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all you thats in some kind of healey club

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soren_ak

soren_ak

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so ive been thinking that insteed of buying a wreck and using lots of money to buy expensive parts here in europe - prehaps i shuld just try to find a driver in the usa/canada or prehaps even somewhere in europe .

anyone got an idea on how far i wuld come with 10.000 us dollers - ??

Im interested in 2+2 only.


any help much appriciated and any ideas of where to search also much welcome

thanks
soren
 
Hi Soren,
You can get some idea of USA prices here at Ebay.
https://motors.listings.ebay.com/Passenge...ListingItemList

I expect that you could get one for $10,000 US, but it would likely require another $10,000 US to make it into a decent, reliable driver.

I personally would not buy any Healey sight unseen. There are just too many pitfalls, especially hidden rust issues, to take a chance. If you get the wrong one, it could take an extra 10,000 to 15,000 USD just to repair the rust.
D
 
hello soren, i agree with dave russell completly,the only time id by a healey "sight unseen"is if it was a barrett jackson type deal that was certified,inspected,etc, etc,i understand you require a 2+2 because you have a small child,congratulations!and i also feel it would take at least an additional $10,000 +++ u.s.to have a dependable driver,a car for $10,000?well think about it, does the eng. need a rebuild {3-5 grand}paint and body work 3-5 grand,interior,2-3 grand,suspension,electrical,etc,etc,prices depending on where you live in the u.s.-and this is a modest estimate. for the sake and safety of my child id hold off and save a bit more money and buy a car that is already a "dependable driver"and go from there,or you may be building this car till your child needs a ride to his/her college graduation,best of luck ,do you have many barns were you live?start looking in them!!!!!ill put my flak jacket on now if you please!keoke,love that guy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
 
From what I saw when I was bought my car, a decent condition driver in the US is going to cost around $20,000, unless you happen to stumble on one. And even then, expect that you're going to "discover" another $2,500 in needed work to correct the unseen problems and the "restorations" that missed the mark.
 
Instead of buying an expensive European wreck consider buying a cheaper American wreck. After all, something like 90% went there and they are more easily found.

I bought an American basket case and repatriated it back to the UK more cheaply than I could have found one here. The exchange rates are still pretty attractive with the dollar relatively low.

I just tried to make sure that the car imported was cheap enough and if it was too bad to rebuild at least had salvage value greater than its cost.

So far as I see from e-bay auctions $10K is still in the project range with fair amounts of work required. The real question is how much of the work you're willing to take on, and the risks you're willing to run in trying to avoid some of it.

I'm four years into what I thought would be a two-year rebuild project, and I might be very lucky and finish it next summer... but I'll have a car then that I couldn't have bought outright, and the "fun" of rebuilding it mostly by myself....

Whatever you do be absolutely certain to check with your Customs officials about import taxes and the like.

At the time I imported mine it was exempted from customs duties as a "historic" vehicle. That exemption seems to have been stopped.

You may find that an imported car is subject to import duties and VAT- here it would have added nearly 30% (17.5% VAT and 10% import duty, with VAT payable on the duty!) to the cost.

I also arranged for an American company to ship the car and I paid them directly to avoid paying VAT on those charges if their UK agent had collected that payment.

If your budget is tight it would be important to determine what the import costs are beforehand. You may find your $10K car actually ends up costing $3-4K more before it gets to you....

But you've probably thought of all this already....
 
The best thing about rebuilding it your self is that you can handle problems that happen on the road because you've done it before. It also keeps the cost of repairs down and you know it was done right with the right parts. Parts are amazingly plentiful for 40 to 50 year old cars, both new and used. But get the best you can afford. Avoid RUST! Have some one look at it befor you buy. Try to get a directory of the members of the Austin Healey clubs that have everyone listed. If you find a car in Los Angeles, for example, contact someone from the directory and they would probably be happy to check it for you. Healey people are nice people with a wealth of wisdom and experience.
 
Well said James Wilson, I have been trying to tell him about that vat/Import tax thing but it seemed he knew some one in Brussells.--Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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