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After nearly two years, I am selling my car to the ???best offer.??? I am serious about selling and I realize I won???t come remotely close to what I have in this car, but it has to go. Utah title in hand — never registered in Nevada. You tell me what you think this car is worth. No trades, please.
I am offering it here first, because people who read this forum would be the best people to have this car, and you folks know how much it would cost to replicate the work already done to this car. If there is no interest here, I will offer it on eBay and Hemmings in a couple of days.
The car is running, looks good, and is 95-98% complete. Finishing it would be easy for someone who knows how to do things himself or has a trustworthy mechanic, body shop, and upholsterer. I am grateful for the help I have gotten from this forum, but unfortunately I have neither time, skill, nor a single person I trust in this town to help me. I gave it a good shot, but I am exhausted. I don???t want to see this car in my garage anymore because it just reminds me of how many times I have been cheated and frustrated — and the wife wants it gone.
At this point, the buyer will get:
MECHANICAL:
1. Engine starts and runs well. Good compression, electronic ignition, new Weber Progressive carburetor, new muffler, new belt, etc. Produces zippy acceleration.
2. Transmission and shifter work great. Transmission is rebuilt and the shifter has new bushing.
3. New master cylinder, new front disc brakes, new rear pads.
4. No play in steering. Car tracks and steers nicely.
6. Completely rewired. Everything electrical works. Has battery cut-off switch inside the car.
7. No rust that I???m aware of, and of course there is no wood to rot in a replica, unlike an original TD. Car had been completed and garaged for 20 years before I got it.
AESTHETICS:
1. Complete repaint in British Racing Green II Metallic, a recent Mini Cooper color that is readily available. Repaint included putting on new body welting throughout. Other than the top of the hood that needs repainting, the paint looks very nice.
2. Wheels were sandblasted and powdercoated to match body. New Coker whitewall radial tires. Replica “MG” hubcaps with stainless trim rings.
3. Chrome is either new, replated, or polished aluminum throughout.
4. New walnut dashboard. Instrument panel and ignition switch/headlight switch are real TD parts. Dash also includes hidden stereo and new gauge package from Speedhut, including GPS speedometer.
5. Interior is redone. Seats (with recliners), side panels, and carpet is all done, including sound deadening material throughout. Area under the front hood is fully finished. Seat belts included but only partially installed.
6. Four-speaker Retro-Sound stereo included and working.
THE BAD:
1. ???New??? chrome on grill shell has developed several blisters. One blister has developed on the chrome slats. Not readily noticeable but no guarantees for the future. Fix or ignore at your option.
2. Top was professionally started and is almost ready to install. Needs edging and snaps. Top bows included.
3. The top of the hood needs to be repainted. The body shop failed to fit the chrome strip properly. I did so but damaged the paint in the process.
4. Squeaky brakes, throttle does not like to return to idle, and turn signals work, but the stalk came loose from the steering column.
If anyone wants to call me and discuss terms, PM me and I will either call you or send you my phone number.
johnsimion 2016-03-29 02:38:28 Sorry to see this post John!
But I do wish you luck with the sale!To potential buyers, you’d be getting a well sorted car here! With only minor work still to be done!Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Hey John, good luck with the sale. Are you going to replace her with another or are you heading off into the sunset?
Hope you stick around, theres stregnth in numbers and all that.As much as I love you guys (figuratively!), I will be heading off into the sunset. Here’s why:
1) Original VW mechanic overcharged and wasted months of time, and didn’t do a number of things right;2) Body shop held onto my car for six months before they did anything … finally got it back and the doors wouldn’t close properly and the chrome on the hood was messed up;3) While this was going on, the chrome shop did a rotten job on my grill slats, then the slats made a bump on the grill shell which resulted in a hole when I ground it off;4) So I took the grill and slats to another chrome shop — that’s the chrome that is now bubbling up … after assembly, naturally;5) And finally, there is a special place in hell for the upholsterer, who not only strung me along for six months but then just handed the car back to me with the top, seat belts, and various other stuff unfinished, and told me that he’s going out of business. No referral, no refund, no nothing. I’m a lawyer and I could sue him, but suing people is not my idea of a relaxed retirement, and anyway what do you get when you sue somebody who is out of business?6) While driving home from the upholsterer — already not in the best of moods — I enjoyed my 15 mile drive to the tune of the squeaking brakes, engine that wouldn’t return to idle at stoplights, and best of all, the turn signal stalk somehow got loose so even though the turn signals still work, I would have to use one hand to hold the stalk and another to move the lever. Upon returning home, a mysterious piece fell out and the screw that normally holds it … won’t. So, the steering wheel would need to be removed and the stalk part repaired somehow.If I had a trustworthy mechanic, body shop, and upholsterer who actually knew how to do something other than charge, I might have a different outlook. As things stand, I look at the car and I simply don’t even know where to begin. I might be able to fix the mechanical stuff with a shop book and endless time without the wife constantly wanting me for something, but that’s a pipe dream and I love the wife a lot more than the car. A mechanic could fix the mechanical stuff in 15 minutes except the only VW mechanic I know is the one who overcharged me and left things messed up in the first place. I know how to remove the grill to take it to the chrome shop, but frankly removing the hood, headlights, trunk box, and wiring for the third or fourth time just doesn’t elate me with happiness, especially when I know it will be followed by a couple of months at the chrome shop and six more months waiting for the body shop to put every other customer in the world ahead of me and just paint the *&^% hood. I have too many other things going on in my life to put up with this BS. I am supposed to be relaxed and enjoying my retirement in Vegas, not giving myself ulcers.Sorry this is a long b!tch session but some are cut out for this kind of thing and some are not. For those of you who are — I admire you and wish I were like you. Such is life.As for my future plans … I think I can make some birdhouses, make some more Hubley Model A’s (I have built 10 already), build fancy closets in my garage (I actually know how to do THAT!), and leave the extra garage space empty. When I was in high school and I restored a Model A in 1975 (with the help of several honest mechanics, body men, and a great upholsterer), and I still managed to win the Hard Luck Trophy, that should have been a warning. I didn’t heed that warning, and I didn’t recognize how many crooks and incompetents are in the car repair business today. I guess I will always dream of having a hobby car, but I have to recognize that I’m just not cut out for it.Wow, John, sounds like youve been to the woodshed one too many times for something you didnt do. Im sorry for your heartache. Im hoping that your car finds its way to the right owner who can restore her without the headache.
I pray that in the same way that we dont find a dog, a dog finds us, a compleated kit will find you and bring you back home to us. Until then and to twist the Motel 6 motto “Well leave the tail light on for ya”.But John, you are sooooo close!! I hate to see you pack it in now. I think all this will be forgotten when you resolve these last few things. Good luck either way.
Sam
Don’t know, that’s already a whole lot of patience used up to try and keep going with the possibility of more trouble. Of course, I’m often a pessimist instead of optimist. And yet, the optimistic side of me might think that car to be good enough as is and just keep it anyway. That’s probably because once I have anything I can’t let go, not easily.Would be great to hear something happens to change your mind. If not be sure to make a good sell!
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