'54 Manhattan Parts Car.....$500 (Dayton, OH)

[Mr Manhattan]

What are the supercharges worth ?

[joefrazer]

If the car runs and the s/c works, the $1000 asking price is very fair.

[SamNicolosi]

The plot thus far: Yes, the supercharger is back. It was not recovered by the police. It was returned to me by the person who took it. a friend of mine (Russ) who is a good mechanic,who had fallen onto hard times (job loss & medical bills). Russ knew that I was offering the Kaiser on Craig's List as a parts car for $500, and that I had not mentioned the supercharger in that ad. He also knew (I didn't) that the S/C alone was worth more than I was asking for the whole car. So he "figured" that he wouldn't be hurting anyone if he "liberated" the S/C  (he had a buyer who was willing to pay him $650 for it).

Well, Russ heard me grousing about the dirty rotten thief who had stole my S/C, and his conscience got the better of him. He told me what he had done (and why)... and he put everything back the way he had found it. Now I was faced with a dilemma: I had advertized the car "way too cheap" according to Russ, (and I now knew he could get $650  for the S/C and another $200 from the scrap yard, if nobody wanted to buy the Kaiser (minus S/C) for $500.

I feel I owe Russ "something" for bringing "the ignorance of my Craig's List offer"to light, and I have agreed to give him "half" of whatever I get for the S/C. I would still like to see this vehicle go to a K-F guy (intact), so I am willing to let the car (with S/C) go for $1000. Or I will sell the S/C separately for $650 and the car (minus S/C) for $500. If I sell the whole vehicle for $1000, I will essentially be getting only $500 for the S/C... in which case, Russ will get $250 as a sort of "finders fee". If I sell the S/C separately for $650, he will get $325.

At this point I really don't care which way it goes, I just "need the space".
If anyone here is interested in "just the S/C" I will sell that for $650.
If anyone wants just the car itself (minus S/C), you can have that for $500.
If anyone wants the whole thing, you can have it for $1000...
which is still about $500 less than its true market value (according to Russ), and I will be re-listing on Craig's List for $1500, per his advice..
 
I am truly sorry for any confusion or disappointment this whole scenario may have caused to anyone.
I should also add that I HAVE NOW FOUND THE TITLE for this vehicle, so it is not necessarily a "parts car" any longer.

[joefrazer]

How far are you from I-71? I will be traveling thru the area next week and would like to take a closer look.

[SamNicolosi]

Approximately eight miles South of the intersection of I-71 and I-75, Joe.
You can check out my '47 Frazer Manhattan at the same time (if you are interested)!)

[Roadmaster49]

Sam
That is an interesting story.  I applaud your friend for returning it and that his conscience did get the best of him.  I think your car, especially now with title, is worth $1000, if marketed in the correct circles.

My issue is always with keeping a car together. Sure, you may be able to sell the S/C for $650. I'm not sure if that is entirely accurate but I am not in the rare parts purchasing business.   Maybe there is a huge demand for 54 Manhattan S/C's?? 

There are still quite a few 54 Kaisers out there, and if they are Manhattans, and the S/C as I understand it was factory stock on Manhattans, then often we see them missing and yours would have value for someone restoring one for sure.

There probably are few if any 54 Manhattan restorations being conducted in the US, presently. 

Thanks again for your kindness to your friend. Some people would crakc the whip and have the guy arrested or told to scram.  But sometimes you peel back the story and see that folks without money may do stupid things for the basics. We should all keep that in mind as we count our blessings. 

 

[Mr Manhattan]

Does anyone know if he sold it ? I sent an e-mail, but no reply .