Everywhere you look, from eggs to washing machines, prices are on a continual march into the stratosphere.  When it is hard to take a family of four out to a fast-food restaurant, it is even harder to justify the extravagance of an old car in the garage or driveway.  We do, however, need relief from the daily grind, and having a collector car in your driveway doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive.  For example, this 1948 Studebaker Commander sedan for sale on Craigslist in Bartonsville, Pennsylvania is an entry-level vehicle worth considering if your budget is tight.  This black sedan is presentable in a well-loved kind of way.  However, the main feature is that it is a running car and the asking price is a scant $2,900.  Is this the kind of car a beleaguered car lover can pick up and enjoy with the kids without breaking the bank?  Thanks to Mitchell G. for this interesting Studebaker tip!

We see in the comments all the time that many of our readers are living on fixed incomes and/or their budget simply won’t allow them to fully participate in owning and enjoying a vintage automobile.  It is also true that the cost of entry for the most desirable automobiles has continued to climb.  However, not everyone has to have a Packard or Shelby Mustang in the garage.  Over the past 100 years, millions of ordinary cars have been produced that don’t have a lot of collector value today.  Most went to the crusher, but a few everyday cars show up when a distant relative passes and a garage needs to be cleaned out to sell the home.  More often than not, once they figure out they haven’t found The Lost Dutchman’s Mine, these folks cut these relics loose quickly and cheaply.

That may be what has happened with this very original 1948 Studebaker Commander sedan that is being advertised on Craigslist.  As per the unofficial rules of Craigslist where sellers are as cryptic and brief as humanly possible with their free ad with virtually no written character limit, the background information of this Studebaker is not disclosed.  We do have a handful of useful information, starting with the fact that this is a solid original car that still wears the paint it left the factory with.  Most of the chrome is said to be nice and it comes with a set of hub caps and trim rings.  Trim rings, for those of you who were born after Reagan was in office, are a decorative chrome ring that goes on the outer circumference of a car’s wheels much like a hubcap.  Back in the day, it was rare to see a hubcap that covered the whole wheel, and trim rings looked a whole lot better than scraped-up painted steel.

A look inside reveals a fair amount of wear in the front seat section of the car, but nothing unsightly.  We can see that the car still carries its original push button push-button AM radio in the dash and that a heater control lever rests underneath it.  While we cannot see the stalk, the seller tells us that a turn signal setup comes with the car.  This may sound strange to some but turn signals on cars weren’t common until the 1950s.  At any rate, having one of these vintage signal setups is a good talisman against the forces of inattention on the highways today.  To add to the positives, we are told that the car was also equipped with a clock.  Looking in the back seat also shows that the upholstery is very nice given the overall condition of the car.

A peek into the trunk reveals surface rust but no obvious issues.  If the car is to be stored outside for a long period, the first thing the new owner should do is purchase and install new rubber weatherstripping to seal the trunk off from rain.  There is a good chance that this car has the original rubber material still trying in vain to stop moisture, but drying out and cracking makes that job impossible after all these years.  Other than the surface rust, we can see that the spare rim still wears a bias ply tire and one of those previously mentioned trim rings.  A lug wrench and a Renuzit air freshener are also visible.  Some may see the presence of the air freshener as a sign that it might be a bit musty in there.

Under the hood rests a 226 cubic inch flathead 6-cylinder engine complete with all of the components it left the factory with.  Even the shield for the coil is still in place.  Power is transmitted to a three-speed manual transmission with gear changes through the venerable “three on the tree” steering column-mounted shifter.  The engine is said to run, and it has a new battery.  That new battery must have been installed after the picture above.  A new owner can count on the usual tune-up, replacing the hoses, coolant, and belts, and careful short trips until every component has proven itself again.

The seller is interested in sending this Studebaker down the line.  The ad states that a buyer can count on free delivery within 50 miles.  While the car is said to run, there may still be limitations in the fuel system, brakes, or even tires that make a trip behind the wheel a bit of a risk.  That is OK, as nothing is free and there will be some sweat equity involved when this car gets to its new home anyway.  It is a good car to learn on and would be a fantastic car for someone with kids to entertain and buy ice cream for on at the end of a Saturday night cruise.  With its early space-age looks and relatively good condition, this may just be the starship that sends a kid down the ruinous path of being a car buff for life.  Hopefully, someone will take a chance on this $2,900 entry-level Studebaker.