The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1946 canopy express value

anybody know what a fair price to pay for a unrestored, non running, some rust, no tailgate 1946 chevy canopy express is? thanks

Fair price is what it is worth to you. For me fair price would be due to alot of considerations: rarity, parts availability, amount of liquid cash because that what it feels like buying parts for them" liquid" running through my hands.
I probably would pay as much as$ 2500.00 dependant on amount of cancer. ( I am cheap though) I recently bought a 1950 burban for $ 1,000.00 and almost felt guilty, it had everything except glass, mid & rear seats although he threw in a complete front bench& jumper with it. I hope I helped you a little, although like I said, I am cheap.
Good luck.

You are talking about a pretty rare truck. If it has any chance of a second life, it would be a very desireable vehicle.

Truckernix is right, those are pretty rare, I would grab it if its decent.
Price really depends on the condition, got any pics of it?

sorry no pictures ,owner is stuck on 5000.00

Ouch !
That would make me pass, sounds like he really isn't interested in selling it.

Well from where I stand, and that taint on a pile of gold, I would grab a '46 Canopy Express for that price. When was the last time you saw one at a show??
I think what people are finding for one, two, three thousand dollars now days is mostly rotted out hulks that need most of the panels cut out and replaced. In my opinion any truck that is 60 years old is going to need extensive mechanical and cosmetic work to make it road worthy and livable. I think you have to keep in mind that we are rescuing a piece of history when we take one of these trucks home. They are all in need of restoration unless they have had a lot of work already done to them. We're not buying a used truck off the used truck lot and we should not expect to take it home, gas it up and take the family on vacation with it.
When I was a kid growing up in the 50's a driver with a few miles left on it would run you about a $100. Today you're looking at $1,000 to $2,000 for the same class of vehicle. And these are not collectable vehicles that are going to increase in value. So shelling out $5,000 for a very hard to find vintage project isn’t all that bad.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I'll tell ya, it's really rough, like those that I was talking about, but if that were closer I might go take a closer look at it.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

$5k seems too much, but like fabguy I'm pretty cheap too. The one on odessa craigslist is way overpriced in my opinion.

Try this out on him (just an Idea) but it's up to you., "Currently I have $3,000.00 set aside, it may take about 2 to 4 months to get that kind of money together although I am interested in it. Here is my number give me a call if you can work with me on this" then wait 3 months go see him and let him know you are still interested but are having a REALLY hard time getting that amount of cash. He maybe tired of waiting and sell it to you for the $3,000.00 you have. I personally have done this alot, it works about 40% of the time but then you only need it to work once for this deal. Like I said I am cheap when buying, but want to have enough money to get it on the road again, not to sit while I try to save money for it.
This is ONLY an idea.

Well, I didn't even know what a "Canopy Express" was so I did a bit of surfin...
http://www.brads41-46chevys.com/id23.html

Very cool, don't think I have every seen one of these.

If I had the opportunity to check one out I'd be on it like a duck on a June bug.

Here is one I found last year. It's a 1938 canopy express. The guy had just inherited it and wasn't interested in selling. I should have made him an offer. I've never seen one that old before. I wish I had taken down his name and number. Maybe it will still be there next time.

i would pay 5000. in a minute for that one ,the one i am looking at is about half that good

If it was in that good a condition it would be worth the money but it doesn't sound like it's in that good a shape.
But if its like anything else, its worth whatever somebody will pay for it, in the long run your about $2000. apart, its going to take some chatting to get him to drop that far, but time does work for you, not him.
Good luck, if it was closer to me I would at least go look at it!!
Turn yourself into his worst pest, he may sell it to you just to stop you bugging him!

I remember these vehicles as a kid. I grew up in the city in the 40's. Most working families only had one car (if that) but the man of the house used it to go to work. They were decked out as a rolling store. Primarily vegetables but also carried bread and other necessities. They would cruise up & down neighborhood streets (much as the ice cream truck did). They would stop in each block & the ladies would go out & buy their supplies.
Remember the milk man & his truck from the same period.
The GOOD OLE DAYS.
Harold

A couple pictures would sure help to determine value. Man a Deco Canopy Express for $5k is pretty tempting. On second thought it's probably better that you not post pictures. If it's halfway decent someone will snatch it out from under you.

I would be interested if it were local. Kinda be nice to have two.

My guess is that it is worth from $1500 up depending on condition. Let's start with a running original that needs work but is complete and rust free, it will also have a title. $10,000 - not running $5,000 + no title $3500 + rust in normal places $2500 + missing tailgate $1500 - $2000 value. They are uncommon and hard to find in pristine condition so the market is whatever you are willing to pay, you will never know when another becomes available.

You must be interested enough at this price to consider it, so the next step is to investigate and evaluate it's condition. The tailgate is going to be one of the hardest pieces to find, expect to pay $1,000 and still have to do work on it. The rear sill/valence are always damaged and no reproductions are available. Original seats are hard to find and expensive when you do.

Depending on what you want to do with it also depends on what the price should be. Original parts are difficult to find, but some fiberglass parts may be available, modern driveline and frame may reduce the cost if you have a parts car available.

As uncommon as these trucks are to find in any condition there is still a very limited market for them. Not everyone that wants a truck will want one of these. Lot's of guys drool over them, but they don't put out the bucks for them. Good luck!

Ggreen, I would suggest observing what they sell for on ebay. What stuff actually sells for is what it is "worth".

Most pople are completely unrealistic about the values of their possessions.

I'm not disillusioned about the value of my stuff, when somebody asks "how much?" I tell them a figure that would make me part with it. If I want to sell something the price will reflect that desire. How much for my truck? 25k, If I ever want to sell it that price will adjust significantly.

In general I agree, "What stuff actually sells for is what it is worth"

Since they rarely come up for sale on ebay or anywhere else comparing prices will be difficult. In the 15 years I have been observing ebay, I would say I have seen maybe 3 1937/40 CE'S * 4 1941/47 CE's * 15 1948/55 CE'S.

As for using ebay for a pricing guide, it is sporadic at best. Since many sellers look at the same stuff they are auctioning before they put it out to bid, they have set their prices artificially high because one item sold for $$$. The market has changed over the last two years and there are still sellers out there thinking that their items are worth $$$, that stupid money slowed down to a trickle, not to say it isn't there, but not as many items sell for the same money.

Ebay is a good tool to get a sense of pricing, but it is unrealistic to think that you can sell it locally for the same price as ebay.