Here at Barn Finds, we love Model A Fords.  They are plentiful, simple to work on, easy to get parts for, every model looks good, and they are about the oldest vehicle commonly found that you can drive in modern traffic (after prayer).  From coupes to phaetons to victorias, every Model A looked like it was designed and built by a custom coach builder.  When found today, some of them need a little spit and polish before they return to the beauty of their youth.  This one, found by the relentless Rocco B., who makes my job a lot easier by finding a number of the cool cars I get to write about, will need a lot of spit and polish.  Maybe a lot of Bondo, paint, and clear coat as well!  Found on Craigslist in Kingston, New York, this 1930 Model A coupe is a legitimate barn find.  The price, a not too out of the ball park $7600, can put you in a running and driving Model A for not a lot of money.

When looking at this one, you have to bear in mind a few things.  First, this one has lived in a barn, or so the seller says, for 35 plus years.  Model As were popular as restoration projects then, as many of the people who grew up around them were in their peak earning years.  They were used cars for a very long time, and a lot of old timers have stories about buying them cheap as teenagers and doing what teenagers do to cars.  It is not a coincidence that teenagers are usually the last stop before the junkyard.  This Model A has that last stop before the junkyard look.  The whole thing looks to be coated in grey primer, the running boards look cobbled together, and the roof insert has been replaced with sheet tin and screws.  My guess is that it probably was kept around as a secondary car as long as it ran, and was luckily stashed in a barn rather than being left unceremoniously in a field.  This used car got lucky.

The sad part of this story is that both Model As are on the downward slide in price, and you can get a coupe in much better condition for around $13,000 on EBay.  Most of these EBay Model As are old restorations that are inherited from the original restorer.  Most of the new owners have no idea how to drive or even start a Model A, and don’t have the mechanical abilities to fix them.  So, they are sold off on EBay to an ever shrinking pool of people who know what Babbitt is.  I have tried to sing the praises of prewar cars on these cyber pages, but I often feel that my pleas fall on deaf ears.  A car like this may be used as it is, after I am sure a few mechanical repairs, but it would take a fair amount of money to restore it to perfection.  Sadly, my guess is that if you add the restoration price to the asking price, a first time owner would be better off going the EBay route.

However, my hope is that this is a deceptively solid car, and all the parts are there and useable.  If the owner would give a little on the price, I could see this one going to a Model A enthusiast long on enthusiasm but a little short on cash.  Even if they only tinkered with it, and improved it when they could, this would give the car a caretaker.  Sometimes, that is all we can expect until things improve.