It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "AndrewR" saying something like:
Sir needs a nice little Scimitar, does Sir.
Oooh, suit you, Sir, suit you.
Have a look around
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "AndrewR" saying something like:
You could arrange for a drive in a good one - drop a message to the yahoo mailing list - just to see if you get on with one or not.
There are plenty of cheapish ones out there that need not much (if anything) doing to them if the car grips you. There are also plenty of overpriced heaps of tat, so beware.
"Dave Plowman" wrote
They all say that.
"Sales!" wrote
You can't get a "very nice" Stag for 6k, IME. They aren't quite sheds at that price, but there's usually plenty wrong with them on close inspection- grotty vinyl, paint, carpets, veneer, etc.
A trough in values is to the long-term benefit of those who keep their cars. It makes them not economically restorable, so more of them get broken, which reduces the supply while improving parts availability. Eventually the reduced supply dips below the demand, and the price goes up again.
This happened to XK series Jags between about 1985 and 1995. By '85 they were all horrible heaps of shit and everyone wanted E types anyway. Rough ones were about 6 thousand squid. By 1995 an immaculate XK140 was 5 times that. Today, probably 10 times. That is not explicable except in terms of a sea change in supply / demand fundamentals. Even a rough one's going to be about 18k.
Of course the car has to be desirable in some way to begin with, so Morris Minors, Scimitars, and so forth are unlikely ever to benefit from this phenomenon.
Of course few 30 year old cars are perfect - they weren't when new either. By very nice I didn't mean concours - but very usable with no pending expensive bills.
That's why I made the comment about the one on Ebay. If all the trim both interior and exterior is good and it's sound underneath as stated, and mechanically sound repairing the common rust spots and re-painting is likely to be cheaper than paying for all new chrome and trim, etc.
BTW, do you know how much it costs to replace the hood and a damaged frame
- as many are? You'd almost get a pro respray for the same amount.
I'd tend to disagree - there's plenty of very tidy examples out there for £6k. Admittedly, it's more like £10k for a near-perfect car, but a perfectly presentable car can be had for £6k to £8k.
I have to admit, arguing the car is a good one when even the digital photographs are decidedly offputting seemed a bizarre stance, although I wasn't going to comment. Maybe Dave is being contrary, he seems to be posting reverse statements a lot just at the moment...
"Dave Plowman" wrote
Usable, yeah - but scruffy. I had a Stag rebuilt recently - cheque book restorer I fear - and was looking for a runabout to drive till the real one was ready. And what dogs they all were at 6k....iffy chrome, incipient outrigger probs...and the rest. Never did find a half decent one for the 6k I had spare.
Did you know - cuz I bloody well didn't - that rust within 30cm (in a straight line) of a seat belt mounting point is now an MOT fail? That's going to get a *lot* of cars scrapped...
Photos can be very deceptive. The first Stag I ever looked at with a view to buting looked *fantastic* in the photos...and like a different car in the metal.
Maybe it was a different car!
That's been a regulation for _years_ now.
Always check the floorpan around these areas before buying a car.
To clarify, the rust has to be pretty serious, though. ISTR that it needs to have perforated the metal.
Having seen a fair few "in the flesh" and "digital photographs" I would say that it is a trend that digital photographs are usually somewhat flattering. In fact, I'd go so far as to agree with the idea that they seem to be entirely different cars. As it's true of my cars too, though, I know this is just the way it looks, never trust the photo.
Once the photo looks real bad, I have to wonder how bad the actual car might be. Still, as Stags are worth a fair bit*, it can still be a bargain, like I originally said.
(* - the price for a good clean one is under dispute still, it keeps going up and down from the posts).
My brother bought a Stag which looked great at first glance, and he paid quite a bit for it. The amount of things - expensive ones - that were wrong with it you wouldn't believe. The engine was meant to be a recent re-con from a well known specialist with bills to prove, but a couple of thousand miles down the line needed a new jack shaft and waterpump. On doing these I discovered one cylinder head had been machined at some time, so the inlet manifold didn't line up properly, and most of the threads were stripped. Then in short order it needed a rad, starter, alternator, battery, and the clutch started slipping. Oh - and the paint started to bubble in all the usual places. The hood was new, but you couldn't use it because the frame was fooked.
That's why I'm saying an honest car at a good price might be better than an apparently better one at a high price. Someone who was being dishonest would simply fill the wheel arches with filler and blow them over - wouldn't cost that much.
I suppose it depends where you are - I saw a very very nice one in the NE of Scotland for 6 grand - including a perfect hardtop.
This is certainly a point worth bearing in mind when buying a classic. I don't think I would buy a car off ebay if I cared about the condition, though, would have to inspect it.
I don't think anyone on Ebay expects to sell a car unseen. You put down a deposit on winning, and if the vehicle is not as described you're entitled to it back. Of course, if you have the car sent to you from the other end of the country, this might be a problem. But no more so than doing this with a dealer, etc.
In my experience, the vast amount of sellers on Ebay are rather more honest than the average - although I've not bought or sold a car. I've amassed over 200 transactions - mainly buying electronic components - and only once have come across shady practice.
I'd tend to agree, though I did go to view a Morris 1000 a few months back as it was local and found an exception. It was listed as having had all the welding done professionally (is that always bad news?) and just needing brakes for an MOT. The photos made it look pretty good. What I saw was a wreck, with plates welded over the entire sill structures no doubt hiding the usual mess. It would only run on three cylinders and had obviously been off the road for years. It sold unseen for 450 pounds to someone from Germany. Poor sap!
In general I'd agree. Most of the cars I've bought through Ebay have been resto projects so what I get is not unexpected, but the Saab I bought last month is excellent, completely as described, and the only fault I've found is a bit of a leak from the sunroof in torrential rain!
I'm sure there are a few cowboys, but I've not encountered any - other than the dvd marketer who posted his wares direct from Thailand, where they presumably could not read English and sent completely the wrong dvd...
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