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Selling my 52. What $ should I ask?

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  • Selling my 52. What $ should I ask?

    I'm going to be selling my 52. Wondering what I should be asking for it. Probably going to go the Ebay and Craigslist route to start with. Or, if anyone is interested, let me know.



    Sorry for the long description but here it is:

    1952 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe
    V8
    3 speed with overdrive
    hill holder
    Pertronix electronic ignition and new coil
    Everything works! I've driven the car over 4000 miles in the last 3 years and it's always performed beautifully. Drives down the highway at 70MPH smoothly and easily. I bought a 62 GT Hawk and am now offering this for sale.

    All the following work done within the last 3 years:

    Rear differential pinion seal and cover replaced
    steering gear box pitman seal replaced
    valve cover gasket replaced
    front and rear crank seals replaced
    timing cover gasket replaced
    oil pan gasket replaced
    chassis lubricated

    Replaced king pins
    Rebuilt carb
    front end alignment
    new muffler
    new clutch
    new wheel bearings
    master cylinder rebuilt
    new shocks
    gas tank removed, cleaned, sealed and painted
    new rear transmission mount

    all new wiring except the heater fan motor, turn signal switch thru the column and wiper motor. The wire harness was made to be an exact match except it is vinyl covered, not cloth like the original.
    new voltage regulator
    under dash cd player with 6 to 12V converter and dual voice coil speaker (all can be removed with no damage to car. The original radio had been mostly gutted but the dial still lights.
    non stock antenna
    gauges taken apart and cleaned and fully functioning
    the speedometer bounces at low speeds
    All lights work

    new carpet and pad from Phantom
    interior door and back seat panels new, headliner is perfect
    kick panels covered with vinyl.

    window regulators cleaned and re-greased
    no cracks in glass but windshield is a bit pitted and scratched
    new cat whiskers
    door locks don't unlock with key but can be locked from the inside. (I just left one of the vent windows unlatched when I wanted to lock the doors.)
    trunk doesn't lock but has latch

    tires have good tread but are at least 6 years old
    wheel covers are incorrect year

    entire floor covered with dyna-mat type material for sound deadening
    original seat upholstery is faded and worn on the front seat which is covered with vintage looking seat cover
    front seat belts

    car was restored in New York about 13 years ago. Paint is very nice. Incredibly smooth.
    chromed pot metal trim pieces just ok
    grille chrome is pitted and has chunk missing but it's not too noticeable
    bumpers are beautiful

    I have many more pictures to include but didn't want to make this too much longer!

    1952 Commander Starlight
    Green Lake, WI

  • #2
    Nice car, No idea on value and my creditors would appreciate it if I didnt buy anything else for a few days anyway. But,Please let us know what you decide to ask for it. Thanks,Steve

    sigpic

    Comment


    • #3
      Prob'ly way outta my league but I'd love the other pix. Can you send them to the e-mail address listed in my profile, please?

      John

      Comment


      • #4
        You're killing me! I've always said that I would like to have a Commander Starlight coupe and this one looks like it would be perfect. Unfortunately, I am in the position of not being able to afford what I've got, so buying this one is out of the question.


        1952 Champion Starlight w/overdrive. Searcy, Arkansas
        "I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."
        "In the heart of Arkansas."
        Searcy, Arkansas
        1952 Commander 2 door. Really fine 259.
        1952 2R pickup

        Comment


        • #5
          Just put it on eBay with a low starting bid and a reserve at the absolute lowest that you would be willing to sell it for (not what you have in it).

          Gary L.
          Wappinger, NY

          SDC member since 1968
          Studebaker enthusiast much longer
          Gary L.
          Wappinger, NY

          SDC member since 1968
          Studebaker enthusiast much longer

          Comment


          • #6
            Set the reserve crazy high. That way, if a lot of people get excited about it, they won't hit the reserve early, lowering the enthusiasm. The reserve price is the value indicator, as seen thru the seller's eyes, which may or may not match current market trends (or an individual buyer's estimate of its value). Plus, when you lower the reserve near the end of the auction, everybody interested will receive an email about it and a reminder that your car is still available. I've had a lot of bids right after lowering the reserve just one dollar.

            Comment


            • #7
              Somebody give him a dollar value to shoot for! I'm dying to see what it is valued at. I have never considered a car of this quality, so I'm not the one to start giving prices. Doug

              Venice, Florida
              1950 Champion 9G F1

              Comment


              • #8
                How about the range of 7500-10,000?

                John Clements
                Avantilover, your South Australian Studebaker lover!!!
                Lockleys South Australia
                John Clements
                Christchurch, New Zealand

                Comment


                • #9
                  For a lot of us here on the forum...giving a price would be a conflict of interest. My thought about value of a car is that it is a matter of perspective. If you are trying to "buy"...you want to diminish the value of it so you can buy it as cheap as possible. If you are trying to "Sell"...then the objective is to elevate the value as much as possible in order to get the highest price. If you are merely an observer then you can just pull any figure out of thin air. Some folks on the forum are regular buyers and sellers and could give a credible estimate. I am certainly not one of them. I would like to see you hang on to your car and enjoy the club activities with it.

                  John Clary
                  Greer, SC

                  Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
                  SDC member since 1975
                  John Clary
                  Greer, SC

                  SDC member since 1975

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    The October 2009 Old Car Guide has the following:
                    1952 Commander Regal Starlight coupe
                    #3 $9,900
                    #2 $15,400
                    1952 Commander State Starlight coupe
                    #3 $10,350
                    #2 $16,100

                    A #1 car is a museum piece or trailer queen
                    A #4 needs some work

                    I have found that many folks look to get a lot more than they are worth, but found in the long run that cars that do sell are not far off the Old Car Price Guide numbers.



                    Comment


                    • #11
                      quote:Originally posted by mdelapp

                      The October 2009 Old Car Guide has the following:
                      1952 Commander Regal Starlight coupe
                      #3 $9,900
                      #2 $15,400
                      1952 Commander State Starlight coupe
                      #3 $10,350
                      #2 $16,100

                      I think the OCPG is out to lunch on this one.

                      The '52 is not the most popular Studebaker. It takes a special buyer to appreciate it. The audience is relatively small. OTOH, the '51 is one of THE MOST popular Studebakers. Most everyone loves the bullet nose.

                      OCPG prices the '51 Regal and State Starlight coupes over $1k LESS than the '52's. This is just backwards to the actual market. In fact, I'd lean MUCH more than $1k to the 51's over the 52's.

                      NADA (BTW) is $4-7k OVER OCPG. A #2 State Starlight is listed at $23.5 [:0].

                      OCPG is high (IMHO). NADA is laughably high.

                      Just from the few pictures and limited description, I'd say this car is not quite a #3. The inexpensive seat covers and "OK" chrome will knock it down from a solid #3. The incorrect wheels, wheel covers, and tires will most likely not appeal to the relatively small group that is attracted to the 52's.

                      If the paint is as good as it looks, my guess is that the car would sell for $5-7k in today's market.

                      Gary's suggestion on eBay is a good one. With the right listing, you will know exactly what the car is worth. I could easily be F.O.S. (won't be the first time [^])

                      Dick Steinkamp
                      Bellingham, WA

                      Dick Steinkamp
                      Bellingham, WA

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I agree with Steinkamp on the price. It has taken me many years to really appreciate the 52 design. Quite frankly, I think that if the engineering and design teams had been able to get what turned out to be the 53 prepared and approved sooner...the 52 would have never existed. The 53's would have been the Centennial cars for the company. 1952 was a difficult year given the shortages of some materials due to the Korean war and the 52's of nearly all brands of vehicles were rather uninspiring and nearly every-body's chrome of that year was deteriorating as it sat on the dealer floor waiting to be sold. There is someone "out there" who for what ever reason would still prefer that car over any other and the key is to have the patience, time and proper exposure for the customer to discover the car.

                        John Clary
                        Greer, SC

                        Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
                        SDC member since 1975
                        John Clary
                        Greer, SC

                        SDC member since 1975

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I think it is a beautiful car regardless.

                          I second the recommendation to put the car up for auction with a reserve price set at the amount you have to get out of it or higher.

                          If it does not sell you will still have the experience and know what the bidders say your car is worth.

                          The biggest problems you have right now is that it is a buyers market due to our current economic woes and the current trends are 1960's and 1970's muscle cars.

                          Comment


                          • #14

                            Originally posted by Dick Steinkamp

                            I could easily be F.O.S. (won't be the first time [^])

                            Originally posted by Studedude
                            [u]SAY IT AIN'T SO!</u>


                            Full Of Smiles?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Book prices are just that - someones idea of a number to publish. 50 years ago, the used car lot owner that I was working for told me that 100 dollar bills do not fall out of the books (price guides). I have always remembered that and lived by it. The last car that I sold on eBay (recently - two months ago) had a book value of $7200 and I sold it on eBay for $3250. Everybody was okay. That is what the car was worth that week.

                              Gary L.
                              Wappinger, NY

                              SDC member since 1968
                              Studebaker enthusiast much longer
                              Gary L.
                              Wappinger, NY

                              SDC member since 1968
                              Studebaker enthusiast much longer

                              Comment

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