Knowing how to locate an Austin-Healey for restoration is dependent on a few factors. This is from how much you are willing to spend, along with the degree of restoration you are willing to do. With a car like the Austin-Healey that is 40 to 60 years old, the shape of what you will find will vary considerably.
Those who are looking to strip the car down to the bare basics and begin to rebuild will spend the least amount on the purchase of the car itself. The reason being there are many enthusiasts, like yourself, that have always wanted to restore an old Austin-Healey. Unfortunately, not everyone completes this dream.
Many of the restorations begin and end with the stripping of the car down. This is where they sit for years. The reason varies with each owner. The lack of funds is one, but the biggest is the lack of time and energy that it would take to do the restoration job right.
Most of the stripped down cars are not being advertised because the owner hopes to someday return to this project. These are the hardest cars to locate, but it can be done with small ads advertising the desire to purchase an old Austin-Healey in any condition.
One word of caution is that the old MG Midgets of the early ‘60s and the Austin-Healey Sprites are nearly identical except for the badges, so know what you are purchasing.
There are many online resources that are also available to locate these old antique cars, but those are generally priced higher than the ones you come across that are just sitting and waiting to be restored. If you have the time and patience, the flea markets and coffee shops in rural America are still the best source of information for those that are willing to look.
The reason for this old fashion approach is because many of these cars are located in the American version of the bike shed or old barns. The Sprite was developed to be left in the bike shed until needed. For this reason, many were parked or are kept out in the barns. Like most things, out of sight, out of mind.
Most of the old farmers that purchased these inexpensive cars are not connected online, so that avenue of locating them is not possible. These owners still read their daily or weekly newspaper. Placing ads in small-town America newspapers is the best way to locate these cars. These ads are becoming less expensive with the circulation dropping, so jump on this source before they disappear. The owners of these cars can be in their 60s to 80s, so some are not as computer literate as newer generations.
Soon the entire world will be digitized and everything that is available will be on the internet. Today, every conceivable part of an Austin-Healey can be found online. But just how to locate an Austin-Healey for restoration is not exclusively on the internet. An old fashion 50 cent cup of coffee might be the best source there is. In addition, you will be able to hear the great story about the car, from the owner, to boot.
Keep in mind that you should always keep checking this website as we have an open offer for anyone that has an Austin-Healey in any condition for sale, or even AH spare parts for sale, to advertise them here on this site at no charge to the buyer or the seller. Help us spread the word by Tweeting or Friending and if you have a website please consider a backlink to this site.