Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

Walking around the annual Betws y Coed Classic Car Show last August I heard that comment from a few individuals as they examined the classic cars on show.
Some were dismissive of certain models and one or two of the exhibitors were clearly annoyed at such critique of their pride and joy.
But was it true?
I am old enough to remember the 1973/74 fuel crisis with threatened petrol rationing in the UK. The coupons were issued but never used.
Bar room sages still day that "you could buy an E Type for peanuts then."

A family friend had no difficulty selling a 1967 Series 1 1/2 E Type Roadster in March 1974 - an "average" car with 75k miles on it's odometer for more than a thousand pounds. Around the same time I remember a Metallic Maroon 1963 Series 1 Fixed Head on the forecourt of the local BL garage for only two days after it had been part exchanged against a new Triumph Stag.
I think it sold for around £900 to a local hotelier. It was a nice one though and in 2015 his family still owns it.

What was true that poor cars sold cheaply, the same happens today.

[img]

A car known to like it's petrol, a Humber Sceptre like this was banger money in 1974 except the one owner 14k mileage here which had buyers clamouring for it in September 1974.

[/img]

What price a mint 1957 Jaguar 2.4 or 3.4 litre today?
The local landowner sold his in August 1974, a 3.4 litre, privately to one of his tenant farmers before buying a new P6 Rover 3500. It was open to tender by tenants only.

Where will this be in 2022 ? Vauxhall Vectra Mark 1

[img]

Desirable, mint condition cars of the mainstream will always be sought after, I think.
Where do you consider the reality lies?

A final note, one of these was abandoned in a lean to in 1972.

[/img]

A Jaguar Mark 7 in beige, BCA 303, unwanted and time expired. It was still there in 1991 until importers of ex USA re-imported XK120 and XK140 heard of it.
The engine was sold for a huge price at an ad hoc auction on site.
_________________
Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Ray White]

I have bought several cars in the distant past when the expression "you couldn't give 'em away" was almost if not exactly true. A Ford 103E "Popular" came my way for just £2. despite being in quite presentable condition, albeit a non runner and a nice low mileage A30 was mine for just £8 - or the scrap value then, because it was considered "old fashioned".
Likewise, I had to virtually give away a smart Ford 100E which must have been like a gift to someone as their first car. The Mk1 A55 Cambridge failed to sell for any price due to rust bubbles along the rear wing so I gave it to my brother who sold on the number. (Shameless git is a millionaire in the City of London now!!)

The amount of troublesome technology built into cars these days means that the scrap yards are busy breaking otherwise good cars which couldn't be sold and that to my mind is very wasteful.

[lowdrag]

Last year a friend bought a 1950 XK120 roadster, rebuilt chassis, in bits but all there including engine and transmission, for £4,000. I thought that was a giveaway.

[baconsdozen]

At one time you would get nothing for a scrap car unless you actually took it to the breakers. Not so long ago any scrap car would fetch a couple of hundred quid even if they had to come and take it away,now (possibly due to all the cheap Chinese steal flooding over here) they fetch very little again.
_________________
Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[MikeEdwards]

I have a lot of magazines from when my car was new, anything featuring the model that I could find. Browsing the small ads is very interesting. Granted wages were a lot lower then, so looking at a DB5 for "only" £5500 isn't quite the bargain it seems, but I do recall some stuff like 30s Bentleys, where it seems that having to own up that it's been raced knocks a fair bit off the value, quite the opposite of todays "competition history".

[Rootes75]

I recall getting nothing for scrap cars a few years back, I took a Mk1 Astra to the scrappy and they gave me £30. If only I had the shed space I would have kept it.
_________________
Various Rootes Vehicles.

[kevin2306]

I was approached by a bloke at last years Llangollen railway show. He recognised my Singer as a car he had been to look at when the previous owner had decided to sell, the year was 1990 and the price was £900. The car had been laid up at that point for 5 years. He went on to tell me that he wanted the car to break up and sell for parts.
Trevor the previous owner got wind that it was to be broken up and decided not to sell and there it stood for a further 23 years waiting for me!
Having seen the car last year, the potential purchaser did agree that he was glad he hadn't bought and broke it.

Kev

[BigJohn]

Just look at the prices of Mk1 Escorts 2drs with rusty sills and strut tops, back in the 80's, £25. Now £3kish. Not too rusty Mexico? £250, now? Howmuchyagotmate.

[emmerson]

But surely, if we'd all kept them, there'd be too many, so they'd be worthless!

[clan chieftain]

Or there would be none to break.Now you cant buy anything worth restoring for under £1000 unless it needs a lot of work.
_________________
The Clan Chieftain

[Rootes75]

On that note, haven't restoration project prices shot up
_________________
Various Rootes Vehicles.

[mikeC]

You couldn't give them away? Well, yes, at one time you couldn't!

In the mid-1980s I had a garden full of Triumph Heralds, and they still kept finding me. This was the view from the house, and there were three more in the garage, and two in regular use further up the drive!



It actually got to the point where even I agreed- no more! Well, not unless it was a Courier van, and that was not going to happen. Knock at the door - 'Do you want a Triumph Herald?' Groan! Well, I could at least go and look:



I couldn't say no, could I - especially as I was offered a fiver to take it! It didn't take much to get it MOT'd, and it gave me a good six year's service - here it is with a freebie:



As for freebies, my first was this one owner Ruby, acquired in 1967:



Followed a couple of year's later by this 1931 saloon - I bought a collection of 1925 chummy parts on condition that I took the saloon away, so that was free:



Back to the eighties, both the Herald and the GT6 were freebies:



In 2001 an Aunt donated this one-owner Toledo, thinking I was going to break it for parts - no way, it was MOT'd within the week, and gave at least eight years more service with me and the next owner, although I see it is now SORN'd:



And finally, in 2006 I was offered this SAAB 99 for free, if I could collect it the next day as it was parked on the road and the insurance was needed for its replacement:



I could add even more that were acquired for nominal sums, but perhaps that is stretching the thread...

[Rick]

They deserve their own thread Mike, rather than being buried here.

That's quite a collection of Herald Coupes you had! The Courier was an amazing piece of luck (reminds me of finding the Saab van in 1990/91).

RJ
_________________
Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
Videos:https://www.youtube.com/user/oldclassiccarRJ/videos
OCC & classic car merchandise (Austin, Ford ++):
https://www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop

[Dipster]

Years ago I worked for a company that ran many, many vans. Of all makes and models! The reason was that owner had no vehicle policy and purchased what he could find in dealer`s stock.

At one time I had an early Mk1 Escort that went in for service. I was given a Courier van, a pretty pale blue colour, as a replacement for the day. I recall it had an incredibly noisy diff. It wasn`t a bad little vehicle. But the Escort was, in my opinion, quite superior to use.

Edit was a typo correction.

[Madwelshman]

Nice collection of cars there. I especially love the 99. The early ones like that look so nice. Hopefully mine will be that smart one day, same colour as that as well, Savannah beige.