Is it too long in the tooth

[Tom Lyden]

looking to perhaps bye an L Reg 4litre Chim with 62,000 miles on the clock. Now baring in mind the age should I steer clear of a car like this, and go for something with a few less miles. What sort of probs could I expect from a car of this age.
Its missing the 48,000 srvice as well.

[plotloss]

If its missing a (fairly major) service then I would say swerve it...

[Incorrigible]

Depends how much it is

Do you know what parts of the service are missing

[Tom Lyden]

Price is reasonable. Not sure what is missing yet. i take it 48,000 miles is a major one. Can't remember what my Griff used to be.

[raceboy]

Any that are a multiple of 12k are a big one, so knock at least £500 off for this, but at this age it will probably require a bit of work, wishbones, clutch, brakes, all the usual stuff that wears out so I'd knock off £1k straight away and then take it from there if it's a minter

[apache]

Age is not a concern if the car is a cherished one (should be obvious)the servicing has been done (if the last one has been missed the owner might be feeling the pinch so bargain to be had)
At these mileages you should be seeing some big stuff in the reciepts like cam, shocks discs etc.

[Tom Lyden]

Cam....oh...that sounds like an expensive illness.. I'm taking it you don't mean the belt or is it chain...
It would appear from general conversation that the Breaks, Tires and Wishbones have been replaced recently. I'm more worries about engine trouble at that age, that mileage and with it missing a service.

[raceboy]

If your really keen on the car, and the seller agrees (if he doesn't walk away) get the car to a specialist independant or a main dealer and for a small (in relationship to the impending costs) fee they will give the car a thorough check and tell you how much is needed to spend on it and anything which may crop up in the next few months of ownership

[hut49]

For about £100 you could get a TVR specialist to give it the once over and give you an independent report on the state of play. I did this on 450 that on the surface looked OK, with full TVR service history, and was just about in my budget. The independent review turned up a list of should-do fixes that easily totalled over a £1000 - eg the steering rack was leaking and needed reconditioning. So I moved on and felt my fee was well spent.

[Tom Lyden]

Hut 49, any particular speacialist you used?

[Mark.S]

David Batty checked both of mine prior to purchase.

I'd agree with the previous comments that you need to be seeing receipts for some major work (clutch, cam etc) that can't easily be checked without taking the car apart.

[hut49]

The 450 that I was interested in was north of the border and the local TVR dealership I had do the inspection, Logik, subsequently went under.

If you have a local independent with the reputation of a David Batty then go with that otherwise call you localTVR dealer and see what you can negotiate. Explain what you want and ask them to put their report in writing.

If you joined the TVRCC you could also contact your RO and see who they would recommend - or there may be a local TVRCC member with experience who might help you.

Good luck and don't forget that all-important HPI check.