Quandary

[Aitch]

I had my first Spitfire in ’73, 1500 non o/d, magenta. Great car for ‘a bit of the Jack the lad’.

Fast forward to present day and I have ’79, Spitfire, o/d, jade green, 79K. Still memories of ‘Jack the lad’ but older with more grey hair etc.

Purchased just before lockdown and have done some considerable work/ replacements etc. since then. Chassis is rust free and bodywork has a few marks so overall not in bad condition.

However, since purchase we have moved house and I have had a hip and knee replacement so my mobility is not so good especially if I try to get out of the Spitty. The car has only been driven 5 miles in that period. It is now SORN’d and on axle stands.

My so called ‘car fund’, has become non-existent due to the horrendous problems with the remedial and renovation work after the house move, some still ongoing which is taking more money.

The quandary is that I cannot see myself finishing the interior of the car, electrics, dashboard, carpets etc, etc. I would like to keep it, but common sense says to sell it, as the car needs to be used and not on axle stands. With the winter months coming the car is winter prepared and under two covers. I don’t have a garage, so it’s not going to move anywhere soon.

So what would you do, in the hope that comments/ advice or suggestions can give me a better direction as to what is the best I could do.

[Colin Lindsay]

It seems your best option is to sell it on to someone who will finish it.

Looking at the full picture logically, you've bought a car that needs work, but for both health and financial reasons you may never get it finished. I have an old Herald in the garage that I'll finish one day - I hope - but something in me says not to sell it, even though I can't justify keeping it with the two other Heralds I already have and the limited use I get out of any of them these days. Yet: it still gives me pleasure even just to think about someday finishing it, even if I know that to get it to that stage will be expensive. 

You could therefore keep the Spitfire but as it's under wraps you can't even sit in it and dream... plus with your health problems getting in and out may not be enjoyable any more. I'd pass it on, but as a compromise, I'd start to work on Triumph parts - learn to reveneer dashboards, refurbish and rebush suspension components, or refurbish gauges or other parts - that sort of thing. It's incredibly rewarding, they become useful to other owners and can be a source of extra funds, and you're still working on the stuff you love or remember from past years but without the heavy and uncomfortable work of restoring an entire car and sitting in a cold garage.

Worth a thought? 

[Pete Lewis]

I would echo Colins  thoughts   many of us are now feeling the pinch of ageism and agility gets in the way of sensible fun.

so when push comes to shove  to sell it on will relive the frustration .

Pete

[Aitch]

Thanks for two well balanced replies. I'm of the opinion to move it on as a common sense approach, so I'll have to start the ball rolling soon.

Aitch

[Mjit]

First off don't do anything until the house is sorted.  Let's face it if you were to sell it now the money you get would end up being spent on the house.

Once that's done sell the Spitfire and buy something else, maybe a Dolly 1850 - easier for you to get in and out of (so you'll actually get to use it), slightly sporty (vs. 1300/1500 Dollys at least), but also a good one more in the ball park of what you'll get for the Spitfire (unlike say a Sprint).

[Wagger]

Very sensible advice from Colin especially. Our club has many members now aging and their descendants show little interest in continuing with cars of this age. My B-I-Law has obtained a 2002 Cabrio (Non Triumph of course) and has loads of fun with a younger age group. Don't go for cars after 2005, the electrics become too dodgy to fix.

[trigolf]

Just one thought...if you do decide to sell, if it was me, I'd try and wait to sell it in the spring. Soft tops always sell for more then, than in winter...🤔

[foshi]

if it was me unless you desperately need the money i would hang on to it, lets face it value wise spitfire prices only going one way up, so even as  a resto will be worth more in the future and its still yours,  you  could decide to restore latter on when its gone its gone no going back paul

[PeteH]

I have a similar issue. (though not a financial one), But the 13/60-CV I bought in 2015, and have put many hundreds of hours into since, to rolling chassis/refurbed tubs condition, is currently parked outside under covers. My dilemma is having since bought Jeff`s "Plum" I now have a driveable one, residing in the garage. The temptation to hang onto "kit of parts" as I call it, it is great, but pragmatism, would dictate that it should be moved on for someone else to complete?. And I have some concerns about wintering it outside albeit covered, it is inevitable that it will deteriorate at least marginally. While, soft tops do move better as the weather improves, there is also the consideration that what you are selling could need a winters worth of work to make it viable and as such may be better marketed with that at the forefront?.

Pete.