Firstly, I'm sorry to hear that you've got yourself into this situation with
your Spit. It can be very depressing to put so much effort and money into
something but run out of one or other (or both) before the job is completed,
and you never get to see the benefit of.
However, onto your actual question! If you can be bothered to go through
the effort of selling bits and pieces off one by one, you will almost
certainly make more money than selling the whole thing in one go. Sad,
since this means one less Spitfire that could ever get back on the road in
its own right, but true. When Daffy finally succumbed to the rust last
summer, I ended up making more on the bits and pieces that guy who bought
her rusty remains didn't want, than on the car itself (although that did
include a hard-top, which was the bulk of the money I made). eBay is a
fantastic medium for this sort of thing!
The distressing thing is that, a car that is not on the road is a car that
is not on the road, however much work you've already put into it, and is
worth very little. An 80% complete restoration is worth no more than a 5%
complete restoration, despite all the work and money you have invested
inbetween.
I am guessing (by your use of the word 'gotten'!) that you are in the
States, so I don't know how much a project like yours would go for. Here in
Scotland there is a MkIV that I am SORELY tempted to buy (but am just too
broke to justify it right now) for #850, and that does have such luxuries as
floors, carpets and seats all in place, and would need no more to MOT than
any old car needs to get through the test. MK IIIs are worth a bit more,
but in the state yours is in I don't think I would pay more than #500 (which
must be about $850 or so right now) for a car in the condition you describe,
if I was in the market for one. Since the engine has not been re-built as
part of the restoration, and the list of new parts (brakes, battery, clutch)
is neither long nor represents very expensive parts, maybe not even that
much. And from what I've seen before, Spits go for less in the US than the
UK, often for the same number of dollars that we'd pay in pounds.
Sorry I can't be more positive at what must already be a frustrating time!
Richard Gosling
This email and any attached files are confidential and copyright protected.
If you are not the addressee, any dissemination of this communication is
strictly prohibited. Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, nothing
stated in this communication shall be legally binding.
|