captain_70s wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 12:15 am
I'd have thought a decent chrome bumper MGB GT would be north of £6k with projects being £2k odd and various levels of tarted up shitters in-between? I know the last time I bothered looking plastic bumper coupes were starting to hit £4-5k.
Like with most classic cars at the moment, the supply is limited due to lockdown and many old people who own the cars not wanting to risk people visiting. So the majority up for sale are dealers with their unrealistic pricing and sitting on them for yonks.
I bought mine mid 2017 and paid iirc £3600. As at the time, it was £4k-5k for a decent one like mine or £5k+ for an absolute mint example. Like everything, when you're there in person, bargains can be had. The guy selling mine was selling it on behalf of his friend who left it sat in his garage for 15 odd years. So wanted it shifting but still wanted a realistic price for it.
Looking on eBay completed listings, I see around 5 BGTs within 150 miles of here that have sold under 4k that look respectable and road legal. A few more under £5k. So prices haven't really risen at all. Realistically mine is probably worth in the £4k to £5k bracket if I wanted a reasonably quick sale.
captain_70s wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 12:15 am
That J reg one looks a decent buy, but I'd be surprised if it'll leave much change out of £3k to buy, and then eat another £2k to get it road going and reliable.
I'd be surprised if it cost £2k to sort if bodywork isn't needed. Mine needed a lot doing but I only spent about £1k on all the parts. That was brake master, clutch master, clutch slave, brake flexis, front calipers, discs, pads, bushes, rear cylinders, shoes, adjusters, fitting kit, fuel pump, fuel copper pipe, fuel tank, carb service kit and numerous associated fixings. Parts are readily available and not terribly expensive. Yes some are crap quality but a lot are decent.
A good idea of parts prices as complete part kits here:
http://msc.parts/contents/en-uk/d170_Kits.html
This is part of the appeal of them. Fun to drive cars that are easy to maintain with a readily available supply of parts. Unlike the Dolomite where you are limited to Rimmer prices or one of many one-man-band mail order outfits. Panels being the limited range the club provides, over priced Rimmers or a bum fight for the essential panels that are NLA. The 1100 is even worse with either Longbridge Motor Spares (very manual ordering process but prices are
ok) or trying to part match with other BMC stuff. Replacement body panels are pretty much non existent.
captain_70s wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 12:15 am
A quarter of my yearly wage and I'd get a shabby MG with a tractor engine and 1950s suspension. Meh.
I'm not going to comment much on wages as everyone earns different. But you've mentioned that you're at the lower end of the wage scales in the UK. Even then, they are at least achievable to buy with your wages. A strain yes, but it's possible. Unlike a pre-80s Jag, Alfa, Italian, BMW, Merc or even Ford where you'd be looking at few years of your salary for something half decent. Even the 2CV is north of 5k now ffs.
As you well know, most pre-70s based British journeyman car are OHV and that stretched into the 70s unless it was a particular new design. That's no bad thing as they're very easy to fix, good levels of low down torque and robust units. In stark contrast to the fragile slant Triumph lumps where they'll nuke themselves if the water level drops a tad and then a nightmare to fix as the heads has welded themselves to the block.
In terms of suspension, there is nothing wrong with Armstrong dampers. They do their job damping perfectly well. Fell out of favour with manufacturers as they're expensive to produce and car packaging found struts and shocks easier to pack into a chassis. Also harder to change the damping levels and adjusting the ride height. They do leak their fluids over time but they're easily topped up. A upright shock in contrast would be going in the bin when they leak. So slightly more maintenance but possible to fix rather than chucking in a bin.
captain_70s wrote: ↑Sat Mar 06, 2021 12:15 am
Of course when I started looking at 60s/70s BLMC shitters they were £1500-2000, which seemed about right for niche antique tech for people who love their cars to steadily and constantly degrade in front of them. They haven't become any better with age, nor are they rarer, they're just 4x the price.
£2k in 2009 when you were first looking is £2750 in today's money after inflation, according to the BoE. Rounding up, there is still plenty of British pudding for under £3k. Less stuff around than 2009, but that's not just over inflation price rises from rising interest in classic cars, increase due to MOT+tax exemption (cheaper to own+run) but general attrition of old cars. But then because of that, the price rises mean people are more prepared to restore cars back onto the road. So maybe the additional supply will level off prices rises.