Would you buy this car?

For everything to do with Dolomites, Toledos, FWD cars and Dolomite-based kitcars.
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cleverusername
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Would you buy this car?

#1 Post by cleverusername »

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Dolo ... SwzztdQHjx

Lets be diplomatic and say it needs a bit of work. However our seller has thought of that, from the listing:
The car is 99% complete, and we have almost all the panels and parts needed to make it a good car again which are for sale at extra cost.
So the parts and panels exist to fix the car, except the parts aren't listed in the ad and you have to buy them separately. So even if they exist, once you have bought the car, the seller has you over a barrel for the parts.

I wonder why there are no bids?
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RichardHyde
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#2 Post by RichardHyde »

I think the market has passed it’s peak. Lots of cars don’t meet their reserve these days.
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RSi
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#3 Post by RSi »

cleverusername wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 10:09 am https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Dolo ... SwzztdQHjx

Lets be diplomatic and say it needs a bit of work. However our seller has thought of that, from the listing:
The car is 99% complete, and we have almost all the panels and parts needed to make it a good car again which are for sale at extra cost.
So the parts and panels exist to fix the car, except the parts aren't listed in the ad and you have to buy them separately. So even if they exist, once you have bought the car, the seller has you over a barrel for the parts.

I wonder why there are no bids?
Ideally you'd need all the panels he has as part of the deal. He'd have a much better chance of shifting it then and someone saving it.
Triumph Dolomite Sprint (RNK 957W)

Automatic, porcelain white - 52,820, genuine mileage (warranted).

Built 26/6/1980, 3 previous owners (2 within the same family).

Supplied by Lavender Hill Garage Ltd, Enfield, London, by garage owner Jimmy Metcalfe on 30th September 1980 to Geoffrey Robinson, Enfield, London.

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GTS290N
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#4 Post by GTS290N »

Why are people always talking down the value of our cars?
I think it's worth every penny.
If I didn't live so far away...
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RichardHyde
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#5 Post by RichardHyde »

I’m not talking down the value of the cars, I commenting on the market. Search for completed auctions on eBay :-
12 didn’t meet their reserve
Green one advertised elsewhere at 2,500 went for 1,040 on eBay
Others sold for 1070, 495, 1200, 2100, 4069 (seller wanted 6k), 2310, 2500, 1120

Not a strong market for sellers at the moment.
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#6 Post by cleverusername »

GTS290N wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:31 pm Why are people always talking down the value of our cars?
I think it's worth every penny.
If I didn't live so far away...
The thing is covered in rot and the seller is refusing to throw in the spares as part of the deal. You can buy if you want but I wouldn't touch it.
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#7 Post by cleverusername »

RichardHyde wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:54 pm I’m not talking down the value of the cars, I commenting on the market. Search for completed auctions on eBay :-
12 didn’t meet their reserve
Green one advertised elsewhere at 2,500 went for 1,040 on eBay
Others sold for 1070, 495, 1200, 2100, 4069 (seller wanted 6k), 2310, 2500, 1120

Not a strong market for sellers at the moment.
Exactly, it is nonsense to talk about talking down values. The cars are worth what people will pay for them. To be fair it isn't just dollies, if you search past listings of other models, allot go for less than the claimed values.
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#8 Post by GTS290N »

cleverusername wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 4:35 pm
GTS290N wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:31 pm Why are people always talking down the value of our cars?
I think it's worth every penny.
If I didn't live so far away...
The thing is covered in rot and the seller is refusing to throw in the spares as part of the deal. You can buy if you want but I wouldn't touch it.
Sorry, please excuse my humour.
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#9 Post by SiC »

RichardHyde wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:54 pm I’m not talking down the value of the cars, I commenting on the market. Search for completed auctions on eBay :-
12 didn’t meet their reserve
Green one advertised elsewhere at 2,500 went for 1,040 on eBay
Others sold for 1070, 495, 1200, 2100, 4069 (seller wanted 6k), 2310, 2500, 1120

Not a strong market for sellers at the moment.
I'm definitely seeing this in the classic car market at the moment as a whole.

I have seen there tends to be two lulls and two peaks while tracking over the last few years. First peak is late Sept/Oct/Nov where people are buying their winter projects and by Dec/Jan the market is dead. Next peak is late Feb/Mar/Apr/Jun where people are buying their summer toys as the weather gets nicer. However Jul/Aug/Sept the market goes utterly dead due to school holidays and Dec/Jan is dead due to Christmas and no disposable money.

However right now, I've seen stuff sitting around longer. Bargains still sell and the desirable stuff still moves at the right price but the classic car market has definitely slowed down.

Of course other markets are slowing down whether its housing or the retail sector. Why this and what this means is obviously a much wider question and a subject well past a car forum!

What we don't want is a big market drop. Classic cars are treated either as toys and investments. If the economy goes down the pan (be it UK or World), these tend to be the things that loose value quite quickly. But then there are a lot less of our cars around than there has been before, due to natural attrition.

It could do with a price leveling off but what we don't want is the value of these cars to fall. They are already near the bottom of the classic car market and if they do fall, they become at risk of becoming general fodder again. If this happens, we are at risk of many being driven into the ground, not looked after and bodged as they aren't worth a lot. By staying as something moderately valuable, generally people seem more inclined to look after something more, as they have more invested into it.
Current Heaps: 1968 Austin 1100, 1974 Dolomite Sprint, 1974 MGB GT, 1985 BMW E28 520i, 2000 Porsche Boxster, 2002 Clio 172 and a boring 2010 Audi A4 that keeps the wife happy!
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#10 Post by SiC »

Would I want to save this car in particular?

Hard to judge without seeing in person! Sometimes rust patches are light on the surface, other times its rotten through. Likewise underneath especially.
Current Heaps: 1968 Austin 1100, 1974 Dolomite Sprint, 1974 MGB GT, 1985 BMW E28 520i, 2000 Porsche Boxster, 2002 Clio 172 and a boring 2010 Audi A4 that keeps the wife happy!
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RSi
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#11 Post by RSi »

It's BREXIT that's slowing down everything........

Politics, the route of all our problems recently 😎🙄
Triumph Dolomite Sprint (RNK 957W)

Automatic, porcelain white - 52,820, genuine mileage (warranted).

Built 26/6/1980, 3 previous owners (2 within the same family).

Supplied by Lavender Hill Garage Ltd, Enfield, London, by garage owner Jimmy Metcalfe on 30th September 1980 to Geoffrey Robinson, Enfield, London.

Club Membership No: 2017092
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tony g
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#12 Post by tony g »

Go to members only and I'll share the messages
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Carledo
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#13 Post by Carledo »

SiC wrote: Mon Aug 05, 2019 5:24 pm Would I want to save this car in particular?

Hard to judge without seeing in person! Sometimes rust patches are light on the surface, other times its rotten through. Likewise underneath especially.

To be absolutely fair, my own Sprint looked much like this when I bought it back in 2012 (for £375) No panels came with it, or were offered but although it was very rough, the majority of hard to fix bits were OK. Since I intended my own particular flavour of mechanical bas***disation, I was consciously looking for a car that most would think twice (at least) about doing. I was also deliberately seeking the rarer, but less sought after, auto model.

Image

Image

Not sure i'd want to pay a grand for this one though, to me a basket case is still only worth basket case money! At least it's not in Scotland as well!

Steve
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#14 Post by GlenM »

This car was for sale some time ago and didn't sell then.
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PaulB
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Re: Would you buy this car?

#15 Post by PaulB »

Its difficult to tell the real condition without seeing it. But if its similar to other cars which superficially look similar it will be very difficult and expensive task to restore it back to roadworthy condition.
I wouldn't touch it unless to break it for parts and they are asking too much to do that.
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