At 07:09 AM 8/30/02 -0700, Aubrey Schneider wrote:
>While browsing the above, I came across a 1957 MGA. Listed as #1855284985,
>it looked to my non expert eye to be in really good shape.
>It comes with a lot of parts some new & still in boxes.
>Current bid at $10,000.
I will be surprised if it gets a bid. Doesn't look anything like $10,000
to me.
This is not a restored car, obviously only painted on the outside. From
what I can tell from the pictures it looks like an older repaint, and maybe
not very good finish at at that. Can't tell anything about the condition
of the body sills from the available pictures. Looks like an MGB engine,
so maybe the chassis had a lot of miles on it if the original engine was
worn out or broken. The 4" air duct hoses are missing (which is a serious
oversite in Texas heat), so I suspect a general lack of attention to other
details. Has a couple of strange wiring bodges, replacement type flasher
unit. Heaater shelf and heater box look somewhat tatty (didn't want to say
ugly). The picture of the somewhat decomposed looking master cylinder
doesn't help the image or impression of the car. Tonneau cover is a
misfit, might be missing a couple of twist fasteners. Strange mod inside,
appears that the air control knobs have been relocated from the heater
control panel to the dash. The white dash panel is a mystery. Safety
gauge (oil P & water T) both not parked at rest, have no idea what that
means. If it's running it has very low idle oil pressure, and if it's not
running the gauge is defective. Extra unkown gauge in center of
dash. Decent replacement steering wheel (if you like that sort of thing).
Low resolution web pictures usually make a car look better than reality,
and these pictures don't make it look all that good. Even if everything
that I can not see was perfect (which I seriously doubt), as a nice daily
driver I'd make it to be worth a few thousand dollars less than the asking
opening bid. If thinking about restoring it, then you ignore the outside
paint, and it looks more like half of the asking price. If you think the
new parts are worth anything, either think about having to install them on
the car, or selling them at a substantial discount, or (perish the thought)
doing a full restoration to match the new parts. I wouldn't waste a trip
to look at this car at anything near the asking price (and I wouldn't even
bother inquiring). Such is cars for sale on the net. Buyer beware.
$.02,
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
http://www.ntsource.com/~barneymg
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