#3 - The Delivery

So our purchase was done and arrangements made to get the 1925 Buick from Connecticut to Illinois. We found a fantastic car carrier company out east by the name of Boston Car Carriers, LLC. They worked with us on getting it transferred out.  BCC was friendly, very communicative, totally professional and reasonably priced. The bad news for anyone wanting to use them is they stick to the east coast and only go as far west as the Mississippi. If you live within those confines, use them! Heck, call them anyway if you live farther away and see if you can strike a deal.

BCC used a closed carrier and delivered on-time, with regular updates along their way alerting us of any delay.

All of that dirt you see under the car actually fell off during transport. 

The bucket you see contains pieces of wood and small misc. objects that jiggled loose. 

Understand when you buy a vintage car such as this, you will lose pieces that simply fall off during any transportation process. The under-body is a wood frame and you will definitely find pieces of wood, screws, bolts and sawdust in your car carrier when you open the door. Be prepared with a bucket and broom!

Hubby had thought this completely through, and made arrangements with our local tow service to be on stand by and arrive with a flat-bed truck in conjunction with BCC. The reasoning behind his brilliant mind is that BCC used a winch to pull the Buick into the carrier because the car isn't running, and tires are flat. Getting it off the truck by manpower and pushed into the garage would not be an easy feat.

By using the flat-bed tow truck service, BCC could slowly let the Buick down their ramp while the tow truck winched it on to theirs.

No, the quilt didn't stay and went back with BCC. 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Other than arousing the interest of our neighbors, all went smoothly. 

#2 - The Purchase

Finding the right body at the right price was somewhat difficult, but persevere and you'll find one out there on the Internet. Hubby watched the online ads on Hemmings, Craig's List, and Classic Cars.com and eventually found the one he wanted advertised with Hemmings.

I'd caution you to only look locally for Craig's List and not search an area you can't readily drive to because Craig's--while great--is no Hemmings in terms of authentic individuals who are selling vehicles. Hemmings offers the buyer a brief overview of the seller in their notes like "5-Year advertiser" (example) which shows you the seller history and that he isn't a fly-by-night person wanting to rip you off because...been there, done that!

For those of you who want to live dangerously, you can search all of Craig's List and not just your immediate area via the site "Search All Craigslist" - This will do exactly what it says and look for what you want everywhere.

Are there other places to find the right body? Sure. One method is to join a car club of the body type you will use for your Speedster. In our case, hubby joined the Buick club here.

Below are those website screenshots I captured with iPhone. It's easy to do your search on your phone anytime, anywhere!

When you decide on a seller, check them out. Let me rephrase that. CHECK. THEM. OUT.
Did they list an address? Google it, do satellite view, see if they have garages. Am I talking stalking? No. Yes. Sort of.

Look, it's your money and there are plenty of people out there trying to get it. Just try and research the seller as best you can.

Good luck.

#1 - It Began 60 Years Ago

60 years ago model car kits were a huge piece of my husband's childhood, except he didn't follow the directions and modified each kit to his liking. One could say he was ahead of his time for his age.

Here is one of his kit cars:

Speedster Model Kit circa 1956-ish

It's been carefully packed away and moved over a dozen times. The steering wheel is missing, but the fragile vehicle is still with us some 60 years later as a fond memory of his childhood and passion for vehicles.

Now fast-forward to April 2016, when hubby finds and purchases a 1925 Buick with intentions to make it a Speedster. 

Oh....My......

Let the fun begin.