1968 Hornet - Is this a good price?

Good Day,

For a while now, I have been looking for either a MkIII Elf or MkIII Hornet. Being located in Canada, there aren't that many around. I have found one that seems to be a good balance between decent condition and not too expensive.
Details from the seller are:
No major rust spots
runs, drives and stops ( I have a video of it starting cold)
the clutch is almost had to be depressed all the way (my online research says this could be something easy, up to a full clutch replacement - anyone have any thoughts?)
front seats are pretty much toast (I'm not adverse to seat covers for a while until I can refurbish the seats, or come up with something custom perhaps too.
he says electrics need work (I should be able to troubleshoot electrics)
current asking price (correspondence): $5,800 CAD ~ 2854.76 GBP ~ 4448.36 USD
shipping from the other side of the country is my only difficulty in this, as it would add up to around $3000, but I wouldn't have to pay import duties (usually 6% of purchase price)

photos can been seen in the advertisement here:

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Wolseley-Hornet-Mk-III_25255799

Anyone have any thoughts on the price? Does it sound reasonable? Is there anything from the photos to sound alarm bells?

Any input would be appreciated. I've never purchased a car online before without seeing it, and since a plane ticket would be $900 minimum, plus hotel, and my time, I figure if anything is wrong, that $900 + can buy alot of parts.

Hi, WC
Not all that easy to tell from the pics but make sure the "small anount of rust" is just that and its not a 'basket case' !
Looking at the boot floor and underneath the interior carpets and at the cars sills will give you a better idea.
From what I can see there are front bumper overriders but no rear overriders - I would check the back end for colision damage if it was me.
The door mirrors, plastic wheel arches and steering wheel are later additions.
I see what you mean abour the front seats ! You may be able to get new, original style seat covers from a UK Company called Newton Commercial if thats any use - dont know what the shipping cost to you would be though.
When looking over the car look closely at the ride height and the condition of all you can see of the Hydrolastic pipework (both flexible and solid) and pump connectors at the back end as all suspension parts are getting very expensive to replace these days !!!
The price is not too bad considering what I can see of the condition in the pics but be prepared for loads of unexpected surprises once you start any restoration (as with all cars of a 'certain' age!)

Hope this helps ?
If you have any more specific type questions I'm sure tyhere are people with answers on here .......... somewhere !!!

Good luck

boris

The biggest problem is that I am 6200 kms away from where the car is (ironically, I'm actually closer to the UK - perhaps I should just ship one over from there).  So, short of making a long trip, I can only go by what the seller tells me and shows me in photos, or maybe I need to find someone from a club in the area to look at it.  I have already asked about the plastic overriders, missing trim on the LHS door, rear over riders, the dent on the rear, which is in one photo, but not another.

When I get a car, it will essentially be a little run-about, mostly for in-town, as a second vehicle to my family hauler (I'm not going to fit three kids in the back with my wife in the front )


Has anyone here bought a car 'sight unseen?' ie: not viewed in person?

I was lucky that when I bought my 69 Riley Elf earlier this year it was only 120 miles away from home.
Thats far more than a lot of people here would want to travel just to see a prospective car but I didnt mind the 2 journeys to see it before actually handing over the cash. I then got it transported the 120 miles to home as I didnt really want to gamble that an unknown car of that age would have made the journey without breaking down.
There were lots of dubious electrical connections and an annoying oil leak plus a new drivers front floor panel needed so I doubt I could have driven it back problem free.
Personally I wouldnt buy any car 'sight unseen' no matter how new or old but maybe thats just me being over cautious.

Good luck with it if you do decide to get it though.

After a bit of back and forth, we are down to $4,000 CAD ~ 1950 gbp ~ $3,040 USD. plus, there will be shipping. he says he's had the body done and a new windscreen. Photos seem to back that up.

Photos show that there has been some patch welding and panel replacement done at some time in the past and to be honest, the overall condition of the areas shown in the photos is what you might expect from a car of that age.
The inertia front seatbelts wer'nt there originally but they are a good 'upgrade' on 'static' belts when trying to reach the dash.
The price is certainly better now too ! Are you going for it ?

I am very close to 'pulling the trigger'. I just want to get some more shipping quotes, before I make my final decision, but I am very close I think. I'm still a little nervous, buying a car I have never seen. Then again, i have only ever seen one in person (an Elf actually, with a Suzuki engine in it). Based upon what I have seen, I figure the following would need to be done:

new clutch arm (perhaps a new clutch)
electrical sorted
taking care of some rust spots so they don't develop into holes - probably spot painting
thorough cleaning
seats and or seat covers
new carpet
Wood refinished


I also have other ideas of what I would do as more of a long term vision

If you need any "inspiration" on what can be done have a trawl through the various "Projects" threads on here.
Great for getting ideas.

Good luck with the "trigger pulling" !!!

boris710 wrote:If you need any "inspiration" on what can be done have a trawl through the various "Projects" threads on here.
Great for getting ideas.      

Good luck with the "trigger pulling" !!!  

Thanks. I have been watching the forums, reading articles, looking at advertisements for a while now. I have a 'vision', taking inspiration from those various sources. The main thing is to start with a solid base.

Good luck with the "trigger pulling" !!!  
[/quote]

Well, I've 'pulled' the trigger.   We have come to an agreement, and just need to finalize the paperwork, and I'll book the shipping.  Between my own travel and the Seller's travelling, the process on figuring out the details has been slow, but the seller has been very good as providing what I have asked for, and seems to be very honest.  He took the car for a drive this past weekend to make sure everything was okay, and during the drive, felt the brakes weren't quite up to scratch, checked it out, and as a result has replaced the rear wheel cylinders.  This will be my first classic car (unless you count driving around in a 15 year old car as a teenager ).  I haven't actually driven a mini before either. I'm not really sure *what* to expect, so it'll be an adventure.  I'm hoping to use it mostly around town as a second car during spring, summer and fall, and also on the occasional longer trip up to 1000kms.  That is, once I have completely gone through it to make sure all systems are up to scratch.

Congrats on the purchase. Welcome to the clan.

Well done ! Hope all goes well with the delivery. Keep us up to speed on what develops !

Thanks guys. I'll keep you all updated. Once I have the Hornet I'll post photos.

boris710 wrote:

Well done !    Hope all goes well with the delivery.  Keep us up to speed on what develops !

Well, pickup from the seller is scheduled for this Thursday, and then about two weeks from there...  hopefully if all goes well, she'll be sitting in the driveway before the end of the month.    

It has finally arrived!!! I picked it up in the dark last night, and immediately discovered a few electrical gremlins, but I got the lights to work, and drove it home. My kids and wife like it. I'll get a better inspection of it after work in the light, and see what I have got myself into.

Well done !

They are always a bit "iffy" on the electrics but its all easily fixed.
Normally down to bad connections in the engine bay/fuse box area.

Let the "FUN" begin !!!