On Fri, Jul 23, 1999 at 04:14:45PM -0400, Johnmowog@aol.com wrote:
> First I coudn't agree more with point #1!!!
I speak with the voice of experience.
> #2 has me puzzled a bit, I think you're comparing apples to oranges, since
> the example given in the price of fixing up a GT to perfection as opposed to
> the initial cost of the E-type. First, I see decent E-type coupes for less
Yes, but a reasonably stock E-type would blow the doors off just about
any MGB that was still recognizable as such.
> than 16k, but regardless of that, I bet I can find a drop-dead gorgous BGT
> for you for less than half that much. Fixing up your own car may be a
> different story, but that would depend on where you are starting from. Give
> me 16K to build a GT and I'll make you very happy while living well on the
> profits.
I said that was about what I was expecting to have spent on mine when I was
done:
$ 1 To buy the car (see point #1)
$5,000 already invested in making the car mostly mechanically sound.
$1,000 roll cage
$ 400 seats
$ 200 belts
$ 400 fuel cell
$ 400 carpet kit
$ 200 rear window with defrogger
$2,000 paint job
$ 600 machining bottom end
$ 200 baffled sump
$1,200 head work
$ 400 exhaust system
$ 200 rebuild of O/D
$ 200 venolia pistons
$ 100 Cam
$ 400 HS6 carbs
$ 600 other bits of trick racing shit and misc parts for motor
$ 800 Limited Slip Diff
$ 200 Panhard rod
$ 200 composite leaf spring
( note that the axle from an Rx7 GSL has LSD, disk brakes and
Watts linkage and only costs $200, but is 5.3" wider than
an MG rear end)
$1,000 15" wheels
I'm just doing off the top of my head guesses on costs, it
was a few years ago that I figured that I'd be about $10,000 into
it, which really meant about $15,000.
Having done some restoration work and built a couple of race cars
from the ground up, I KNOW that it costs twice as much as you think
it will.
> I would question whether anyone to try to build a show-quality e-type, even a
> 2+2, for less than 20-25k++ even if starting cheap with a decent car. The
I could be way off base on the cost of restoration, and may have picked
exactly the wrong car as an example. Experience has taught me that the
most expensive parts are the labor that I can't do myself. Machining is
usually about the same no matter what the motor, likewise paint.
> proverbial 12-15k E-coupe would not be close to a show car by Jag standards..
But for $12-15k you would have a car with more torque than you're
likely to get out of an MG motor that would hold together more than a
month, a car with one of the prettiest shapes to ever grace the public
highways, and an engine note so beautiful that it could put most symphonies to
shame.
> So maybe throwing buckets of money at a GT could bring you close to a jag
> price, but in this example it seems that for the money you would have a
> Perfect GT as opposed to a decent but used and worn E type. Considering what
> it would then cost to perfect the E-type, the B looks like a bargain no
> matter what you spend on it.
Yes, and $16,000 would also buy you a brand spanking new honda civic in,
by definition, perfectly restored condition. Said car would also blow the
doors off of almost any MGB on the road (the Vtec civic puts out about the
same horsepower as the mgbgt-v8).
Also a lot of the restoration cost depends upon what you are starting
with. If it's a complete rust bucket, the MG would be cheaper. Ifi
it's a fairly complete car that needs an engine rebuild, interior,
paint job and suspension bushings the delta in price is probably less
than 30%
lrc
> _______------------------------------------------________________________
> From: Larry Colen <lrcar@red4est.com>
> Subject: Re: Jag XKE
>
> There are a few things that I've learned over the years.
>
> 1) It is cheaper to buy a car that is already fixed up than to fix it
> yourself.
> corollary: the most expensive cars I've ever owned were given to me.
>
> 2) It basically costs as much to restore an MG as a Jaguar.
>
> You can buy a nice E-type coupe for about $16,000. That is about
> what I was figuring that I would have spent on my BGT when I was
> done fixing it up. So, you can buy the Jag for about $4,000,
> and spend $10-15,000 fixing it up. Or you can buy one in nice
> shape for about $15,000 and drive it.
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