[Zmagnette] Fwd: 1958 MG Magnet 20000

Sun Jan 12 22:26:51 MST 2014

Ah... but Jim, shouldn't your's be priced somewhere over $20K?  John Park, I know you're tired of trying to sell your car in this price range, and both of you have my compassion.  Ultimately, yes, the customer is always right and we cannot get higher prices for our cars than folks are willing to pay.  But... we can set some ground rules.  We can tell the buying public that our restored cars cannot be had for less than, say, $20K, or $25K if you please.  If somebody wants a restored Z Magnette, that's the price. Period!  Of course I'm NOT suggesting that we coerce each-other into holding out for higher prices. Those of us who are selling have highly personal reasons for doing so and we cannot stand here saying that members cannot sell their cars for less than $???

Whether justified or not, my wife thinks I quit counting after $10K for my paintwork.  Truth is I quit counting after $16K.  In addition, I have thousands "invested" in parts for work I did on my own plus upholstery, which I hired out.  I started out with a $4K car and I've spent well over $20K more to get the car where I want it. How well I succeeded is a very personal matter until I put the car up for sale.  I did the work without concern for value gained vs. money spent: I built the car for myself. I haven't kept tabs, but my expenditure has got to approach $25K plus whatever value my time has. The same hundreds of hours spent teaching music would yield far more than I could ever expect to get for the car.  The answer is the same as what we've been telling each-other for years: "investment" is an inappropriate term as it implies the expectation of a profit.  We build these restorations for the self-satisfaction derived from doing our best, and we enjoy sharing our pride-and-joys with our MG friends.  Sales prices will not be a return on that "investment"; it will be a "salvage residual" remaining after we have derived the pleasure we hoped for in the restoration and showing process.  And what about the learning we acquired in that process?  Was that tuition-free?  Of course not.  The ultimate pleasure from any hobby, or from the pursuit of art itself comes in doing something as well as possible without regard for the marketplace.  The marketplace may charge us heavily for our experience, but isn't it worth it?  We are not in this hobby to make money!

If somebody wants to buy my car, the asking price will be about $30K, the negotiated price may be between $25 and $28K, depending on my mood and level of desperation. Those of you who have seen my car might have different opinions, but that's where I stand. With reasonable luck, these will be but instructions to my executor. But at that point, I'll be gone and won't care. I will instruct my executor to refrain from diluting the Magnette market with a sub-priced car. Beyond that, I have no control...

Cheers,
Allen
****************************************************************
Allen & Florrie Bachelder       =iii=<
Spring Creek Home for Wayward MGs
'57 ZB, '65 B, '69 C/GT, '73 B/GT
North Street, MI 48049, USA
http://www.mgexperience.net/member/bachldrs
****************************************************************

On Jan 12, 2014, at 9:38 PM, James Schulte wrote:

> Remember, mine is for sale for a hell of a lot less. (((-'
> Jim
> 58 ZB w/1830 67 B engine and T 35 Borg Warner automatic.
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On Jan 12, 2014, at 6:50 PM, John Marcell <mg1948 at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>>> From: John Marcell <mg1948 at verizon.net>
>>> Subject: Re: [Zmagnette] Fwd: 1958 MG Magnet	 20000
>>> Date: January 12, 2014 4:24:27 PM CST
>>> To: List for the Z Magnette Group - North America <zmagnette at autox.team.net>
>>> Reply-To: List for the Z Magnette Group - North America <zmagnette at autox.team.net>
>>> 
>>> If anyone knows of someone looking for a restored one for that price range send them my way.  A/C & Supercharged, 1100 miles on restoration.  Would consider thinning my herd.
>>> 
>>> Phil
>>> On Jan 12, 2014, at 12:54 PM, John Marcell <MG1948 at verizon.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Good car, good price if you cant do the work yourself.  Even I don't think you could do one with you doing all the work today.
>>>> 
>>>> Phil
>>>> 
>>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>> 
>>>>> From: Gary Sandusky <gary at sandusky.cc>
>>>>> Subject: 1958 MG Magnet	 20000
>>>>> Date: January 11, 2014 9:34:04 PM CST
>>>>> To: Phil Marcell <MG1948 at verizon.net>
>>>>> 
>>>>> Take a look at this Magnet. 
>>>>> Gary
>>>>> 
>>>>> http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4281771840.html
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
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>> 
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