[Dave in Boise]

My first A was bought on ebay. at 8K, The body was there, no interior to speak of, and it ran (barely) and was purchased for more than it was worth (the economy and car prices were a bit higher then). The owner said it "ran great". When I got it, the motor was so worn out, that it would not accelerate in 2nd gear on a flat, the bottom of the cylinder bore was 40 thou larger than the top of the bore, and to sum up. it was just wore out. The transmission teeth looked worse than a hilbilly dental convention, and the rear end digested the ring and pinion within 50 miles as the carrier bearings and hub bearings were completely shot.. the brakes were there for show, but considering it would not go past 20 mph, they were likely not needed..

Lack of knowlege on my part along with an auction format, combined with an seller who was vague and evasive ended up in a really lousy deal.

Fast forwards to a few years later...

I picked up a 'restored' 30 tudor for an opening bid on ebay a few years ago for right around 8K.. Fresh paint, perfect body, brand new interior (Lebaron Bonney) good trim, excellent shape. When I got it home, the mexhanicals were all good, but there was not 1 cotter pin anywhere on the car, the rear axle nuts were hand tight, front end not aligned, etc. The old fellow that had restored it went downhill very quickly and the family took his restored chassis and assembled it for sale as no one in the family was interested. They were very forthcoming and very pleasant to work with, included the build book and the reciepts for everything he had in the car. I spent a week, going from front to back, torquing connectors, putting in cotter pins, greasing, inspecting, adjusting etc. It is now my "winter car" being enclosed with a good heater, and I drive it around 3-4 k miles a year.

I believe I was pretty lucky on the 2nd deal.. Or just getting to be a better judge of what is a good deal and what is not..

- Dave in Boise