So you are looking at buying a classic Microcar on eBay? Microcars are one of the last types of classic cars that are still relatively affordable. If you are looking for a 55 or 57 Chevy you had better brace yourself for some big bucks. At the same time a running 50-60’s vintage BMW Isetta or Messerschmitt in moderate condition might be found for $15,000 or less. I have to tell you that if you show up at a car show with an Isetta or a Messerschmitt, the show attendees will suddenly all be adoring your car and ignoring many of the big classic cars. Truely, these cars get a lot of smiles per gallon.

The first thing you might decide is just how many people you need to be able to haul around. Microcars come in all sizes - Single seater, two passenger and 4 or more passenger varieties are all available. If you plan to take passengers like the wife or the grandkids, you may find the single seat Peel or HMV Freeway you want, has no capacity for your riding buddies.  

Speed is important too and if you live near a freeway that you need to negotiate in your Micro or Minicar, you will need to take that into account. A BMW Isetta has a top speed in the 50MPH area. A King Midget II might have a top speed in the high 30’s. On the other hand a Citroen 2CV might handle the freeway just fine. I drive my cars around town but most of us with small Microcars, trailer them to distant events.

Probably one of the things I enjoy is Microcar history and it seems almost every Microcar Marque has a fascinating history. Most people don’t know that Midget Motors was the 6th largest maker of cars in the US for many years. The BMW Isetta was the car that saved the BMW Company during a difficult sales slump following WW II. The Messerschmitt car was originally made primarily for disabled German WW II veterans.

Let me take you through a few things you need to know to locate and purchase a Microcar on eBay. Note: eBay does not allow URLs to be posted in articles so I will give you ideas on how to search and find the Internet resources you need.    

Get Informed - Perhaps a little story is in order. My wife and I saw and purchased a cute little puppy at a pet store. Now we were unfamiliar with the dog breed but the little dog was so cute. Our kids were so looking forward to having this new addition to the family, too. We now fast forward a few months. The cute little dog turned out to be a real stinker. Despite our best efforts to train him properly he liked to nip at the heels of our kids as they ran down the hallway to their rooms. Somewhere in the process we were in a pet store and I noticed a book the shelf on the dog breed we had purchased. As I flipped through the pages I saw that the breed we had purchased were "notorious owner biters". If only we had done our research and read this book before we had plunked down our money and taken our chances. The good news is we found a retired couple with no kids that loved the dog and they took over from us and did a much better job of training him in a situation where there were less children to terrorize.
Well, Microcars are a lot like that too. The first thing is to do your homework and then decide what specific car or cars you are looking for. Buying a car that is worth only a fraction of what you are paying for it, buying a car that is impossible the get parts for or buying a car that is missing a lot of expensive parts are just a few of the many ways you can dig your self a big hole. There are many Microcar resources that I would recommend you look into BEFORE you start working on getting a car:

Books – A few of the books that cover Microcars are:
Bubblecars and Microcars by Malcolm Bobbitt
Bubblecars and Microcars Colour Family Album by Andrea & David Sparrow
Gold Portfolio book for Isetta, Messerschmitt, Fiat and other brands by RM Clarke (note RM Clarke books are out of print but regularly seen on eBay)

Internet Resources
Discussion groups on Yahoo or MSN – search under the name of the car you are looking for or under “Microcars” and “Microcar-Minicar”.
Marque specific web sites like IsettaTech, KingMidgetCarClub, etc. 

Club Memberships
Most marques have clubs associated with the brand and there are also general Microcar clubs. Information on clubs is available on the discussion groups and via general Internet searches. As an example – The Messerschmitt Owners Club located in the UK is the major source of information and original or reproduction parts for the Messerschmitt vehicles. If you are thinking about getting a Messerschmitt, you should definitely look into joining this club. Most of these clubs don’t require you to own a car to be a member and the minimal club member fees usually entitle you to publications, forums, parts stores and other resources.
In the US the largest club is the Microcar Club and this covers all the major Microcar Marques. 

Microcar Specific Car Shows
You may happen onto a Microcar at a local car show but the chances are pretty slim. Many of the car shows don’t have classes that are appropriate or are Microcar friendly. Each year in the US there are several major shows and several minor ones. Search in discussion group or on the Internet for the names of events: “Unique Little Car Show”, “Microcar Nationals”, “Bubbledrome”, “Madison Microcar” and “Microcar and Minicar Classsic”. Attending a show will get you a good look at the car Marque you are interested in and maybe even a ride around the block. Sometimes cars are for sale when collectors are adjusting the size or the content of their collections.

Common Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Can I commute in my Microcar?
A. The answer is a qualified “Yes”. If you are in an area where speeds are low and traffic dangers are less, then you can probably look at commuting. Remember that you may want to have basic tools onboard for repairs and an Auto Club Membership for towing if your car refuses to start. Many Microcars have limited top speed and being run over from behind is always a concern.

Q. Is it safe to get a Microcar via eBay?
A. Yes, it can be safe if you ask the right questions and check out the car before you buy (or have a knowledgeable friend help you do that).

Q. How much will transportation cost? I live on the East Coast and have found a cute car on the West Coast.
A. It always seems like the cars I want are on the wrong coast. As of this writing I have heard of people getting Microcars transported from coast to coast for as little as $800 or as much as $1500. Some people have tried to get motorcycle transport companies to take Microcars and have been successful. If the car you need moved does not run the transport company will charge you a surcharge. Remember that sometimes the cars in a load are moved several times from pickup to delivery. If the car doesn’t run then the transport crew will have to physically drag it in and out each time they have to shift the load. Also, if the car you are getting has three wheels be sure the transport company knows this as some transporters have no center tray to support the center wheel on three-wheel vehicles.

Q. The car I’m looking at does not have the original engine. Does that impact its value?
A. Classic Microcar engines are fairly small displacement, sometimes are 2 stroke and it is not unusual that in their 50 year lifetimes they have been replaced with a larger 4 stroke engine or an engine that is more easily serviceable. From a collector standpoint or an appreciation potential standpoint this makes the car worth less than if it had the original powerplant. From a usability standpoint the upgraded engine may make the car more dependable and may make parts availability better. If the conversion was done cleanly and you like the car and are not concerned as much about resale value, the re-engined car might be an OK choice.

Q. The car I’m looking at is a replica. What is the value and appreciation potential on a Replica?
A. I own a Messerschmitt Replica that I purchased because I was afraid that an original Messerschmitt engine would be too hard to maintain. Mine is powered by a Honda 250 Scooter engine and it is very dependable. As far as appreciation I am not planning on any. Microcar Replicas are like other kit cars. Most are fiberglass and they don’t really appreciate much but can still be a joy for others to look at and fun to drive. I also own a replica of a Maytag Toy Racer. The originals go for over $20,000 on eBay and are seldom even available at all. Very few of the originals exist and only one is known to run. Getting tires and parts is virtually impossible. A rare, toy car like this is probably not what you would let the neighbor kid hop into and putt around. I paid about $2000 for the replica and it has a period correct Maytag engine but the car body and chassis are only a few years old. The fellow who built the replica used some go cart wheels and tires and other modern pieces and made the chassis really strong. My grandchild and I can ride it and when I take it to a car show I put a sign on it that says, “Please touch me, sit in me and look at my engine”. The kids just love it. If I had an original I would have to put barricades around it and not let anyone get close to it.         

Q. The car I’m looking at is currently disassembled into a pile of parts. I’m a decent mechanic. What should I look out for?
A. The optimal car to purchase is one that is running because it is a bit easier to evaluate what you are buying. If the car is together but not running it is tougher because the barriers that kept the last owner from getting it running are likely going to be the same ones you will be facing in a few weeks. The good news is that if the non-running car is assembled you can probably figure out things easier because you can see how things are put together from how the last guy put them together. He may not have done it perfect but at least you will have some idea of where to start. The minimal car is one in a pile of parts. You will likely not know what is missing or damaged due to your own lack of familiarity with the car. This is really a case to have someone who has restored a similar car come with you to inspect the pile of parts.

Q. Where will I buy parts for my car?
A. Today there are sources for parts for almost all the common Microcars. In some ways parts availability might be the best it has been in 20 years. Some of these parts are not cheap and they are often a single source situation. Some used or reproduction parts will show up on eBay, so parts availability is available there. Don’t be confused that small sized car parts will be cheaper. My car was missing the front and rear bumpers and the front and rear nerf bars. Total tab for those was $1000. The front windshield was $300. You may not be able to shop for price as the number of vendors might be limited. Also, you may find that the only vendor for parts is outside the US. You may be dealing with someone who can’t take credit cards and may want you to send money orders in Pounds or Euros. If this level of hassle and overseas long distance calls is something that you don’t want to deal with then all this is info that you can find out by joining a brand or general discussion group, before you buy.

Q. I am not really mechanical. Should I get a Microcar?
A. Having mechanical gifting is not a requirement but will cut your cost and time of repair. Being able to confidently handle an on-road repair to get you back home is really helpful. If you are not mechanical, part of the fraternity of Microcars is we all help each other as much as possible. The nearest Isetta pal I have is about a 40 minute drive for me and I’m probably lucky he is that close. Whenever I run into an issue I can’t fix I have to trailer the car to him for his assistance. I buy many of my Isetta parts from Werner in Georgia and it takes about 3-5 days to get parts from him to the West Coast. All this is to describe that you have to adopt a new attitude towards your car and patience with getting the help and parts you need to make repairs.  If you aren’t mechanically inclined then you need to make some friends in a Microcar group really quickly.

Q. How do I get insurance for my car?
A. My cars are insured with Grundy and others use Haggerty insurance. Premiums vary but are actually very reasonable. My Grundy policy excludes my using my cars for commuting. If you purchase a car be sure your policy is in force before your car is shipped to you.  They will likely want to have pictures of the car exterior and interior.

Q. The seller is acting kind of strange. Is this a bad thing?
A. It could mean something or nothing at all. In a perfect world we would all like to deal with sellers who have a 100% rating on 4000+ transactions and answer our every e-mail question in 5 minutes. Some sellers may not have thousands of transactions in their history or they may not actually know much about what they are selling. Others may not be e-mail proficient or may not check their e-mail every 30 seconds like you do. You will have to use discernment in how to proceed. Always follow the eBay guidelines of not dealing outside of auction. This is definitely the place where you want to see the car before money changes hands.

Q. The seller is selling the car with a bill of sale only. What will that mean when I try to register my car? They said I could use a title service if I have problems.
A. In California (and some other states) it would be difficult to register the car as some states require a title. A title service can “generate” a title for you but some states the DMV may frown on this. The scope of this article does not allow for an explanation of this procedure or its pitfalls. You can do your own research on this but be warned that this may not work for you.

Q. The seller tells me that the car is numbers matching like that is a big selling feature. Is it?
A. On my Isetta there are several places that there are serial numbers that match and this is usually what the seller is referring to. On a car worth $50, 000-$100,000 this might be a big deal but you will need to consult your owners group to determine if this is a problem on your particular car. Your best source of info is once again the discussion group for your car. Owners there can tell you what the numbers mean, where they are located and possible ways you can decode when your car was built and what colors it was painted, etc. On an Isetta the serial number plate can replaced with a new plate so in that case some of the numbers could be changed to match.
 
Q. The glass is damaged in the car I’m looking at. Is that a big issue?
A. Glass can be a very big issue as if the car is really obscure there may not be any glass available. Simple flat side windows can be re-made out Lexan but if the contour has complex curves, you are in trouble. Even fairly common cars like an Isetta may have some windows that are difficult to get. Some glass scratch damage can be polished out (See Eastwood Auto for kits) but deep scratch damage may not be easily repairable.

Q. I see a Microcar that I think I can turn a quick profit on. Should I go for it?
A. I think you should buy what you would like to own yourself. Speculation on Microcars is a risky business. What I originally paid for my Isetta I have since spent several times over. Any hope of ever making a profit on my car are gone. This is a hobby and I have since resolved that the profit on my car has been in the process of restoring it and in the enjoyment I see on other people’s faces as they see it on the road and at car shows.