I Actually Walked Away....

[tony barnhill]

....From an MGB Today!

Rain stopped for a bit so I rode across the county to look at a '73 B advertised as "rough"...rough ain't the word for it...there wasn't a panel on the car that wasn't either dented or rusted; no interior, old stuck engine.....told the guy 'no thanks'....he apologized that I'd driven so far for nothing..."Only way for me to see what you've got." & as I was about to drive away, he asked what I thought it was worth....."$50 or whatever the scrap man will give you."

Can't believe I'm actually getting discriminating!

 

[JoshP]

Alright...who are you? What have you done with the real Tony?

 

[tony barnhill]

Josh - I'm in process of disassembling a '67 B....entire body has a layer of fiberglass over it...I'm not even going to try to save the body...dropped rear end & sold it...pulling engine/trans to put in my engine building, dropping front suspension (wire), pulling dash - everything else goes to my friend's salvage yard!

 

[R6MGS]

It must be going around....I just passed on an original owner, original paint TD

 

[aerog]

[ QUOTE ]
Rain stopped for a bit so I rode across the county to look at a '73 B advertised as "rough"...

[/ QUOTE ]

At least they admitted it was at least "rough". I did the same thing for a car that was advertised as "good shape" and "rust free". At least the several hours on the road going to see it were somewhat enjoyable /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[R6MGS]

Passed on an O/D B GT yesterday....Not a completely unsavable car, but the owner likes to think he's sitting on gold....So I am gunna let him keep thinking that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[JoshP]

Actually, I just passed on a '74 BGT earlier this week; the underbelly of this car was nonexistant and sitting in a pile of weeds. Its a complete car, but structurally compromised. Probably not worth saving; owner thought it was a gold mine since it was "rare".

He wanted $1200 for it; I offered to take it if he would take the 1 out of the price tag. He immediately said no no way; someone would surely come along and buy it for what he wants. I gave him my number with the $200 offer on it; we shall see.

 

[jlaird]

I would just like to see one from time to time out in the weeds. Think a large scrap drive came through here.

 

[ronzet]

I do hate to see these great cars returning to their base molecular components...

Just two observations... There seems to be those who have cars in fair condition not asking enough and driving the prices/values down.. and secondly, those that have what amounts to a loosely connected piles of rust thinking that the values are high...

Does make it tough on those of us who know what it takes, (time and money) to get a car back to pristine condition who end up paying too much for the rust and not getting enough for the restored cars...

Just complaining.... I know, I know, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif waaa, waaa, waaa...

 

[JamesWilson]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif

[ QUOTE ]
...those who have cars in fair condition not asking enough...

[/ QUOTE ]

I've had a couple people stop and ask if I want to sell one I'm slowly working on.

They want it for peanuts, or seem to think I'll ask them to just tow it away....

Who needs 'em....

 

[ronzet]

James... Right on... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[ QUOTE ]
They want it for peanuts, or seem to think I'll ask them to just tow it away....

[/ QUOTE ]

Although, we all hope to find that great car in a barn where the owner just wants it towed 'outta here'... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Nunyas]

[ QUOTE ]
James... Right on... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[ QUOTE ]
They want it for peanuts, or seem to think I'll ask them to just tow it away....

[/ QUOTE ]

Although, we all hope to find that great car in a barn where the owner just wants it towed 'outta here'... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's how I got my car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Granted it needed a quite a bit of work including a new clutch slave cylinder and flex hose before I could even get the car to leave the PO's garage. But it was a driver, on nearly bald tires after that. So far, since I've acquired the car, I've cured all the ailments it had while they owed the car except for the wierd vapor locking and a refueling problem where you can't pump the fuel into the tank at full tilt. However, I made a correction with the vapor separator canister in the boot and mounted it on the side properly instead of letting it lay flat on the boot floor. So, I'll get to see if I fixed that last problem when I go for another tank of gas. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-Rob

 

[ronzet]

Nunyas, I love these stories of a barn find... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My A was in a barn, but I needed a wheel barrow for the money it took to buy it!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif And it hadn't run since 1974...

Thanks for sharing the story with us... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[Hap Waldrop]

I'll share this with you guys, I have a friend who races a Sprite with the larger main 1098, he has collected them over the years and has plenty of them, so he's not willing to give much for another one. He sees a ad in the paper for a 1098 engine for BO, he goes over to the guy's place, it's in the corner of the shop. He offers $50, the guys says no he won't sell it for anything less than $150, my friend walks away. 9 years later, reading the paper he sse a ad for a 1098 complete engine and calls the guy, immediately he peggs it as the same guy he spoke to 9 years earlier. Sure enough goes over to the guy's house and it's the same motor sitting in the same exact spot, offers him $50 and the guy accepts. my friend never reminded the guy he was the same guy who had looked at the engine 9 years earlier. As they are loading the engine up, the guy tells my friend about a guy (my friend /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) who had offered him $50 quite some years before and he had refused the offer and in the light of things should have accepted the other fellow's offer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. I guess patience pays off sometimes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tony barnhill]

Hap - you've got a PM

 

[jsneddon]

[ QUOTE ]
Hap - you've got a PM

[/ QUOTE ]

Uh oh.... Tony musta got wind of the pre-war collection and is expanding his mission statement.

Get one with a pre-selector gearbox Tony! Those things look sooooo cool

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tony barnhill]

[ QUOTE ]
Tony musta got wind of the pre-war collection

[/ QUOTE ]

Missed that one, Jim - tell me about it.

 

[jsneddon]

from Hap:

[ QUOTE ]

I had a friend pass away in the fall of last year, Ed Seagrave, Ed was well known through out the early MG crowd. His wife with the help of a few of my local car club members will start selling Ed's cars, parts and pieces off in the fall of this year as estate matters are settled. Ed has a few show winning cars and tons of spares, the show cars won't be cheap but they are the best examples and restored to the highest levels, if you are interested I can forward you to the folks handling this for the family, email me at home hapfp@charter.net


[/ QUOTE ]

 

[tony barnhill]

hmmmm - missed that one

 

[R6MGS]

My 61 MGA and the TC where barn finds. TC was a straight foward find and purchase. The MGA took awhile longer, I discovered it as it belonged to a cousin of a guy I worked with. I looked at it, loved it and made my offer. The owner refused and let the car sit about 5 more years, in that time the car is stolen twice and recoved. Finally he calls me back and accepts the offer.