Lost interest in the Griffith?

Lost interest in the Griffith?

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Discussion

Barreti

Original Poster:

6,680 posts

236 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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It seems odd that looking at the PH forums there has been as much posted on the Chimaera forum in 24 hours as there has been on the Griffith forum in nearly a week, and I got to wondering why.

I have fond memories of discussing shock set ups at a Griff Growl with someone well known on here for their professional knowledge on the subject, and he told me the community loved Griffith owners because we don't just drive our cars or stand around kicking tyres, but we get involved with them. Properly involved and we maintain them and upgrade them like no other group of TVR owners.

These days I see little evidence we are even vaguely interested.

There seems to be no appetite for a Griff Growl this year, or even a humble corner of Wedgefest.

What's going on? Is the TVRCC representing you all so well you've all scarpered behind the closed doors of the TVRCC forum.
Or is it quite the opposite and there is no obvious enthusiasm for the Griffith, either on this forum or from the TVRCC that you just don't feel you should bother either.

The seasons opener now seems to be the TVRCC event at Burghley House instead of Chatsworth but I've seen bugger all on in our little window of PH drumming up Griffith owner enthusiasm for this event either.
Personally, I fell out with the TVRCC a year ago, so I can't see what's going on over on the forum. And this may be a one sided conversation because you're all over there having a laugh at the plonkers you've left behind here on PH. But I rather doubt it somehow.

I can probably count on the fingers of both hands (in fact, some would say I'd need to) the number of regular contributors on here recently
So what's going on?
Are there really only 10 or so PH Griffith owners?
Are Griffiths now all garage queens we don't tinker with?
Is the lack of enthusiasm bringing you down so why bother?
What?

Please tell me I'm not talking to myself.

Toma500

1,219 posts

252 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Hmm I am a long time griff owner 11 yrs and counting and also a bit of a lurker but I see where your coming from .
Interest seems to be waining apart from the hardcore enthusiast . I have in the past posted various bits and pieces
On pistonheads and the griff forum has helped me enormously over the years. Maybe it's because their is less of us
They made say 2.5 k Griffs and there is only say 1k left so in reality it's only going to get worse ,I'm in it for the long run though as long as I can I'll always have a griff .

Smokey Boyer

509 posts

130 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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I see you are based in Nottingham from your profile, and I therefore felt compelled to respond to your post as I am the new RO for the TVR CC East Midlands Region. I have only had a TVR for two years, and took on the role of RO a few weeks ago.

Can I suggest that you give the TVR CC a second chance. I do not know the history as to why you appear to have moved away from the club, and as it appears to have taken place before I took on the role as RO I cannot change what has already happened, but I can certainly make an effort to encourage you back. I can send you a copy of my last email newsletter if you PM me.

I think your comments about forum use are well made and from what I can see apply as much to the TVR model specific forum as they do the PH forum, and are perhaps a reflection on the number of Griffiths out there compared to the Chimaera. From memory of the numbers left as discussed at the TVR AGM, there are about 800 Griffs and 3000 Chimaeras left in the UK. I think there are about 800 S Series as well, so the numbers of cars left might not be the only reason. At regional meetings and events I go to we always seem to get more Chimaeras than anything else.

I also wonder if it is a reflection on the types of owners that have each type of car, and the value of the cars (massive generalisation I know).

I personally have an S3, and the forums for that are very active with loads of help being taken and given. IF, big IF, the majority of S owners are like me, I do as much work as I can because I am on a tight budget for my weekend car and I enjoy working on it almost as much as driving. The limited value of my car means that almost all work on the car, even chassis work, will not add massively to the value of the car should it be sold. I have done quite a bit to mine in the time I have had it, but I doubt it is worth much more today, than I paid for it two years ago. All in I think I have spent about £750 on parts. If I had been paying garage rates for the work done, I suspect it would have more than doubled my financial outlay for work, and to be honest I would have struggled to justify paying that out for a car that is worth £6k on a good day based on recent adverts. I know that I can get away with doing my own work as it will take very little away from its potential value when sold.

There is also a chicken and egg problem for those that want to have a go themselves. I know that as the forums are so active for the S, any problem I come across while working on the car will almost certainly have been solved by somebody else, and that the solution is probably on the S forum already, and if it not will be very soon after asking. Given how active the forums are, many people post their solutions and work, without being asked, knowing that others will benefit. Without that source of information, I might be more reluctant to have a go, which ultimately become a self fulfilling prophecy. Interestingly the PH S Forum is far more active than the TVR CC S Forum.

Perhaps the increased value of the Griffs and their rarity, means they are simply being used less by people who want to protect their investment or even being purchased as an investment car. Given what poor returns traditional investment give at the moment, a Griff is a pretty safe bet (not to be taken as financial advice).

I suspect that most current TVR owners, have a TVR as a weekend car, rather than a daily driver, and as such they are getting used more like an old classic car for occasional use than a modern sports car. This is something that I suspect has changed recently (in the last 5 to 10 years), and may also be a contributing factor to the problem you raise.


rigga

8,727 posts

200 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Not been out in mine, or even started it since October, on here several time's a day, but never seem to get the urge to drag the Griff out for a run, also seem to be spending more time and money on my other car, so in answer yes I'm losing interest, hopefully it will kick back in when we have some sunny weather on one of my days off instead of the usual rain, as I'm pretty sure once I do get it out and running, my interest will increase.

roseytvr

1,788 posts

177 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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I'm still here lurking around and posting up when I can and still appreciate the PH community for what it is - the help on here is first class. I have also noticed the numbers dropping, not just on the griff forum but across the whole TVR section.

I view daily when I can but must admit I only know a handful of the contributors where it seems to me going back a while everyone seemed to know each other. I tend not to drop on to the TVRCC forum because last few times I went it was much quieter than here.

Have I lost interest in the griff? Well I cant get it running right and want to smash the little bd into bits at the moment but I am sure once its sorted and I get some sunny miles in love will be restored.

Griffithy

929 posts

275 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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A very interesting topic.

Our Griff is about 15 years in our hands.

I am now about to bring it out from winter storage,
always a great moment when it bursts into life.

It has been used summers only in it´s live and you would see it.
We love it to bits and would not want to get rid of it as long as possible.
What a wonderful car.
We have been using it regulary, also for the occasional trip around Europe.

The Griffith has still got the power and that phantstic noise and it must be extremely seldom,
as we have never met another Griff.
In our opinion the nicest cars are the ones kept as original as possible.
It is doubtless the E-Type of the nineties.
So not much interest in any kind of mods on our Griff here.
There is not much that has not been discussed in the last 15 years anyway.
Availibility of spareparts have never been as good as today.

We have quit our TVRCC membership as well.
Never bad experiences with ROs, but the office/managment were never
very helpful and seemed generally uninterested.
This seems to have not been changed, looking at the manner some of them turn up on PH to tell us gloatingly that they are the secret keeper of "all" the TVR knowledge.

Sorry I am away now for adoring and pampering the Griff.

All the best to fellow Griffitheers.





DarkMatter

1,473 posts

230 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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> Lost interest in the Griffith?

After 8 years ownership the answer is yes. Like others have posted it spends most of it's time sitting in my garage while I make excuses about why I'm not driving it. I'll probably sell it soon and try some other car, whether or not it will be a TVR I do not know.

The Griffith forum on the TVRCC is like my car, it get used occasionally. The TVRCC Chimaera forum seems quite popular at the moment.

stesrg

1,559 posts

237 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Hi Ian , yessss it has been a bit slack on here well since I used to post 10 years ago biggrin thought it was just me !!when I sold my griff all them years ago I WENT FOR A Z3M then a Nissan 350z then a merc did all the forums and the TVR one was the best for fast response IMO , LOADS of banter rolleyes but things are slow , I will help anyone out as best as my knowledge exceeds on this forum smile but hey all those cars and I still thrived to get a Griffith , cant wait to get to the burley event to meet new and old fello owners , I was sad to here their is no Griff growl though !! frown but I am sure someone on here will sort out something later on or for the next year just pity their was not a major event for the owners of the griff eh ears

Ste .

Pete Mac

755 posts

136 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Ian, this is an interesting topic you've started, particularly as I have my moments of being very active on this forum. I guess we all have limited time and I've got a lot of other things on right now, particularly doing my garden, now me and Mrs M have agreed on a design, together with working half the time away and that is very demanding at the moment as well. This means my nut and bolt rebuild has taken back burner right now.

I am a bit of a 'fair weather' driver as well. I only really like driving the Griff with the roof down and that is no fun on a cold, wet, grey day in the winter. The other thing is that it depends what you want from the forum. I try and do everything myself on the Griff, so topics about 'who does the best servicing'? have no interest for me.

I have re-joined the TVRCC because I felt opting out was like voting with your feet but having said that I still find Sprint magazine really boring. Nice pictures but the articles leave me yawning, I'm really not that interested in regional clubs going off to the pub, the most interesting article was the one on PeteGriff's dash. You could argue that I shouldn't criticise but I should contribute myself but it comes down to time and also I pay my membership so perhaps I could expect some more technical articles.

I would love to work on producing a 'manual' for the Griff plus 'how to do it' articles and pictures but this will be something for the future when I have a bit more time on my hands.

So, in summary, I haven't lost interest I've just got other stuff on right now.

Pete

Moycie

536 posts

196 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Hello Ian,

It certainly seems quieter on the forum, although I would say quieter across a number of forums, not just the Griff. Also, restrictions at work on non-business sites means no access except through a phone, and these forums are not exactly mobile friendly.

I think also people moving away to the likes of facebook, messenger, amongst other reasons. It seems I end up speaking to people more on there and through messenger these days.

As for the Griff - It's always fun to drive, so not lost interest, I even put in a new stereo yesterday! I might add I did buy the Cerbera a year ago, and that took over completely the last year - used it for Burghley, Le Mans, Griff Growl, Goodwood....I did miss the Griff though, so that's coming out more this year!

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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When I started using PH about 11 years ago the grief forum was very lively with banter going on to the early hours.

Sadly it has gone downhill with active members spending time on the chim forum as it reflects the activity of its extremely productive members at the moment.

I'm not knocking the grief owners as let's face it, they are basically the same car smile

Possibly it's the rise in value of the griff, more so then the chim.

We chim owners like to change, modify and use our cars, why, who knows but there is always new turbo, SC, LS and twin turbo LS stuff going on.

We also participate in a lot of TDs, Sprints and drag days as well as the odd meet and I know there is a lot of chim chatter on the phone lines as well.

It's a real shame but there is definitely a downward spiral and if this continues PH will probably lump you lot in with us yikes

lockhart flawse

2,040 posts

234 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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I dropped out of the TVR club a couple of years ago and for the first time I have taken my car off road (SORN) for winter. In any case I only do about 2500 miles a year in it whereas 10 years ago I would have done double that. In my case the reason is that I have to do a lot of miles ferrying children about and that restricts use of the TVR but it is also the case that I don't ever use it when it's wet and I want to stop the mileage getting too high; currently at 43k.

But I also think that the increase in values has brought in a new type of owner that will be more inclined to get work done by a garage. There will be very few cars in daily use; a lot of owners will be looking to keep the mileage down.

I have been thinking about selling mine for more than 2 years but can't quite bring myself to do it and that's mainly because I can't think of much to replace it with. Current thoughts centre around a nice, late 996 Carrera. This is partly for a change after 11 years of TVR and partly to have something interesting-ish I can use through winter.

Anyway I have bought 4 new Toyos, refurbished a couple of wheels and it will be back on the road on Wednesday so I will run it for a couple of months and see how we go.

By the way that old Griffith gossip thread that was on here was IMO moronic and I was glad to see it gone.

andy43

9,548 posts

253 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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I've just got mine in the last few months - I last had a Griff in 2004.
I've been doing my best asking dumb questions biggrin
I think part of the problem is there's fewer Griffs than Chimaeras - the Chim forum was always busier a decade ago, plus if you've owned one for a few years you know it inside out, so don't need to post up questions or discuss stuff, because you just know already.
Most Griff owners seem to be long term, whereas the Chims do seem to change hands more often - new owners need more help?

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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We've had a TVR of some sort, for what? 15 years or so? Done the TVRCC thing, done the meets, the drives, the shows - and TBH, got pretty bored of the whole thing. We still enjoy the car and have spent quite a bit in the last few years ensuring it's mechanically sound - we even did 2000-2500 miles in it around Scotland touring last year.

In terms of the forum, well a lot of it has been said and done before. There are only so many times I have the inclination to post answers to the same old questions.

alphaone

1,019 posts

172 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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[quote=Smokey Boyer I have only had a TVR for two years, and took on the role of RO a few weeks ago.

[/quote]

thumbup Pity more people dont share your drive and enthusiasm.

phazed

21,844 posts

203 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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lockhart flawse said:
By the way that old Griffith gossip thread that was on here was IMO moronic and I was glad to see it gone.
I never said it was interesting intelligent banter laugh

Seriously though your point about a different type of owner and keeping the mileage down is probably spot on.

I've met a few of those owners and they don't know that PH exists and certainly don't get their hands dirty.

I believe many of us have thoughts about other cars, certainly Porsche would do it for me. Sadly the prices of desirable models are rocketing as well.

I too left the TVRCC after a few years as the membership were more into Pub/Restaurant/group travel activities which I'm not. In fact I attended a few monthly meets and was extremely disappointed with the topics of conversation, (not about the cars!). each to ones own I guess.

carsy

3,018 posts

164 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Podie said:
In terms of the forum, well a lot of it has been said and done before. There are only so many times I have the inclination to post answers to the same old questions.
Agreed.

Love tinkering and modifying my Griff just as much as i do driving it, if not more so. To that end there is far more tinkering modding activity over on the Chim forum which obviously draws me over there to contribute. As phazed says they are the same car mechanically.

Am i bored with the car NO.

GlynMo

1,140 posts

248 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Podie said:
In terms of the forum, well a lot of it has been said and done before. There are only so many times I have the inclination to post answers to the same old questions.
Maybe that's part of the reason for dwindling posts. If those who know are not prepared to pass on their knowledge, new owners who are prepared to get their hands dirty will stop asking questions/for assistance. I know there is the search facility but it doesn't always work well - or at all.

In answer to the thread question, NO. Despite the problems I'm having following my car's CT failure on emissions, I'm unlikely to sell it in the foreseeable future.

lockhart flawse

2,040 posts

234 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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also a lot of the topics in the Griffith PH forum are really, really boring.

hallsie

2,184 posts

219 months

Monday 30th March 2015
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Sound like a lot of you guys need a WEDGE in your lives!!

wink

Stu