Advice of Bugeye buy and use

[CLEAH]

I would think that $12k should get you a presentable, updated car with a 1275. Good luck with the search!

 

[nomad]

BAT just had a nice one that didn't make his reserve at a little over 9K. It may not be so much of a bubble as just satisfying the immediate market. Decent BE's have been over 10K for some time.

I think for your country and sports car roads you wouldn't want less than a 1275 and better brakes. My BE had the original bits for about a year before I changed them and have never regretted it. You WILL fall in love with driving it on twisty mountain roads!

 

[glemon]

I think you are in the ballpark for a nice driver quality car. You can probably find a better deal on a local sale than Ebay or BaT. Watch out for rust where the rear springs mount to the chassis. As you may have noticed there are probably as many or more with 1275s as the original 948. The parts interchange pretty easily and really no downside to the upgrade unless you just must have Original spec or like to entertain people with stories of your car having a smaller motor than half the motorcycles on the road these days.

 

[HealeyRick]

Prices have gone up a bit over the last couple of years, but "bubble" is a bit tongue-in-cheek. It's a bugeye, not a 356 Porsche and a price "spike" is only going to be a couple of grand. A top of the market car is going to be hard pressed to break $20,000. You should be able to get a nice car in your range, but you may have to stretch it a few grand to get a really nice one.

 

[59diamond]

You might want to take a hard look at this Bugeye. It has a 1275 and a Datsun 210 5 speed.
At the moment ut is at $6,100 which I think is pretty reasonable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-Austi...ash=item33cc750c89:g:BkcAAOSwrddY757l&vxp=mtr

 

[HealeyRick]

You might want to take a hard look at this Bugeye. It has a 1275 and a Datsun 210 5 speed.
At the moment ut is at $6,100 which I think is pretty reasonable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-Austi...ash=item33cc750c89:g:BkcAAOSwrddY757l&vxp=mtr

Lots of nice parts on that car and those Cosmic wheels look great. You need to decide whether you can live with the rust bubbles as it would be hard to do a touch-up and get a good match with the silver paint.

 

[Paul McGuffin]

My experience with eBay has been mostly good, except autos, watches and musical instruments. The sellers always tend to exaggerated the condition of their item, on the plus side. I bought a nice Bugeye on eBay. But, the sellers told me “everything works.” Well let the buyer beware. After I put $4000 into the car, now everything works. A 1275 is really nice, but I would not pass over a really good clean driver with an 1100cc with a rib-cage trans.

 

[Billm]

Yes- get rid of that stupid Weber and the New York car looks like a pretty good deal but watch for rust under the paint!
BillM

 

[mikeamondo]

I had seen the New York car on eBay.. watching pretty much every BE auction on there in fact... I was worried about the rust bubbles, as my body work skills are limited to spray can repairs.... I don't think a match would be possible, and I'm not prepared for a full repaint. I'd rather have mechanical issues to deal with on a clean body. Also, it might seem odd, but I prefer the original look... I want the steel wheels with the moon AH hubs, so I'd be swapping those out right away. I'm guessing I'd actually come out ahead on that part!

I'm sure you guys noticed the yellow 948 car in LA listed at 6.5k Buy in now. Seemed like a really low price, but the pics are really poor quality. I asked the seller for more pics and he replied he'd send them on Friday, but nothing showed up after that. That's what prompted the 948 questions earlier. That price leaves a lot of money to work on the car over time.... which I don't mind. I enjoy turning a wrench or two. Also, I could pull the trigger on that price right now... Probably a few weeks or a month before I can do more than 10k. Patience is not my strong point....

 

[Paul McGuffin]

I suggested to Mike, he find a Bugeye with a good body, then look around for a MG Midget with wires and 1275cc. Swap everything over to the Bugeye. He would be money ahead, if he got both cars at the right price.

 

[HealeyRick]

Patience is not my strong point....

A virtue you will want to cultivate when buying a bugeye. Take your time to find the right one, otherwise, you can easily get stuck with a mess. DON'T buy a car online without personally inspecting it or having someone knowledgeable look it over. If you see something you like, post it here, we'll be happy to criticize the heck out of it (it's what we do). And there's usually somebody nearby that will look it over for you (they might ask for a few bucks but it will be worth it). They made a lot of these cars and new ones are being listed every day. Don't let "bugeye fever" cause you to make a poor choice. Your thinking is right though. Fixing bodywork and paint is a lot more expensive than many people realize and you can make a hack job repair and cheesy paint job look pretty good on the internet.

 

[59diamond]

You might want to look at this website at Loomis. I know John felt and he would not steer you wrong. I don't if he has finished this restoration or not, but it may be worth contacting him.

https://bugeyeparts.com/forum/categories/bugeye-cars-for-sale/listForCategory

 

[59diamond]

Or there is this one. Certainly doesn't look like it needs any pain.

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1960/austin_healey/sprite/100847024

 

[Paul McGuffin]

DON’T buy a car online without personally inspecting it or having someone knowledgeable look it over.....................


I second this!!!!

 

[drooartz]

DON’T buy a car online without personally inspecting it or having someone knowledgeable look it over.....................

So true. I just came back from a road trip to Colorado with a friend to pick up a car he was going to buy ('50 Jeepster). Luckily we drove to get it -- 8 hrs on the road with a flatbed trailer only to find out the car was not close to what the seller had represented. So a no sale and we had a nice road trip... but much better than taking the chance.

There are a lot of folks around who'd be willing to look at a car for you. I've had folks here inspect cars for me on a couple occasions, adds a large amount of confidence to the purchase.

 

[mikeamondo]

Thanks again for all the advice! There's no substitute for an active online forum when it comes to learning about a specific car! At this point, I'm waiting for my accountant to figure out how much of my Bugeye money is going to Uncle Sam instead, and then it's time for more serious shopping! I'm certain I'll be asking many, many more questions....

 

[JPSmit]

So, having watched this, I am going to suggest that you may want to expand your search a little beyond bugeyes. Here is why.

1. We have commented on the various values of Bugeyes. Generally though prices are going up and, an under 10k Bugeye will almost certainly require some work - it maybe the body needs some touching up, it may be the engine or the interior - but, if your accountant says you have even 10k to buy one, that represents a starting point and not the whole package.

2. I love the Morgantown area - but, for the eastern half of the USA the communities are somewhat spread out with lots of hills (mountains?) inbetween. The Bugeye is a great car for 50 miles of fun driving - not so great after that - AND not a lot of storage and what there is is not super accessible (no trunk) So, you would be trailering or having another vehicle for more remote parades.

3. As cute as it is, I am not sure it matches your brand image. Your publication seems to mostly focus on American cars and trucks and such - a Little British Car might imply it is a speciality publication rather than a more general publication.

So, on the basis of all these things, let me make a couple of suggestions:

there are any number of quirky interesting American options well within the price range - Corvair - especially anything Greenbriar. Rambler. Henry J. Just about any step van from the era. The advantage to these is that they are all just a bit bigger - with more storage, more comfort in driving longer distances and often much much more reasonably priced. If your heart is set on an import, Morris Minor Panel Van, Various Standard & Bedford Vans (if you can find them) You could even (possibly) find a Corvair Ultra Van. I might even consider a Vega wagon (I know but they have aged fairly well) or even peek into the Malaise era cars.

Or to go in a completely different direction - a true (affordable) microcar - lets say a Fiat 500 or 600 and a trailer for your truck or van. trailer it and drive it in the parade or park out front.

My 2 cents. keep us posted!

 

[Paul McGuffin]

If not the Bugeye...I would think about a Nash Metro. They are real eye catchers. My daughter says, they look like a Pee Wee Herman car.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Of the all the cars I've driven, the Bugeye gets the most attention.

 

[Paul McGuffin]

Of the all the cars I've driven, the Bugeye gets the most attention.

I had a Porsche Speedster reproduction made by CMC that got just as much as my bugeye. If it had not been made by CMC I would still have it. IMO, Vintage and Beck make the best Speedster reproductions. Beck even makes a Porsche 904 Reproduction. But, I think it’s over 100-K ! Any of you old enough to remember the 904’s? One sold at Barrett Jackson a year ago for 1.6 million, a real one...