This super little car is a 1950 Crosley Super Wagon and it’s listed here on eBay with a current bid price of just over $1,200. Prices for these things are all over the map, depending on the model and the level of restoration. And possibly, the level of adult beverages consumed while bidding on one.
This car looks rock solid, or as rock solid as any 1950 car can be that has a window missing. Luckily, the seller has that window, it’s just not in the car for some reason. This one is supposedly a “barn find”, according to the seller and it sounds like the last time it was driven on the road was 2007, if I read the somewhat confusing timeline correctly. Crosleys were originally sold in department stores, believe it or not, next to the Crosley radio display. Because of their 48-inch width they were able to get them through the doors and although that sales scenario didn’t last long it would have been fun to see that in person.
Supposedly, this car runs and drives great, according to the seller. And, then they say that the car is in running or driving condition, so I’m not sure what to think. All that really matters is that it starts, is mostly rust-free, and isn’t missing any critical or hard-to-find parts. This Crosley would look great if restored back to original spec, in my opinion, but I like the memories that vehicles conjure up when they look like they just stepped out of the era that they were born in.
It’s bitterly ironic to not see a Crosley radio in the dash of a Crosley car, since that’s what Crosley was really known for when the company started. I’m wondering what’s under the floor covering in this interior, hopefully it isn’t holier than thou. It could look nice in there again with some time and money, which is usually the case. Crosley wagons were reasonable haulers since the back seat would come out and it turned into a windowed panel van, or a back-seat-less station wagon. This rear area doesn’t look like it was designed for seating but more for hauling a person’s small motorcycles. Hmm..
Here’s where the SBC will go. Kidding! By 1950, Crosley was using its CIBA (Crosley Cast Iron Block Assembly) engines which were more reliable, at least as far as being in production vehicles, than it’s famous/infamous CoBra (Copper Brazed) engines were. It’s a whopping 44 cubic-inch inline-four with about 26 hp. This particular car still runs great but will need brake work. Hopefully there isn’t any major work to do on this car, but even if there is, and if you can snag a bidder with loose pockets, this would be a great restoration candidate.
This car has been on craigslist for months. I think the asking price was $1,200. It was followed by a post from someone who supposedly has looked at the car and found it was misrepresented.
I have no affiliation with either seller or the would-be buyer. I am posting the negative comments here, in case someone on BF is interested in bidding on this car.
I have no idea if the following comments are true. I’m only posting to help any potential bidders do their homework.
From craigslist:
“Omg! Scam alert for the 1950 Crosley wagon. I just drove a good distance and found the seller to be a most un-likable nasty little man. I think he expected a dummy to show up and believe the car was drivable and solid and was on the road in 2007. Not by a long shot. This is my opinion, based on 45 years of buying and selling vintage cars and farm tractors, that this car has not been on the road for at least 30 years. My discription of the car from my brief inspection is as follows. The wiring in the engine compartment has burned from an electrical short. All the wires under the dash were recently cut. The rest of the harness discintergraded in my hands. This doesn’t happen in 9 years. No elect worked except the horn and the starting system. The water pump leaks and I suspect the radiater needs work. The motor started but is runs rough. There is thickend oil leaking from the rear seal. Again I suspect lots of STP added to the oil so a prospective buyer may not discover a faulty seal. Common trick with a scammer. The STP may have been added to stop the motor from smoking. Dispite being told the floors were solid the floor under the gas pedal is gone….yes gone. The fire wall has separated from the rest of the floor due to excessive rust. There is a rust through the right front, at the base of the door frames and you can see other rust out if you go in the car and look for light coming in. The window frames, trim and gutters are rusted beyond repair and will need to be replaced. The rear seat is missing and there is nothing that will not need restoration inside. The clutch spring are shot and ther is unbelievable chatter when engaging. The tranny will not go into gear without grinding away for all gears. The tires and rims have oddly been replaced with little trailer rims and tires that personally I would not trust to drive around. Lots of rust underneath the back of the car. I believe this car was hauled out of some where, he got the motor and horn working and then completely lied about everything. The cost to restor this car would exceed the final value even if you do it yourself. This guy is not just a scammer… He is a weird example of what you expect from the handbook of scammers. I pity the poor person who takes this car only to find it is not what is advertised. This car would best be used as a parts car and I estimate the tru value to be around $350 for parts. I am not normally inclined to put out an alert like this except for the fact that I drive 4 hours each way with a trailer and this man treated me like I was an annoyance to him and threatened me to get off his property as I went aroun the car discovering all the defects. Rather than try to describe this guy just go to the dictionary and look up White Trash and this will describe him in detail. Don’t buy this car”
whoa!!!
At 26 HP it would only be good for around town. Buy something you can take on the highway
That’s quite a story Gear Head told us. Doesn’t surprise me. Cars for sale bring out the most wonderful people. It actually doesn’t look too bad, I mean, for what it is. And to be clear, 1st, I don’t think Crosley made car radios. Philips and Motorola had that market cornered, and 2nd, radio’s were huge ( and expensive, as much as $100 or more, 1/4 the price of the car itself) Radios were big units the size of a small cooler, and the dial and volume were separate controls and the rest of the radio was under the dash. Still a cool find, not many around. Here’s what most car radios looked like then. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_audio#/media/File:Een_Philips_Autoradio_veraangenaamt_den_rit_en_houdt_den_geest_frisch.jpg
The length of the hood is more fitting for a Rolls Royce, I think this would look much better as a pickup conversion.
Powell Crosley should have put storage shelves or bins in the doors, as he invented the refrigerator door shelf in the Crosley Shelvador refrigerator.
I helped move a 1950 or 51 Buick convertible and the seller had a Crosley wagon. His body work consisted of galvanized eaves trough pop riveted over the rusted rocker panels.
4cyl Ecoboost or EcoTech engine would fit and be more than adequate.
I am the current owner of this car. I purchased it from the man who won the eBay bid. I purchased it for 2,700. The car runs okay. The owner before me put in a Ford 2 stage master cylinder and did what he could to get it on the road. He enjoyed driving it to shows as is since it would steal the show every time. I bought it as a father-son project for my dad and I in November 2017 and up to now We’ve been taking it apart and preparing it for sandblasting. I have full intentions to restore this car fully though I’m thinking of doing a custom paint job. Nothing extreme, just a deeper blue than the original Mariner Blue the car used to be. I can agree with some of the people who have commented that one of the previous owners before the one who sold it to me certainty didn’t take care of the car. The floor was flat sheet metal held on to the body with Bondo. The electricals are all over the place and he drilled into the hard to find radio cover plate. Needless to say, I’ve got my hands full. I hope to get it drivable for the Crosley National Meet this year and though I may not have everything done, I’ll still ensure it’s left better than I found it.
I will certainly send updates on the project as progress ensues.
Here’s it back in 2017. It certainly looks much different now