And by that, I don't mean something you've had long enough to qualify, more along the lines of 'I was looking for a 58 Chevy but this old Desoto was local and cheap so I bought it'.
And have you come to love it. ?
sifty,
Oct 23, 1:12pm
I'm asking as I seem to buy lots of crappy old bikes just because they are there, but once I start working on them, I get into them.
Just wondering if there are any good stories out there of people falling for an ugly duckling when they were looking for their dream.
dingo011,
Oct 23, 1:40pm
I bought a Truimph TR6 for $2500 in 1990 when no one wanted them. 25 years on I still have it. I replaced the Lucas fuel injection system with triple side drafts ( the orginal gear is stored in a box in the shed somewhere ) I have rebuilt the engine, valve seats etc , replaced the 4 speed with O/D box with a 5 speed. Restored the factory hard top and 2 pack painted the roof and the body. I guess I have spent $20k on general day to day stuff and mods over the years. However it would be the only car I have owned that is worth more than its orginal cost and mods over the years.
glang,
Oct 23, 4:00pm
I always wanted a TR6, finally bought one 1986 in good condition in Auckland for $10,000 and sold it a couple years later for $11,000. Where did you pick one up for $2500, can't have been NZ unless it was a basketcase or rightoff perhaps?. Can't recall TR6's ever being unpopular, sold mine first time advertised.
westwyn,
Oct 23, 4:37pm
This.
I was haunting Triumph classifieds back in 1990, and I never recall TR6 prices getting anywhere near $2500- or $5000 for that matter- even for a dog. Bought my first Triumph in 1983, Vitesse by 1984 and hooked from there. Paid $5000 for a partially rebuilt but disassembled Vitesse Mark II MOD 'vert back in 1992, only after realising a TR6 was out of reach. If they were out there for $2500- or $4500 for that matter- I suspect they wouldn't have been for long!
tamarillo,
Oct 23, 5:48pm
Oh yes, far too many spur of moment buys over years, classics included. Healey 3000 suddenly bought rashly because the advert came up and I swore I'd have one some day. Sold it year later. Pug 205 gti recently cause it was local and looked fun. Took a fiat 850 coupe as trade and fell in love with it. While ago but I still love rear engined cars. A bond equipe because it needed rescuing and was ridiculous. Few BMW airheads been through garage for no other reason than they looked good and local. Norton commando too. In fact most automotive buying has been spur of moment and rather rash. Much more fun that way and if I thought about it too hard I'd never have experienced the joys. It's the ones that got away that I regret. nearly bought an e type once and wish I had!
trogedon,
Oct 23, 8:19pm
I had a bunch of RWD Toyota Corollas and Nissan Sunnys etc that are 'classics' now.
2sheddies,
Oct 23, 9:59pm
Sadly, so many of the lovely old 70's Corollas, Datsuns etc have been completely bastardised, thrashed and finally ruined altogether by spotty young lads with no real appreciation for old cars. It's lovely when you do rarely see a beautiful, original example with one elderly gentleman owner. and I always hope one of the aforementioned hoons never get their greasy little mitts on it!
dingo011,
Oct 24, 5:55am
I bought the TR^ I am refering to from Tauranga as a insurance write off. It had blown a injector hose and had a under bonnet fire. Bonnet was gone as was all the engine bay electrics. When we pulled the engine out we found the the big end was also at the end of its life. Imported a new bonnet and rebuilt the engine as per original post. rewired from the dash forward etc
bumfacingdown,
Oct 24, 6:34am
Smile when I read posts like that. Imagine what them old fellas said as you young hoons desecrated those 30s and 40s vehicles, the shock horror of the vintage car lot as another good car got rodded.
trogedon,
Oct 24, 7:02am
Some of us still think that.
socram,
Oct 24, 7:10am
LOL! The reality is that to totally restore a run of the mill (Brit) saloon back to 100% original is a total waste of time and money as the costs are the same as for say a Mk2 Jaguar, which would be worth serious money when finished.
I have been accused of 'hot rodding' my 1956 saloon, but by putting in a Rover V8, 4 wheel discs, 5 speed gearbox etc., but retaining the original looks, I have an updated saloon.
Sadly, costs spiralled and I could have (and should have) bought a useable E type Jag for $54,000 not so long ago that would have increased in value!
Unlike Tamarillo, I stuck to Minis and Mini variants from day 1 and never really ventured outside my comfort zone, though I should have bought a modified Lotus Elan many years ago in the UK, for the equivalent of $400.
I did make good money on the mint 1989 Honda 250cc though. Bought for $1500 and sold a few years later, still mint, for $2,800, still with only 9,000 miles on the clock.
tamarillo,
Oct 24, 9:26am
Which mini variants? Had a couple.
kcc55a,
Oct 24, 10:06am
Many years ago bought a Honda S600 with the engine in the boot - dismantled. Tendered on the spur of the moment and forget what I paid but it was under$150. It sat in my workshop for a long time, awaiting a suitable transplant, but then got sold to a Chch enthusiast
sifty,
Oct 24, 1:28pm
Guilty of all of the above.Problem is once I get into it and start collecting manuals, literature, parts etc I tend to fall for them. Eventually I sell them but it's hard after so much work.
I particularly like the odball cars/bikes that 'need rescuing and are ridiculous' - guess I see it as a challenge to make some unloved heap work again.
bumfacingdown,
Oct 24, 1:35pm
Thinking back on the question I wonder if many of my first cars fell into "accidental classics" When I bought cars back then it was the old and I can just afford if it don't break model I bought, which invariably died and had to be replaced. With in a matter of years (or was that decades) someone decided that those cars were classics
socram,
Oct 24, 2:30pm
Minivan - 2 850cc Mini - 2 998cc Mini Cooper - 2 (but woodsmans axe in terms of engines/bodyshells!) Wolseley Hornet - 2 Riley Elf - 2 1300 Cooper S - 1 BMW Cooper S - 1
Then all the other more grown up fwds that owed their ancestry to the Mini.
tiles,
Oct 24, 7:03pm
I had a Datsun 1200 sss in immaculate condition when I was in my twenties ,wish i kept that
dr.doolittle,
Oct 24, 7:13pm
I did. I hadn't owned anything American for a while & was looking for a pick-up. Along came this ODD looking Cadillac Eldorado covered in chrome. I wasn't sure at first if I liked it but it grew on me. Owned it for 12 or so years & recently sold it. Will probably buy American again soon. This time I will get a pick-up. (I think)
2sheddies,
Oct 24, 7:17pm
Haha, you're not wrong there. although the craftsmanship is far superior to some of the 'mods' you see these days lol!
marte,
Oct 24, 7:43pm
There's a few Riley's on Trade me now for fixup
Vauxhall vanguard series 1. Beetle back. Instant classic.
sr2,
Oct 24, 7:47pm
give them a few decades and their craftsmanship will probably be leaving today's rodders in their dust!
bryshaw,
Oct 24, 7:58pm
Had a 64 Rambler Classic 660 with the dodgy 196 cu inch smokey motor, so dropped in a Holden 186 motor and it went for years. Lovely body shape for the year.
jmma,
Oct 24, 8:03pm
Uuummm Vauxhall?
2sheddies,
Oct 24, 9:02pm
Fixed it for ya.
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