New member. Get a Dolomite? He ponders...

[H4RDY]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here but suspect many more shall follow.
I dont know when I first caught the bug, but I now have a great desire to own Dolly Sprint but naturally have some questions.

Now, I'm a 21 year old student studying Mechanical Engineering with a passion for motor cars and especially classics.
I passed my driving test on my 5th attempt in April and am looking to buy my first car. Budget: £5,000 insurance, tax and anything else included. For someone in my position, would anyone advise against getting a Dolly at this stage? Im looking with interest in getting a workshop manual and looking forward to getting my hands dirty and maintaining the car mechanically and otherwise, though have no past experience of this.

I look forward to getting to know many of you good folk in future.


Hardy

[Oli_88]

Aloha and welcome to the forum!

£5k should cover it all. You'd be surprised what condition cars you'll get for that.
Dolly Sprints aren't particularly difficult cars to work on and there's plenty of help here if you do get stuck.

And I've completely lost my train of thought and forgotten what else I was going to say. I'll edit it in later.

[Howard81]

You might want to check the insurance for a Sprint first

You could buy a mint 1500HL and insure it for half that! It's a nice engine to learn on, too.

[H4RDY]

Aloha and welcome to the forum!

£5k should cover it all. You'd be surprised what condition cars you'll get for that.
Dolly Sprints aren't particularly difficult cars to work on and there's plenty of help here if you do get stuck.

And I've completely lost my train of thought and forgotten what else I was going to say. I'll edit it in later.

Hey,

Your username hinted at you being 21 and your profile proved it.
That means you can't have owned your Dolly for too long (presuming of course that the one in the picture is yours).
On that note, I have some questions...
1. When you first got a Dolomite, what type was it and how much did the insurance set you back?
2. Had you owned and insured a car before the Dolly?
3. How much have you spent on your current Dolly, up to now and how long have you had it?

Looking back at this post it seems slightly intrusive, if so, ignore it.


Hardy

[H4RDY]

You might want to check the insurance for a Sprint first

You could buy a mint 1500HL and insure it for half that! It's a nice engine to learn on, too.

That does make a lot of sense.
Ill be looking into this.

[H4RDY]

Noticed this post on carandclassic a little earlier. What do you think of it?

http://www.carandclassic.com/car/C102828/


Hardy

[mahony]

[quote="H4RDY"]Noticed this post on carandclassic a little earlier. What do you think of it?

http://www.carandclassic.com/car/C102828/


Hardy
Looks very nice,my 1st car after passing my test was my current sprint,insurance in 1986 was £325 third party fire and theft which was not cheap then,check out the insurance beforehand and if it's not to bad go for it ! by the way welcome.

[Toledo Man]

That Sprint looks good for the price. If you're seriously interested view it before buying.

Do some research before you commit yourself. Get a few insurance quotes. Being a member of the TDC, Club Triumph or the TSSC will help with the premuim. It sounds like you won't have any problems doing your own spannering. You've come to the best place for advice and help. Please feel free to ask any more questions.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

[Carl]

I would strongly recommend getting some insurance quotes for a Sprint first. If it's a lot, it's going to be a lot for a number of years. You just need to be sure you can afford it is all. Other than that you're in the right place for everything else you will need to maintain and enjoy your car. Don't be shy of the smaller engined cars, they all have their appeal. I personally found it a lot easier running 1500's and 1850's as daily drivers due to the parts comonality with Spitfires and TR7's, but I've used Sprints that way too.

My advice would be to join the club and get a local member to have a look at a prospective purchase for you. Where are you based ?

[sprintdiddy]

Id be wary of that car.....it has grass dripping out of it

[Andybrad]

Hi and welcome,

I got my dolly 4 years ago when i was 18 and had just passed my test, its a 1500hl and insurance cost me £1200 for that first year. That one you have pointed out looks nice but check out the insurance as has been said already.

[VYO 372M]

Welcome to the forum

Steve

[DavePoth]

I got a sprint for my first car at 23, the insurance was £360 a year. Lighting up the rear tyres in second was always a pleasure...

[JPB]

That Sprint in the link looks gorgeous in Carmine, a lovely shade of red IMHO.

The interior appears very well cared-for and if the engine is as good as the seller claims, then it's no more likely to break than a lot of modern units, but would cost far less to mend if it did!

1850s are seriously pleasant things to drive too and are often available for less than half of that price and yet aren't merely half as good.
Insurance for an 1850 may not cost significantly more than for a 1500 (my automatic car costs around £85 for fully comp, unlimited miles cover but I am a little [ ] older than you).

But if you need to own a Sprint, then go for it. They still represent serious value for money when compared to the current values of Escorts MK1 & 2, fun things in their way but dynamically light years behind a Sprint.

[Oli_88]

Hey,

Your username hinted at you being 21 and your profile proved it.
That means you can't have owned your Dolly for too long (presuming of course that the one in the picture is yours).
On that note, I have some questions...
1. When you first got a Dolomite, what type was it and how much did the insurance set you back?
2. Had you owned and insured a car before the Dolly?
3. How much have you spent on your current Dolly, up to now and how long have you had it?

Looking back at this post it seems slightly intrusive, if so, ignore it.


Hardy

It is quite a big giveaway really.

My first car was my 1850HL, bought in August last year. Insurance then was quoted at £1400 at the very cheapest.
The day after my 21st, it dropped right down to £750. For one single day.

In the time I've had her I think I've bought a new battery (Old man left the radio on), new throttle cable and that's all she's really needed so far.
I have collected various other parts for her, But I think I'll fit them at a later date. About £50 or so has been necessary, another £140 ish, just for my own fun.

The body work on my car is starting to look a bit tatty in places though, but I have an engineering family so welders/materials are pretty easy to come by and therefore, cheap. My only concern is paint, I'm not sure whether I trust my mate at Halfrauds to mix the right colour for me.

Is that of any help at all?