Primitive Paint: 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Woodie Wagon – SOLD!

October 25, 2023 Update – We received an anonymous tip that this Chevrolet Woodie Wagon has sold. However, the tip did not indicate what the final price ended up being.  While this Woodie got away, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

August 23, 2023, Update – While this “Classifind” expired recently, given the seller’s history, we suspect it may not actually be sold yet.  For now, we’re labeling this ride “Sold?” However, we will keep an eye out for an updated listing. In the interim, please reach out either by email or call Rudy directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

July 1, 2023 Update – Despite no sale after the past three months at $88,000, the seller continues to stay firm on that revised price.

June 17, 2023 Update – As much as we don’t like saying this, we called it last month.  Despite months of no sale on Craigslist at $88,000, the seller of this restored ’47 Chevrolet Woodie we’ve been tracking the sale of since October 2022 replaced their expiring Craigslist ad with their fourth straight containing an $88,000 asking price.

May 13, 2023 Update – After two straight months of trying to sell their Chevrolet Woodie for ten thousand more than they originally asked seven months earlier, the seller just posted their third listing in as many months, asking $88,000. We predict we will be updating this ad once again in another month.

April 22, 2023 Update – The seller elected to replace their latest Craigslist ad with a fresh listing just two weeks after posting it. The pictures, description, and out-of-touch-with-market-reality asking price of $88,000 all remain the same.

April 8, 2023 Update – After sitting out the month of March following the expiration of their fifth Craigslist ad in as many months, the seller of this 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Woodie Wagon posted a fresh listing. In a move we will never understand, the seller raised their asking price by $10,000 from $78,000 to the current ask of $88,000.  Apparently, they want to chalk up five months of no sale at the lower price to the winter months rather than the reality of flattening demand (and pricing) for vintage Woodie Wagons.  That ten-large price increase has this seller flirting with getting our latest “NEW!” (short for “No Effin Way!) Award for pricing that is out of touch with market reality.

February 27, 2023, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” until we come across a new listing for it.

January 21, 2023 Update – The seller replaced their third Craigslist ad with a fresh listing.  All the details, pictures, and the $78,000 asking price carry over from the previous ad.

December 17, 2022 Update – The private seller replaced their expired listing with a fresh Craigslist ad.  The pictures, description, and asking price of $78,000 remain the same.

November 8, 2022 Update – The private seller replaced their expired listing with a fresh Craigslist ad.  The pictures, description, and asking price of $78,000 all remain the same.

Immediately following the end of World War II, domestic Automakers quickly converted from wartime production to cars by offering mildly updated 1942 models. During this period, station wagon models continued to be produced from wood. While we often come across Ford wagons from this period, finding a comparable Chevrolet is much harder. This restored brown 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster woodie wagon for sale, first listed in October 2022 on Craigslist in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is a rare site, especially on that classified service. The seller reports their Woodie Wagon’s repaint features Nitrocellulose Lacquer Paint used in the restoration.

Last offered for $88,000 (the original ask was $78,000), Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is at the high end of the five-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for all body styles of Chevrolet Fleetmasters produced between 1946 and 1948. This source includes only one Woodie Wagon sold in 2018 for $90,000. However, values overall for these cars have been slowly declining since then.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the truck featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask is twelve thousand dollars higher than this guide’s #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $76,000.  As a third data point, the downloadable 2023 Old Cars Price Guide Big Book confirms the seller’s latest ask is $18,000 above this reference’s #1 “Excellent” estimate of $70,000.

Chevrolet returned to civilian car production in 1946 with the Fleetmaster.  Production of this car line continued for three model years (1946, 1947, and 1948) following World War II.  Chevrolet launched the Series DK Fleetmaster as the top trim level model in the 1946 Chevrolet range, along with the lower level Series DJ Chevrolet Stylemaster. The Fleetmaster, which replaced the “prewar” Chevrolet Special Deluxe, featured a 216.5 cubic inch Straight-six engine connected to a 3-speed manual transmission. Body styles included 2-door Town Sedan, 4-door Sport Sedan, 2-door Sports Coupe, 2-door Convertible, and 4-door Station Wagon models. A Fleetline sub-series was available as the 2-door Aero Sedan and 4-door Sport Master Sedan, which featured “fastback” styling and additional triple moldings on all fenders.

The IndustryFilmArchive YouTube Channel features this 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Promotional spot for used Chevrolets:

This 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Woodie Wagon appears to be a nicely restored example with quality materials used during the process.

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this restored 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Woodie Wagon?  Please comment below and let us know!