WOW! Lee D's R2 Wagonaire FS!

[58PackardWagon]

Wasn't this the R series wagon that the guy sold and his wife didn't know it. He died shortly after that transaction. A little while later she then sold it to someone else. Then when the original purchaser showed up, the car was gone and she had to refund him his money? I remember it being a blue one and it needed a full restoration. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[JDP]

Wasn't this the R series wagon that the guy sold and his wife didn't know it. He died shortly after that transaction. A little while later she then sold it to someone else. Then when the original purchaser showed up, the car was gone and she had to refund him his money? I remember it being a blue one and it needed a full restoration. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I think the spouse sold it, then died and the wife sold it to Lee at the estate sale. Since the first buyer never picked up the car, nor the title, Lee bought it legally later. Much the same thing happened with my R2 Lark, someone looking at it agreed to come back and pick it up later, but no money changed hands and after six months I heard about the car for sale and sent a check not knowing about the first guy. A few months later, the first guy tried to say it was "his" car, but I'd paid and shipped it by than. The wagon does need a full restoration, but Lee has collected a lot of NOS parts to finish it.

[Brandon]

I remember a discussion like this about the R2 I had. I don't remember who said it, but it doesn't matter if Lee paid $5 bucks for the car I really don't think purchase price will affect selling price.

There was some confusion about my R2 and who the rightful owner of the car was. One of the sons threatened he was calling the police because his father gave him the car for his 30th birthday. When I purchased the Lark the son was 44 years old and the car was still sitting and rotting. I never had the police at my house and never heard anything else from the son, but it was the week the car was listed on E-bay and it did make me store the Lark in the garage until Danny had the transport semi pick it up.

By the way the last time I spoke with Danny he said the rotisserre resto was starting May 1st, I'll have to give him a call and see how it's coming along.

[daytona62]

[QUOTE=Brandon;459323]I remember a discussion like this about the R2 I had. I don't remember who said it, but it doesn't matter if Lee paid $5 bucks for the car I really don't think purchase price will affect selling price.

There was some confusion about my R2 and who the rightful owner of the car was. ......




hi Brandon... I feel the same way... Had I paid $20k for the car and it sold for $8k no one would feel bad for me except me. IF I bought the car for $8k and it sold for $12k, some would say I'm a speculating bottom-feeder.

I bought the car at an estate auction. Fair and square... 50 people standing around witnessing it. I left that Saturday with a vaild State of Michigan title for a motor vehicle AND a "paid" reciept from the state-licensed auction company. There was no doubt in my mind who the legal owner of the car was. On Monday morning, the Indiana BMV also agreed who the rightful and legal owner was when they completed paperwork and issued me a Indiana title.

Unknown to me, the previous owner had, apparetnly, sold the car to another man very shortly before his death. The family knew about this and the man who bought it had, in good faith, tried to remove the car on several occasions. The car was in the back of a barn and many things had to be moved to get it out. Also, the widow said she was having trouble locating the title. Shortly before the auction, the family stopped responding to him and, shortly after the auction, they said they had no idea what he was talking about on the car and that it had been sold at auction... end of story.

I heard from him approximately EIGHT months later, when he had figured out I had bought it thru an online posting. By this time, I had put time and money in the car in checking it out, getting the engine to run, and buying as many NOS parts as I could find for it. It took some threats but the widow finally refunded MOST of what he'd paid the deceased spouse and, I am sure, it was a very stressful time for him. I am not going to disclose what he paid for it, how much (in time and actualy money) he lost nor many of the other details of that ordeal. It simply was unfortunate and, once everything was sorted, it's best to leave it alone.

I had planned on this being a true keeper car for as long as I was able to enjoy it. The reality of it is that I've had the car for several years. I had planned on being deep into the restoration by now. I've got several projects ahead of it and, realistically, I'm 10-15 years from starting the project due to keeping the farms going, the shop, family commitments, other projects that are already in progress and so on... I don't want to be finishing this car in 15-20 years and ending up with a beautiful car that I don't drive because it's too rare, too nice, etc.

Will I profit from selling the car? Most likely... Do I feel bad about it? No, I don't. When I saw the car, JP researched the numbers that night over the phone from my hotel room and confirmed it's lineage. I returned to the auction site the next morning and I was prepared to spend what the car was worth at that time (estimated $8k+) to be the caretaker of it. What I actually paid is not relavent. What the next owner of the car pays for it is not relavent. All that matters is that the car is saved, restored, enjoyed and shared.

[JDP]

I recall the guy at that auction that picked up a real dog of a Lark, just because he was the only one that noticed the factory AM/FM..

[daytona62]

I recall the guy at that auction that picked up a real dog of a Lark, just because he was the only one that noticed the factory AM/FM..

That was the general way this auction went. There were 17 Studebakers there. Probably another 80 or so farm trucks/pieces of equipment. A lot of the cars sold for $40-$100 because one had an AM/FM (this was '64 Wagonaire), a trashed Lark that may have had a 4-speed, a Hawk that had full instruments or wheel moldings, etc. There was also a scrap dealer on-site at the auction buying the hulks after the desirable parts were removed.

[JDP]

That was the general way this auction went. There were 17 Studebakers there. Probably another 80 or so farm trucks/pieces of equipment. A lot of the cars sold for $40-$100 because one had an AM/FM (this was '64 Wagonaire), a trashed Lark that may have had a 4-speed, a Hawk that had full instruments or wheel moldings, etc. There was also a scrap dealer on-site at the auction buying the hulks after the desirable parts were removed.

Years ago, Dan Webber told me a story about a car that was scrapped. A buddy of his jumped into the car as it was on the way to the shredder and cleaned out the glove box, grabbed the lighter and radio knobs. Later, Dan noticed one knob had AM/FM markings.

[dean pearson]

Ok I've been lured in, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat here,...
Am I gonna get to see some pics. ????

Dean.

[daytona62]

Pix will be soon... within a few weeks... it is at the back of the building and 4 or 5 other Studebakers blocking it in right now.