It's not the car. It's me.

1953 Studebaker Commander Additional Info:

This listing was written by a human being.
I love the 53/54 Studebakers, so when this one presented in the very desireable Chippewa Green color, I bought it without hesitation. I've spent a great deal of time and money making it as reliable and driveable as you can expect any 70+ year old car to be.
The list of small tedious things that I did while obsessing on this car would be long; for one example, rewiring the ignition switch to eliminate some worn old fabric covered wire. But since most people want to know about the new parts, I'll mention that the front brakes are new, and have been upgraded to disc using the Turner kit. The wheels are brand new. The tires are brand new. Complete tune up including filters and points. New carburetor. New brake lines. New master cylinder. New shocks waiting to be installed. :)
The car has two areas of rust that I'd address if I was keeping her. The repair is simple because the rust isn't bad, but it would require dropping the gas tank. For the right buyer I'd do that repair for a small fee. Other than that, the car is remarkably rust free. Most of these cars rusted into the ground when they were 7 years old. This one appears to have all of its original metal. Yes there's some bondo in it, but it's superficial and nothing is bubbling, and there doesn't appear to be any significant rust damage. This is consistent with the story that came with the car, which is that it was restored in the 70s and from then on has been properly garaged.
If you've read this far, you'll want to keep going.
I've collected cars most of my life, and I've never believed in putting cars up on blocks and storing them. I'm not a hoarder. They're meant to be driven. I don't buy cars to let them gather dust, I buy them because I like driving them. It's why I spent all the money to update parts, focusing on things to make it reliable.
The truth of the matter is that a car like this is not going to be a daily driver for me. Not where I live, which is super congested traffic, with a lot of asshole drivers. In suburban Charlotte NC, it's not a lot of fun to drive a car this old to the grocery store. Every modern car has better brakes than a 1953 car. The brake lights on a 1953 car are dim and the turn signals are a joke. Any 2014 Hyundai blows the doors off most any car from 1953, and everyone thinks you're driving too slow.
So it's not the car. The car is an honest example. It's just not a car that's going to be a regular driver for me, where I live, and I can't stand having it sit in the storage gathering dust.
This is a GOOD EXAMPLE of a REALLY COOL CAR. The 2 door Sedan model is maybe just a little less pretty than the true coupe models, but it has exactly the same cool aesthetic, and it's actually one of the rarest models. They only made ~2000-2500 of these. You'll never see another one again, even if you look for it. Yet the parts are actually easy to get.
This car deserves an owner who will keep it in their garage, care for it and fuss over it, and drive it to cruise-ins and Sunday picnics. That is exactly the kind of fun this car would be perfect for. You can drive it, care for it, and put your own touch on it as you go. I LOVE this car. It's just not the right car for me.
It's not her, it's me.
I can't park more than one car at my home, so the old girl it sits gathering dust in my storage building. I try to get down and take her out for a trot every few weeks, but that's not enough. I can see that she needs someone who can really enjoy living with an old Studebaker. The best I'm going to do is "own" it. It deserves better.
You can come see the car if you want. I'd encourage that. I'm not selling, I'm rehoming. I hope to find her forever home. So come see it, and bring a trailer. The listing is totally honest and the reserve price is just to keep away bidders who aren't serious. If you read this far, thank you. If you're the lucky bidder who wins, I'll throw in a rough but restorable 1948 Champion, with the old unbreakable flathead 6 . . . .