Classified Hunting.
Late night classified add looking is never a good thing.
Hunting that bargain, odd wording, fuzzy pictures or lack whereof spark the interest.
Requirements
As I’ve already mentioned, the car to replace Bel would have to be an historic one, tax and mot free with cheap insurance. Also, the parts would have to be plentiful and cheap. That immediately discounts anything with a VW badge, as yes there lots about but you pay a premium. http://www.classicaraddict.com/mx5-goodbye/
My requirements meant an older British car, ideally an MG MGB GT, but they are little expensive. To be honest I’m horrified how much once cheap cars are now worth, Ford Capris as an example, a few years ago bangers now anything is worth thousands. After this shock I found myself looking at adds and this is when living in Cornwall is an issue, for many Bristol is the far southwest, Exeter might as well be France and Cornwall Outer Mongolia. Combined with the amount of salt in the air here, especially near the North Coast we have to travel. 18 months ago I found a MK1 Toyota Rave 4 Auto for a friend at Honiton and felt I’d got away lightly. Finding a Unicorn Car for a Friend.
What To Look For In An Add.
After looking on Facebook Market Place and eBay I tried Gumtree. Lots of adds full of clear pictures and well written and with each one my heart sank a little lower. Then one stood out, a single fuzzy picture not too far away by our standards as only 100 miles, well 96 away. After getting used to how gumtree works I contacted the seller and asked if we could have a look at the weekend. It would have to be Sunday as I was towing a car back from Plymouth for a friend on the Saturday. https://www.gumtree.com/
Initial Contact With The Seller.
We agreed a time, this was Thursday evening, on Saturday I confirmed that we would be aiming to be there at midday and if we came to an agreement £200 pounds would be a suitable deposit. Just before we left on Sunday morning in Bel my soon to be sold MX5 I messaged to let the seller know we were on our way.
Arriving / Initial Impressions.
Aiming for midday I rang 2 minutes passed to let him know we were outside. As he opened the gate, the seller said, “the price is not fixed.” Not the thing to say to a buyer… The seller is a true gent and to see his lifetime collection of pushbikes, cars, and paraphernal was amazing. He showed us his much loved 1925 Citroen Cloverleaf looking just like Brum the children television series and not that much bigger.
Three generations of petrolheads together all sharing the same passion. The seller, myself and my mate Jess in his early 20’s. Those who know Jess would have guessed the car now. For those who don’t, Jess has two cars on the road, one 1956 2dr rat rod and the other a very original 1966 4dr and this was the reason he was with me. Both Jess’s cars are Morris Minors and the car was a one, except it was a little rarer than many. http://www.classicaraddict.com/importance-of-gut-instinct/
A Morris Minor, But what Type?
I’d found a 1952 split screen 2dr Minor, listed as a series two and needing a lot of work. She had been stood standing for over 10 years the seller having rescued it from a possible destruction a few years back. Yet not having the welding skills, he never managed to get her on the road. With the arrival of the Citroen it was time to let her go.
To be honest my first impression was oh bugger as the interior was stripped out and clearly both sills and lot more needed doing. Yet as Jess clambered all over her, and we managed to make her fire up she spoke to me. Running enough to let me know she wanted to live. http://www.classicaraddict.com/33/
This is the first of a whole series of posts, and yes there is little hint there…