Seriously?

[Laird Scooby]

I'm glad you picked up on the windscreen surround Alan and suggested it could be rubbed down and filled - that's exactly what a dodgy dealer is likely to do!

Of course, it will be back in 6 months, maybe less but almost certainly won't be covered by any form of warranty as all the dealer needs to say is he bought the car like it.

To do the job properly, as you say the rear screen needs to come out. Unless i'm mistaken, it's not a bonded screen so the chances are it will come out intact, a delicate bit of welding, grinding and sanding, skim of filler to smooth it out, prime and paint then a decent T-Cut and polish with a machine polisher (aka mopping) and it will look bright and shiny despite the fact the front of the roof is pink now. That said, there is some mottling on that rear corner of the roof, difficult to see in the pics if that is rust or just paint but a vinyl roof kit would cover a multitude of sins!

A dodgy dealer could almost certainly do all that himself fairly cheaply and do the rest of the preparation that would give him a £5000 "forecourt" car so if he bought it at say £1800, allow £500 for "prep", he then has £2700 profit. Assuming it sells for £5k obviously but he has plenty of wiggle room, even to allow a p/x for a few hundred over the real trade-in value of whatever was put against it.

As we all know, buyers tend to suffer "magpie syndrome" where anything bright and shiny catches their eye and makes them do silly things with their bank accounts.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

From the aBay description it is actually unique - the only 5-door 240 saloon in existence AFAIK! The location of that 5th door is not, however, apparent from the photographs.

Even more unique it has a 250cc engine!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by dan 244

I know a little bit about this, it was for sale last year for £3500 if I recall correctly. I have some correspondence with the owner who I think is still the same owner.
So as I understand it the first owner died after having the car for two years. It was then stored by his daughter for a further 10 years. He then talked of long periods of no use, no mot until an enthusiastic bought it in 2017 as a non runner and recommissioned it, he bought it in 2018, and it had mot, but when it ran out he still uses it without it being mot’d, so it’s still in use but without mot! It is apparently fairly mint, with a little rust, but not on any of the brown paintwork, which looking at the latest pics it’s on the black wheel well or well on opposite side. It has a couple of bird poo marks on roof. I would say it’s probably worth 3k or close to what he was asking last year, but not the 5k now!

The seller still hasn't bothered getting a MoT test...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324847793...cAAOSwAGVhdZxw

... perhaps it will get itself tested this weekend :-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

The seller still hasn't bothered getting a MoT test...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324847793...cAAOSwAGVhdZxw

... perhaps it will get itself tested this weekend :-)

......... and a new timing belt while it's at it! Oh yeah, new brake fluid too!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

......... and a new timing belt while it's at it! Oh yeah, new brake fluid too!

I suspect there are a whole load of things that need doing to that motor car Dave. I'm still not convinced that 240s regularly sell for £5,000 or more, they aren't really that rare (which is a good testament to their original build quality).

:-)

[loki_the_glt]

On the other hand, either it's capable of moving between London and Luton (as it can be viewed in either place) or it's been cloned a la Dolly the Sheep, since the lack of an MoT makes driving between those two locations somewhat risky finance-wise: ANPR cameras proliferating in that part of the country.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by loki_the_glt

On the other hand, either it's capable of moving between London and Luton (as it can be viewed in either place) or it's been cloned a la Dolly the Sheep, since the lack of an MoT makes driving between those two locations somewhat risky finance-wise: ANPR cameras proliferating in that part of the country.

Exactly Alf - we discussed this above and I came to the same conclusion as yourself.

[Moomoo]

Our friend in Bolton has found another gem!
245 on fleabay!

Don't know how to do linky stuff.

[jasons]

Originally Posted by Othen

Maybe Dave,

I'm still not convinced there is sufficient mark up for a dealer if the motor car costs him £2,000. ... My point is that dealers may ask very high prices, but I'm far from convinced they ever (or hardly ever) materialise.


Now, how much would it cost to get it there? That rust around the window is quite a big issue because it is on show. To fix it properly the window would have to come out.

I'm not convinced the motor car could be sorted for less than a grand - then the dealer's margin is only £500 - is that worth the trouble?
Alan

I know a number of people who restore old classics, not just e-type Jags but the weird and wonderful and also the boggo basic rare stuff for which surprisingly there is a strong but limited market for. The pink pound pays strong for cars many would dismiss lol.

They (the dealers/restorers) do ask crazy high values but they are happy to sit it out, sometimes cars move out quick but sometimes many months or even years, unlike us punters who want the thing rid of inside 3-weeks they seem happy to have it sit in a showroom.

That car needs the roof painting, the paint is shot, a restorers attitude would be if we paint the roof, we'll have to do the stone chips on the bonnet, likely most panels will have a scratch or mark, so we may as well just paint the entire car. - This was a conversation I had with a guy who will be restoring a 480 coupe we have secured a deal on.

The rust around the window is no big deal, just pop the window out, you'd take it out to do a proper paint job anyway, it 50 quid to have done.

The context I'm talking here is concourse restoration btw, not a back street what can you do for 200 quid type of thing.

Dealers margins - I don't know of a dealer (and I know a few who deal with this kind of stuff) who would want to see much less than 2k profit out of it.

As for its value and it retail potential I wouldn't like to say, but if the car was 1500 quid and a dealer is in for a full paint job and it hanging around a forecourt for 6 months you'd guess they would want a retail price of 5500?

Not saying they would get that, just putting in my 2p based on all the years and connections and people I know who do this for a living, and non of them live in a 3-bed semi like I did so they must be doing something right lol.

[Stephen Edwin]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

......................

............. buyers tend to suffer "magpie syndrome" where anything bright and shiny catches their eye and makes them do silly things with their bank accounts.

Yes David.

Ain't that just the truth ...




P.S. I remember being at opposite ends, with a magpie, of a bright shiny handle and large socket, removing a car's hub nut ....



Stephen

.