What's it worth?

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PITT40

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I'm a newbie here. I am in the process of buying the 3rd Tiger of my life. It's a childhood friend's dad who currently has the car. I'm from back east where the cars get really rusty and there aren't as many as in Cali.

It's a 65 Mk1A, 36K orig mile that has been in a dry garage since 1969. I say dry but not heated and humidity free. It's all original, everything is there with no LAT options. It still has the factory exhaust and chrome tips installed. It's not the least bit rusty. The previous owner had a vo-tech paint job done in 1968 because he thought the few scratches and dings were worth fixing and the price was super cheap. Well, that paint is chipping and pealing because it was "cheap". So it's not an original paint car. The unpainted parts have the usual surface rust and it's dirty, as you would expect.

A roll bar is the only modification. Still has steel wheels and hubcaps. It does also have those chrome Mk II style headlight bezels (which I hate). But the originals are there too.

Just curious if I'm buying it right or not.
 
wihtout photos its hard to know.. but if its straight.. actually all there.. basically rust free you are looking at new seals hoses etc... but thats easy and quite cheap.. hopefully you ownt have to pull the diff and box for seals.. you will need to do the fuel tanks... if all the above.. 40+ i would guess.
 
Here is a pic from when it was moved from his old garage to new one. Badges and molding are off but all there as best I could tell. Tach is removed but there too. It may not work, is my guess.
 
Vo.Tech

Thanks for the giggle. My Mrs. is from Virginia and she always laughs and ridicules me because I went to the Ca. equivalent of the trade school when in high school for two hours a day .

Look at the car like a Real Estate appraiser would and find a good comp.

Figure rolling restoration , or no Tiger on a spit 100% paint n undercoat removal

Look at the Sunbeam Specialties catalog and prices of things.

Do the math..

If you can find a shop that does non production auto body work and painting these days good luck .

Those headlight rings are going to replace the air filter housing as the next big buck eBay part for sale., well along with the clock.
 
No offense on the Vo Tech comment. These are kids who are learning and they didn't use the highest quality materials. Plus straight enamel is what it is.

I will do most of the work myself. My friend/neighbor is a body man and will do the paint work at a discount price.

I was just curious if it was on Ebay as is, what would people expect to be go for.
 
Car is an early MKIA.. round boot (trunk) open the engine bay and there will be the VIN and there should be 4 riverts near it holding nothing on which is where the Spec plates used to be.

Car looks tired but straight. more pics would be better.. whats interior like? whats the inside of boot like? .. car looks good overall... but thats based on assuming your no real rust/hits and all there description is correct ans what we can see in a smallish non detailed photo.
 
It's Another Old Kah

PITT40 said:
Here is a pic from when it was moved from his old garage to new one. Badges and molding are off but all there as best I could tell. Tach is removed but there too. It may not work, is my guess.
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Like any project car, plan on lots of personal man-hours dealing with aged parts & pieces. All the seals will be toast, as will the electrical connections need cleaning. Make it run and asses the mechanics BEFORE deciding priorities. Raising ancient iron from the dead is a commitment with open-ended budget. As to "what it's worth"; nowhere near the time/money/efforts required by a longshot. Plenty of real help & ribbing available in these forums. BTDT my 2 cents
 
I don't put a value/cost on my time, as it's a labor of love. I've been doing this since 13 with Mustangs and Tigers.

My last Tiger I bought after it was hit in the drivers rear qtr and caught on fire and burned from firewall back. I got an Alpine donor and replaced the entire body section from the doors back including the drivers frame rail and trunk floor.

See before and after. I ended up selling it at that stage because I found a 69 SCJ 428 Mach 1 and didn't have room with my 65 Fastback too. Oddly, I just sold the SCJ and buying another Tiger.

I'm in the east, as I stated above, and I have never seen a Tiger this solid. Hell, it's been in a garage for 45 years, it should be. The interior has no rips. The top is dried up, but who is shocked at that? I'm just hoping that the suspension rubber stuff is still good so I don't have to tackle all that. I did all that with the last Tiger.

So this one I'm going to upgrade motor, cooling system & brakes (probably add an alternator too) and just do a restoration on the other pieces that need it. Maybe add a nicer steering wheel and re do the dash (I have experience with that on the last car too). I will keep all the original stuff to go with it, but not hack it up or do anything that is irreversible.
 
Rather than dodge the question I will give you some ranges to consider. The car appears to me to be a $25k-$30k car. 30k at the very high end. Assuming minor rust and original trans and rear end. The engine doesn't matter on a tiger so no bonus for an original. I think early MkIs have a little greater value. I just bought my tiger three months ago and paid in the $35 range. It is mechanically restored but cosmetically original and all original parts included tool kit and all the other goodies. But a really nice original California rust free car. I just sold my midnight blue MkI for $30ish and it was a number matching running car that is now being restored. It was nicer than the one you are considering. I hope this helps. Lee
 
Here is another pic. It's pretty dirty but will clean up and there is minimal prep for paint. I did realize that they filled in the holes for the Sunbeam letters on the front and rear. I like those and will have to fix that.

I've seen Gas Monkey take cars worse than this, clean them, paint them, throw wheels on them and send them to auction in less than a week.
 
At one time Norm's website wanted to know the numbers on the trans and rear axel. Those may be the only part of the drivetrain that can be matched to a particular VIN.
 
PITT40 said:
Here is another pic. It's pretty dirty but will clean up and there is minimal prep for paint. I did realize that they filled in the holes for the Sunbeam letters on the front and rear. I like those and will have to fix that.

I've seen Gas Monkey take cars worse than this, clean them, paint them, throw wheels on them and send them to auction in less than a week.
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Don't believe everything you see on TV :)
 
Revising

Twin Turbo Tiger said:
Don't believe everything you see on TV :)
Click to expand...

Should read "Don't believe anything you see on TV".
Revising my "What is it worth" statement; about 1/3 of the total expenses in time/materials/man-hours. This seems to be a fairly consistent market value result based upon our decades of restorations. Some projects are exceptions & timeless winners, but not Tigers . . . . . .
 
I would start my negotiations at a rediculous low value, the amount that you'll have to buy in parts to make it right will be enormous. If this specimen is rust and collision free I'd do a lot more than the minimal restoration you're talking about. It deserves every a detail attended to why do a half job? You'll find it's a slippery slope once you dive into it if you like perfection...
 
I already came to deal in the teens and I will leave it at that. So I am buying it right based on what you guys have said.

It is collision and rust free. It only saw the road for 3-4 years and was in a dry garage since. It still has the 1969 inspection sticker in the windshield. See pic. The know it's blurry but you can see the old PA symbol on it.
 
Although I just bought my first Tiger, I have bought other vintage cars over the years that had previously sat for many years.
I can see that Tiger sucking up $10K in a heartbeat, even if you do most of the work yourself, everything will have to be done on it to get it up and roadworthy.
If it is the original engine (there are ways to be fairly certain) I wouldn't even try starting it, tear it down first and check it over.
I would see that car at $20K~$25K tops, you can buy a nice clean driver Tiger for mid thirties, much much work ahead on that one...
My .02 cents.

Cheers,

Paul
 
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