In a message dated 98-06-15 10:17:41 EDT, gprtech@frontiernet.net writes:
<< I'd bet big money that things are missing, even if the owner doesn't
realize it. Give me complete car in rotten condition over one that is in
good condition and might not be complete.
Also, if the car is in good shape, why was it disassembled? This sounds
like something I've heard before, >>
I'm not sure I agree... I'd almost rather buy a disassembled car that
I can inspect completely than one that might be hiding major faults.
And to answer your question of why an otherwise decent car might
have been disassembled, my TR3-B was running good and needed
only a little work to one fender to be a nice driver. At a club tech
session about 10 years ago we started by taking off the one fender
and the next thing you know I'd been convinced that a ground up
restoration would somehow be a good thing to do.
RIght now, if anyone was to buy my TR3-B (in pieces), they'd find
a three owner car with less than 65,000 actual miles on it, that I've
owned for the past 28 years, with a completely overhauled engine, frame
already done, all body parts and pieces in perfect shape and thousands
of dollars worth on new TRF parts waiting to be installed, including
interior, top, new side curtains, chrome and rubber. It's all been
sitting there for the past 10 years waiting till I either put it back
together or decide to sell it as a "kit". Most likely it'll still be there
when I die and then whoever gets to Jolene first with some cash will
get the deal of the century.
Frankly, I'd not be too quick to dismiss a disassembled car without
looking really hard at it, although $6,500 sounds like too much for the
car being described here (not mine, the other one).
G'luck,
Don Marshall
'57 TR3 (complete and driving)
'63 TR3-B (complete, in pieces)
'63 TR4 (complete and autocrossing)
'63 Healey 3000 (complete, in pieces)
'60 TR3A (just pieces)
'63 Healey 3000 (just pieces)
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