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As tempting as it is to offer the illusion that this car is as perfect s the photos I've published indicate, I'm going to resist that urge and reveal all the cosmetic warts of my project vehicle right here on this page.
There's a lesson to be learned here so learn it well: Never, ever buy a car long distance unless someone you personally know and trust has crawled under the car, taken it for a drive and looked over every square inch -- just like you would if you could be there. I'd have purchased a local 1967 Spitfire Mk3 if any had been available. After experiencing the recent hassles at my DMV registering an out of state vehicle, that would have been nice. But let's face it, you can't exactly pick and choose on a local level anymore. Those days are long gone.
Please don't think that I regret buying this car by my admonition. Far from it. I got lucky to find something as overtly lovely as this car and would have purchased it on the spot had I been able to see it before coming to terms with the owner. But briefly, here's what happened and the basis of my warning:
The previous owner openly warned me about rusty floorpans, but said that he had replaced the rocker panels with galvanized steel ten years ago. Obviously, if the floorpans are rusty, the rest of the car becomes suspect as well. I decided to find a professional inspection service that would go out and be my "eyes" for me. I searched on the Internet and found a company in New York that sounded like a good outfit. For $129, they contact an insurance adjuster (the guys who go and appraise cars for a living) in the area where the vehicle is located. So far, so good. They promised that the inspector would go see the car within three days of my order. The fee was to include a comprehensive, written inspection covering 80 points of cosmetic and mechanical condition and four photographs of the vehicle.
Sounds pretty reasonable, right? It sounded like money well spent. I was even told that I could mention specific things to look for, so after consulting a Spitfire buyer's guide on the Internet, I made some notes and faxed them to the inspector, whose name and phone number I was given. I called to check on the status after a few days and finally connected with the harried inspector who had not yet seen my fax. So, I explained to him that I was particularly interested in his assessment of the floorpans, plus any tell-tale signs of rust on the body or on the frame. The previous owner of the vehicle was very cooperative and had no qualms about a thorough inspection. A week later, the car had still not been looked at, so I e-mailed the NYC office to complain, stressing that this was a somewhat rare automobile and time was of the essence.
A week after that, the car was finally inspected. I called (at my expense) the inspector, after leaving a message and missing a return call, and he cheerfully explained that he couldn't start the motor to check the operation of the car because the battery was dead. I was taken aback momentarily, realizing that there was no way for him to check anything mechanically or electrically about the vehicle, rending his services nearly useless unless he could fill me in about the condition of the body and frame. It was his position that although the car was obviously old, it was in very clean shape and exhibited no rust problems that he could ascertain. He noted the replaced rocker panels (I was wondering how he would be able to tell) and said they were in good shape, as was the frame and even the floor panels. According to him, the passenger door was a bit difficult to close, but the body was in nice shape. He also stated that he believed the 86,500 miles showing on the odometer, was probably original, given the overall condition of the car. This corresponded with what the previous owner had told me.
Reassured by the inspector's verbal report and a written guarantee by the seller that with a few noted items, the car was in good running condition, negotiated the final price with the seller that we both felt comfortable with. I requested that the seller install a new battery, to insure that the transport company would have no trouble loading up the car and backing it off of the truck once it got here.
After giving the car a close inspection, I discovered rust bubbles on several body panels and even a small rust hole in the rear valance. If after sanding off the problem areas I find I still need to replace all of the infected panels, we're looking at a maxium of about $1,750 in replacement parts (not counting labor) alone. I say maximum because I like to estimate high -- and from what I can see, the damage to each affected panel is very small and might easily be corrected without the actual need for out and out replacement. I won't know of course, until I start stripping the paint. Gee, maybe I can find a sponsor of this site who will subsidize the cost of the restoration. Ya think?
Furious with the so-called professional inspection (to date, I still have not received the written report), I e-mailed the owner of the inspection agency and made my displeasure known. To his credit, they have canned the inspector that looked at my vehicle and informed him that he will no longer receive their business. I was also given a full refund of the inspection fee. I'm beginning to wonder if I could hold the inspection company liable for damages. Is there a lawyer in the house?
You might be wondering why I'm not upset with the seller rather than the inspection company. The reason is simple. The seller told me quite a few details about the car that he didn't have to. Things that drove his asking price down considerably. Also, the vehicle has been rarely driven in the last 20 years and many of the problem spots aren't readily noticeable as you can see in the photos I've posted on this site. For example, I've owned a Nissan Maxima for 14 years now and I'm not aware of every wart in the finish or problem under the hood. I just get in and drive. The inspector on the other hand, had a fiduciary responsibility to report every detail of that car to me. If I knew then what I know now... would I still have bought it?
In a word: Yes.
11/27/01 - Note: The above comments were originally written during my first enthusiastic month of owning the car. The benefit of hindsight and further inspection would have to change the last comment from a "yes" to a definite "maybe". I would have been far better off biding my time and finding a structurally sound car to begin with, though I do enjoy the rarity of the right hand drive. Nearly all body panels with a few exceptions are in need of serious repair or replacement, which prompted my purchase of a second body shell and chassis, which I am now restoring to use as a donor, instead of trying to salvage this shell. The frame of this car also needs some repair to the front outrigger, where a hole has rusted through. Fortunately, I have the new chassis which has already been restored, but I now have a welder and the confidence to repair the damage to the old frame, for what end, I don't know at present. I'm very fortunate to have found the donor tub and chassis -- an abandoned restoration project from Arizona with little or no rust that I purchased for next to nothing. Current plans are to restore the donor tub to as good or better than new condition, convert it to RHD, remove whatever body panels are salvageable from my original car and either sell them off as-is or perhaps restore them by sandblasting and applying primer, put them in the attic and sell them later.
On one hand, I tell myself that I would have been far better off spending five or six thousand on a fully restored Spitfire. On the other, I remind myself that I really haven't seen many being offered, plus I've really enjoyed learning the new body working skills involved with restoring this car and acquiring the tools to do it. So instead of finding a "perfect" Spitfire, I'll wind up spending about the same amount of money creating the perfect Spitfire built to my exact specifications -- plus have some wonderful tools to use again on other projects. Aah, who am I kidding? I'll end up having spent a lot more going this route, but I'll gain a sense of pride and satisfaction attainable by no other way than from doing it yourself. I'm okay with that.
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Please. Always wear your seatbelt while driving -- and that goes double for your children if you have any.