Carefully groping my way along here

[Chuckr]

Sorry for the foggy post, I'll try to elaborate further.

This car is registered as a 65 and as far as I know there isn't any issues with either the title or registration.

All I've seen to date are pictures. The one on one meeting is tonight and I'm trying to get my ducks in a row before so I can go in as "informed" as possible.

To answer your questions, I live in Upstate New York I'm pretty sure that wipers ARE required equipment. How far back that law goes I don't know. Hopefully there is someone from Upstate NY who can assist with this answer. I have a call into DMV as well.

I'm not going to make a practice of driving the car in inclement weather, but given the law of averages for my area, showers and thunderstorms are quite common place, so I'll be in the market for a top as the car doesn't have one. In other words, it's not going to be a garage queen and I'll be taking extended trips well beyond the local ice cream stand. Guess I was looking more for support as to the availability and quality of tops out there as I'd be installing both the wipers and top myself.

To me these are two sticky issues.

Guy wants $24,900.00 out of the gate so I'm testing the waters as to a general value of the car. In cruising the web, it seems that prices are all over the place for these cars.

Are there any hot spots on a Factory Five that I should look at?

I really appreciate your input, Chuck

[Ron61]

If you haven't looked already go to the Factory Five website and look on the Forum Page and at the cars for sale they have listed in their sale section. I lived in far upstate New York when I was young and I know what you mean about the weather. If you get a top, make sure it fits as many of the canvass ones just tend to funnel in any rain more than really stop it.

Ron

[mrmustang]

First off, we are not trying to give you a hard time, just trying to get enough information to properly assist you one way or the other.

Originally Posted by Chuckr

Guess I was looking more for support as to the availability and quality of tops out there as I'd be installing both the wipers and top myself.

To me these are two sticky issues.

Guy wants $24,900.00 out of the gate so I'm testing the waters as to a general value of the car. In cruising the web, it seems that prices are all over the place for these cars.

Are there any hot spots on a Factory Five that I should look at?

I really appreciate your input, Chuck

Whitby Motors offers a nice quality top, as does Factory Five, installing it yourself, my only advice would be to take your time.

Wipers are easy to install.

Price wise, yes, since the cars are all hand built, the pricing would indeed be all over the place, so the more details you offer us to work with (color combination, options, suspension details, brakes, tires, wheels, options, etc will go a long way to allow us to assist you.

Without the basic details, there really is no way to respond.

Bill S.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Chuckr

Guy wants $24,900.00 out of the gate so I'm testing the waters as to a general value of the car. In cruising the web, it seems that prices are all over the place for these cars.

Some makes (e.g. Shelby, Kirkham, Superformance) are essentially factory built cars, lacking only an engine and transmission (a.k.a. 'turnkey minus' or 'rollers'), while others are shipped as kits. Clearly, FFR cars are in the latter category and, as such, not only are there numerous choices made by the owners / assemblers as to components, but also a wide range of attitudes and skills.

There are many superb FFR cars out there with high end components assembled by true craftsmen with loving care, incredible attention to detail and a high regard for safety and durability. At the opposite end of the spectrum are those with shoddy assembly by people who have little or no idea what they're doing, using nearly worn out components thrown together with only enough effort to pass safety inspection, get licensed and on the road.

As I'm sure you appreciate, the 'all over the place' price range for FFR cars is a result of the 'all over the place' quality of the cars. Their may be absolutely nothing wrong with the car you're looking at, with the price merely reflective of the components used in building it. Regardless, it would be prudent to have it thoroughly checked out by someone qualified to perform such an inspection.

BTW, a FFR wiper kit is $499 (Vintage Wiper Kit - Roadster - Factory Five Parts Catalog) and their top is $3399 (Premium Mk3 Convertible Soft Top - Factory Five Parts Catalog).