Malcolm Walker wrote:
>
> On Tue, 25 Nov 1997, Larry Wilcox wrote:
> I'm of the opinion that ANY car will cost you at least $1000. ie, that
> $200 car is probably going to want tires, battery, starter, alternator.
> That's about $400 at the least.
>
> Sometimes they need shocks or brakes. More $.
>
> And insurance. Etc.
>
> > Still a skeptic.
>
> As I never say -- caveat emptor!
Malcolm, and the original poster, and others... since the days of the
$100 junker are long gone, it's probably unrealistic to expect to find a
reasonably well-cared for British car for under $1000, but deals can be
had--they're just very rare and require lots of looking. I thought I had
a pretty good deal lined up on a TR250 about 9-10 months ago. Something
which could be gotten running in a short period of time with little
money. I missed the deal by a few hours, shouted "drat!," or words to
that effect, and then got email from the eventual buyer that the car in
question also had a defective third member which seized up after a few
miles of towing.
After a twenty-year period without a running Triumph, I bought a GT6
last June from a former frequenter of the list. He originally asked
$2800 for the car--too much. Then, later, $2100. Still too much. Then,
$990. Anything under $1000 was within my budget. <g> After taking
ownership of the car, I found it to have been maintained badly (not so
much the fault of the owner, who was unfamiliar with automotive work,
but more due to bad workmanship on the part of shops he frequented). In
the past five months or so of ownership, I've installed opto-electronic
ignition, had the radiator rodded and boiled out, replaced a leaky water
pump with a spare from a parts car, installed two alternators, done an
emergency ring and conrod bearing replacement (oil consumption had
reached 75 mi/qt), replaced all the heater and radiator hoses, replaced
worn clutch disc, pressure plate, noisy throwout bearing, and leaking
clutch slave cylinder, installed a spin-on oil filter and adapter and a
rebuilt rocker arm and shaft set, to include a considerable amount of my
own labor involved.
So the $1000 car has become a $1900 car in five months, but it's now
less worrisome to drive it every day and take it on 200 mile or so
trips. My guess is that the above is somewhat excessive compared to the
experience of other owners buying less than $1000 cars, but not by a
lot. Good care and proper performance is reflected in the price.
Cheers.
--
My other Triumph runs, but....
|