1952 kaiser Manhatten value

[stevo]

When my dad died awhile back he left me a 1952 Kaiser Manhattan. Immediately i was lost on the car, I had never heard of it nor had i ever seen one before. It is in really good condition it has a flathead in line straight six motor. She runs beautifully everything is still original including the generator ,water pump,etc. All it really needs is a new paint job. I was wondering if anyone could tell me a ballpark figure of what it could be worth. Also i hit the jackpot when i opened the trunk. In the spare tire well there was the original spare tire in mint condition. It is a Fisk tireand i have no idea of how much that could be worth. I would greatly appreciate everyones input on the worth of the car as well as comments about it. I will add some photos in the next couple of days. Thanks     Steve W.

[joefrazer]

Hello...sounds like you've got a great car! Pictures will go a long way in determining it's value. Originality helps alot too! Kaiser used odd materials for the seats, floors and trunks and if it's original and in good shape, then the value is increased. By the way, Kaiser originally used Goodyear tires as original equipment so your Fisk is a period replacement. Fisk tires are not often seen so it does have some value!

The best thing you can do for the car is to drive it. The engine and transmission will perform better if driven regularly, even if only for short drives around the neighborhood. Besdies, with a car like a Kaiser, you can be sure to be the only person on the road with one!

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Owing to the economy as it is, the market on anything Kaiser-Frazer except Kaiser Darrins is very volitile (Darrins still have a fairly good demand from outside the USA).  I do not recommend anyone give pricing at this time unless you know for a fact the sale price, an honest description of the car and wether or not it was an auction sale or private party transaction.  Auction sales for most K-F stuff can be hit and miss...the right person showing up at the right auction makes all the difference on pricing.

Also, be advised that my experiences indicate most appraisers lack the expertise to accurately evaluate a Kaiser-Frazer product.