Sprint Price Guide

[libidy54]

Hi Guys
This is my first post so please go gently.
I joined at this years N.E.C where I had a chat with PaulB regarding his fantastic Dolly Sprint.
I'm looking for general advice on what to expect for different price groups regarding the Sprint.
Those price groups would be ;
£2000-£3000
£3000-£4000
£4000-£5000
I am currently saving up my pennies and hope to be in a position to purchase around April next year. (good things come to those that wait )
Looking forward to all your advice and tips
Thank you
Mark

[Edin Dundee]

Welcome to the forum
Hopefully some of the members with more knowledge will be along soon.

[libidy54]

Thank you for your welcome Bill
I feel like I've asked a question, nobody should ever ask !
I realize guessing condition/prices is a little subjective,
But I dont have a clue and I'm sure there are people here that have more of an idea than me.
Awaiting the words of wisdom anxiously
Mark

[Edin Dundee]

If it helps, I have a tatty 1850 with good mechanicals (other than the niggly gearbox), working overdrive, Sundym glass, MOT'd until April 2015, reconned head, etc etc, yours for the miserly sum of £10,000.

So, you're right to ask

[Tony Burd]

This looks nice for £4K, I think even the lower end of your budget will get you a very presentable car.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C547251#

[libidy54]

Thanks Tony for your reply.
I have no budget set ; those prices were just a general guide.
I'm saving now, until April / May time, and whatever I have by then, will go towards a Sprint.
The link above looks very nice, quite cheap I thought (am i correct in thinking this?) Its also been advertised for a while.
Anyway I m not in a position to purchase just yet.
I'm looking for valued opinion (from members ) - not car, at the moment.
Would a Sprint around £2000-£3000 need much work ?
Should I expect it to have no rust ?
Should the engine require no work ?
Should the interior be complete and no damage ?
Or is that too much to ask ?
Advice welcome.
Cheers Mark

[AndyJ]

The price cars are advertised at varies a lot, but £4k+ cars should be in very good condition. A lot also depends on your ability to do work on the car you buy, if you look at a car that you can't repair improve yourself then you'd probably be better off walking away because you will usually save money by buying a car that doesn't need the work doing; the extra cost being less than the bills you will pay out to get the work done. I get the impression that you may not have a great deal of experience of these cars, so my advice is to get out looking and build your knowledge before you buy. You don't have to stick with sprints to build your experience of bodywork and interiors, they're all the same on the outside and near enough on the inside. Drive the cars too when possible.
Once you begin to get a feel for the cars and their values you will get a better idea of what you really want to buy and what you are prepared to pay for it. But I would also suggest you hold back and keep saving until you have enough to buy the car you really want because then you are most likely to get the best owner experience and the big plus is that the car, if maintained, will always hold it's value. Talking about value Dolomite's in general are fantastic and even sprints are much better value than their period sporting rivals. And lastly asking for help on here is the right thing to do. If you look at a car and want an opinion take pictures, mostly of the bad bits and post them and your questions because someone here knows the answer.
Welcome and good luck, it always helps!
Andy.

[PaulB]

Hello Mark,
Brilliant that you are so committed to Sprint ownership, and thank you for the comment on my car.

I would strongly recommend taking advice on any car before you buy it. There is a lot of over priced rubbish out there and bargains are rare. It is very easy to spend a lot of money and buy something which will cost you even more to get properly road worthy and reliable. Even the youngest Sprints are now 35 years old and they weren't built to last!

Is there an active club membership in your area? If so go along to the meetings and get to know the people. They will often know of good cars which are potentially for sale. They would also probablybe willing to go view a car with you.

Good luck with your saving and look forward to seeing what you buy.

[Toledo Man]

Welcome to the forum Mark. It is worth joining the Club even though you don't yet have a car. Wherabouts are you? There could well be somebody local to you who can help. I can't really add much to what's already been said. It is worth learning how to do some jobs yourself such as basic servicing and minor repairs. Knowledge is power and to this end, you can find the parts catalogues and factory workshop manuals HERE in PDF format available to download.

[Dolly-Dimple]

A very warm welcome aboard Mark

[Jon Tilson]

Its a tough one...
What any Sprint is worth is just what someone who wants one is prepared to day on the day....

Its so hard to generalise. There are those who get really good cars for a good price and those who pay
over the odds for stuff that is hiding all sorts of issues....

Even experts can be a bit starry eyed...

I got given the job of a final sort out of a car that had a full photo resto on here. When it came to me it drove like a nail and had cost 5k! - so much was done wrong due to ignorance. I sorted most of it and then the owner sold it on getting his money back to an expert who paid a fair price as it then drove reasonably, but he's since put another ton of work into getting it spot on...

Mad Mart restos do come up occcasionally and are worth the 6-5 7.5k they make all day long...but there are only 2 I know have sold 2nd hand recently and I dont know what PUS went for

Its a minefield....so take someone who knows with you and be prepared to look at loads before you commit
and do your homework and learn to recognise a lulu and buy it even if you see it first time out.

Jonners.