2 of 50: Cowgirl: 1957 Buick Caballero Restomod

Buick offered their Caballero 4dr hardtop wagon in very limited numbers in 1957 and 1958 as an upscale version of the Chevy Nomad and Pontiac Safari.  While the chrome trim on the ’57-’58 Buicks make the cars look dramatically different, they were essentially the same body and interior with different grilles and taillights (such was Harley Earl’s updating method of choice in the 50’s). Given our short deadline we had to nab this  resto-modded 1957 Buick Caballero offered for sale on Ebay  out of Boca Raton,  Florida.  Bidding is currently at $9K and unlikely to stretch to the seller’s (a nice but greedy young lady) B-i-N price of $48,500.

This particular car looks stock on the outside (with the exception of its roof coloring) but it is running a generic crate engine, slightly gaudy interior fabric and updated window switches in dubious locations bring its value way down.  It’s hard to make any other engine sound like a Buick Nailhead which is known for its distinctive rumble.  While this car represents a perfect turn-key opportunity for someone with slightly more than twice DT’s usual cash, keep in mind that good build-able Caballeros are bringing $5,000-9,000 as seen this past weekend on Ebay.

One particularly well restored Caballero with factory air, electric seats and electric windows has sold for $85,000 at auction in MI and a few years later the same car brought $89,500 at a Mecum auction.  Unfortunately, if you need to quickly scratch the ultimate 50’s wagon itch, this is about the only game in town…..today.  Keep fishing or pay up.