59 100-6 BN4 value

[Cosmo]

Hi,
I have access to a complete,restorable, one owner 100-6 BN4, with hardtop. I was wondering of all the Healeys, is this a desirable model and what it might be worth now and restored?
Thanks for any input
Pete

 

[Jerry]

I have a 59 BN4 and have some opinions on the subject. If you completely restore the car, you could have $20-30K in the car depending on if you do the work or hire it out. You can't sell a BN4 very easily for $25K. On the other hand, you have a big Healey that is for the most part just like all the rest. You can enjoy it the same. Mine now has a 3000 engine and disk brakes on the front. I restored it myself, may be able to get the money out that I have "invested" but I have had a lot of fun with the car and try to drive it every weekend. Only Healey people will recognise it as a BN4. Everyone else will just see a Healey and like it.

 

[mvanderploeg]

Everything I'm about to write is purely my opinion, but it is based on my own experience and observations of auction results.

I own a '57 BN4, which is widely considered to be the least desirable big Healey ever produced. I paid $5,700 for it last year, which I was told was a decent price. The car had minor rust in the dog legs and one door bottom, frame and sills were perfect, and the engine was rebuilt. I tore the car completely apart & am in the middle of reassembly after a thorough restoration of every nut & bolt. When I'm finished, I'll be lucky to get $28,000 for it (which is what I've insured it for), but I've had a great time doing it. It's also a great first Healey, since you can usually pick them up for quite a bit less money than other models.

A '59 BN4 is worth a little more, since it has the more desirable 6 port head, but it's still stuck with the BN4 stigma, so is worth a fair amount less than a '60 3000 in similar condition. The later BN4's are definitely the bargains of the Healey world. Externally, they're almost identical to the early 3000's, and internally they're only lacking the front disc brakes & 400 cc's in the engine. I've seen some excellent BN4 drivers on Ebay selling for 17-20k. Similar BT7's would've sold for 5-10k more. Similar BJ8's would've been double the price.

 

[Healey 100]

I agree that a '59 100-6 BN4 is not the most desirable Healey, but I don't think there is that much of a gap between it and, say a BJ8 or 100. If this car is in good condition, or a very well preserved original, it could be worth plenty. Most importantly, it could be a ton of fun for you and your family.

Believe me, 100-6 BN4's are hardly shunned at a Healey meet! It is a Healey through and through, and is prettier than a BJ8 IMHO.

Of course, it is not as pretty as a 100, but none of those 6 cyl Healey's are....

Enjoy!

Bill.

[ 10-17-2003: Message edited by: Healey 100 ]</p>

 

[wim janssen]

I can not understand that you guys talk (in this case write) about a desirable car. I guess that ANY Healey is worthwhile preserving and conserving and thus desirable.
Another matter is the value of a car, which is a matter of offer and demand (read WANT). For a real Healey fan ANY Healey is desirable.
My BJ8 recently was appraised for $ 46.000, being an economical value. Let me tell you: I have buyers lining up for that car. But for the one the car is desirable it is worth even more.

Greets
Wim

 

[Randy Forbes]

Okay, my two cents worth...

Yes, any Healey is desireable, some models just push you over the edge and cause you to "write the check".

Sometimes the reason is because there was a Healey influence in your youth (next door neighbor, uncle, brother or whatever). It would be natural to want whatever model captivated you at that time.

In my own case, it was the Healey general article that Road & Track published sometime in the early 70's. While I knew what Healeys were and had seen them around plenty of times, I was never aware that there was a two seat six cylinder car.

I spent many years on an MGB kick (having owned about sixteen of them) and always considered the Healey too costly to buy and maintain (my cars had to do daily duty as well).

Lo and behold, around Christmas time of 1977, a shop that I was doing a few side electrical jobs for pushes out BN6L 942 for its Christmas party. Austin-Healey West had done a pretty decent body-on restoration of this car and it was right next to the parts counter/liquor bar. While I sat there

I don't think that I ever stopped taking in the details of that car...
Silver body with black racing stripe, Motolita wheel, 3" lap belts, side outlet exhaust, no bumpers, in fact most of the trim items hadn't been put back on since it was painted. It looked like it was ready for competition as it sat there.

The proprietor, the late Ray Caivano could see that the hook was set...
me: Oh but Ray, I can't afford a car like that ($4200.)
Ray: I'll finance it for you (actually his wife did). Why don't you take it out for awhile and see what you think?

In April 1978 (with tax refund in hand) I agreed to purchase BN6L 942.

While this has no bearing on the value of a BN4, the true value of any car isn't always determined by the marketprice, sometimes you just know that you have to have that car.

 

[UnionJack]

Sorry to get in on this so late, but I just wanted to thank Randy for his comments which I think are right on the money (no pun intended). I own a BN6 which I bought due to the same emotions (afflictions) that Randy experienced, even turning down better condition 3000 4-seaters which the "experts" told me were more valuable.

Last spring I was at the Amelia Island Concours d'elegance where a nicely restored (but certainly not perfect) BJ8 sold for a staggering $68,500.00. Does that make it any more appealing to me - no. If it does to you, you may be into these cars for all the wrong reasons, or you are a speculator like the ones that caused the market to inflate beyond all reason in the early 80's. Lets be careful to remember that these are fun and beautiful cars to collect, restore, and drive, not stock market investments to plan our retirements around. From their very inception, they were designed to be "affordable" sports cars, and I for one would like to see them stay that way.

I say, if you like the car, who gives a **** what number after the B is.

Enjoy,

Paul Casarona
Auburn, AL
1958 BN6

P.S. I also, own, drive and love my 1958 MG ZB Magnette which I have been told isn't worth the cost of restoration. That's fine, I think I'll keep it anyway!

 

[Dave Russell]

Aw -- gee whizz -- All Healeys are desirable -- which one, is in the eyes of the beholder.

Personally, I wanted one of the original Hundred Four designs. I like the clean, in my mind perfect lines, of the uncluttered originals. I feel that the fours are lighter, not so front end heavy, & handle better. A 56 BN2 because of the four speed & some other factory improvements over the BN1's.

I looked at the cars for about 10 months & homed in on a possibility. It was an older restoration which had been stored garaged for the last ten years. I probably paid too much for it at $25,000 because it was a completely rust free California car with a still perfect repaint. It did have a well done LeMans engine conversion. I got my fill of heavy body & frame restoration work on earlier cars.

The car was far from complete in the details. It had had a body off repair & full repaint but none of the soft parts, trim, body rubber, had even been put back on after it's "restore". I have spent an additional $15,000 in replacing missing/wrong parts, mechanical replacements, drive train, wheels, chrome, & dozens of other things. It is close to perfect now & I could probably sell it for little more than the original $25,000. It is insured for $35000 though.

It was fun however & I knew what I was getting into when I started.
D

 

[Johnny]

Don't want to get involved with "which Healey is the best;" there's no winner in that logic. However, I will say this; the Healey you're thinking of (BN4), will at least have a top that folds down, vs top bows that have to removed.
Taken from someone who owns a BN7 3000 model that's important.
I own a '75 MGB (rubber bumper) and constantly have been told by the older (wiser?) MG owners that I have the wrong car. I should have bought a chrome bumper model. However, the younger members of MG owners prefer the rubber bumper cars.
So my advice is, buy any Healey enjoy it and restore it as well as you can. Don't let the cost of restorations hold you back. The value of cars changes constantly. The rarer the car the more chance of the price going up. Pay more attention to originality and condition.
Good Luck

Johnny