Considering the various problems with the car (bastardized carbs and
seats, neglectful storage), you can almost bet that the body has been
repaired. If it's full of bondo, then I'd call it a $500 car. If the
body is solid (meaning it just needs a few dings patched and a paint job
to look presentable), then it might be worth $1500. If the guy can
"find" the seats and the carbs and they are decent, then you might go a
bit higher. Insist that the owner "find" the various missing pieces so
that you can inspect them prior to making an offer. If you buy first,
then you ought to assume that these parts will not be forthcoming.
The fuel pump is a no-brainer, and if this is all that's keeping the
engine from running, then you're in good shape. You might want to
acquire a fuel pump and ask the gentleman if you can bolt it on and
start the engine. You might find that there's more wrong with it than he
is admitting.
-mg
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Date: Wed, 19 Jun 96 00:38:14 EST
From: zapper@proton.com (T. Boicey)
Subject: TR3 purchasing questions
I have a lead on an old TR3 that has been parked since 1984 and needs
a good
overhaul.
Everything appears ok from a brief overall check, and I intend to go
back
for a full examination before I commit to a purchase.
First of all, what is a fair price for a 59 TR3 that needs a total
overhaul?
It looks like it good be a pretty good car when it was done, but I don't
realistically expect it to be fast or easy to get it to driving.
Apparently, the engine was started last year, but the fuel pump is
dead so
it would only run when force fed fuel. It was this broken fuel pump that
took
it off the road in the first place, and it just never got repaired.
The car is predictably filthy and full of crap. It has been parked
under a
lean-to since then, but it seems somewhat protected from the majority of
the
elements. There are only one or two visible spots of rust. Perhaps the
car has
had body repair before, but whatever rust was fixed before has stayed
away for
at least a decade.
Basically, I need to know what I should be looking for, and what I
should be
prepared to pay. I don't think it can be had for a song, but a fair
price is
what I would like to negotiate.
Off the top of my head, the tonneau is unsalvageable. It has original
wheels
but not wire wheels. It has stromberg non-original carbs. Has a roof "if
the
guy can find it". Has non-original seats installed, the originals are
"if I
can find them" but are destroyed.
I am in Ottawa, Ontario if it matters. The purchase price will be in
Canadian dollars, but I can convert if you specify ranges in US bucks.
Also,
please cc me the reply as well as the list. I get the list in digest
form, but
my mailer sometimes trims the end of a long digest.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------
zapper@proton.com <=> www.proton.com/zapper
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