Worlds dearest Bamby!

[Rob Dobie]

http://minimicros.wix.com/bamby-home#!the-bamby-p50

[Bambyboy]

Hi Folks .... I'm the Bamby boy ..... and this is my first ever post!

I totally agree that my Bamby is not worth anything like £12995.00!  My plan was to offer it for sale somewhere between £8,000 & £9,000 and see what offers I got.   However, I was advised that, due to the rarity of Bambys and this being the final (black) one it was worth klondyke.   It was suggested I offer it at £14995.00 so I did But I couldney sleep (that's Scottish for couldn't) so I quickly reduced it to £12995.00.  But even asking for that amount is causing me grief.  It's really open to reasonable offers .... hopefully somewhere in excess of £7,000.

I like to buy unusual cars, usually Isettas, Heinkle/Trojans, classic mopeds and the like, then spend some time restoring them.  But when they're done they're no use to me so I sell them on, get my money back and then search for my next project.  I've identified it already hence the need to sell my Bamby. 

I'm a retired lecturer in Motor Vehicle Engineering and I've got a wee shed measuring 8' x 9' .... hence my fondness for microcars.

Though nobody seems to like it, I'm pleased my Bamby has at least generated some interest.

Kindest Regards to All
Johnnie

[richard]

Hi friend glad I said nothing derogatory now 

[Bob Purton]

Hi Bamby boy. Welcome.
The car looks delightful. Its only the price that is shocking! and even more so if the engine is kaput. When I had mine all the parts were available for the CS50. Not sure about the situation now. I replaced several gears and clutches to get it working as it should but frankly it just wasn't up to the job.

[Big Al]

Still will not be drawn on value. Such things find their level. There is alway the option of a swap or part ex. Might have a candidate here, for instance.

With the performance my suggestion remains that some excess friction might be present. The engine is marginal when working well so any drag combined with an amply padded person will find poor performance. I forget to recall if a mileage was quoted. The engine has to work hard.

[Bambyboy]

Hi Again .... hey! .... I'm really getting in to this posting business!

I've read all you comments with a keen interest and agree with everyone that I'm asking much too much for it.  (I'll come back to that)

As regards its performance .... I'm convinced that its slowness is not due to a faulty engine (it's definitely not 'kaput' as Bob, understandably, suspected) but perhaps due to the clutch mechanism not operating as well as it should .... or to put it another, not operating at all!  Having said that, it seemed to drive O.K. to the testing station.  It was coping with the gradient leading up to my house on its return journey that proved to be too much for it.

I think I was hoping that it would go to a collector rather than someone who wished to use it.  The only reason I chose to have it MoT'd was to demonstrate to potential buyers that the work I did had been completed to a reasonable standard .... not to make attractive as a road-going vehicle.

Those who advised me to set the price as high as I did assured me that it would prove to be attractive to overseas collectors.  Whooppee, I'm thinking.  But I've since learned that a classified ad on Ebay does not reach international audiences.  Aw .... sh^t, I'm now thinking!

So, I'm now considering taking it off Ebay classified and putting it back on as a normal listing which should then reach a larger audience.  (Unless, of course, any of you guys know better.)  I'm going to ask for somewhere between £6 & £7k.  (Unless any of you guys know better)

You probably saw in the pics that there were no headlamp covers fitted.  I'm having a pair custom made and these should be with me later in the week.  When these are fitted I'll reconsider how best to promote it.

I'm grateful to you all for your comments and opinions on my Bamby.
Regards
John

[richard]

Makes sense to me I think . I have never sold a vehicle on eBay but surely the advice must be to start it at the sort of price you mention. That being the lowest price that you would be happy to accept

[Big Al]

For International sales, or any sales that tend not to attract time wasting whompers, classified ad on Car and Classic is best. Its also free. Ebay can then advertise that advert. My conclusion is that eBay is great for getting rid of rubbish. Why do I think that? Most of what I bought was rubbish unless I went to look at it, or could verify the seller. My rubbish sold well as people who knew what it was bought it and got a bargain, like the pound box at autojumble. Would I sell the crown jewels on eBay. Nope. Replica crown jewels, more than likely. Please sell for £12k or above. then my car will be worth more money. (That would equate to saying the car should be £12k, not that I have an interest in it selling for a lot, a'hem).

[Bob Purton]

so we are back to Talking values up again. High values means more investers, dealers etc. Less cars in the hands of hobbyists and users. Younger people not being able to buy them hence no new blood in the hobby. Bad for the hobby in my opinion.

[Big Al]

What more hobbyists not driving Bambys, rather than collectors not driving them? I am with John, I will have the extra money, if its there. I am happy for useless cars to be whatever price they like. After all if they are useless, not driven, then you can buy anything really, like an IC, and very successfully not use it. Its all the rage. The damaging thing is usable cars like Isettas getting outside hobbyists budgets. One might expect them to be used still in some numbers. Of the usable it would seem to be Bonds followed by Treinkels kicking bottom per head of cars left, and they remain the least expensive so there has to be something in this priced out of use equation. Which begs the question as to why buy a usable car to not use, when you can buy an unusable car not to use. But I might not be using it because I have no spare time, to paraphrase MPFC.

[Barry]

I used my IC Model 70 for shopping etc.  I would say that it is far more usable than the Messerschmitt and If I were to hit a tractor with it, I would only be £1,200 out of pocket (£15,000 to you as an unusable collectors car).   

[Big Al]

Precisely. Bonkers isn't it.

[Bob Purton]

What more hobbyists not driving Bambys, rather than collectors not driving them? I am with John, I will have the extra money, if its there. I am happy for useless cars to be whatever price they like. After all if they are useless, not driven, then you can buy anything really, like an IC, and very successfully not use it. Its all the rage. The damaging thing is usable cars like Isettas getting outside hobbyists budgets. One might expect them to be used still in some numbers. Of the usable it would seem to be Bonds followed by Treinkels kicking bottom per head of cars left, and they remain the least expensive so there has to be something in this priced out of use equation. Which begs the question as to why buy a usable car to not use, when you can buy an unusable car not to use. But I might not be using it because I have no spare time, to paraphrase MPFC.

I'm talking about microcars generally across the board as I think you know . Although I did demonstrate that with a few mods a Bamby is usable.
You are right about how few Isetta owners are driving them these day. Very disappointing. Schmitt owners are pretty active drivers though arnt they?

[Big Al]

I used to think so. Tell you after The Kettlering Grand Prix next week at Stickweed Park. Or was Wickstead Park, Kettering? Seems this is to be the home of the main event, partly as its not to far from Essex and more central than the Cotswolds. Unless there is a firm offer of an event to be organized elsewhere, which is fair enough. Does rather nail the colours to the mast, but at least there are colours. Where is the Isetta Rally these days? (I can recal one on a football field somewhere which I helped at. Forget where now). We run back into another discussion, which it would seem folk do not want to have, or are not interested in.