• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Buying a Sprite as 1st time classic car buyer

Share this page

J

Joshnathan

Freshman Member
Offline
Hello,
I know this is a really boring post in comparison to the others on here but i have lots of questions. I've been obsessed with the Healey for as long as i can remember as my grandfather owned one and whilst at the age of 20 i cant afford on i can afford to get a sprite for around 3500 - 5000 which seems to be the going rate.

I have several questions relating to this:
1) is it possible to fit a harness if so how much would it cost?
2) what are the running (yearly costs like)
3) whats it like to drive in winter or is it not advised?
4)Even with the hard top should they not be driven when raining?

I know these are all quite silly questions but please note this is my first step into hopefully a life of classic cars.

ALL information is highly appreciated :smile:

Regards Josh
 
Joshnathan said:
Hello,
I know this is a really boring post in comparison to the others on here but i have lots of questions. I've been obsessed with the Healey for as long as i can remember as my grandfather owned one and whilst at the age of 20 i cant afford on i can afford to get a sprite for around 3500 - 5000 which seems to be the going rate.

I have several questions relating to this:
1) is it possible to fit a harness if so how much would it cost?
<span style="color: #FF0000">Yes, and if you join a Healey club you might find a used one cheap.</span>2) what are the running (yearly costs like)
3) whats it like to drive in winter or is it not advised?
<span style="color: #FF0000"> I owned and drove a Sprite in St. Louis winters, not good!</span>
4)Even with the hard top should they not be driven when raining?
<span style="color: #FF0000">You can drive it in the rain but expect to be wet, lot's of fun though.</span>I know these are all quite silly questions but please note this is my first step into hopefully a life of classic cars.

ALL information is highly appreciated :smile:

Regards Josh
Click to expand...
 
My experiences with hard or soft tops on 40+ year old cars is that they keep you less wet.
 
Hey, great to hear about someone 20 years old thinking of a Sprite as a daily driver. My first car was a Sprite, my second car too now that I think about it. I will add that that was 30 years ago, they were daily drivers for pretty much everybody that owned one back then. It certainly can be done, and Sprite parts are cheap.

I encourage you to get involved with the classic car world and brit cars in particular, and it really pains me to say this, but I would not recommend a Sprite as a daily drive in this day and age.

When I drive my car Honda Accords weighed a little over a ton, now they are well over a ton and a half. SUVs were rare, there were pickup trucks a pleny back then, but look at a truck from the 70s or 80s vs. now they are about a foot higher off the ground. About 50% of what it on the road isn't just bigger than you it is big enough to roll right over you rather than having the meager 1500 pound car around you soak up some of the impact.

I am not a safety freak, but it is one thing to play around in these cars on bright sunny days, and another to commute to work everyday surrounded by people talking on their cel phones (another modern improvement) in cars, trucks, and SUVs that could cream you pretty easily. Many won't even notice your Sprite when changing lanes.

Can't believe I am saying this and it is partly perhaps because I have a son who will be driving age in a couple months, and as much as I love British sports cars, which is very much, I want my son in a car with airbags.

But I would join a local club, maybe you can get a project or chance to ride along or drive from time to time.

Winter is doable, but they will rust away in a few years if you live in a place that gets snow and salt on the roads. Matter of fact a Sprite is about 1000% more fun to drive in the snow than a modern front wheel drive car. You can explore power oversteer and other handling characteristics at very safe speeds.
Great fun, the cars are just great fun.

Sorry to be a downer, but that was my reaction when I read your post, maybe I am misinterpreting and you did not intend the car as a daily drive, or you live somewhere with short drives and little traffic, good luck and have fun.
 
My first car was a Sprite too, and I drove it everywhere, and yes in the winter and snow. You are the right age for this car...when you get older you will appreciate things in a daily driver like reliability, comfort, safety, low maintenance, power, weather protection and warmth. So go ahead, the car is a blast and the girls will love it.
 
Josh

Is that Stanmore in Middlesex? Look up the local Healey club via Austin Healey Club UK on the web. - good bunch

Snow and salt are the killers in winter driving as has been said before. If the car is pre 1975? no road tax. Insurance on 20 year old - check with one of the dotcom sites. Fuel - guessing around 35 to the gallon.

If you can spend the time and money getting the underside of the car cleaned down and give it a really good paint spec then winter driving could be considered in the snow, otherwise wait till it goes and we get some rain to clear away the salt then back on the road with the car.

Best of luck

Bob
 
Hey if you are in the UK that is a different story (from my post above). I believe the cars are on average a much more sensible size over there.
 
Even back in the day, I never used my Sprites in the winter. I would park it under a cover and buy a winter car. Come spring, I'd sell the winter car and put the Sprite back on the road. If you are concerned about saftey, you can easily fit them with a roll bar to improve both your chances in crash and the stiffness of the chassis. Last time I looked, plenty of young guys were blasting around on motorcycles and scooters. I can't imagine the Sprite is any less safe than those. Enjoy yourself, just realize that people can't see you and often wont look for you. A nice air horn helps with that.
 
Let me second that about the air horn! My air horn saved me this past week when an older lady in her big Buick land yacht tried to merge onto the highway into me and I had a tractor trailer on my other side. Held down the air horn and got her attention. Get a good one!
Charlie
 
Back
Top