When I was first bought my American Austin roadster, I hadn’t really watched the market for all that long, and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.  I honestly didn’t realize how these cars come out of the woodwork, to only disappear again.  Although things have been quite hectic, I have updated the project cars for sale section with a few new vehicles that are for sale.  I’ve also included a listing of vehicles which are not advertised here to keep them from vanishing again.

Here are the newly listed cars:

There are still a few more pending listings which I have to get up here at some point.  The reason this website exists is to help you find the car you’ve been looking for and to give these cars a bright future.  The more Bantam projects we can get back on the road, the better!  If you don’t already know, the Bantam clubs are filled with fantastic people who are very passionate about these little cars.  If the car you’re looking for hasn’t come available yet, at least join the clubs.  For a cumulative $50 a year, you will have a magazine every in your mailbox every month to keep your imagination alive.

A lot of people who have contacted me about buying and selling vehicles ask the “what is it worth?” question.  This is a very difficult question with these cars.  On one hand, they were economy cars, but on the other hand they are fairly rare today.  Pieces missing and parts destroyed can really drive the price of ownership and restoration way up.  If you’re planning to buy a car, take note of what is missing as certain pieces can be very hard to replace.  Certain engine parts are unobtainable, unless you want to modify other parts or have new parts built.  Besides floor pans, new sheet metal is not made for any of these cars; so you either need to be patient in waiting for a good used piece, skilled with your hands, or have deep pockets and a friend with good hands. You will want to consider these things when seeing if the car will fit your budget.

For sellers, it’s important to keep in mind the difficulty in deriving a value of a vehicle from the fancy auction prices that float around the internet.  There is no formula that breaks down the sale price of a perfectly restored, concours correct Bantam Woody into the value of an Austin 5w coupe.  So, be reasonable when you price your car if you are interested in seeing it sell.  While some people may be afraid to advertise their cars here because of hefty asking prices, I am more interested in making sure your car get into a good home than judging your asking price.

With that in mind, we are finally out of project Austin 5w coupes.  List yours today!