Austin-Healey 3000 buyers guide: Is now the best time to buy?

Have prices on one of England’s most iconic roadsters taken a bit of a breather? Perhaps.

And does that mean now is a good time to buy one? Perhaps as well.

Go back just a few short years, and trading prices on the Austin-Healey 3000 had crossed the six-figure threshold. And with good reason: It offers confident highway manners and looks so proper. You could argue that it has a bit more presence than most other little British cars. It’s a ’50s design with ’60s power.

The Austin-Healey 3000 also has history, with Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom famously driving one to the overall victory at the Liège-Rome-Liège Rally in 1960. That duo was one of just 13 teams to finish the event. Nearly a hundred started.

While the 3000 was a new model at the time, it wasn’t a new look. Donald Healey’s first sports car, the 100, made its sensational debut for 1953: swoopy bodywork by Jensen, capable power by Austin. When the supply of four-cylinder engines dried up, Austin-Healey released the inline-six-powered 100-6 in 1956.

Call the 3000 a carryover model, with the big changes limited to more displacement–a 3.0-liter engine replacing the outgoing 2.6–and the installation of front disc brakes. Updates during the run saw the addition of side windows, a fold-up top and power brakes. While a successor was tried–widened bodywork covering Rolls-Royce power–the Big Healey, sadly, came to an end in 1967.

Shopping Advice

Roger Hamel
President, Austin-Healey Club of America

You can cruise with these cars at 65 to 75 mph. It goes with today’s traffic. You’re not holding anybody back. You’re passing people–at least I am.

Which 3000? It depends on if you want the sporty one or the luxurious one. From 1964 to ’67, you have roll-up windows, the 150-horsepower engine, and it’s more comfortable, with more space in the car–it’s an easier car to drive and travel. With the early 3000s, it’s the same kind of driving, but it’s less space. Every time it rains, you have to take the rack out, install it, put the convertible roof on it and screw in the windows.

In 50 years, I’ve traveled many thousands of miles with an Austin-Healey, and they’re dependable.

Look at the space between the door and the panels and see if the gaps are even, from top to bottom. If they aren’t, the frame is warping and you have major structural restoration to do.

The engines? They all leak oil, so you have to get used to that.

The first gear usually wears out. If you hear a loud sound in first gear, you’ll need to repair that.

I’ve never seen problems with the rear end.

Ten to 15 years ago, aftermarket parts were not that good. You used to try to get good, quality parts from England, but now places such as Moss Motors supply good parts.

It’s easy to find parts for an Austin-Healey. Getting it repaired might be something else. You need a mechanic who has experience with old English cars.

Whatever money you put into an Austin-Healey to restore it, it usually stays there. If you buy a $30,000 bucket and put $50,000 into it, it’ll be worth about $70,000 to $80,000. It’s something you don’t make money with, but you don’t lose.

Values have gone down the last two years, but now I see prices are back up again. There’s a series on Netflix, “The Gentlemen,” and a character drives an Austin-Healey 3000. I feel that’s getting younger people interested in them.

Join the Austin-Healey Club of America. You’ll learn about the cars and talk with other members. They’ll help you with buying a car and help you after you buy it.

5 Reasons why you want one

• Worldwide stardom in its day, with the Austin-Healey 100 claiming the International Motor Show Car award at the 1953 New York auto show.

• Classic British styling but with the legs to devour those miles. More like a Jaguar E-type than an MG Midget. An available overdrive means the Austin-Healey 3000 can cruise with modern traffic.

• Early MTV stardom, with a BRG example taking center stage in Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” video. One even made a cameo on “The Simpsons.”

• Active club and parts support today means you’re not going at it alone.

• The availability of tiny back seats mean you can almost call it a family car.

Running Changes

1956: After its initial release in 1953, the Austin-Healey 100 gets six-cylinder power. The 100-6 is born.

1959: Increased displacement plus front disc brakes turn the 100-6 into the 3000. Buyers can choose from two-seat (chassis code BN7) or 2+2 (BT7) configurations.

1961: The Mk II model, offered from May 1961 through March 1962, features optional power brakes and vertical grille slats. Austin-Healey offers three setups: open two-seater (BN7), open 2+2 (BT7) and a new fold-up convertible (BJ7). This four-place BJ7 convertible also gets a wraparound windshield.

1962: The model line for these Mk III cars is pared down to just the BJ8–very similar specs to the previous BJ7 but with a wood dash.

1964: Power-assisted brakes become standard, with engine output increasing from 136 horsepower to 150. In May, the Phase II cars come out, offering increased ground clearance.

1965: Separate indicator lights become standard.

1967: Austin-Healey 3000 production ends without an official replacement.

Recent Sales

Sold: 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III BJ8
$90,200 • Mecum
Good cars still bring good money, with this one restored by longtime Healey expert Kurt Tanner.

Sold: 1962 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II BT7
$60,500 • RM Sotheby’s
Because the Mk III cars got a little softer, some consider these Mk II cars to be last of the classic models.

Sold: 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III BJ8
$54,880 • Broad Arrow Auctions
An AACA national winner that, as a later car, was billed as a “fully evolved” example of the line.

3 More to Watch

1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster
$151,200 • RM Sotheby’s
Similar mission statement, similar driving experience. Generally, though, you’ll pay a bit more for an XK120.

1964 Jaguar E-type Series I Drophead Coupe
$94,600 • Mecum
For about the same money–maybe a few bucks more–you can pick up an open Jaguar E-type these days.

1969 MG MGC Roadster
$23,500 • Bring a Trailer
BMC saw the six-cylinder MGC as a possible successor to the Healey 3000, but after two years, the market spoke and production ceased.

Behind the Wheel

Photography Credit: David S. Wallens

“Well-mannered as the car is when hemmed in by brick and concrete canyons, it makes a driver impatient to be outside city limits where the full performance can be savoured. Cruising speeds are entirely depended upon road conditions, and on a Continental motorway 100 m.p.h. can be maintained without mechanical distress.”

The Autocar • August 1959

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Comments

Billwalt New Reader
6/26/24 11:38 a.m.

Very good article. Austin-Healey is a fun car, and as the article suggest the real plus is that there is a very good support group with over 40 chapters of the Austin-Healey Club of America (healeyclub.org) spread around the US and Canada. The club website has a Healey Marketplace that currently has what is most likly the largest selection on any site of Healeys for sale (30). The selection currently ranges from a '59 100-6 BN6 2-seater (a stalled project) for only $3,500 to a rare 1967 Golden Beige BJ8 for $100,000. The offerings change almost weekly as cars are added and sold.

67mkiii New Reader
6/27/24 2:43 p.m.

Roger, you are definitely well versed in knowledge of the Healeys. But I do not believe the MkII had a larger engine than the MkIII. I was under the impression the allure to the MkII was the smaller subset of the production run? Regardless, I do appreciate your passion for the cars. Very special car indeed, and the clubs/comraderie truly set it a cut above the rest. I am greatful to be finishing the restoration on my late father's that we have had since new. Looking forward to making memories in it with my children.

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
6/28/24 11:53 a.m.

In reply to 67mkiii :

Indeed, I believe you're correct in that the Mark II did not have a larger engine than the III. I'll confirm.

J.A. Ackley Senior Editor
7/2/24 11:05 a.m.

67mkiii said:
Roger, you are definitely well versed in knowledge of the Healeys. But I do not believe the MkII had a larger engine than the MkIII. I was under the impression the allure to the MkII was the smaller subset of the production run? Regardless, I do appreciate your passion for the cars. Very special car indeed, and the clubs/comraderie truly set it a cut above the rest. I am greatful to be finishing the restoration on my late father's that we have had since new. Looking forward to making memories in it with my children.

I spoke with Roger, and here's his response:
"The difference between the Mk III and Mk II is the carburation. There were 3 small SU carburetors in the Mk II compared with two larger ones in the Mk III and also a hotter cam I believe. Good luck with your restoration. Patience is of essence !"

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