Skookum Maru

[Hugh MacD]

Yeah, me too to be honest. Did you see my intro post on the MGExp Forum?

Yes, I did I'm "OldEnoughToKnowBetter" on that forum...although that's probably a lie. You'll note my real name there as well as the "HughMacD is a handle I adopted when I first signed up on the forum. A friend always said, "Never use your real name!"...so I didn't. But that is part of my SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) name

[Garret]

Happy to go check it out:
(No rust down here usually means exactly that)

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto...601099566.html

By northeast standards, that car looks like a steal.

[cstevens]

Happy to go check it out:
(No rust down here usually means exactly that)

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto...601099566.html

Thanks! That looks like a great car for the money but it's a 1970 model year and I am determined to buy a 1967, the last year for the original steel dash here in the US. That's one of the reasons this search has taken so long. I've been very picky. There are plenty of cars out there, but only a few that matched my desires for year, color, and condition.

Yes, I did I'm "OldEnoughToKnowBetter" on that forum...although that's probably a lie. You'll note my real name there as well as the "HughMacD is a handle I adopted when I first signed up on the forum. A friend always said, "Never use your real name!"...so I didn't. But that is part of my SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) name

Ah! Found you. Ok. Your secret is safe with me.

By northeast standards, that car looks like a steal.

Yeah, it does from up here as well. I see a few interior issues that let it down a little but overall I think that's a fantastic price. I've looked at a couple that were not nearly that nice but were listed at twice the asking price of that one. Honestly I started to feel bad for the sellers of those cars because I think both had gone in blindly, spent too much, and were trying to sell for something close to what they paid. And they will probably get it eventually, from some other punter blinded by the shiny paint and chrome.

Classic car retail prices must be hugely inflated by naive buyers of cars that look good and drive well but have fundamental problems that are not obvious and will be expensive to fix. Before I narrowed my search down to an MGB GT I considered a silver on red 1972 Mercedes 250c coupe in Las Vegas, one very much like the car I used to own. It was listed at $17,500, which is not absolute top dollar but it's right up there. It looked really good in the photos at first glance but the more I stared at them the more little details started to stand out that were just not quite right.

The radiator support crossmember, which should be body color, was painted black for example. There were a bunch of little missing covers and things in the interior that indicated that the interior had been removed at some point and not put back correctly. And it had some missing exterior trim. I suspect it had a front end collision plus some sort of long-delayed and hastily finished restoration in its past. Which, fine. Not disqualifying, but these are are complex cars and very expensive to put right, especially in the interior. One of the missing pieces was the power window switch bezel on the console. A minor thing to look at, but that part is NLA and is over $500 if you can find one. A few details like that add up very quickly.

Just on the off chance that it might be better than I thought I had it inspected anyway but the guy who looked at waved me off with exactly the comments I expected he would have. All up I judged that it was a $9,500 car at best, or overpriced by nearly 100%. But I didn't even bother putting in an honest offer on the car. It was being sold by a big, national, classic car consignment house and they were never going to back away that far from their asking price. Although I just looked and I see that they have come down to $14,500. Still a bit steep but getting closer to reality.

The BGT I'm buying is not perfect at all. It has cosmetic issues, some deferred maintenance, and will certainly need some rust repair work at some point in the future. But it wears all of its flaws on its sleeve. No one has made any attempt to disguise any problems. They are just the things that happen with age and long use and were not inflicted on it. An honest car, in other words. And the asking price was more than fair. Less, in fact, than the Livermore car above. I had to fend the seller off from offering to pay for any of the work I'm having done on it. I would have felt terrible giving him anything less than his full ask. But he's owned it from new and he can't drive it easily any longer. He wants to find a good home for the car more than he wants to get all the money for it. He trusts me to do that and I am committed to honoring that trust.

[Garret]

Chris - completely valid points on the B. However, as a person who has lived & worked as a mechanic in the land of car rust, I'll offer a caution: rust damage is one of the most expensive things to fix properly on a car. Sure, you can get some new rocker panels (a B weak point), bolt 'em on & squirt the car. However, bad rockers can also mean frame damage in behind them, and door bottom issues. If those are bad, shock mounts will most likely be getting tired/in need of new metal, spring mounts as well, etc. etc.

If given a choice of a B with bad rockers & other possible damage and one with no rust but in need of a complete engine overhaul - I'd go for the engine overhaul in a nanosecond.

Just my opinion & worth exactly what you paid for it

[cstevens]

Chris - completely valid points on the B. However, as a person who has lived & worked as a mechanic in the land of car rust, I'll offer a caution: rust damage is one of the most expensive things to fix properly on a car. Sure, you can get some new rocker panels (a B weak point), bolt 'em on & squirt the car. However, bad rockers can also mean frame damage in behind them, and door bottom issues. If those are bad, shock mounts will most likely be getting tired/in need of new metal, spring mounts as well, etc. etc.

If given a choice of a B with bad rockers & other possible damage and one with no rust but in need of a complete engine overhaul - I'd go for the engine overhaul in a nanosecond.

Just my opinion & worth exactly what you paid for it

Wise words Garret, and I agree with every one of them. That's another reason this search has taken so long. I'm being picky about rust and have passed on a few that were decent otherwise. This car does have a little rust in the passenger side sill/castle rail but the shop that did the inspection believes that it's still early, isolated to one spot, and not an immediate need. I do think it will need sills at some point in the next few years but the rest of the car is so good, and the asking price is so low (really, I'm embarrassed to disclose how low), that if I had to spend $10k on rust repair and paint it would still be a bargain. And even if it's more expensive than that, how much better is it to save a good one from going bad than to let it go to someone without the knowledge or resources to care for it? I'm a sucker, I can't deny it.

[Garret]

OK - but please fix the rust sooner rather than later. There's a reason mechanics call it cancer...

I'll shut up now.

OK - I probably won't...

[cstevens]

OK - but please fix the rust sooner rather than later. There's a reason mechanics call it cancer...

I'll shut up now.

OK - I probably won't...

Ha! I've actually started searching for a shop to do the work already. I think I have a lead on one but I want to go there in person rather than call. Sometimes these things are all about the dance, right? You need them to want to work with you and the relationship is important, just like shipwrights and boatyards. The guy standing in front of you is easier to persuade than a voice on the phone. And I know it can take months to get a project scheduled so I'm trying to start the process ASAP.

[Canoeyawl]

I have a complete (rough) '67 MGB parts car w/bumpers - dash - engine etc. I'm going to junk it
It is missing the suspension which I used on my TD

[cstevens]

I have a complete (rough) '67 MGB parts car w/bumpers - dash - engine etc. I'm going to junk it
It is missing the suspension which I used on my TD

Hm, well on the off chance, was it an overdrive car? And is the dash uncut? The car I'm buying has had an ammeter added where the OD switch would have been. I'd like to find a solid dash to restore for it. And at some point I'd like to add overdrive. I could be interested in making a deal for the necessary parts if you have them in restorable condition.