Sorry the original heading got lost. I will respond to this by saying "it
all depends." I looked for a car for several years. I ended up with a
'60 1600. It had been stored for 10 years, but was in running condition
before I took posession. This car has no body rust, and the motor was
rebuilt and new "gangster whitewalls" applied before it went into storage.
It has descent seats, but no interior panels. It came with 2 soft tops,
but neither were serviceable. The body needs paint (many scratches from
storage). I paid $6K. I wanted this car as a driver, and an nearly
finnished. I invested another $1K or so in it. The only remaining things
to do next year are paint and seats. Also I should say that I live in the
Northeast. So it all depends. Is my car a "D" or an "F"? Should I
expect to pay more for a rust-free car in New York state? Is a 1600 more
valuable (or less) than a 1500 or a Mk II? Also, the things my car needed
were within my capabilities (I used to customize vans in the '70's,
remember those?), and this may be important to some people. Probably more
than you wanted to know...
Tom
> Case A.) Badly cancered, somewhat dammaged, and non-restorable, stored
> outside for more than 5 years, frozen engine. Parts car only. $500
>
> Case B.) Light body damage, driven to the current resting place, stored
> outside, not running for 5 years, some rust, several layers of paint
> (cracking), in need of most fabric and rubber, restorable but condition of
> mechanicals uncertain. Reasonable starting point for a restoration project.
> $1,000-1,500
>
> Case C.) Same as above but driveable, at least around the block for
> evaluation. No loud noises inside the engine, gearbox working (3 good
> syncros and light whining in 1st gear), no rear end noises, suspension moves
> up & down on all 4 corners, brakes work well enough that you might consider
> driving it home. $2,000-$2,500. Anyone owning a case B should try to make
> it run, turning it into a case C.
>
> Case D.) Mechanically good enough to be driven daily on the street, should
> have a servicable top, rusted rocker panels, good frame, shaby appearance,
> excellent candidate for restoration. $3,000-3,500
>
> Case E.) Daily driver, solid rockers (maybe some bondo), decent looking
> paint (not ashamed to be seen in public), good top, servicable interior, all
> instruments working. This one should be driven some more years before
> restoration. $4,000-$5,000.
>
> Case F.) Body in good condition (maybe just a little surface rust), probably
> restored once, many more miles since. Nothing new but mechanically sound and
> has presentable interior. Nice daily driver. $6,000-$7,500
>
> Case G.) Very nice daily driver, older paint job but looking good, little or
> no noticable rust, nice top and interior, low mileage original (<50K) or
> reasonable amount of mileage since restoration. $8,000-10,000
>
> Case H.) Same as above but very nice paint and interior. $10,000-$12,000
>
> Case I.) Recently restored, excellent condition all around but not a show
> car (maybe 92 points). $12,000-$13,000
>
> Case J.) Recently restored to show condition, concourse winner.
> $14,000-$15,000. They don't stay this way long. If youre going to drive it
> very much, look for a G, H or I and save some money.
>
> Variations:
>
> a.) MGA 1500 as stated, 1600 add 8%-10%, 1600 MK-II add 12%-15%, 1600 MK-II
> Deluxe (Twin Cam chassis) add 20%, Twin Cam (see item d below).
>
> b.) Wire wheels can add or subtract $500 depending on their condition (check
> the splines closely).
>
> c.) Factory aluminum hardtop, add $500.
>
> d.) If there's a Twin Cam engine involved, add $10,000 and grab it before it
> gets away.
>
> Now let the opinions roll!
>
> Barney Gaylord -- 1958 MGA
>
>
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