Jowett Buyers Guide?

[Jack]

All,

I've had a poke around on the web, had a look through this very site, and haven't seen a good buyers guide for any Jowett models really.

Is it worth us pooling our collective knowledge of the cars, giving non-Jowett owners a good idea of what to expect, the usual suspects for problems we have with the cars, and how to tell a lemon from a star? A bit of advice on the very hardest parts to find for each model, so that owners know whether a barn find is going to be beyond repair (though this seems to be increasingly unlikely with many cars being found in awful condition and successfully restored) or whether some parts are simply unobtainable or an extremely difficult engineering job potentially.

The Telegraph had a "Buyers Guide" for the Javelin only a few months ago, however it is a little short on detail for a potentially large investment. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/cla ... guide.html

Of course, it is in the interest of anyone looking to buy a Jowett to join the club and benefit from the knowledge of current members, however I can see that many potential buyers might not consider a Jowett because they just don't know enough about them to know whether they are the right kind of car for them.

Club members should also bear in mind that the great section and club structure may not be available in some countries, and an online resource covering this might just be the key for a member who is looking to sell a car securing a deal.

Thoughts? Does this exist already online? I am happy to collate if it helps and isn't out there already, or worth us having a link here if this does exist.

Jack.

[Alastair Gregg]

Well Volunteered Jack. If its going to be available to anyone then it needs to be on the front end of the website(before the passwords) so that anyone can use it. However I think its important that whilst we do state the weak points that people should watch out for that we don't create a monster that no one would touch with a barge pole. Those that should know these things tell us that when bringing up "interesting" children you should operate a 5-1 policy, For every negative you introduce you should introduce 5 positives. For enthusiasts it shouldn't be too hard, but for the smile "factor" How do you explain you love your Jowett because it makes you smile and why it makes you smile? An interesting challenge We might be better writing our own articles rather than using some one else's works. We will know far more than a motoring journalist who by virtue of the scarcity of Jowetts can only research for a finite time and only contact a few folks to generate his article.

Jupiter Weakness

The Chassis engine supports where the diameters of the chassis change is subject to breaking
Gear change mechanism at the bottom of the gear change column


Jupiter difficult to get parts

Proper Jupiter instruments with the correct font
Jupiter Seats
Hood Frames
Jupiter wheels

Positives

It makes me smile
Exhaust note sounds better than all the rest
A living piece of racing history
Technically very interesting
Can be used in modern traffic
Whether you like cars or not it is a thing of beauty
Unlike moderns it can be worked upon by an individual without "plugging it in to the computer"
Relatively rare meaning you will be welcome at most car events
From the "Merrie England" period when British was best
Nearly hand built and by now no two are alike.

I made it ten positives

[Jack]

Hi Alastair,

Really useful start, perhaps I can get photos of the relevant parts to show people where they should be looking - I'll have to have a look at our car on the chassis/engine mount point, haven't seen a change in diameter that I can remember.

If it was on this forum then people could read it couldn't they? As long as any photos aren't put in the Gallery behind passwords it should be accessible - you want something that Google can pick up and direct people to a thread with the info.

Normally these things have a paragraph on the car, with a "this is a great car for the following reasons, people buy them for these reasons etc" before going on to what to look for in a car or project. Plenty of templates for other cars out there, and worth limiting the guide to only a few salient points - if it hasn't got this, or if this has broken, that is likely to be a problem - as opposed to a list of 100 reasons why you wouldn't want one

I am more than happy to collate an article from our shared knowledge, so if everyone wants to chip in I can put the info together and we can post a buyers guide completed either on the forum or the website somewhere.

Jack.

[Forumadmin]

Individual photos and albums on the Gallery can be made accessible to the public by changing permissions. See Gallerry tips.

[Chris Spencer]

And if you have not already noticed I tend track all Jowetts that come on to the market - therfore building a price / condition guide - dangerous ground I know - and something is only worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it - none the less we should between us be able to put an estimate on what to more or less expect for what money and at this point you have a complete buyers guide.

[Alastair Gregg]

If a Yorkie can stick his neck out so can I :-

Jupiter without peer £25-30K Very Good £16-18K Decent £10-12K Runner £7-10K Boxes of bits to un restored £2K -5K
Javelin without Peer £7.5K V Good £5-6.5K Decent £3-5K Runner £1.5 -3K Bits to un restored £500-1.25K
Bradford Without peer £7K V Good £5-6K Decent £2.5 -5K Runner £1.5K - 2.5K Bits to un restored £500 - £1.25K

I don't know enough about 7, 8 or 10Hp but could make an educated guess, if required.

The above is my opinion and does not constitute the understanding of the club or any of its officers

Please ladies and gentlemen consider the above to be a straw man, feel free to amend modify or otherwise correct me. But if we all say nowt then thats what level of help we give potential new owners.