Austin healys

I was looking on ebay for aston martins right now with my dad and by accidently put in austin healy. My dad is in love! He saw an austin healy car and said to me, "do what ever it takes to get me one of those." my question to you is, is it a good car? any experiences?

 

My dad had one in the 70s (it was a 1963). He loved it. The thing about it is that they are now old cars and they are british. Can you say electrical problems?

 

of course i can, but can you say running out of electricity

 

My dad was just looking at an Austin-Healey 3000. He loves them and it'd be a great compliment to his TR-6. We're in the process of moving though, so he passed on the car.

 

how much were the people asking for the car?

 

18k. It was in ok shape, I think it either ran or needed a thing or two to run and the rest of it was alright.

 

A 3000 for 18K? do you have anymore info? Also British stuff is just like anything else, its fine if you take care of it.

 

AH 3000 is a wonderful car. Gobs of British character, plenty of power from the big six and gorgeous looks to match. Problem is that in order to buy a nice one, you're easily going to spend $35-40K on average, sometimes more but rarely less. The "Big Healey" to go for is the 3000 MK.II which has triple carbs.

The beauty of the earlier cars, such as the 100/4 and 100/6 is that they are more true to the game driver's cars. They don't have the burl wood fascia like the 3000s, nor do they possess roll up windows or other "luxuries". We're talkin' side screens - and heaters being optional equipment!

Sounds like $18K for the car you saw on eBay is worringly cheap. Spend more and get a good one because restoration of a Healey isn't a cheap prospect. And by the way, they do make perfect garage companions to TR6s!!

Cheers,
Aaron
'82 GTSi (and a slew of old British sports cars!!)

 

I actually want to restore an AH. Well not a full restoration, really just one that needs some love and attention to. How much would you say one of those would cost? I would look for either a 3000, 100, or 100M. How much would upkeep and bringing it to driveable condition be?

 

Not an eBay special, a local car.

 

To buy a decent Healey 'driver' that needs some freshening or recomissioning, you're probably looking around $23-26K. But you have to inspect any potential candidate VERY thoroughly. One of the tin worm's favorite snacks is BMC sheetmetal - especially outer frame rails. Also check them carefully for ditch damage. A Healey has less ground clearance than some Ferraris and they do bottom out easily. If possible, try to find one that has a good body and frame but needs mechanical work (I know that rule applies to all cars - but especially to certain English cars). The engines aren't that expensive to put right, although a Laycock overdrive can be expensive to repair. Most other bits are reasonably priced, except for some chrome (i.e. grilles, waist rail trim, etc..). And yes, electrics can be dodgy but a new loom is easy enough to fit and will rectify all of your problems in that department. Carbs are usually not tuned properly, no big deal. The SU side draughts are very simple and with enough patience can be made to operate in perfect harmony. Or, if you're adventurous (and have deep pockets), you can fit a throttle body injection system from Burlen Fuel Systems in England. These are cars that will always need some sort of regular maintenance, as with anything vintage, but when they're set up right, they're a blast. And that sound......ooooohh.

Cheers,
Aaron
'82 GTSi

 

FANTASTIC cars. I say go for it. VERY British, with all the good (and not so good) things that implies. But like someone else said, take care of it and you will be fine. Electrical problems are 99% of the time due to poor and/or corroded connectors. The wires themselves almost never fail. You would be amazed what a weekend spent cleaning the electrical contacts will do for a malfunctioning British car.

The Big Healeys, along with the TR6, were sort of the "muscle car" of the old British sports cars. A little more hairy chested than, say, an MG with all of its finesse. But of course this muscle was still all done in the finest string-back-glove gentlemanly tradition sort of way.

You will find few cars with the character of the Big Healeys.

 

I assume we are talking about the 3000 variety, not the Sprite?

I had a friend in England who told me that the majority of the 3000 were made left hand drive and were exported to the states.

Therefore, these cars are rather rare in England now - and there is kind of a trend to buy American versions and convert them to RHD!

His notion was that this was driving up the prices here in the US, to the point that they are now about as expensive as an XKE Jag.

James - BTW, I think that they are a great car too. Lots of torque and great looking as well.

 

A really good local dealer of British sports cars is www.wirewheel.com . I just bought one of the Ginettas they have, and it is a real blast. If your dad wants some english style without the mechanical worries, the new Ginettas are a great option. They also have a few Healys.
BT

 

I am not sure of the reasons, but the big Healeys have gone WAY up in price over the last 5 years or so. Used to, you could get 2 or 3 Healeys for the price of an E-type. As you stated, now they are pretty close in price, and the E-types certainly have not fallen! I think you could be very correct in them being exported driving up the price, especially given the current dollar-pound exchange rates.