Junk, junk, junk! Send it to the scrap yard! A dime a dozen! No body wants aaany of them! I'd give him $50.00 just to haul it off for him!!!!!!! Ok, $100.00!!!!!!!!

Don't listen to anything anyone else says about them! It's all a great big conspiracy!!!! They really were all made of recycled beer cans!!!!!!!! Wayne Carini was beer, er I mean brain washed!!!!!

So, when can I come pick it up???????

Bo

[Jeffry Cassel]

Carini did --I think it had about 7k miles on it. And he didn't 'murder'it or put gross wheels on it! I'd say the 54 was better 'cause in 53 they did not use the "batwing" crossmember , which ,it turned out was pretty important if you wanted the doors to open and close halfway properly.

[StudeRich]

At some point in Late '53 Production or possibly not until '54, they got rid of the unsightly Panel Join seam line across the Lower part of the "C" Pillar, the Larger, Self Actuating Brakes and #2 Crossmember were the HUGE improvements on '54's.

The only reason some people value '53's higher is they were the first and most recognizable of that Great Bob Bourke Design.
When it comes to Quality of the build, there is NO Question which is the winner.

Here is the '54 Commander Starliner that Wayne bought from the Original Owner's Family.

[Hallabutt]

Thanks guys! We hold these truths to be self evident, that not all Studebakers were created equal. Excuse the bastardization of the "Declaration of Independence" but I've owned numerous Studebakers over the years, one takeaway that has been with me from day one, 1953's were among the worst cars that they produced. I believe that if I had purchased one, when it was new, it would have been my last Studebaker. Sixty eight years later, time has become the great equalizer. Just saying that people prefer 1953's doesn't make it so.

[J_Cole]

I own 2 54’s, the Starliner known as S2D and a Starlight, both Commanders. I’ve dreamt of owning a 53 since I was 18 months old and it’s funny that I ended up with two 54’s. To say one car is better than another in classic cars is a pointless exercise, of course a 54 is better than a 53 with the frame improvements and other things they updated and a 64 GT is better still. A modern hatchback is even better, handles and steers better, faster, and better fuel economy.

S2D is a 54 but has the 53 grilles which ups the desirability factor big time in my opinion. I recently saw someone on Facebook asking to trade 54 grilles for 53’s and i didn’t follow the thread but have a feeling they will struggle to find any takers. 54’s are held back on the desirability index because of the grilles I think and it’s an easy (albeit somewhat expensive) fix if someone is so inclined. I am happy that I ended up with 2 54’s at the end of the day because they are indeed better cars.

i have jacked up the yellow 54, Moira, several times and then been unable to open a door. If the 54 frames are that flexible, I’m afraid to see just how bad 53’s are. That doesn’t prevent from one day tracking down an original red and white 53 though 😀

its the desirability aspect that drives classic car values and is often totally irrational what drives that desirability. A 53 red and white Starliner is, hands down, one of the prettiest cars ever made. The toothy grin on the 54’s is like giving a super model braces. Still gorgeous but you know there is something better

[studegary]

The 1953 is more desirable and therefore worth more because it is the first of the design and it is cleaner appearing (parking light assemblies and front bumperettes). The 1954 had improvements that can be adapted to a 1953 (brakes and bat wing crossmember).

I have owned multiples of both years.

Relative to Rich's post, the C-pillar seam was eliminated VERY early in the 1953 model year (very few production cars) and there were even instructions to dealers to fill the seams on earlier cars.

[Hallabutt]

The 1953 is more desirable and therefore worth more because it is the first of the design and it is cleaner appearing (parking light assemblies and front bumperettes). The 1954 had improvements that can be adapted to a 1953 (brakes and bat wing crossmember).

I have owned multiples of both years.

Relative to Rich's post, the C-pillar seam was eliminated VERY early in the 1953 model year (very few production cars) and there were even instructions to dealers to fill the seams on earlier cars.

Well my first car back in 1961 was one of those early Starliners. I herewith attest to all of those quirks of the original, and many more. If they in fact they are more sot after now, they sure weren't in the days when we had to depend on them for transportation. I too had multiples of both, and there is nothing endearing about the 53. But I'm old school, a car has to prove itself as a car before I will accept it as a piece of art. That's why I prefer a 55, to either the 53 or a 54. Small changes to the grille and the taillights can't overcome the failings of the original.

[studegary]

Well my first car back in 1961 was one of those early Starliners. I herewith attest to all of those quirks of the original, and many more. If they in fact they are more sot after now, they sure weren't in the days when we had to depend on them for transportation. I too had multiples of both, and there is nothing endearing about the 53. But I'm old school, a car has to prove itself as a car before I will accept it as a piece of art. That's why I prefer a 55, to either the 53 or a 54. Small changes to the grille and the taillights can't overcome the failings of the original.

I agree with you from a transportation value in the past, but we are referring to collector/current market value. I can't imagine that anyone is now using an unmodified 1953 or 1954 for regular transportation. I had prior Studebakers, but my first 1953 Commander Starliner was in 1964.

[Noxnabaker]

If the toth grille had come in -53 as a follower from -52 then this thread wouldn't have been...
(I'm a guy with bad(!) taste; I would go for a -54 Starlight any day over a -53 & rather than any 53-55 hard top.)

[studegary]

If the toth grille had come in -53 as a follower from -52 then this thread wouldn't have been...
(I'm a guy with bad(!) taste; I would go for a -54 Starlight any day over a -53 & rather than any 53-55 hard top.)

I guess that my and Bob Bourke's taste are different than yours. Bob did own a 1954 Starliner, that he bought new, for many decades, but he had removed the original parking light assemblies (grille bars) and replaced them with mesh and replaced the '54 bumperettes with '53s.

[Hallabutt]

Since I started this thread I guess I should apologize for personally getting off track in #11. I want to make it clear that I like all Studebakers. After six or seven decades, for me it's all about condition. I've run through my adolescent preoccupation with having to make every car that I own better. Part of the change was appreciation of a survivors history (story) and part is the pure economics of being a collector. In my previous mindset I was able to restore or refurbish a few cars to a high standard. I'm no longer willing or able to do that today. The cars that interest me today are survivors that require only minimal work.

When the dealer with whom I was discussing the 54 Starliner, indicated that there was no interest in the 54, I pushed back. I really wanted to know from you if there was a movement out in the collector world that didn't like 54's. In all honesty I have seen some strange things in our Studebaker world, as some cars, and models are elevated in importance, while others diminished. My question was, and is there some quirk of revisionist history that would have made the 54 undesirable to today's fickle collector?

Bill