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stg Member 
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Okay...you've found a great car. It is 10 hours away and out of state in a place that has a pretty high crime rate. It's the weekend so I doubt a bank would be open to get cash there. How do you pay for this car? We really don't want to carry that much cash and the seller only wants cash. We are a tad weary...are we just getting old? We offered Certified check (not cashier's...those scammers have ruined it for everyone), money orders, paypal, and anything the seller could think of other than cash, but no go... What would you do to make sure this was a secure sale? Thanks! Suzanne |
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Mitch Ware Member 
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bring a gun? Mitch Ware |
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stg Member
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Are you from Texas originally, too? :) (Believe it or not, that's what my beloved said they used to do when they went to buy fleet vehicles with cash...in Texas...go figure :) ) |
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jcrc1 Member 
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Suzanne, That is really strange. A cerified bank Check is about as safe as it can be. This guy must have been dropped alot as a baby by his parents as it seems he has trouble with basic trust. The only thing I can think of is Western Union. ( let him pay the transfer fee). They can operate off a phone call once you inspect the car to make sure the "mafia" didn't leave anything in it before you drive home :))) Good Luck and tell us all about your new car!!!!! JOhn |
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stg Member
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jcrc1 wrote: A cerified bank Check is about as safe as it can be. This guy must have been dropped alot as a baby by his parents as it seems he has trouble with basic trust. John, you are my hero! :) :) :) Yes, that's what I thought, too... But to be fair, on a reread, his ad does say cash. Most of the time this just means no payments, trade, or credit ;) |
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Greg Fletcher Administrator 
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The seller is obviously not a REAL Jensen owner or they would take wine or other JH parts in trade! |
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stg Member
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Oh Greg...I can tell I'm going to like you! :) I'm going to buy this darn car just so I can continue to post on this board...what a great group! |
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colinw59 Member 
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Suzanne So if you're going to pick up a JH sight unseen, you may need a few things. Take some jump leads, oil, coolant, fuses, plugs & wires, distributor cap. Might as well take a set of points and a rotor, don't forget the feeler gauges, and some basic tools like engine hoist, valve lappers, clutch alignment tool that sort of thing. Oh yes and a Toyota Corolla! If you are truly worried about your safety, maybe it would be a good idea to have the transaction occur in a very public place, no not a toilet! I'm sure they could meet you somewhere of your choosing. Don't worry too much about what the Mafia could get in the trunk. From what I know of the Gambino crime family, they would be hard pressed to get behing the wheel let alone one of their own in the trunk! Good luck, Colin http://jhppg.com/gallery/74-Jensen-Healey-15851 |
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stg Member
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Colin, Could you just come with me as my pit crew? :) |
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colinw59 Member
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You may need a Pit Bull instead :~( |
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stg Member
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:- ) Okay...you guys are freaking me out :) On a different note: Looking at a 74 1/2 5 speed and a 74 4 speed 5 speed is 10 hours away :) 4 speed is 2 hours away. 5 speed looks to be in great shape. 4 speed is in good to great shape 5 speed is "classic" . 4 speed is "sporty" (has the rocker panel "Jensen Healey" logo) 5 speed is 1500 more and all said will take about 1000 more to go see then bring home. (trailer rental, hotel, gas guzzling on the V8 4x4 tow vehicle or shipping charges) 4 speed I can drive home. About 10000 miles more on the 4 speed Oh, and the "free" JH I have waiting in Eureka is a '74 4 speed What would you do? The money isn't really the issue as we all know the purchase price is the least of things to come :) We are looking for a driver to use on weekends and join in with the local reindeer games. From afar I like both of them equally...help! Thanks! Suz |
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colinw59 Member
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Ask the sellers for as many pics as possible if the known problem areas. Body work is more expensive than mechanical and somewhat easier to spot. The rust problem areas with the JH, and most English cars, are the floor pans, rockers outer/inner, rear dog legs, top seam where the quarters join to deck panel, lower rear of front fenders, hood & trunk lips, trunk floor and gas tank. Glossy paint can cover a myriad of problems. For this reason I prefer original paint or old paint, at least there shouldn't be too many supprises years down the road if I'm going to restore the car. Ask for compressions figures, about any oil leaks, blue or white smoke from exhaust, transmition whine, drivabilty and so on. Some 4 speeds have a problem of slipping out of gear (loose layshaft nut). Mileage is important but so is how those miles were driven and the services performed along the way. I wouldn't even take into account the 10,000 miles difference if the higher mileage car was is better 'true' shape body wise. If your intention is to restore the car then what lies beneath what your are buying is very important and that glossy paint job could get painted over again if it covers badly repaired rusted areas. If the 4 speed is just 2 hours away go take a look at it. This may rule out the car completely simplifying your decision. From all that I've read the original 4 speed is better than the Getrag 5 in regards to reliabilty and performance. If the difference is $2500 that could go along way when applied to the 4 speed. The dash for the JH is now obsolete, make sure that yours is at least repairable as a good one is hard to come by. Also consider the seats, interior panels, carpeting and soft top. As for the free car, it could cost your more in the long run. But then again maybe not, it's all contingent upon condition. Is it close to you? Good luck, Colin |
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stg Member
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The "Rescue" (Thanks to a wonderful guy who spotted this little one on the way to tow city) has a hard top and 5 wheels, so already worth the recovery :) It's about 4 hours north, but I need to go up there anyway, so not a hassle. Pictures are starting to come in...The 4 speed for sale seems to have a few obvious rust spots and a poor bondo job on the hood (new pics, and the guy seems to be trying to be very honest. Said up front ist isn't a show car) Haven't seen the interior, but it would have to be quite lovely to put it in the 5 speed's catagory. It may be one of those Great from 20 feet and okay to livable from 10 kinda situations. Drivability is listed as "excellent" on the 4 speed and "runs fantastic" on the 5 speed. Beauty contest I think the 5 speed would win hands down. The 4 speed seems to be really driven, and the 5 speed's owner seems kind of afraid to drive it (?) for fear of ruining it, I believe. The farthest the 5 speed was driven at one time by this owner was about 180 miles. The more I type, the more I seem like I am trying to talk myself into the 4 speed when I know the 5 speed is probably a better spend. But the 4 speed seems to need help that we could give...crud...I'm hopeless! |
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Ron Earp Member 
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You might want to wait around a bit. Don't be in a hurry, there are plenty of JH's for sale out there. I don't know where you are, sounds like California though with that many for sale in such a short period or time. As to "4 or 5", I would probably choose four speed with the knowledge that if you want a five speed you can swap on in later - A Ford/Chevy T5, Supra 5 speed, etc. The JH five speeds are very rare, and, cost a real fortune if one needs a rebuild. Parts are no longer available for it and a select few transmission shops (two I know of now) have enough parts and know how to do the job. I'm forced to use a stock five speed for class racing rules, but a lot of the guys on this board get rid of the Getrag five speed (stock) and replace it with a five speed from another car that is plentiful and cheap. All the other standard things would apply - good compression, rust checks, general care, etc. There are good cars out there for sure. I've seen a few excellent machines in the $5-$7k range before. Seems JH's are unique and cool, but they have not reached the status of other classic British iron, and it doesn't look like they will. Which is good for us folk that want to own them to use them, bad for folks that are waiting for value to go up for resale later. The problem I've seen with a some of the cars for sale is that they are owned by owners who have no idea of what they have. And since they have no idea what they have, they really have no idea of how to maintain the car and the car suffers as a result. Be careful out there, you'll find the right car. Ron |
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stg Member
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Thanks Guys! This is exactly the kind of feedback I need. With this type of thing, I know I will worry about "the one that got away". I don't know how often a truly clean car comes along. In a perfect world (and I am afraid this might happen :) ) we would buy both...one to show and one to drive! The highest priority is drivability. Does the reality follow that if they took that good of care of what the car looks like, they probably cared for the runnings of it too? Or, is getting a daily driver more a sign of reliability? I have heard the same thing about the 4 speed vs 5 speed many times, and it's hard to comprehend in the modern world of "the more gears the better", but it does seem to hold true with these cars! One of the three (yes, added another 5 speed into the mix) has had the two piece drive shaft swapped out to a one piece from Delta Motorsports. I am ashamed to say the biggest thing this car has going against it is it is THAT yellow. Not a problem with me, but the male part of the equation will have to be REALLY impressed with it's drivability! :) Thanks again and keep your fingers crossed for me! Suzanne Last edited on 09-09-2006 03:33 pm by stg |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator 
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Man, you must be dreaming Jensens to get up this early to post! I already took a short drive this morning and am now convinced my "noise" is related to the clutch. Oh well, I'll just pull out the transmission again. Maybe I'll throw in a Toyota 5 speed while I'm down there. Kurt |
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stg Member
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That sounds like a big problem, Kurt! Why don't you just sell it to me and be done with it? :) (You are REALLY close :) ) yes I am a night owl, an early riser, and a voracious researcher...a deadly combination... Hey...do you know what event was with the line of sportsters out early this morning running through Marin Co? Saw a group of every kind of convertable coming down the Waldo grade about a half an hour ago....I was jealous! Suzanne |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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Run to the Sea, part of the Palo Alto All British Meet tomorrow at El Camino Park in Palo Alto across from Stanford Shopping Center. My car is dead so I won't see you there. {:-( Kurt |
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stg Member
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As I will be shopping for/driving to look at Jensens all day tomorrow, I'll miss it too :( I'm so sorry to hear about your car! Drinks are on us when you get it up and running, and hopefully we can meet you in ours...if we can ever make a decision on which one to buy :) Last edited on 09-10-2006 02:52 am by stg |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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Ha! Drinks may be in order soon! Kurt |
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stg Member
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Yay! :) Okay all, going to look at 2 today...fingers crossed! Suzanne |
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stg Member
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Update: and the winner is: 17091! '74 4 speed, okay breathe...porsche bluish-silver paint and JH decals (Yes, I know Kurt, and I did poke around with... well not a screwdriver... but keys :) ) Absolutely NOT the car we thought we were going to buy...but you guys know how you say never to bring a woman to buy a car because they will make the emotional decision? Reverse that in my life! HE liked this one best because it has "personality"...now I know it sounds crackers, and I hate to admit it...but it does :) We really really liked the guy who owned it, records were in great shape, and he actually DROVE it regularly...long distances (well, relative to others in the running) and it just hugged the road. It is amazingly quiet too, which is actually a bonus in our neighborhood. It has a few flaws, some if which I'm sure you with greater brain capacity and strength of character would have had you running for the hills, but it fit our needs. Not going to do any concours any time soon... but it could sure seems it could get us there and back to attend and drool. The other car we drove yesterday was more "classic" on the outside and was a 74 1/2, but it had some things that we just didn't like, needed immediate work, and it drove no where near as well as 17091. Probably would have been fine it we hadn't driven and crawled around under the hood of the first ;) We're calling this one the "Starter Jensen"... and it is the same year and gear type as the gift we have waiting in Eureka. Maybe we have to earn the right to have a mint condition one...or we'll have one when we restore one, like a lot of you inspirational guys! I'm creating a 17091 web page so pics to link to coming soon... Okay...I can take it...give me your best shot :) Last edited on 09-11-2006 09:46 pm by stg |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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Welcome to the Dark Side! |
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stg Member
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Kurt...is that car running? We take take physical possession on Sunday, so I think I owe you that drink sooner than anticipated :) |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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You know it. I drove to the Fairfax car show on Sunday at noon. (well, it's only 1/2 a mile from here but who's counting) It was a poor substitute for the Palo Alto meet! Kurt |
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stg Member
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Agreed...went there before going to test drive the JHs yesterday about 10. seems the brits were all south except the red Jag. Glad your are on the road again! |
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