south africa

[gnc]

considering buying a 1961 sunbeam alpine from south africa, but no heater fitted , would this be normal for a 1961 sunbeam in africa.

[gnc]

i realised after that a lot of cars then heaters were an option.

[4rephill]

You may already know this but:

Be aware that plenty of cars from South Africa can be complete rust buckets if they're from places on the coast, such as Durban.

[aeropilot]

4rephill said:

You may already know this but:

Be aware that plenty of cars from South Africa can be complete rust buckets if they're from places on the coast, such as Durban.

And also make sure its not a car that has been classified under the SA reconstructed classic category, as it will likely not get registered by DVLA.
There are past threads on this here in CCYH section.

[Old Merc]

gnc said:

considering buying a 1961 sunbeam alpine from south africa, but no heater fitted , would this be normal for a 1961 sunbeam in africa.

Is it worth all the hassle?? I think you will find there are still plenty of Alpine`s in the UK. https://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/sunbeam/alpin...

[POORCARDEALER]

Most of the decent SA classics have been plundered, a lot of rubbish coming out of there these days

[Huntsman]

There's a car for sale in SA that I fancy, but I just can't see a way of buying it that would not be too big a risk of scam.

Short of flying there and driving it home, now there is an idea....

[stichill99]

Just remember that there are a LOT of places in Africa you would not be wanting to go and view a car in! I have an Uncle in the car trade in Nelspruit if you want some advice.

[crankedup]

Huntsman said:

There's a car for sale in SA that I fancy, but I just can't see a way of buying it that would not be too big a risk of scam.

Short of flying there and driving it home, now there is an idea....

I was very close to buying a classic rare caravanette last year from a SA dealer. Fell in love with the vehicle.Fortunately did some painstaking research into the supplying dealer to find it was a scam.
You are right to be extremely cautious.
I posted a thread on the issue.

[gnc]

thanks everyone, still mulling it over

[arguti]

crankedup said:

I was very close to buying a classic rare caravanette last year from a SA dealer. Fell in love with the vehicle.Fortunately did some painstaking research into the supplying dealer to find it was a scam.
You are right to be extremely cautious.
I posted a thread on the issue.

as discussed, https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[crankedup]

^^^^
Thanks

[Mike-tf3n0]

I was actually flown out to Johannesburg in 1990 by someone who had it on very good authority that there were loads of interesting cars out there for sale at very reasonable money. We were there three days and it instantly became obvious that every single car we looked at had been very crudely tarted up, loads of pug on top of rust etc, and they were all priced at best London prices. Magazines like Motor Sport and Classic and Thoroughbred were everywhere and the South African dealers and enthusiasts we met were all making hay! In the intervening thirty years the supply will have dried up somewhat, hopefully the quality of work might have improved, but beware!

[Newscuttlepanel]

In my experience of South African Alfa Romeos I’d have to say avoid unless you have someone you trust take a good look at it, lots of bodged up crap out there.

[Ardennes92]

Always worth a look on owners club (SAOC) website, usually a selection of cars at various prices and someone you can talk/go back to

[gnc]

ive been looking on different sites for around 6 months. found two in uk and when i asked if i could send a vehicle inspector ove to give it the once over, no response came back. got a couple im in south africa im looking at at the mo, just got to decide, big drawback is cost of shipping / tax and registration just over £3000

[Hiline]

I import classics from SA, there are still some nice cars out there but worth remembering that the classic car movement is quite small there and by and large there's little respect for originality - dropping a Toyota engine into a TR2 would be seen as an upgrade, old vans are improved by cutting windows in the side, original trim, seats and lamps are binned without a thought and replaced with whatever- as for electrics expect a lot of badly crimped home-made looms made from washing machine flex. It is only really worth doing to find a rust free chassis/shell and saving lots of welding - consider anything else decent a bonus. There is no annual MoT test there, cars only get tested on change of ownership (and 50 quid buys you a bent cert), so a lot of old cars have badly worn steering, brakes, suspension. Fraud is a big problem, don't buy without seeing the car, all documents, confirming there is no outstanding road licence (there's no sorn, all back taxes have to get paid) and see the sellers ID. This is all normal and a seller will be equally wary of a buyer, if they are genuine. Exporting isn't as easy as from the UK, the car has to be treated with data dots, presented for police inspection and unless you use an agent you need an export licence.