Ebay Vixen Project
Discussion
An exciting project car for someone with 10,000 hours spare...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262965164103?_trksid=p20...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262965164103?_trksid=p20...
The stark reality is that you simply can't buy a vixen much cheaper than that.... there may still be one or two exceptions out there where an owner is an old gadgey and not connected to the internet...But this isn't very likely anymore...
A restoration to a basket case will cost £20k to do properly (at least 20k) you MAY be able to do it cheaper if you can paint yourself, possibly do a bit of trimming and you can re-use the bigger components (uprights / chassis etc.)
What annoys me with the escalating prices however is the need to pay more at the beginning to the owner who's car has increased in value by virtue of the desirability others have created with the marque......
In my eyes.. a rotten old scrapper is just that and SHOULD be worth exactly that.. But we live in a perverse world where a car costing 20 - 30k to make flawless will be worth 20 - 30k and an old s
tter will be worth 10 - 20 times what it should be worth making the neglectful owner or wheeler dealer pedalling scrap all of the profit!!
Perhaps we are all the hapless ones investing all our time and money into 10,000 hours of labour in the futile hope of breaking even one day....
Scrap pedalling seems to be where the money is to feed all of the classic car addicts out there hungry for a project!!
Its just as well most of us don't just do it for the money....But maybe thats where the root of the problem lies
Thinking back to an earlier time.. Both of these cost me less than £1500 all in...Before the scrap dealers got involved...
The internet has been good but also very bad for the classic car world......
Not sure I would pay 7K for a scrapper....I just couldn't bring myself to do it.. But I suspect at that price...It will be gone because next year that car will be being touted for 10k... theres no money in properly restored classics it seems...just st!
A restoration to a basket case will cost £20k to do properly (at least 20k) you MAY be able to do it cheaper if you can paint yourself, possibly do a bit of trimming and you can re-use the bigger components (uprights / chassis etc.)
What annoys me with the escalating prices however is the need to pay more at the beginning to the owner who's car has increased in value by virtue of the desirability others have created with the marque......
In my eyes.. a rotten old scrapper is just that and SHOULD be worth exactly that.. But we live in a perverse world where a car costing 20 - 30k to make flawless will be worth 20 - 30k and an old s
tter will be worth 10 - 20 times what it should be worth making the neglectful owner or wheeler dealer pedalling scrap all of the profit!!Perhaps we are all the hapless ones investing all our time and money into 10,000 hours of labour in the futile hope of breaking even one day....
Scrap pedalling seems to be where the money is to feed all of the classic car addicts out there hungry for a project!!
Its just as well most of us don't just do it for the money....But maybe thats where the root of the problem lies
Thinking back to an earlier time.. Both of these cost me less than £1500 all in...Before the scrap dealers got involved...
The internet has been good but also very bad for the classic car world......
Not sure I would pay 7K for a scrapper....I just couldn't bring myself to do it.. But I suspect at that price...It will be gone because next year that car will be being touted for 10k... theres no money in properly restored classics it seems...just s
t!Edited by Dollyman1850 on Friday 5th May 06:44
Neil. I totally agree.
I would also highlight an alternative though. The choice for people who want a Vixen isn't black and white - a scrapper or a mint rebuild. There's a thousand shades of grey in-between and for not that much more than the price of that scrapper a perfectly usable car can be purchased. £10-12k should buy a MOT'd, sound chassis, engine, body & trim car. It may be a touch shabby here & there but it'll be just as much fun as a concours car without the stress of it getting dirty.
For the odd 'nutter'
who really does want to spend the best part of their life in a gloomy, dirty garage covered in oil with back ache and cut fingers, then they will probably find more re-usable parts on a 'shade of grey car' that won't require as much money to get them gleaming again. Also more likely to be complete rather than realising after purchase how many expensive bits are missing.
Moto
I would also highlight an alternative though. The choice for people who want a Vixen isn't black and white - a scrapper or a mint rebuild. There's a thousand shades of grey in-between and for not that much more than the price of that scrapper a perfectly usable car can be purchased. £10-12k should buy a MOT'd, sound chassis, engine, body & trim car. It may be a touch shabby here & there but it'll be just as much fun as a concours car without the stress of it getting dirty.
For the odd 'nutter'
who really does want to spend the best part of their life in a gloomy, dirty garage covered in oil with back ache and cut fingers, then they will probably find more re-usable parts on a 'shade of grey car' that won't require as much money to get them gleaming again. Also more likely to be complete rather than realising after purchase how many expensive bits are missing.Moto
Moto said:
Neil. I totally agree.
I would also highlight an alternative though. The choice for people who want a Vixen isn't black and white - a scrapper or a mint rebuild. There's a thousand shades of grey in-between and for not that much more than the price of that scrapper a perfectly usable car can be purchased. £10-12k should buy a MOT'd, sound chassis, engine, body & trim car. It may be a touch shabby here & there but it'll be just as much fun as a concours car without the stress of it getting dirty.
For the odd 'nutter' who really does want to spend the best part of their life in a gloomy, dirty garage covered in oil with back ache and cut fingers, then they will probably find more re-usable parts on a 'shade of grey car' that won't require as much money to get them gleaming again. Also more likely to be complete rather than realising after purchase how many expensive bits are missing.
Moto
In part i agree however have not seen any 10k cars for a while they tend to be tarted up and sold for more than they should be the advantage of a project like this is you will know exactly what has and has not been done many a so called nut and bolt restoration means they removed the bolts cleaned and re fitted cables cleaned and re used old service parts that are still working just but hidden then re used to save money as the intention is to sell on for a profit at the end.I would also highlight an alternative though. The choice for people who want a Vixen isn't black and white - a scrapper or a mint rebuild. There's a thousand shades of grey in-between and for not that much more than the price of that scrapper a perfectly usable car can be purchased. £10-12k should buy a MOT'd, sound chassis, engine, body & trim car. It may be a touch shabby here & there but it'll be just as much fun as a concours car without the stress of it getting dirty.
For the odd 'nutter'
who really does want to spend the best part of their life in a gloomy, dirty garage covered in oil with back ache and cut fingers, then they will probably find more re-usable parts on a 'shade of grey car' that won't require as much money to get them gleaming again. Also more likely to be complete rather than realising after purchase how many expensive bits are missing.Moto
We see that in all Marques.
You pays your money and takes your chance but here you know your starting from scratch if i did not have an S2 i would be interested if it was another model that i want to do yes even in that state
Thats why some prefer a basket case and others a rolling restoration both are great fun and even hours in a dirty garage can be great fun phrase happy as a Pig in muck comes to mind
There are those on here that strangely enough get more pleasure from the journey and challenge of the build that driving them when done and like an Alcoholic when the bottle is empty are looking for another once empty
Andrew
V6Pushfit said:
An excellent example of a TVR Enthusiast Trap. A couple of uprights as bait and you're away....
I didn't even get uprights off the orange one 
The red one is now yellow and lovely...Its nice to see the ones I have owned getting saved and turning up again all pretty. I still have the odd trinket awaiting a rainy day though
N.
Edited by Dollyman1850 on Friday 5th May 16:49
In defence of the MGB, it's unfair to call it boring. There are a lot of them and therefore it could be called common but that's because it was a fantastically successful British icon which was so good people bought lots of them. In standard form it's a great road car, fabulous for touring in roadster or GT form. In race trim it successfully competes in many historic championships. The engine is a touch heavy but as it was fitted by TVR to many Grantura's it can't be all bad.
I am a little biased as I own a 1964 roadster - early type and very original in old English white & red leather, with pull handles and a 3 bearing engine. Have owned it for 16 years and will never sell it.
Moto
I am a little biased as I own a 1964 roadster - early type and very original in old English white & red leather, with pull handles and a 3 bearing engine. Have owned it for 16 years and will never sell it.
Moto
My apologies,
let's just say they are not my cup of tea.
I think if it was a Costello V8 it would be different.
I have driven a friends MGB roadster but it doesn't put the same smile on my face as my TVRs or my Lotus Elan Sprint fhc.
It's good we are all different.
I have had different cars but the ones that have put a smile on my face are : a Frogeye Sprite, 1071 Austin Cooper S, Lotus Cortina, several Lotus Elans, TVRs.
The truth is in my opinion the choice of cars is very personal, like the clothes you wear or the food you eat.
Alan
let's just say they are not my cup of tea.
I think if it was a Costello V8 it would be different.
I have driven a friends MGB roadster but it doesn't put the same smile on my face as my TVRs or my Lotus Elan Sprint fhc.
It's good we are all different.
I have had different cars but the ones that have put a smile on my face are : a Frogeye Sprite, 1071 Austin Cooper S, Lotus Cortina, several Lotus Elans, TVRs.
The truth is in my opinion the choice of cars is very personal, like the clothes you wear or the food you eat.
Alan
Moto said:
Neil. I totally agree.
I would also highlight an alternative though. The choice for people who want a Vixen isn't black and white - a scrapper or a mint rebuild. There's a thousand shades of grey in-between and for not that much more than the price of that scrapper a perfectly usable car can be purchased. £10-12k should buy a MOT'd, sound chassis, engine, body & trim car. It may be a touch shabby here & there but it'll be just as much fun as a concours car without the stress of it getting dirty.
For the odd 'nutter' who really does want to spend the best part of their life in a gloomy, dirty garage covered in oil with back ache and cut fingers, then they will probably find more re-usable parts on a 'shade of grey car' that won't require as much money to get them gleaming again. Also more likely to be complete rather than realising after purchase how many expensive bits are missing.
Moto
Nods vigorously in shame I would also highlight an alternative though. The choice for people who want a Vixen isn't black and white - a scrapper or a mint rebuild. There's a thousand shades of grey in-between and for not that much more than the price of that scrapper a perfectly usable car can be purchased. £10-12k should buy a MOT'd, sound chassis, engine, body & trim car. It may be a touch shabby here & there but it'll be just as much fun as a concours car without the stress of it getting dirty.
For the odd 'nutter'
who really does want to spend the best part of their life in a gloomy, dirty garage covered in oil with back ache and cut fingers, then they will probably find more re-usable parts on a 'shade of grey car' that won't require as much money to get them gleaming again. Also more likely to be complete rather than realising after purchase how many expensive bits are missing.Moto
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