I am eyeing up an austin healey 3000 2+2

[Nelson84]

I have seen a few for sale. How rare are these 4 seater healeys and are they a good investment?

 

[healeyblue]

The 4 seaters (2+2 as you say) are the most common. It's the 2 seaters that are more rare.

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I have seen a few for sale. How rare are these 4 seater healeys and are they a good investment?

You didn't say which 2+2 seriies you're looking at? Big difference in prices on the "roadsters vs the convertibles".

 

[Bob_Spidell]

I have seen a few for sale. How rare are these 4 seater healeys and are they a good investment?

Cars as investments have boom and bust cycles (like pretty much everything that could be considered an 'investment'). At the present time, 'classic' cars are in a boom period with older sports cars, notably Ferraris, fetching extravagant and, in my opinion, unwarranted prices. Less ostentatious marques, like Healeys, are also experiencing price inflation, but not as much as some others. The last boom cycle, like stocks and real estate, ended in a massive bust a few years ago, and this one will too, eventually. As Healeyblue noted, the 2-seaters are generally more desired, except for BJ8s which are the most embellished and comfortable cars (also relatively newer).

Most of the members of this forum are Healey and/or Austin-Healey enthusiasts. We're interested in maintaining and, in some cases, modifying our cars. It's somewhat comforting to feel you're not pouring your time and money into a sinkhole since, if you want or need to sell your car you'll get at least some of your 'investment' back.

 

[Nelson84]

I would have thought the 4 seater would be more desirable since you can put more chicks in a 4 seater or your wife and kids. 2 seaters seem to only be good for single guys.

 

[AH100M]

Try sitting in the back of a four seater at 50+ mph. Might be good for kids but not spouses or girlfriends, IMHO.

 

[John Turney]

I would have thought the 4 seater would be more desirable since you can put more chicks in a 4 seater or your wife and kids. 2 seaters seem to only be good for single guys.

Those rear seats will hold quite a few chicks, but baby chickens will blow out with the top down.

 

[Nelson84]

I have been looking on eBay at healeys is this a good place to buy or should I go look somewheres else.

 

[bighealeysource]

Hey Nelson,
I have had good luck with ebay but sure there are many who have not. I do not care for Craig's List and hear a lot of horror stories about buying cars from the ads. Regardless of which you might use I would not buy anything without confirming the car does actually exist and having it inspected before you buy or certainly after you win an auction. If I bought a Healey on Ebay and the seller was not happy about me having the car inspected after the auction end, then walk away and who cares if he/she gives you a bad rating. If the car is any good the seller should not pitch a fit.

WHAT I would do immediately is join both of the national ( at least US national) Healey clubs. You can learn a lot about the cars from the monthly magazines and great stuff available from archived articles. Go to the following sites:

www.healeyclub.org which is Austin Healey Club of America
www.healey.org which is Austin Healey Club USA

They are both worth joining and always have several or more Healey's for sale by club members in the back. Figure out which year/model you want and start your quest. A lot of great cars out there but a lot of bad ones to avoid. Do your "due diligence" and you can get the good one and avoid the bad one. One more tip - buy the absolutely best one you can afford as it will almost always be more expensive to fix the one "needing work,etc" than buying one already done.
Good luck,
Mike

 

[HealeyRick]

Nelson.

You asked before which was the best Healey for vintage racing. Now you want to know which is the best investment. You really need to decide what you want to do. Like most of us said, a Sprite is the best entry level vintage racer, but it's probably not the best for "investment" purposes. If I were buying a Healey for "investment", I'd probably go with a BJ8, Mk III, phase 2 or a 100M, but they are already expensive. But investment potential depends so much on condition of the car you buy. If you buy a rotbox, you're screwed no matter which model you buy. My advice is to decide what you want to do, find a car you like and post it up here so we can all rip it to shreds. If it gets by this group, you've got a good chance of not getting taken. I bought my Healeys because I love them, not for what kind of investment they'd be. I may not make a lot of money from their sale, but I'll still be richer for owning them.

 

[Nelson84]

I'm thinking on getting the following bugeye and a 2+2 3000 and a 2002 viper GTS ACR.

 

[Keoke]

OH The VIPER should come in around $40.000.00 for a real clean one.

 

[Michael Oritt]

Nelson--

I'll second what Rick said as you seem to be all over the place. If you are at all serious about buying a car--whether it be for racing or for transporting "chicks"--I again suggest that you take the time to acquire some knowledge about the subject. It is the rare person who makes money in the collector car market and until you learn what is up you're nothing more than a target for someone who knows lots more than you.

And yes, if you actually do fix upon a car that you are seriously considering buying put it in front of us in a detailed post--pictures, facts, etc, etc--and you'll certainly get a lot of input and opinion. In the meantime read, listen, watch and learn.

 

[Gearhead_Garage]

I'm thinking on getting the following bugeye and a 2+2 3000 and a 2002 viper GTS ACR.

That's quite an instant collection if you are thinking of all 3. Otherwise, it is quite the diverse set of choices. An adult cannot sit in the rear of a Healey with the top up so it's for small children only. As far as I am concerned, that is a parcel shelf and none of the 3 are practical choices if you are thinking of taking your chick friends out for a picnic.

This may be controversial, but IMO, people are happiest when their choice of a collector car matches the image they wish to project of themselves. I know people with all 3 of those cars and they provide a completely different experience, both in terms of driving and image.

Bugeyes are a bit dangerous as a road car and they are uncomfortable for long trips. They are great for a mountain dash and they do make good vintage racers but you will be the lowest rung on the ladder. A 1275 Bugeye (heresy, I know), will be competitive in some groups but a 948 will be the slowest car in almost any group. They are fun, cute, and inexpensive. If you are cool with that image, why would you ever consider a Viper?

A 3000 is a great GT car but not very sporting. Once again, just my opinion as an owner of a Healey and other cars. If you want to drive places (tours, mountain drives, etc.) it's a great car. People will not assume you are a rich snob as they would with a Jag or Aston (or Viper). If you want a real sports car (think autocross or canyon carving), try a Lotus Elan. I wouldn't even think about racing a big Healey, but it can be done with some success.

The Viper is a very fun and fast car but you will be lumped into the gold chain crowd. It is a real performance automobile but it may be perceived as a look-at-me image grab. Give it 10 more years and it will be the next Pantera.

 

[Mert]

Nelson, Here are 2 sites that list a variety of classic cars that are for sale. Collectorcarads.com Classiccars.com
There are several Healeys listed in each site.

I have a 1960 BN7 Healey that is For Sale. It is listed on both sites. Good luck, Mert

 

[Michael Oritt]

Mert--

I doubt he will like your car due to its limited chick-carrying capacity.

 

[stuntflyr]

Nelson, I like your style. I had three chicks in an Austin Healey once, I should say I was picked up by three chicks in an Austin Healey and the one moved to the back very gracefully and stylishly I must say with the top up, to let me sit shotgun. The driver looked like a model and the backseaters looked like the other unattainable girls from high school yet they were so nice and happy and smily and interested in me, even as I was more interested in the car and the model's deft touch of the controls including overdrive switch, her fingers and arms and legs moving so... but I digress.
Make sure you buy the best car you go to see, don't buy junk, and do not buy them sight unseen. I bought two sight unseen and they both were so rotten as to be unusable, but Healey Rick and I went to see a frame and it was so good I bought it. That has been my best Healey buy so far, besides the manuals to restore and maintain them. And the great knowledge and information found here. Bring a knowledgeable person with you to buy your cars and buy the best ones you can afford, which sounds like the best ones available. Your enjoyment will be increased exponentially.
Man, I love those '67's. Green, with a black interior with wood trim, and chicks...
Chris...

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Nelson--
It is the rare person who makes money in the collector car market and until you learn what is up you're nothing more than a target for someone who knows lots more than you.

Wayne Carini springs to mind....if you can believe half of what they show on the tube.

 

[stuntflyr]

Wayne actually loses his butt a few times on the show which made it easier to watch for me...
Chris...

 

[madhouse]

I like Wayne's shows. This season he lost on 2 out of 3 so far. But he sold a friends 3000 for about 65 or 70k too!