Bugeye on eBay--good idea or stay away?

[drooartz]

Hello folks--

I'm casting a pretty wide net in my search for a LBC to call my own. I've run across this bugeye on eBay:

eBay # 4560501512

It looks tattered, but basically complete with the only major modification I can see I the flip-front bonnet. Had a nice chat with the owner today, and his description seems to fit the pictures. A generally rust free car stored for the last 23 years indoors in Texas. Engine runs, clutch is stuck so not sure of tranny.

Current bid is $4000 (US), no reserve. I'm considering...

Any thoughts? I'm a big fan of Bugeyes, and know I will only be able to get into one that needs a bunch of work. Not afraid of restoration, just want a decent starting point.

Thanks all,
-Drew

 

[aeronca65t]

I used to own a Bugeye. I love them.
But for that price, you could buy a very nice newer rubber-bumper Midget that did not need to be restored and you could drive right away (and if you don't like the crash bumper and the "jacked up" look of the newer cars, you could fix that for about $100 and one good weekend of work).
As you probably know, there's not a lot of difference between the oldest and newest Spridgets, so it won't feel a lot different to drive. My car (a '78, below) is really just a classic "box-Sprite" once the bumpers are off).
So it depends. If you really want to spend a lot of time fixing up a car, that Bugeye looks like it will give you lots of opportunities. For $4000 you could easily find a nice, driveable Spitfire, Midget or MGB (actually, if you try hard, you could find a useable old Miata and a driveable Midget for that amount).

 

[soren_ak]

aye i belive ive seen this car on bay once or twice a while back -
ive been looking also on healeys generally and this dosent seem to be a good deal -
I chek ebay in scotland+england+france+german´+usa+ more and in this month there isent really any nice deals i can say. - but i sometimes (once or 2 a month) find a nice deal of a frog - (have one so im just chekking for price and generally interest) - so if i was you i culd add some search for all of usa and prehaps even canada also - dunno what transport wuld be for you - but us europeans just buy them old vintage cars of your american hands when we get the chance for a nice deal -

keep looking there surely is a better deal then this one out there (/or soon will be)

just m2cents
soren

 

[soren_ak]

edit


amg teribble spelling /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Radford]

I'd say that at no bids you might do well to email them with an offer more in the $2500.00 range and see what response you get.

 

[drooartz]

Of all the Sprites, the Bugeye is the only one that really has captured me. The later ones seemed to have, in my eyes, lost some of their charm even if they do essentially offer the same driving experience.

I'd rather get a driver, but with my budget the only way into a Bugeye soon is through the fix-it-up plan. Costs more in the long run, I know, but that would be a fun project to undertake. The pay-as-you-go method.

I'm actually leaning more towards an early Spitfire, but always have an eye out for a good deal.

-Drew

 

[Radford]

Keep looking, you'll find one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[Texas_Cicada]

Your story sounds very similar to mine. I bought a 1960 Bugeye on eBay a year and half ago. Sellers invariably overstate the condition of their vehicles. Take everything they tell you with a grain of salt. Even the most honest sellers gloss over things. Find someone near the seller who can go by and look over the car before you commit to buying it. They do not necessarily have to know anything about Bugeyes or even about Austin Healeys, but they should know something about older vehicles. These cars are not complex and if there is rust, anyone with a flashlight can find it. Look under the carpet and behind the interior panels. I did not do this and discovered that the "rust free" car I thought I had purchased was instead only "mostly rust free." The vehicle that the seller said would "start and run just fine" would barely start with some starter fluid and while it would technically roll under its own power, it would not shift or stop and had a completely non-functioning cooling system. Some sellers are outright liars. Sometimes, it all depends on your frame of refernce. If the Seller knows how to weld, nothing structural is a big deal. If the seller has a compressor and spray gun, paint problems may seem minor. If the seller is a mechanic, nothing under the hood is much of a challenge (especially on a Bugeye.) But if you can't weld, don't know how to paint, have never done body work, or have never rebuilt an engine, even some of the small problems on one of these cars can be frustrating. If you are looking forward to these kinds of challenges, and if you do not mind learning a new skill or two and buying some new tools, there is nothing about a Bugeye that you cannot overcome. The parts are relatively cheap and relatively available (but not at 3:00 p.m. on a Sunday at Autozone.) A year and a half later, the engine in my car has been rebuilt, the hydraulic system replaced, the body cleaned up, the tires replaced, etc. It still needs some rusty areas repaired, most of the electrical system is in a box in my garage waiting for the next long weekend, and I have spent about $2000 over the purchase price plus at least 500 hours of my spare time. The upside is that anytime I want, I can fire it up and go for a spin (albeit, without lights, so not at night...at least not yet.) I am having a great time. I knew going in that I would probably spend more money and time than I had planned...and I did.

 

[Kurtis]

Drew,

I agree with the others here. As I type this, there is one bid at $4,000 for the car. That seems a little high to me for a car that has been sitting for over 20 years, and looks like that one. I own a Bugeye, so I understand your desire to own one, but that car looks like a $2,500 to $3,000 car to me.

 

[soren_ak]

yeah what they said /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif - the one bid for the 4k i hope isent yours.?
- as I mentioned before i think this has been op for auction before - the bid culd be done by owner just to "set bait high" for potential buyers. -

do them a email and offer them 2k - then eventually go up to 2.500 if they dont take first bid. - that I say shuld be your high bid since the car wuld need so much work and parts. -

(looks who talking my bug cost me 21.000 us) LOL

them old cars are soooo cheap overseas (in the states that is)

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[drooartz]

The bid on this car is not mine. I decided that it really wasn't in the condition I was looking for (I'd want to undo to the flip front conversion, for starters). I'm still keeping my eye out for a good Bugeye (or Spitfire, or TR4, or MGB..) for restoration, but this one just isn't right.

Thanks all for your comments and insight. I've been learning bunches, and getting a better feel for what these cars are really worth.

 

[aeronca65t]

Drew:

I understand your preference for Bugeyes...I prefer the way they look too.
Just a thought: a Bugeye nose will fit right on a newer Spridget...even up to '79. Fiberglass Bugeye noses are available fairly cheap (~$600, I think) or maybe even find one used on eBay. Not everyone likes these "Bugeyes with a trunk" but they look fine to me. One of our forum members here has one.
Also: if you do look at a Bugeye, be sure to check out the outer sheet metal sill area behind the front wheels. Poke it hard with an awl if you can. This part of all Spridgets is a weak area. And also on Bugeyes: look for heavy rust in the chassis at the spring mounts for the rear quarter-elliptic springs (it's basically right under the seats).
Early Spitfires (the ones with "Spitfire 4" on the trunk) are my favorite body style of the Spit....but I find them pretty spooky to drive. The improved rear suspension of the newer Spits is much better.

 

[drooartz]

Thanks for the tips. I'm getting better at my auto inspections each time I go out.

I was tempted recently by a local Sprite Mk2 (64) that was in the final stages of restoration. Gave me a good chance to crawl all over it. Proved too expensive, and in the end I just prefer an original Bugeyes if I'm going to go the Sprite route.

On the Spitfire front, I'm not as concerned about the reported strange handling of the early Spits when pushed, since I'm more of a cruiser anyways. If I go that route, I'll wind up adding a camber compensator and a few other tricks as recommended by the Spitfire folks.

 

[john_j]

It's not easy to be sure by looking at photos, but that looks like a car that needs completely stripping down to the last nut and bolt, everything rebuilding, respray the shell and put it back together again, not like a car that with a couple of weekends work will be running for the summer.
At that price I'd keep away!