Are you the type of person who has to touch every component of their classic car yourself to be satisfied it’s “right?” Or are you the pragmatist that feels that good work can be done by others and sometimes it’s less expensive that way? Either way we have you set with a Jensen-Healey, that mainly unloved Lotus-engined roadster that should be regarded more highly than it is. The 1973 project car on the left with a lot of extra parts is listed for sale here on craigslist for $1,800 and is located in Chesterfield, Virginia. The 1974 car which is nearly finished is listed for sale here on craigslist for $5,500 and can be found in Lenoir, North Carolina.
While I’m a little scared of the disassembled appearance of this car, at least most of the parts were tarped. Really the main issues are two; extent of body rust and engine condition.
Here’s that Lotus 907 engine; the missing dashpot top on that Stromberg carburetor doesn’t fill me with optimism. These can be expensive engines to rebuild even if you do it all yourself.
On the other hand, the red car has been repainted and actually runs. The seller tells us there are some electrical issues and that TLC is still needed, but that is truly time and effort, not usually expense.
The interior looks quite nice.
Under the hood even looks better! There’s a new fuel tank, new tires and the car has been converted to four-wheel discs (the rear were originally drums). All in all this looks like one heck of a bargain — but maybe you prefer doing things yourself? Please share your opinions and past experiences in the comment section as well as letting us know which car you’d choose if you only had $6,000 to spend!
Don’t confuse things by making us choose between two individual seller’s CL posts. Are these geographically close enough for someone to buy them both and collect them in the same day? If you must know, I’d rather have the MGB in the background of the first photo.
Little Cars, that was the point of the post — would you like to do it yourself or buy it largely done already (but pay more). And yes, both are within a day of me — long day if I got both, but yes.
Do you think adding $3700 to the pile of junk will bring it up to the level of the “nice” one? If so you are an optimist. If not, you are a realist. Let the pile rst in piece.
I agree. It’s worth every dollar to buy the $5500 car vs the pile of parts.
I think the needed parts alone would be more than $3700. Let alone the work needed. It does sound like the $5500 one does not come with the needed wiring harness. Although you could probably negotiate the swap with the shop selling it.
Save your money and look for an MG/Triumph TR/Healey Sprite or similar as the Jensen Healey was always a problem car.
Ken, I’m saying this as a TR guy…the JH issues have been solved a long time ago by enthusiasts, Lotus (with the Esprit) and folks like the JHPS & Delta. Really nice cars now :-)
I love the look of the Jensen and if I had the money would buy both and get them both back on the road. You don’t see too many of them on the road and would be a shame to let them just rot away. Luckily for my wife I don’t have the money or space.