1949 Vagabond?

[Roadmaster49]

Don't kill the messenger. A rare KF find on Des Moines CL.  Didn't even know they made a 49 Vagabond.  Hard to tell what it really is.

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/cto/d/projects/6506811809.html

1949 kaiser vagabond 3 door hatch back flat head 6cyl 3 on the tree
runs drives hard to start 6 volt system dad gave 5000 for it $??? OBO

[Fid]

Didn't even know they made a 49 Vagabond.

KF most certainly made a 1949 and 1950 Vagabond. That was the fancy version of the hatchback, which had wooden slats in the bed, fender skirts, overdrive and fancier upholstery - some had leather.  The 1949/50 Vagabond is more rare than the Traveler.

[Roadmaster49]

Ok but it is a KAISER not a Frazer.  My confusion is that I know the 1951 Vagabond was based on the Frazer but I have never seen a 49-50 Frazer Vagabond

[Fid]

The only Frazer Vagabond there ever was is the 1951 and that's only because the '51 Frazer was designed to use up the left over '49/'50 body shells. Because some of the left overs were hatchbacks, there needed to be a '51 Frazer Vagabond.  Before that, there were no Frazer hatchbacks (utility models).

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

There were 4,507 Vagabond hatchbacks made in the 1949-1950 model year production run.  This came down to 1 and a fraction cars per dealers; several hundred may never have ordered one either for inventory or firm retail sale.  They had the equipment and trim level of a Kaiser Deluxe.  It looks like this:

[Roadmaster49]

It is tempting to go look at it just to see one.  It's really rare that any KF's pop up for sale in Iowa, and then when they do, they are overpriced and needing a lot of work.  I had been in communication with a seller in Iowa that has a really low mileage 1947 Kaiser, black, for sale.  He recently put that on ebay with a reserve and no sale.

For me it was just too bare bones.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Iowa used to be a good spot to find cars.  We had a number of active members there in the 70's 80's and 90's including a number of former dealers.  Clayton Eden of Eden Sales comes to mind.  Towards the end of K-F Edgar Kaiser himself stopped in to see his operation & left his briefcase behind.

[Fid]

We brought home a number of great cars from Iowa.  Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas... the midwest states were full of great cars.

[Gordie]

I found a couple of nice '51 Kaiser Dlx. Club Coupes and flew to Iowa and drove them home to Los Angeles in the eighties.  There were nice cars everywhere in those days.

[Mr Manhattan]

How do I gat a photo link into the subject box ?  have the site in the attachment box .  I have photos of this Kaiser.

[Mr Manhattan]

Never mind they are there ))

[Roadmaster49]

Thank you for posting!  Are you in Iowa too or did you just reach out to the seller? 

You may recall in the ad he said his dad paid $5000 for the car, which I have to doubt or question why.  ALL KF non Dragon-Darrin-Virginian et al cars are not $5000 projects. 

This one might be a $500 car subject to inspection of rust out of the pans.    As with most of these sorts of KF's, a nicely painted and restored one looks ssssooooo nice compared to these sorts of cars.   Restore it, enjoy it, and then it should be worth $7500. 

[Mr Manhattan]

I am in Florida ,Just moved down from Ohio in July.  And love it here ) I just requested the photos . I don't relay care for gray cars.