Javelin for sale by auction

[ajackson]

In case of interest

https://hampson.go-auction.com/auction/ ... 8&pn=2&g=1

[Chris Spencer]

Went unsold - basically the guide price is unrealistic at £4k - £6k given that the car requires a fair amount of work

[Chris Spencer]

Now on Car & Classic - with a completely unrealistic £5,995 asking price - it may look solid, it might have decent seats fitted to it - but its a none running car that requires cosmetic works, has scruffy engine bay, along with unknown structural & mechanical works

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1334053

[Keith Clements]

It amazes me that people spend a fortune doing the trim and the paintwork before sorting the mechanical, electrical and structural issues. But hey it looks good and if there are no major rust issues then it could be a good buy, if you are prepared to sort the rest. After all it might just need some fresh petrol and a new battery to get it going.

[Nick Webster]

I went to look at this car when it was up for auction with Watson's in 2018. I was disappointed to find one of the rear wings was fibreglass with a curious bulge at the top near the C post. I did my best to get photographs of the underside and decided that the structure was sound, though flaking terribly. Better that I suppose than a quick slap of cover-all- evidence underseal, which I have also seen on Javelins for sale. The interior- seats, door cards and roof were very good indeed. Possibly better than another car currently on the market with an expected high price. The extreme ends of the dash were missing which was curious since I would have thought that would be an easy fix. I know from a previous owner that once upon a time this car had 7" headlamps fitted and "new" front wings were sourced to bring it back to original along with other work - though this is so long ago that it cannot be taken into account as a reflection of the current condition. As a model it has its attractions if you want a Deluxe PB, late enough to have been built with full hydraulic brakes.

I did bid for it (there was no reserve) but was very disciplined with my limit particularly as the auction house fees were very steep indeed. Two phone bidders took the price just a bit more to £7000. The dealer who bought it immediately put it on the market for £11,500 and it has spent between now and then spiralling down again.

I think Chris is often slightly too harsh with his valuations (quickly states that I don't think everything he does is misjudged and I tip my hat to the standard and quality of his work). In some of the circles in which I move, I know there are long term owners fearful of selling their cars because the sum of their components exceeds the value of the car as a whole. Indeed, one can do that exercise for this Javelin as a case in point. You quickly get to the conclusion for the current asking price, the better bits of the car would easily set you back some £4000 and if you bought a £2000 car, it would be a complete wreck that would take a lot more effort and more than £4000 to bring it up to a presentable standard. Yes, I do appreciate how much a fully rebuilt car costs but that is not for everybody and most will settle for something that looks good and not actually falling apart.

Caveat emptor - a phrase that could have been invented specially for old Javelins.

Nick

[Chris Spencer]

Its so easy to think that a car looks straight & clean enough that they cant be much wrong with it - part with £6k because its quite a few grand cheaper than another Javelin that's in the auction market currently (that one just happens to be restored to an acceptable standard) spend a few hundred on getting running and away we go its a cheap Javelin - But it's not - there's no guarantee that the engine or gearbox are in a sound condition but lets just suppose you get lucky and they are ok - So a battery & some service items, we know that the car has been stood some time - what's the betting that brakes need sorting along with the tyres - yep they might have loads of tread on them but exactly how old are they and how perished are the sidewalls, I see its still on its original wiring harness too and I virtually guarantee that the water pump will be leaking if its been out of use for several years, vendor has advised that it also requires windscreen rubbers along with some cosmetic paintwork - Now if you are pretty handy, have the facilities and a load of time on your hands you might just get away with expending £1.5k / £2k then again you might have to enlist it to a professional and expend £4k + Who knows what you are going find and when you will have to stop spending - Lets be realistic, in my book its £4.5k car at most given that you may well have to spend that again on it before it hits the road and that's assuming that the engines bores don't fill with water at the same time that you fill radiator - Having said that it looks like the vendor has achieved a sale within 24 hours of listing it on Car & Classic - So what the hell do I know - apart from the fact that my phone never stops ringing with calls from people that have just purchased a Jowett and it needs some work

[Nick Webster]

I'm not here to particularly defend the green Javelin in question, but it is not quite the barn find that Chris describes. As far as I know it is in running condition and was certainly like that when I saw it in 2018 and has been to various locations since then. I confess I am puzzled why the advert used mostly photographs that dated back to the 2018 sale because actually, someone has at the very least been busy with the polish since they were taken.

Jowetts still sit at the lower end of the price scale compared - inexplicably - with many other classics. The point is that there are quite a few Javelins that are running and ripe for improvement without having to be completely restored. In fact that probably applies to a high percentage of the Javelins in the club. Like the green Javelin we are discussing, they will have both good and bad points. Yes it could be a risk, but frankly this applies to the entire classic car market which now attracts a new breed of owners who don't know nearly enough about how to maintain their vehicles. Sadly, many will be also be making a risky purchase by thinking that "restored" cars don't have issues that surface some two or three years down the line - and I can think of a few Javelins have fallen into that category too. I have no wish to upset anyone by elaborating that point.

Nick

[Keith Clements]

The Javelin is a fascinating car and is under-valued because it is so different. That is its charm for some people. Any classic purchase will have hidden, possibly expensive issues, even those that have had expensive professional restorations. Even new cars can!
The newer classic car owner is actually little different to me when I bought my Jowett. I had no knowledge or skill, no money and had lots of problems with the car that took 50 years to fix.