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Price for original 57 100-6?

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100DashSix

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I have an all original 1957 100-6 that I'm thinking about selling. I don't drive it enough to really justify having it sit in my garage, and I'm trying to figure out about what it's worth.

I'm the second owner and it's been garage kept its whole life. Previously owned by a father and son, it's entirely original except for rubber bits (tires, hoses), rebuilt carbs, rebuilt master cylinders, new brakes, cap and wires, etc. When I bought it about eight years ago I had Healey Surgeons put about $5,000 into it to make sure all those rubber bits and wear items were replaced.

It's white and the paint has patina in a few places. There's a slight scrape mark from a bump with a truck in ~1965 that only chipped the paint, and was spray painted over (maybe a square foot of affected area).

It has 51,200 miles. It has the spare tire. Oh, and it has the black hardtop, taneau cover, brass knockoff hammer (wire wheels w/ knockoffs). The interior is black with white trim and has a torn driver's seat. I'm in Northern Virginia, if it matters.

Could someone give me a range I should think about listing it for? I can't find any all original Healeys online for comparison. Thanks
 
How about you post some pics of the car to help give the folks on here an idea of what the car looks like .
 
You have a straight car with a good history, it just needs a good re-spray and some TLC. The hard top is very valuable, though there was no picture of its condition. I have a '57 100-6 MM, which I vintage race and was a dry California car all its life. If the mechanicals on your car are all in order and its just the cosmetics that need attention, I put it at 15K-20K. Good luck on the sale and please keep us informed.
 
that is a very nice 57 Longbridge, could you share the vin # and body # from the firewall plates?

thanks for sharing and best of luck when you decide to sell
 
Thanks for the estimate!

The information on the firewall is: BN4L-0-33431. I looked it up on healeydata.com but it didn't really tell me anything. Is there somewhere else I should check?
 
I would agree with Dougie on the $20k range. It looks like a nice honest car and if it were mine, I would probably respray the rear quarter and detail the car. I would then write a great ad, market it well and start in the low $20's.
 
If the underside etc. is solid and not needing : outriggers, sills , etc. 15 -20K is probably right on. A lot of these cars were " shmutzed up " in the 60s and 70s so just a covered up mess. Need good pictures of the underside to get the most out of it. Everybody is leery of a car like this without them. Good luck.
 
As an aside - where would be the best place to market a car like this? Other than ebay or craigs list. The Healey mags? Hemmings? Local club web sites? Other?
 
If I were selling a car like this, I'd go to Bring a Trailer. Lots of people with interest in this type of car, particularly since it has the now poplar "patina", check in on BaT. They have a number of different ways to get your car featured at different pricing levels: https://bringatrailer.com/submissions/ You may have to list it somewhere else to take advantage of the cheaper options on BaT and Craigslist might be a way to do that, but be prepared to get a lot of scammers along with legitimate inquiries. Hemmings is also a good choice as are the club magazines. I've heard various degrees of satisfaction with eBay, but I've never sold a car there so don't have any experience.
 
I have sold several cars on e-bay. I think e-bay is an excellent value, it does not cost that much to list and it will reach many prospective buyers. It does take some experience to put together a decent ad and to know how to deal with wheeler dealers, scammers, etc. It takes quite a bit of time to answer all the inquiries from tire kickers, you'll get a few with this car.

Your car looks very nice to me, assuming rust is not an issue. The 2 port gallery head on your car used to be denounced, but today it would get some credit for originality -- many of the gallery head cars have been refitted to the 6 port.

I would also advertise it in the Healey mags, doesn't cost much and you'll reach many Healey nuts. Craigslist will probably generate mostly scammers or sales folks offering to sell the car for you. Since you live in DC area, there may be a prominent sports car dealer who might take it on consignment.

Again, assuming no rust on this car and that it runs OK, I would put it more at 25 to 30K than the 15-20K previously suggested. But it all depends on who wants it when you put it up. Lately I don't see many complete and running Healey's of any year offered for sale under 25K. But I suppose they may be out there somewhere. I have found the market for most old cars to be rather soft of late. If you really want it to go, be prepared to sell at the low end of the spectrum.

You might also look at the Old Car Value Guide. I have not checked it myself.
 
Healey 100 said:
Again, assuming no rust on this car and that it runs OK, I would put it more at 25 to 30K than the 15-20K previously suggested. But it all depends on who wants it when you put it up. Lately I don't see many complete and running Healey's of any year offered for sale under 25K. But I suppose they may be out there somewhere. I have found the market for most old cars to be rather soft of late. If you really want it to go, be prepared to sell at the low end of the spectrum.
Click to expand...

Here's a 100/6 that was on EBay (I believe it took a few times before it finally sold):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Austin-Hea...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I think it's better to look at the completed auctions that sold than looking at the asking (or Buy It Now) price. I notice that many cars owners ask too much money just re-advertised again and again. This car ended up selling for $28K but it had a good matching hardtop, good paint with no issues of the crazing or fender bender (and matching body color in the engine bay), and decent interior.

I think $25K -$30K may be wishful thinking. The original estimate of $15K to $20k maybe more realistic (assuming the car is rust-free from underneath).

I'm sure you can get more money if the car gets painted, but a good paint job with engine bay (requiring to remove the engine) will cost some serious money, which may not be able to increase the sale price by that amount. In addition as the price goes up with condition, it gets harder and harder to sell the car. So I would be careful if you wish to have the car painted in hope to get a better price.
 
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WOW..Lots of opinions... I would be carefull advertising the car as "ALL ORIGINAL" which can be picked apart easily with references to racing stripes, gear shift knob, clamps etc... I like the phrase "very original" better..

30,000?....not for this model.... like 15-19 range..take the first 15 though..



Pete
 
HEALEYJAG said:
WOW..Lots of opinions... I would be carefull advertising the car as "ALL ORIGINAL" which can be picked apart easily with references to racing stripes, gear shift knob, clamps etc... I like the phrase "very original" better.. Pete
Click to expand...

I agree with "very original" The black paint on the underbonnet and inside the engine compartment make me think the engine might have been out at some point and someone "freshened up" in there. Since we're offering opinions, mine is to leave it alone as much as possible and try to sell it as is. A complete paint job is a bad investment and as soon as you make the outside shiny, the interior is going to look bad in comparison. I could be wrong, but the seats may not be saveable, they look pretty dry and it may not be possible to successfully restitch them. About the only paintwork I'd consider is if you could find someone with enough artistry to cover up the scrape that's down to bare metal and blend the color with the rest of the patina. That might not be possible, and if so, I'd just leave it. If it were me, I'd try to ride the wave of "barn find" cars in marketing this car. There may be some buyers that would be happy with the car "as is". If not, it still looks like a good base for someone wanting to do a full restoration. Good luck with the sale.
 
Thanks for all the opinions, guys. I'll definitely refrain from calling it "all original," having learned the differences now. I'll clean it up, do a few minor things, and list it. I do think I'll pursue a mostly "as is" sale, as I don't want to get into messing with the paintwork. I'm fairly certain the seats are beyond saving, as they're dried out and the stitches have pulled away in a number of places.
 
glemon said:
There are a couple of early 3000s and a 100-6 on the Des Moines area Craigslist for comparison, asking prices of course, the white car looks like a deal to me.

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/search/cta?query=healey
Click to expand...

You know the old saying about if it seems too good to be true? Here's the original listing from Hemmings at $72,500 for the same car with the same pictures used on the CL ad for $27,550: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/austin_healey/3000_mk_i/1639633.html
 
Yes, I kind of wondered if it was a scam, not so totally obvious as some, but I had my suspicions, paint is hard to evaluate on internet pictures, but the interior looks very nice for the price range.
 
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