A 1962 Cadillac for Dennis Buys Classic Cars

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A call came in from our Dennis Buys Classic Cars website regarding a 1962 Cadillac Sedan Deville in Irvine for sale. The caller said it was a beautiful color and she even knew the official name which was Phoenecian Red. She said the paint was faded but was original and had never been painted so of course that got my interest.

This is especially important because we, as a buyer of vintage vehicles, would rather buy a classic car, truck or motorcycle that may have a few imperfections in the original paint which to us is better than a new shiny, cheap paint job which can hide previous accidents and bodywork.

She went on to explain that this car had been in her California family since new and to her knowledge it had never been in an accident and nothing major had been replaced. I asked her if it still had the original CA Black Plates and she said yes. This is especially important because in California the plates stay with the car and the color and style of the plates prior to 1969 were a distinctive black with yellow letters. This is proof positive that the car was “born” in California and in all likelihood had very little or no rust.

She also said the car was only used on special occasions and the mileage was less than 100K. The car was beginning to sound like it was hitting all the major check points:

-Originality
-Rust Free California Car
-Excellent Color
-Low Mileage
-The “Cool” Factor

Ordinarily we like to have customers bring their classic car here for evaluation prior to buying it. We also have calls coming in from our main website for people wanting to sell their everyday cars like Hondas or Toyotas which are also part of our business. Our resources are better here to examine the vehicle and if we do buy it we always provide transportation so the seller can get home providing they don’t live in Connecticut!

In this case it just wasn’t convenient for the seller to make the one hour drive and because the story on this car was irresistible I grabbed an associate and headed to Orange County.

Upon arrival the color was indeed a bit faded but original. It had a few minor scratches and a couple of small dents here and there. But the interior was absolutely immaculate done in black and white in the brocade fabric of the day without a rip or tear. The dash was perfect, the channel seeking AM radio still worked, it even had the original floor mats and the AC worked like a homesick Eskimo! I drove it around the block and it ran like new. All this car needed was a paint job and it would be a show piece so of course I wanted it.
The woman was a tough negotiator and told me if I did not want it she had an appointment later that day with a competitor of mine.

When I asked her how long she had this car she said, “My mother drove me home from the hospital the day I was born in this car!” I bought it on the spot and counted out the cash on the hood of my new Caddy!

Thanks for looking, Dennis Goddard