reasonable prices

[maddog125]

Hey all, I'm pretty new to the hearse community. Lately I've been really interested in hearses. If I were looking to buy a relatively solid running project, how much would I reasonably have to pay, if I'm lucky enough to find one nearby? I'm most interested in the 59 caddy's, or other hearses/ambulances close to that year with similar style.

[travlinman]

Did You check out Zacs How to buy a hearse article? Good info there. Good luck what ever You find.

[LMS]

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a "reasonable price" anymore when it comes to hearses. Most people who have a nice one for sale think it's made of gold, and the 59's are made of platinum with rare jewels on it.

[60Crown]

'59s aside, let's start with the basics, shall we? Little more information would help.

Where are you located?

List your coach builders in order of importance.

Do you prefer traditional landau styling or limo style body?

Sideloader, endloader, or combination?

What price range are you shooting for?

[R U INJRD]

Off the top of my head, any good running 59 Caddy pro-car that would be a good basis for a complete restoration = minimum $20,000+

but yeah, what Atti said.

[60Crown]

Going a little further, Darryl has a running original '59 MM in FL that can be had around that $20k figure. He's moving soon though and that coach will travel north a few states.

Expanded copy/paste from a response to Kearney:

You can buy a sweet original '58 Superior ambulance for around $7k out west. Running '58 MM Futura for a little more down south. Running '60 Superior limo combination in CO for less. Nice running '60 Superior ambulance in Mexico, although I've been awaiting pics/price. Non-running '60 MM Futura sold on eBay last week after being posted here a couple times. I still need to follow up on a pair of '58s here in TX (1 hearse, 1 flower car). Heck, I don't pay attention to stuff post '60 and know there is a reasonable '61 Eureka combination for sale in CO too. Maybe even Supersnake would pass along a '59 Superior that he just picked up needing a full resto.

Supersnake has also posted about a '59 MM Futura available recently for $30k.

[Baker]

Ha good luck on that '59 find...

My advice is search around for what you want in detail as atti had stated.. Look around for something that isn't too big to chew and go from there.

Unless you have a unlimited respect for older model hearses, I really wouldn't recommend one. I'm not sure about the 80's on but the priors are the ones you gotta worry about. They will eat you alive on expenses regardless on how much you paid for it. They just know when you get some extra cash. If you read Zach's how to buy a hearse he depicts the image much better than me. It'll be on www.hearseclub.com

Good luck

[Tulsa Guy]

Look everywhere, ask people to look for you, folks will help 'cause you're "the hearse guy".....
My brother tipped me off to mine, out on RT 66, that I've traveled all my life, just not in the six months prior to it turning up!
Good Luck!

[Leroy Brown]

Anyone has a direct link to this "how to buy a hearse" article by Zach? I've been trying to find it by half an hour and it's been impossible. Would appreciate your support

[Morella]

I bought my 76 for $1300, and I have close to $8000 in it now, without doing any paint and body or engine work. I did spend $900 on a windshield, and $450 on exhaust work, but the rest was all in parts, upholstery, etc. If you live in an area where you can't lock it up inside a garage or at least an opaque fence, it's going to get vandalized. Most people are shit.

Good luck,

-denise

[travlinman]

I dont know how to do links. Just enter the hearseclub website and above the forums is hearse resources. Its there. Good luck.

[60Crown]

Buying A Hearse, by Zachary Byron Helm.

Reading through this well-written article for the first time in a few years shows that the example prices are antiquated.

[R U INJRD]

Anyone has a direct link to this "how to buy a hearse" article by Zach? I've been trying to find it by half an hour and it's been impossible. Would appreciate your support

http://www.hearseclub.com/resources/hearse_buying/buyingahearse.htm

edit: oops, didn't see the second page of replies...

[Leroy Brown]

Thank you very much for the link, I couldn't find it.

[Leroy Brown]

GREAT info there! I enjoyed a lot reading it, now it's 6:45 AM local time and I couldn't even go to sleep. Very fun too, my face hurts due to excess of laugh.

One thing that someone comented in prior posts, was the following:

The other thing to bear in mind is that these are commonly perceived as 'Fun' cars, or that they are going to be a great vehicle to cruise around in and relax in. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!! Hearses are great cars, but they are also hellish bitch goddesses that are only truly happy when every ounce of your soul and money have been put forward for their own well being. If you get a hearse, KNOW that it will only be truly content once you have spent endless hours loving it, working on it, and spending every last dime you have to your name on it! No, do not even put a little cash aside to buy food to keep yourself nourished, because I swear the car will know! It will sense that you have not given it all that there is to your name, and it will develop ANOTHER major mechanical problem!

This is fun to read, though it is not fun to suffer it when you actually own the car. I've been always said that most classic cars with a fair amount of summers on it (pre 70's?) are that way, so the question is: is a hearse more problematic than an equivalent classic car (year, model, etc) that is not made into a hearse, for the only reason of that being a hearse? Let's say, 65 caddy hearse against 65 caddy sedan, coupe, whatever. Is the hearse more problematic than the normal car? Are the only reasons their heavy duty equipment, or intense use through their service life?