Hey all, I found a good deal on a very well looked after S1.5 car which is 1969 with factory AC. I am hearing people are starting to see the value in the 2+2 Automatic. Its apparently the most derivable car? The V12 I hear is very temperamental...
And since I can't do any of the work myself, I will go with the slower (less complex) version and hope to god it runs right...
The current owner has next to no history on the vehicle as he says the previous owner passed away and he didn't want to bother the family, so I would be buying it without knowing much
The car is parked in the middle of nowhere and I won't be able to get a specialist to look it over - it would be me doing my own inspection and getting to test drive it around the block and making a decision
I hear they over heat, engines and transmissions after short drives? I'm wondering what else I should look out for? I'll be going there with the intention to buy it... but I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into
I'm a Mercedes guy and the ship has sailed on trying to buy a well looked after 190SL within my budget - this XKE is priced very well given the condition its in. It must have been restored at some point but there's no documentation
I don't even know if its numbers matching or not...

After doing some research, I have read online that people usually do lots of upgrades to get these cars to be livable. Here is a list of upgrades I found online that one owner did:

Newer Coker tires, Coolcat rad, 123 ignition, Martin Roby remote brake bleeders, transmission temp gauge and dedicated summit rad, Pontiac heater fan upgrade, LED brake and signal bulbs, SS braided flex brake lines, Differential re-geared from 3.54 to 3.07. Repairs include new headliner, seat foam, battery, IRS rebuild, All 4 brakes rebuilt, U joints replaced, transmission major service, new front exhaust manifold.

I know these don't have too many issues once these upgrades have been done other than odd leaks here and there? Anything else on S1.5 cars to be weary of?
Can someone guide me on what to ask the current owner before I go out there?

I will be going there this weekend.
The car will cost me about $38,000 USD and I'm not sure if that is worth it or not but after looking at several examples for sale and sold, it seems like a good deal

 

The biggest, baddest potential black hole in my opinion is rust, not mechanical issues. E-Types, including the V12s, can be pretty reliable if they're maintained. When you look at the car bring a magnet and check that the full length of the sills below both doors are metal, not bondo. If bondo politely say good-bye. Also get on all fours (better still on a lift) and take a good look underneath for rust. Surface rust can be OK but if you see rust through it's probably time to walk away unless you're prepared to do some expensive repairs. If the car looks to be rust free and generally well taken care of then there shouldn't be many problems that can't be fixed, in most cases quite reasonably, especially if you do it yourself. Good luck!

 

I had a 1968 S1.5 2+2 automatic and it was fine except for lack of power steering, my wife would not drive it. Treated it like a daily driver and was fine until my son made it his first car.... always overheating brakes and getting air/vapor lock in the brake lines... (repeated good quarter mile times = spongy brakes). He was always able to get to the next light before it turned green. Flushed brake fluid once per year to keep moisture out system, this did help.

Skip 123 ignition, go with HP Pertronix distributor and matching coil (requires new ignition wires and plugs). Out of the box correct advance curves (Plug and Play).
The 123 comes in two versions: one called switchable curves, none of the curves are good at low end. The programable unit requires you to input both vacuum advance curve and mechanical advance curve from OEM data, However there is no advance below 1000 RPM. OEM curves start as low as 600 RPM.

I would skip the Differential re-geared from 3.54 to 3.07, as it is a 3 speed BW transmission with "smogged" intake system. I think mine was 3.31 or something similar.

Agreed, spoiler would be corrosion, you can never get you investment back. Not withstanding the maintenance costs and a sand/respray, I sold it for 3 times the initial purchase price 15 years later. Sold for $32,000 7 years ago on E-Bay. If you do some of the work, it will be fun and enjoyable each time you get back on the road... if you let out all the work, you will be unhappy.

https://www.hagerty.com/valuation-tools

Rgds
David

 

Rust, rust and rust again. Most other stuff you can fix

 

Not sure what the game is here, but you are describing word for word my car which is for sale here near London Ontario. It is red, black interior, no AC, and in my adds I'm asking 65,000 Cn. It is also listed on the Hemmings site for 50,000 US. Wherever you are going to see that car "out in the middle of nowhere"... be careful since someone has copied my car's exact details(except for the Green/Tan). Or are YOU stringing us along on this forum? I'm busy with family this weekend and have not had anyone plan to visit or inspect the car this weekend. BTW I had a Pertronics ignition and coil for three years, it crapped out and the 123 has been perfect ever since.
Alfred

 

my apologies Moe. When I saw the word for word description of my car for sale the same as my ads, I assumed the owner of the car that you were going to see was using my car's description. Hope you find that car to be all you want it to be.
Alfred

 

I would suggest that you find a way to get the car to a known E-Type specialist, not the corner garage, and not your own inspection. An old E-Type can be a joy or a misery, and the more affordable it is, the more miserable it's likely to be. I also wouldn't suggest planning any upgrades, not so much as a fuse, until you have owned the car and had some seat time. You may want a lot of stuff, but the car might want stuff that has higher priority. If you have only a small budget, just take your time and build your knowledge before you make a mistake. A 2+2 automatic with in rough shape and no history can be hard to unload.