Hershey Car Corral

The AACA Eastern Fall Nationals, known simply as “Hershey” for its location, ran from Tuesday through Friday, October 7 to 10 this year. The first three days’ focus is on the combination flea market/car corral, and since my interest has historically been with the car corral, that is what I am covering below. As per AACA rules, cars in the corral must be twenty-five years old or older, and in essentially stock condition. With that understood, there was the usual wide variety of domestic and import, pre-war, early post-war, and ‘80s and ‘90s metal on display.

Given the general softening of prices which has been observed in the collector car market this year, I was a bit shocked to see some asking prices well above recent documented sales. Nevertheless, if one is open-minded regarding the year, make, and model that one might consider, there were some bargains to be spotted. I’ve provided details for about a dozen and a half cars that caught my interest. Vehicles are arranged in asking price order.

1998 Chevy Blazer 2-door SUV, RWD, V6, automatic. Asking $7500. My wife bought one of these new, and gave it to her son to take to college in New England, which he did for four years. He put over a quarter-million miles on it, and not once did it let him down. He also, to my utter amazement, claimed that he got around in Massachusetts winters “just fine” with the 2-wheel drive. I liked this truck if only because it reminds me of the days when SUVs were reasonably sized.

1999 Porsche Boxster, automatic. Asking $7995. I’m sure there’s a market for the slushbox, but there are plenty of sub-$10k Boxsters on the market with manual gearboxes if one insists on shifting for oneself, as one should.

1973 Ford Maverick, 6-cylinder, auto. Asking $8,900. Yes, Virginia, there was a Maverick before the current entry-level pickup truck in today’s Ford showrooms. This car was clean but did show some rocker corrosion. I think one could do worse things with their 8,900 bucks.

1976 AMC Pacer, 6-cylinder, auto. Asking $10,500. Rambler/AMC had a long history of needing to be different in order to compete with the Big 3. This might be Exhibit A, although, I recall these being somewhat popular when new. Asking price was on the windshield on Wednesday. On Thursday, new writing said “SOLD, $8,500.” It’s always worth it to haggle.

1980 Fiat 124 Spider, 4-cylinder, 5-speed, missing bumpers. Asking $11,500. This was slightly crusty underhood; I was afraid to look underneath. These have softened as of late, based on Bring a Trailer results. There are plenty of better-looking 124s online at any time. Bring a magnet.

1968 AMC Rebel convertible, V8, automatic, sign claims it’s all original. Asking $13,880. This struck me as potentially one of the few deals in the corral. V8 power, top goes down, and you’ll have the only one at any show you enter.

1973 Triumph TR6, 6-cylinder, 4-speed. Asking $17,900. TR6 prices vary a lot based on color and condition. This one looked good from 10 feet, but I admit that I didn’t perform a closer inspection. I think it’s a fair price if it’s solid, but if I were interested I’d start at $12.5k and see where it goes from there.

1948 Packard Eight Deluxe Touring Sedan, straight-8, sign on car claims that it is in mostly all-original condition and has 40,000 original miles. Asking $19,900. When new, the styling was derisively called the “bathtub Packard,” or worse. Up until recently, I never found these to be attractive, but in my old age, my opinion has softened. Seemed like an affordable entry ticket into the Packard Club.

1952 MG TD, 4-cylinder, 4-speed. Asking $19,995. The MG T-Series cars (TC, TD, TF) fired the opening salvo in starting the post-war sports car boom in this country. Of the three, I find the TD the least attractive, but compared to the TC, you get LHD and a more comfortable interior. Compared to recent sales, price seemed fair.

1991 Porsche 928, V8, automatic. Asking $21,500. This second-generation 928 has the 32-valve engine with more oomph than the original 928 which debuted in 1978. Car looked clean, and this is about where they sell on BaT, but I would personally insist on seeing service records first.

1961 Triumph TR3, 4-cylinder, 4-speed. Asking $27,000. This appeared to be a very nice, very fresh restoration. Red might not be my first pick for a TR3, but it worked here. On Thursday, the “27k” was crossed out, replaced with “25k,” which was also crossed out and replaced with “23k.” Offer 15, and when he gets back up after falling down, see if he’ll take a more market-correct $18k.

1973 Volvo 1800ES, 4-cylinder, 4-speed manual with overdrive. Asking $29,900. The last year of the 1800, and only the ES (hatchback) was offered that year. The green over tan was attractive, but value here is largely based on the quality and correctness of the restoration. That said, asking price sounded like a fair jumping off point. Many of these were automatic, so the stick is a plus.

1968 Ford Mustang California Special, 302 V8, automatic. Sign claims complete restoration. Asking $55,000. I’m including this only because I owned one in the same color. Mine had the 390 big block, and was just a “driver,” which I sold at Hershey in 2012 for $20,000. I guess they’ve appreciated since then….

1969 Jaguar E-Type (XKE), 2+2 body style, 6-cylinder, 4-speed. Asking $69,500. This is a Series 2 E-Type, with the open headlights, larger tail lamps below the bumper, and some interior refinements. I watch these on BaT, and given that a ’69 ROADSTER sold on Wednesday of this week for $39,000, I would hazard a guess that the ask on this 2+2 (the least-desirable body style) is not market-correct. I’ll leave it at that….

THE MEASURE YOUR GARAGE FIRST SECTION

All these cars have an ask below 20 grand, and I found something appealing about them, even if they are not what I’m normally attracted to. HOWEVER, it is imperative that one measure one’s storage space first! But on a dollar-per-pound basis, some of these could be considered bargains.

1998 Lincoln Town Car, white over tan. Asking $10,900. Instant eligibility at any AACA show, and you’ll get there and back in speed, comfort, and luxury.

1964 Imperial 4-door hardtop. Asking $13,900. I’ve always been drawn to the 4-door hardtop body style. Here, you can comfortably take 5 or 6 of your buddies to the game, and, have trunk room for food and drink while you tailgate.

1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Asking $14,500. Enough green to be measured by the mile. Start a limo business, but get a green leisure suit first.

1973 Olds 98 2-door hardtop. Asking $18,000. More green. The two-door body really set this one apart for me. Put a set of sway bars on it and go chasing TR6s.

Coming up: Part 2, the Friday Car Show, and Part 3, the RM-Sotheby’s Auction.

The Hershey Car Corral is where entire vehicles are bought and sold (as opposed to the parts sold throughout the Flea Market). It has become one of my favorite parts of Hershey week, because cars in the Corral must adhere to AACA rules, meaning 25 years old or older, and basically in stock condition. This means no hot rod projects and no late model Escalades 😉 .

When I first started attending Hershey decades ago, almost all the cars in the Corral were privately owned. But the hobby has changed, and independent “collector car dealers” have sprung up from coast to coast. They see Hershey as a ripe opportunity to show their goods and appeal to a built-in hobbyist audience. However, dealers generally tend to ask more for their cars (and to be fair, dealers may have conducted some reconditioning of their vehicles). But I continue to maintain that the best deals reside with the individuals who seem to price their cars more fairly, and may be more willing to negotiate a final number that makes everyone happy.

My friends and I have observed a thinning of the ranks in the Car Corral in recent years, and 2024 was no exception. Yet there were plenty of cars for sale, and a nice variety at that. Below, I have highlighted some of cars which attracted me the most. That’s not to say that I thought they were great deals, only that I found them to be among the more interesting offerings. The cars are arranged in asking price order from low to high.

1963 Buick Wildcat 4-door hardtop, beige paint, off-white interior, Buick nailhead V8, automatic, front bucket seats with center console and floor shifter. Odometer shows 35,354 miles, likely has rolled over.

ASKING: $6,900

Here’s a rare bird: a full-size American 4-door pillarless hardtop sedan with front bucket seats and center console. But that’s what you got if you bought a Buick Wildcat, like this ’63. And with a price well under 10 grand, this could be a great first hobby car.

1997 Mercedes-Benz 320SL convertible, detachable hardtop, red over tan, 6-digit odometer shows 78,000 miles, automatic transmission.

ASKING: $8,900

This is the 6-cylinder version of Benz’s evergreen SL. The car looked neat and tidy, and could be a fun first collector car for under $10k.

1995 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, white over black, automatic, sign claimed 70,000 miles

ASKING: $11,500

C4 (4^th generation) Corvettes continue to be performance bargains as exemplified by this example.

1962 Studebaker Hawk GT, tan paint, turquoise cloth upholstery, automatic on column

ASKING: $12,500

This body style has always appealed to me, but the odd color combo was off-putting. I didn’t spend but a few moments on it, but was unable to determine which finish might have been replaced. It’s hard to believe that this car came from the factory this way.

1968 Dodge Monaco 2-door hardtop, blue, white vinyl roof, white interior, 383/automatic, sign claims 75k, “very original”.

ASKING: $20,000

The 1967 Plymouth and Dodge full-size cars, introduced when I was 13 years old, were thought of by me as some of the best-looking full-size American cars of the decade. The styling hardly changed for 1968. Stumbling upon this rarely-seen ’68 Monaco brought back a rush of memories. I think that the overall design, especially in a 2-door like this, has aged well.

1976 Triumph TR6, white over tan, sign claimed all-original condition at 43,000 miles

ASKING: $27,000

I normally would not highlight a TR6 as there are always dozens for sale, but the overall condition made this one attractive. To my eye, the car looked almost new.

1948 Fiat 500B Topolino Giardiniera, red, beige sunroof, wood side paneling, 569cc flat-four.

ASKING: $35,000

These Topolino (“Little Mouse”) models are rare enough; I’ve never seen a woody version. The sign claims that it’s 1 of 15 survivors. I’d bet it’s the only one of its kind in the States.

1968 Jaguar E-Type, Series 1.5, 2+2 coupe (on longer wheelbase than 2-seat coupe), red over beige, 4.2L inline 6/automatic, sign claims functioning A/C.

ASKING: $44,900

Clearly a “Series 1.5” with its exposed headlights and above-bumper tail lights, most collectors would issue two demerits to this clean E-Type for its 2+2 body style and its automatic gearbox. On the positive side of the ledger, its asking price makes it one of the most affordable ways to add an E-Type to your collection.

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, blue paint, stainless steel roof, blue cloth interior. Sign claims it’s #13 or 400 built.

ASKING: $79,995

Would you check out those suicide doors and interior upholstery! This was a GM highlight from the 1950s, and with low production numbers, a rare car to boot.

1956 Jaguar XK140 FHC, black over red, 3.4L six, manual gearbox

ASKING $89,900

The black and red looked stunning (and I’ve always fallen for that color combo). Ironically, Dennis Nash’s XK (see my coverage of it in Part 1) was born in these colors before a restorer changed the car to white over beige. Given that Dennis’s car is an XK120 and sold for $65k, I’d say that this XK140 is a little overpriced (but everything is negotiable, right?)

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