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What's the best thing to do with my old Triumph Spitfire?

I have had a 1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500 for nearly 40 years, but for over 35 of those it hasn’t been used. It had an engine rebuild many years ago and was last started and driven from one storage garage to another four years ago. Circumstances and the death of my partner means that it now has to go. I’m not sure how or where to sell it. Do I sell it as a project (not really sure what that entails) or as a complete car in need of restoration or for spares or repairs?

Asked on 3 October 2018 by Karen

Answered by Keith Moody
I'm sorry to hear about the death of your partner. Triumph Spitfires are tough little cars, although like any classic they suffer if neglected. The good news is that mechanically they're very tough - so one of the biggest factors that will determine price will be the condition of the bodywork. Just to give you an idea of value, one of the very best examples of these on sale at a dealer's would be priced at around £8500, while a similar example for sale privately might be up for £6000. A car that's running but in need of some TLC would be about £2500 while a project that's been off the road for a number of years will be about £1200. I imagine that your car will be somewhere in between the lower two values, depending on the bodywork. In terms of how to sell it, you've got several options. If you want to minimise hassle, then selling the car at auction is probably the way to go - but be mindful that the price you sell it for will likely be lower and there will be additional fees to pay. If you want to get the most money then selling the car privately will be the way to go - but you will have to deal with all the hassle of writing an advert, taking pictures, uploading it to various sites or sending it to magazines and - of course - dealing with inquiries.
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