[Ben M.]

So I'm in negotiations with a guy on a 1955 Starchief... Personally I love the '55-58 era cars, but being born about 25-30 years too late for them I've not much experience outside working on a few '55 Chevies. I know the brakes aren't stellar and they ride much differently than a modern 70's or even a 60's car - the oldest I've worked on and driven regularly is 1967 Pontiacs.

The guy says he's had it for about 2 years and drives it everywhere except for when it snows. Says it has the original paint which looks pretty presentable to me. It doesn't look like it's been completely stripped for a "restoration" that someone then got bored with and quickly thrown back together like so many other 50's cars you see.

Has the 287 Pontiac engine and 4 speed hydromatic - not horrid like a Slim Jim I believe, but still one heavy mother and an archaic transmission design. He says he's driven it everywhere and up to 100MPH with no issues. All of the glass looks good and not cracked or broken. All of the trim appears to be there (except part of the rear window trim) and not be all pitted and broken - which is where the major bucks on a 50's car restoration comes into play if it is. Interior is mostly original and not wasted, seat looks worn and the door panels obviously aren't original. He says all of the lights and dash gauges work, another plus to me. It has been converted to an alternator from the generator which is another bonus. It has power steering and power brakes he says. I asked about the floors and he says they had some patches put in but are sealed up now with no rust, trunk floor and body hasn't had any work that he can tell on other than the driver's door was repainted last year when someone backed into it at work. He says it doesn't leak water in the rain either. Firewall heater core is plugged up and the tubing to the underseat heater is missing so he hasn't checked that out yet either (I presume it will all need replacing).

Big drawback is it's a 4 door. And it's not a '55-57 Chevy where all the money is at. I'm not sure we'll necessarily agree on value\price either, hence asking here about it. I'm thinking since it's a 4 door it's definitely lower in value but having everything together and being a decent driver needing no major repairs is definitely worth something. I know modern Pontiac engines and transmissions don't retrofit without serious work either. Those kingpin suspensions and ball bearing drums are not exactly skills that the average shop possesses to repair anymore either. Keep in mind I've just seen pictures, haven't actually seen it in person.

I don't know, I really have wanted a '50s Pontiac but my knowledge on them outside of the major obvious things is limited. It would probably get tons of attention and be fun to drive. And even better is it doesn't look molested, having original paint and glass and trim compared to the ratty pieces of junk you usually see. If I wanted to find a '50s car, I'd want one that is similar to the barn find in the thread down the way, a nice cruiser that hasn't been trashed or torn apart or is missing every piece of chrome or needing complete metal work. You guys know these cars better than me, so let me know if I'm off the mark on value and anything I should really be concerned about or if I should just walk on by.