26-10-2021, 09:17 PM
Are any other pre-war cars as cheap to buy parts and services for? The only one I could think of might be Morris. I know going from Austin to Riley there was a big jump in both parts availability and cost and Riley is still the low end of the vintage car costs scale.
There are no local Riley specialists that I know of in NZ so I have to do as much of it all myself as I can. But I am lucky to have the help of some very knowledgeable local club members who offer help and advice.
And luckily I latched onto the right Austin people fairly early on although that was after "I bought a project". Latching onto them earlier might have saved me some money!
But, in a way it's easier to get started if you have something to start from. Much easier to make introductions and easier for people in the know to come round to see what you've got to help set you straight, usually with much tut tutting and head shaking.
Starting with nothing you have to convince people to help get you started and that is sometimes not easy especially if the idea is building a special. In some clubs/forums that will start you off as persona non grata and you won't get far.
Things get much easier once you've proved yourself a bit and people become far more interested and helpful.
So buying a project isn't necessarily so foolish.
Simon
There are no local Riley specialists that I know of in NZ so I have to do as much of it all myself as I can. But I am lucky to have the help of some very knowledgeable local club members who offer help and advice.
And luckily I latched onto the right Austin people fairly early on although that was after "I bought a project". Latching onto them earlier might have saved me some money!
But, in a way it's easier to get started if you have something to start from. Much easier to make introductions and easier for people in the know to come round to see what you've got to help set you straight, usually with much tut tutting and head shaking.
Starting with nothing you have to convince people to help get you started and that is sometimes not easy especially if the idea is building a special. In some clubs/forums that will start you off as persona non grata and you won't get far.
Things get much easier once you've proved yourself a bit and people become far more interested and helpful.
So buying a project isn't necessarily so foolish.
Simon