After receiving an email from Peter K asking about what his car might be worth, we realized it has been a long while since we have done a “What’s My Car Worth?” post. Seeing as we haven’t seen many of these big Buicks, we thought it seemed like a great opportunity to present it to you guys for your opinions on what it might be worth. He’s already been in contact with a certain TV show that follows the exploits of two notorious car flippers, so any advice we can give him will be greatly appreciated! We don’t mean to step on any toes, we just want to make sure this car goes to a good home and that Peter is happy with the final deal. Now to make any kind of educated evaluation, we are going to need more information, so we will let Peter describe the car and its history in his own words right after the break.

I found this 1960 Buick Electra 225, 100% original and complete with extra parts, as a true barn find at what is now my father-in-laws barn on his farm. He was selling the farm and moving down south. He bought it as a second owner in 1965 for a little over $1000 and I still have all the original paperwork including the title, bill of sale, and registration from back then. It was last plated in 1969. He started it once a month every month up until 2007.

I bought it from him in 2007 with a plan to restore it or convert it to an electric vehicle. Shortly after buying it I found out I was going to be a dad. Car went into storage in my uncle’s garage where it still is. Now 2 boys later ages 4 and 6, I don’t think I will ever get to it. Anyway hope you like it. It has some surface rust on the top and hood, a couple spots around decals, but no holes or anything that can’t be fixed with a bit of sanding or sandblasting. It still wears its original paint. Any ideas what it might be worth?





Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is how I came to the idea of making it electric. My father-in-law’s (his name is on the original paperwork) grandmother and Nikola Tesla’s mother were sisters. So between the association to Nikola Tesla, the car name being Buick Electra, and my very in-depth electrical background, it seemed like a no brainer except for the 2 big restrictions, money and time. With the popularity of Tesla Motors (electric cars in general) today, it might make sense for someone to still do it.

Obviously Peter’s Buick is going to need work, but we are sure there is someone out there that would like to have this long wheelbase Electra. We aren’t too sure about his idea of converting it to electric though. It could be done and would certainly prove to be an interesting challenge, but would be costly. From the standpoint of selling it, he’s better off leaving it original. We would recommend he see if the motor is free and try to get it running again. A running car is a much easier to sell any day of the week!

If this Buick turns out to be a solid car and the motor can be made to run again, it might actually make for an interesting cruiser. It is rare enough that you wouldn’t see many others, but still not so rare that parts are impossible to find. And if you are a fan of fins, this one has plenty! So with the provided information, what advice would you give Peter and what do you think his car is worth right now as it sits?