General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCubans can be come millionaires selling those antique automobiles. They are fantastic! nt
HassleCat
(6,409 posts)I told him the exact same thing you posted, and he said no way. He said his relatives own several old cars, and not one would be for sale at any price. I said, "ANY price?" And he just shook his head emphatically no.
gordianot
(15,462 posts)Adrahil
(13,340 posts)Many have crappy soviet-era engines, and pieced together interiors.
pmorlan1
(2,096 posts)Some millionaire will give them pennies on the dollar to get those cars.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)None of the cars is pristine or original, and would require a sizeable sum to restore. Even then, they're $25-30,000 cars. I only know of one ultra-rare and valuable car in Cuba, a Jaguar D-Type. It would be worth nearly 1 million, but has been much modified and hacked up, so might only be worth 100K as is.
Remember, they haven't been able to get any replacement parts for 56 years now, there's a whole lot of baling wire and duct tape holding those cars together.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)I sold a Jaguar E-Type for more than I paid for it new only because it was a true classic.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)They have some value as a surviving driver, but it's 10 or 20 cents on the dollar, and less than the price of a new car. A 4-door 1950 Chevy from Cuba is about a 4 or 5 thousand dollar car at best.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)ozone82
(91 posts)American engines have been replaced by Russian or old East German motors. Read somewhere that parting them to the US could be very profitable.
hunter
(38,817 posts)... and replacement parts made with a hammer, a file, and a rock. Which, truth be told, are probably more reliable than the OEM parts ever were. I remember the 'sixties, and cars from the 'fifties. They sucked. Or maybe that was just our family cars.
I live in a city with a big antique car community. A lot of machine shops around here modify modern parts or fabricate replacement parts from scratch that are better than anything Detroit made in the 'fifties and 'sixties.
I don't have that kind of money. I drive a mid 'eighties automobile that I keep running using a hammer, a file, and a rock. If a bit of trim falls off my car I don't replace it. I might fill the holes left with Bondo. I might not.
Throd
(7,208 posts)As an old car enthusiast, I truly admire their ability to keep them running.
linuxman
(2,337 posts)These aren't million dollar cars to anyone. Maybe a few grand for some, just for the bodies and frame. 50 years of jerry rigging, home mods, and whatever degree of bubblegum and chicken wire repairs were made to keep them running pretty much makes them useless to collectors, unless they are in the market for a curiosity.
Monk06
(7,675 posts)would be worth something
50s Chevy and Ford four door sedans aren't worth much in North America even in decent restorable condition
Just not rare enough and butt ugly
Except four door hard tops from the late fifties and early sixties