Anyone here own a 58 Chrysler Saratoga?

mdh157

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I stumbled across one, a sedan, and I am considering it. Would like some pointers on what to look for rust-wise. This car has the original paint.
 
Since rust was kind of standard equipment on the Mopars of the era, I would look everywhere, with more attention to floors (all), rocker panels, C pillars and around the rear window, headlight openings... It will also depend on how the car was used and cared for during the last 6 decades.
 
My experience:
Rockers (lower body really...but rockers especially) and;
The brows over the headlights (for some reason).
 
Here's a few pics. They aren't that big though.

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Always liked the rounded sedan roofline on the 57-60 cars...…….. this one sure seems nice, looks very classy in black too.
 
How's the trunk? I looked at a '58 DeSoto years ago before I found the '62 New Yorker. There was NO trunk.
 
Nice looking car, all good ideas already stated.

It’s 62 years old so if it was rusty today those areas will be easy to find.
 
The comments above are pretty accurate in my experiences. Mostly the floors (especially the trunk floors and at least the driver floor) and sills are the problem areas plus the front fenders over the headlights. As also is stated above, since that is original paint, the areas should be pretty obvious by now. If it is from a southwestern state, chances are good it has been well-preserved given its appearance. I was able to look over my 57 300C quite a bit before buying it and it had no rust at all, so if the black one you are looking at has been well cared for, it will be pretty obvious by now whether there are any rust issues. My 1958 Dodge Regal Lancer has some rot in the lower quarters and trunk floor and a little bit in the driver floor, but that is about all and is not going to be difficult to fix.

If you feel you can trust the owner's comment that the paint is original when looking at the car, that is a strong point, but one thing I always do when looking at any potential automobile purchase is to take a coating thickness meter with me to check over the whole car. It will tell you immediately whether there have been any repainted areas or any bondo in the car or previous metal work. They are an invaluable tool and available for less than $100 on Ebay for example. I would strongly recommend getting one for any future automobile purchase.

Also, that New Yorker is a classy design and my favorite among the 1957 - 1959 models that were all similarly styled and on basically the same bodies. I just liked the details in the front end design on the 1958 New Yorker better than the others in those years. 1958 was also the first year for the more modern power steering gears used well into the 1980s so that makes any repairs to those systems much easier to accomplish. The previous power steering gears are pretty obsolete by now and hard to fix if anything goes wrong with them. Fortunately the one on my 1957 Chrysler has stood the test of time well though.

Good luck on the sale and I hope it meets your expectations.
 
Sorry Steve, I thought yours was a '58.... minor brain cramp. Thanks for chiming in though and sharing your knowledge!
 
Any ideas on what this might go for if the underside is clean?

It looks like that car has power windows, so I would hope they all work and I can not tell whether it has a/c or not but I believe from what I see underhood and inside that it does not. In any case, I see this car as likely between a condition 3 or 4 using the attached buyers guide, that is about the best I can do these days to estimate a vehicles value from the 50s, and now is not the best time to be selling anything (this site has, over time, been the most reliable predictor of value for me). If the engine runs well and the trans shifts as it should, the brakes feel good and the options work pretty well and there is minimal rust on the car, the price could vary from as low as $4K up to about $9K would be my best guess for a sedan, but maybe even higher if the car really impresses upon inspection............:

Collector Car Value Report
1958 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER 392-345hp (8cyl-4V) AT


MOBILE
#5 #4 #3 #2 #1
2dr Convertible 10775 22375 41300 59875 88600
2dr Hardtop 3675 13625 26375 37275 57725
4dr Hardtop 2075 5450 12425 19900 29900
4dr Sedan 1675 4200 9850 15950 23675
Town & Ctry 4dr Wagon 3900 8200 21000 32000 51700

Add:
Air conditioning 12%
Power windows 3%

Collector Car Market Review
Condition Guidelines


These are condition guidelines to help assess a vehicle's condition. Keep in mind that there are many factors that affect value. For example, a "barn find" may on the surface look like a #4 or #5 vehicle, but it's time capsule character often means it is worth far more than it's condition would normally warrant.

#1 Excellent: A close to perfect original or a very well restored vehicle. Generally a body-off restoration, but a well done body-on restoration that has been extensively detailed may qualify. The vehicle is stunning to look at and any flaws are trivial and not readily apparent. Everything works as new. All equipment is original, NOS, or excellent quality reproductions. Note: cost no object concours restorations should be considered 1+ condition.

#2 Very Good: An extremely presentable vehicle showing minimal wear, or a well restored vehicle. Runs and drives smooth and tight. Needs no mechanical or cosmetic work. All areas (chassis not required) have been fully detailed. Beautiful to look at but clearly below a #1 vehicle.

#3 Good: Presentable inside and out with some signs of wear. Not detailed but very clean. Body should be straight and solid with no apparent rust and absolutely no rust-through anywhere. Shiny, attractive paint but may have evidence of minor fading or checking or other imperfections. Runs and drives well. May need some minor mechanical or cosmetic work but is fully usable and enjoyable as is.

#4 Fair: runs and drives OK but needs work throughout the vehicle. Body shows signs of wear or previous restoration work. Any rust should be minimal and not in any structural areas. Cosmetics, body, and mechanics all need work to some degree.

#5 Poor: In need of complete restoration, but is complete and not a rust bucket beyond repair. May or may not run. Not roadworthy.

Parts or Salvage: Incomplete vehicle most useful for parts. Generally, take 50-60% of the #5 value
 
The car is not a New Yorker! It has a poly engine, no 392 Hemi. It does not have A/C.
 
Are you looking at New Yorker or Saratoga?

I'm not able to download/copy a report, but Hagerty (take that for what its worth) values show $13K to $31K depending on condition.

Hope this helps -
 
My bad.....................here are the values for a Saratoga (which surprises me a little since I would have thought a Hemi would have brought more worth than the poly engine), but they didn't change the estimate significantly:

Collector Car Value Report
1958 CHRYSLER SARATOGA 354-310hp (8cyl-4V) AT


MOBILE
#5 #4 #3 #2 #1
2dr Hardtop 3225 11525 22325 31825 49300
4dr Hardtop 1800 4600 10200 16350 24875
4dr Sedan 1575 4150 9175 15050 23375

Add:
Air conditioning 12%
Power windows 3%

My personal view of Hagerty's estimates is that they are not representative and way too high generally. If one values their cars on the high side, Hagerty makes more money on insuring them for higher amounts more than likely.......................

4 Door sedans are not an easy sell, however, compared to the 2 door hardtops generally and that might explain a lot of it too.
 
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My bad.....................here are the values for a Saratoga (which surprises me a little since I would have thought a Hemi would have brought more worth than the poly engine), but they didn't change the estimate significantly:

Collector Car Value Report
1958 CHRYSLER SARATOGA 354-310hp (8cyl-4V) AT


MOBILE
#5 #4 #3 #2 #1
2dr Hardtop 3225 11525 22325 31825 49300
4dr Hardtop 1800 4600 10200 16350 24875
4dr Sedan 1575 4150 9175 15050 23375

Add:
Air conditioning 12%
Power windows 3%

My personal view of Hagerty's estimates is that they are not representative and way too high generally. If one values their cars on the high side, Hagerty makes more money on insuring them for higher amounts more than likely.......................

4 Door sedans are not an easy sell, however, compared to the 2 door hardtops generally and that might explain a lot of it too.
Wow - the sedan is actually the rarest production. The more I drive/use mine, the more I appreciate those "bank vault solid" doors...…..
 
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