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1959 Sprite - should I sell or restore?

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ssemar

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Hi there Sprite enthusiasts! Need some advise. My father has a 1959 bug eyed Sprite with a bad engine that's been sitting uncovered in a dry (but dusty) barn since about 1964. He also has a second Sprite with a rusty body that he bought for the engine in the mid-60's too. How much are these worth about? Should I advise him to sell or should I have them restored?

Please be patient with me... I've never before participated a forum, and am new to your web site. And please don't take advantage.

Thanks in advance for your advise!
Sarah
 
I also have a 59 bug. My gut says.......restore it, drive the wheels off it.......then if you want sell it. You might just develope a love affair with it along the way and not want to get rid of her! Welcome aboard by the way. You can post on the Spridget forum also. As I found out there are a bunch of good folks there who have a wealth of info.
 
Take the engine and sell the rest on Ebay for money to repair the other. I think you will love the bug eye and the attention it gets when you drive. They are somewhat rare and fun to drive. There are plenty of people seeking bug eyes.
 
Hello Sarah, Welcome to the forum, This particular part of this forum discusses the Big Healey cars. However, there is a section on this forum called "Spridgets" that deals exclusively with the smaller cars. There you will find people much more closely associated with these cars and can offer more pertinent advice. My personal response to your query is that there must be a desire to own one of these cars if one is to consider restoring it. From a monetary point of view rarely can one restore a car and also sell at a profit. Selling the cars as is may return the original investment but I am not sure.---My Regards--Keoke
 
Hi sarah , DONT SELL THE CAR. - my best advise for you.,

as mentioned, take the good engine and put it in the good body - sell the rest on eaby. that prehaps can get you money enough to restore the good body and good engine. - and that way u will have lots of fun.
and thats what driving in a old english convertible is all about. - fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN



and when u done with that----- let your kids have some fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN

then.


sel the car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


best of luck. and shuld u deside to restore and have FUN - youll have the time of your life.


just remember theise words and youll be allright.
fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN fun FUN
 
Welcome to the forum... but as you may gather from the previous responses we're all "car nuts" and think restoring and using it has far more appeal than selling it off.

But that will take an interest in doing the work yourselves, or a pile of money. I may be presumptious in thinking that it has sat around for 40 years because no one had either the time, interest, skills or money to do the work previously.

If you've the interest and motivation by all means try to put it back on the road, but if not, you may be better off finding some enthusiastic car nut like the people on the forum to take it off your hands....

Restoring it only for re-sale later is usually more expensive (generally, you'll get less back than the restoration costs- particularly if you have to pay others to do the work) than selling it as a project for some one else to restore.

If you're not intending to keep it and use it (for a while, anyway) then restoring it probably isn't economically viable. And as far as restoration goes, you could probably buy a restored one more cheaply than doing it yourself too. I'm rebuilding a big Healey doing almost all the work myself, mainly for the pleasure of doing it, the economics I'd rather not think about....
 
If it was parked in 64 with a bad engine, then that means it was only 5 years old. That means it probably is highly original and low mileage. Sounds like a real barn find! My advise: If it is very original, clean it up as best you can, replace only what is needed to get it roadworthy, then drive it while keeping it original. I love modified cars, but a car like this should be kept as is.
 
Good advise one and all!!! Thank you for all of it! My inclination is to restore it. I too, am a car enthusiast, although with very little experience in such things. The Sprite is a family heirloom, if you will... I'm sure it does have low mileage (I can't check at the moment... the car is in my father's barn in NH, I am in MO). It would be great to drive the little light-blue Sprite around all over the place.

I LOVED the idea of ebay'ing the body and using the $'s to restore the car. I think my Dad would like that idea, too. Although he could probably use the $'s if it is sold. Will consider all your wonderful advise carefully.

Thanks again!!! - Sarah
 
The family connection may make cold-blooded financial assessments less relevant.

Do check that the body and chassis are sound and not suffering from rust. If it were used for 5 winters or so on salted roads and let sit since there may be substantial problems even so.

If the chassis and body panels are sound the mechanical bits for the engine are fairly straight-forward and the rest of the drivetrain should be sound yet.

Are you mechanically inclined? Perhaps your dear ol' dad can be roped into helping out it back on the road.

My daughter has one arm longer than the other, it comes from having her Dad wraped around a finger.... Perhaps you too?????

Good luck.
 
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