yet another wasted journey !!!

[Budgie]

Well here we go again. Two minors for sale on the usual sites, contact made, lengthy discussions on the condition. Each one was supposed to be "restored to a high standard", both described as very good condition so day off work duly booked, torch,overalls and money to the ready and off I set to check the both out ..........

[firedrake1942]

Go on then what did you find ??

[Budgie]

A so called restored four door minor .......... na I don't think so, it was a rust bucket with house carpet on the floor, all four doors were rotten, underneath I was told was only wax oiled , true but over very thick , old underseal which could not hide the old and poorly done [and showing its age], welding patches, tear in the headlining, awful engine bay, ripped seats awful spray job all over with rust bubbling in many places. And those were the good points. And the second was supposed to be a restored tourer. Yeh it was a converted saloon poorly carried out with yet again thick underseal underneath when I was told it was only wax oiled. Poorly done welding patches poor paint work shabby engine bay and generally requiring some tlc. Both these cars asking prices were grossly over priced and both were said to be in excellent rust free restored condition. I know I keep on posting negative each time I go to see a minor but not only is it frustrating but I hope that those who join this forum and don't have the knowledge read this and think twice before jumping in at the deep end for a car they really want but do not have the knowledge / experience to weed out the dreamers and waste their hard earned cash on a money pit. It takes me two minutes to see a lemon but some may not be so cautious....rant over.

[firedrake1942]

pleased to be a release valve ......

[Budgie]

Thanks, much appreciated .

[greendefender123]

Let the search continue then! Hopefully somebody will buy those others for a sensible price. I'm happy to forgive the odd bodge here and there as its probably saved them from being scrapped along time ago. Just takes the mick when people try to claim they're good and pristine when they're not. Had it with my partners road car. Was told immaculate but every panel damaged and badly resprayed.

[Boomlander]

Before wasting time and money travelling to see my chosen car I requested and received dozens of good quality close up photos of every area that could be a problem.
The seller offered to send additional photos for any component or area not already covered.
The car was delivered to my door and I have now owned it for five years without regret.
Ask for pictures - if you see anything suspicious, don't go any further!
If the seller is reluctant to send photos - Avoid like the plague!!

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[Budgie]

Oh I do ask for pics and I ask loads of questions. I was very lucky ten years ago when I bought my 1969 tourer as I didn't have a computer then and it was via a colleague whom saw it online and it was only telephone conversations I had and it turned out to be a cracker . I seem to miss out on the good ones as they get snapped up pretty quick although they do tend to be pricey and by the time I've thought about it they've been sold. Just wish people would be honest and upfront. Although pics can be very deceiving as I've experienced also but hey ho onwards and upwards.

[biomed32uk]

That does look a nice car, and considering you live up the road from me I've not seen it around.

You will find the right car, it just so reminds me of the one that I went to see in Lowestoft, and I had pics of that up front as well, I knew there would be something wrong with it though, and there was - plenty. It was sold eventually, and I keep an eye on the DVLA status, its currently on SORN, one of these days it will pop up with someone I am sure, hopefully its being restored properly.

Keep searching.

[Boomlander]

[quote="biomed32uk"]That does look a nice car, and considering you live up the road from me I've not seen it around.



We do all the local shows including Walton so you would probably see Jethro out and about.
The pictures are from 2011 and since then the car has been fitted with quite a few period accessories and looks a lot less plain now!

[POMMReg]

AVOID any Convertible with missing or c*&k-eyed affixed body ID plate.
Ignore Chassis VIN plate, does a toaster become a convertible if it has a MAT prefixed chassis plate screwed to it?

To be fair Budgie,journey to visit duff Convertible was, in part, of your own making.

[Budgie]

The convertible was not stated as a chop one before I got there so it wasn't of my making at all and it was enroute to see a four door saloon so it wasn't so much of a nuisance journey just more of a frustrating one on both accounts when people lie about the condition of their cars.

[Budgie]

AVOID any Convertible with missing or c*&k-eyed affixed body ID plate.
Ignore Chassis VIN plate, does a toaster become a convertible if it has a MAT prefixed chassis plate screwed to it?

To be fair Budgie,journey to visit duff Convertible was, in part, of your own making.

If a chopped down tourer has been done properly then there's nothing wrong with them. I have a factory made tourer myself but when I was looking for one before I bought the genuine one I have now some ten years ago then I wouldn't have hesitated in buying a chopped one as long as it had been down professionally. Like I said this was a last minute find the night before I was due to view the four door saloon as it was only a few miles off my route to see the four door minor. I was not under the illusion it was a duff one until I arrived and viewed the car .

[myoldjalopy]

It is very frustrating when vendors try and pull a fast one, especially when its blatant lies. I do wonder about cars that look great from the photos but there are only pics of the outside (and not underneath). Why not the interior as well? I think if i was looking I would want to see pics of the dash, seats, headlining and the underside as well as good shots of the usual rust areas on the doors, wings etc.
Good luck, though - it is simply a matter of time (and money ) before you get the right one. At least you know what to look for.
If possible, it is better to buy of a proper enthusiast who has lovingly maintained the car, rather then someone who has bought a Minor on a bit of a whim, but who doesn't really understand it and hasn't maintained/serviced it properly.

[Budgie]

It is very frustrating when vendors try and pull a fast one, especially when its blatant lies. I do wonder about cars that look great from the photos but there are only pics of the outside (and not underneath). Why not the interior as well? I think if i was looking I would want to see pics of the dash, seats, headlining and the underside as well as good shots of the usual rust areas on the doors, wings etc.
Good luck, though - it is simply a matter of time (and money ) before you get the right one. At least you know what to look for.
If possible, it is better to buy of a proper enthusiast who has lovingly maintained the car, rather then someone who has bought a Minor on a bit of a whim, but who doesn't really understand it and hasn't maintained/serviced it properly.

True very true just as well for me that I've had minors for years and had quite few over the years so I do know them pretty well inside and out .And luckily for me I do have a very nice tourer which I bought some ten years ago now so I'm just looking to add to the stable but finding a good one properly priced is very difficult or way to far away.

[TDV102]

Living 'up north' I'm finding it very difficult to find what I want (S2 2 door) - they all seem to be over 200 miles away. There's a tidy looking one on fleabay at what seems to be a nice price, but in Sussex. Last one I was interested in before that was near Aberdeen! The cost of travel and overnight accommodation these days is insane. Return rail fare to the other side of London is well over £200. I'd rather spend that on upgrades. Incidentally I saw one recently in Cornwall, found out I could fly for under £100 return, but rail was £300!

[ampwhu]

sometimes it works the other way. I was drinking red wine one eve and purchased a car without viewing via ebay. when I woke up the next morning, I had no idea I'd bought it until she told me!

anyway, I went and paid for it, broke down on the way back and still own it to this day. I paid less than the market value at the time and have put right what was wrong with it since.

[palacebear]

Seems to me that even bona fide dealers are getting a bit careless. A while ago I went to view a 1955 Austin A50. Photos on dealers website looked reasonable. On the phone the car was described as a good driver. Rust-free. Just serviced. New MOT even though exempt. Only bad chrome being the front bumper. On arrival the car (inside a showroom) had peeling paint in many areas. The only good chrome was the rear bumper. Boot had water in it. Driver's carpet was wet, probably due to the very obvious rust hole at the junction of the inner sill/forward outrigger/a-pillar. Engine took an age to start and sounded like a bag of nails. Rear brakes were binding. Clutch was horrible - something to do with the hydraulic fluid on the showroom floor. Couldn't figure out whether the interior was red, tan or grey! Could have been someone's project for a bargain £4k. My money stayed safely under my mattress! I won't name and shame the dealer here because he DOES have some good stuff through his showrooms at times.