Griff as daily driver
Discussion
I'm seriously considering buying a pre-cat Griff to use as my daily driver as I've always wanted one and can't wait any longer! Budget puts me in 4.0 litre territory and lack of off-street parking dictates it'll be street parked overnight.Oh, and my commute is around north london (no lovely B roads). Am I mental?
stuarte said:
Am I mental?
Yes. But what's that got to do with the question?
I ran a 500 for three and a half years as my only vehicle. Does everything. And, because you're giving it regular use, it will probably behave well - certainly better than something you only drag out of the garage every other month.
If you wanted to be a little bit sensible, you might ensure you have a modest budget set aside for "unforeseens" but you know what the VED will be, you can soon research your insurance costs, you'll be in the 16-24mpg bracket, every 6,000 miles it'll need its oil change and a few other bits and bobs, more attention for every other service, your tyres will need changing at least twice as often as a light-foot-boring-Eurobox and you'll have a huuuuuuuuuuuge smile on your face every day which will hurt your cheeks. What more could anyone want to know?
Mad as March Hare
I have owned a couple of TVR s
Cerbera for five years
Griffith , over a year now
Well if no one else will tell you , absolutely ridiculous , Sorry
Parking , would recommend in a garage on a trickle charge ( mighty long lead for you)
Every day , Service costs could be high ( expensive enough)
Security , set the alarm , the battery will fade if not used every day , but then there's the rascals out there
Wet weather , mmmm could be a problem
I must add , I totally admire your thoughts , must be a better man than me
Ps wpuld not let my pride and joy out of my site , but I suppose some ( can't be many) don't care
This can only just see the price of mine increase quicker ' as it won't either last long or will be stolen a lot quicker
Good luck , keep us all up to speed with your on coming months
Seriously now , don't be silly
Andy
I have owned a couple of TVR s
Cerbera for five years
Griffith , over a year now
Well if no one else will tell you , absolutely ridiculous , Sorry
Parking , would recommend in a garage on a trickle charge ( mighty long lead for you)
Every day , Service costs could be high ( expensive enough)
Security , set the alarm , the battery will fade if not used every day , but then there's the rascals out there
Wet weather , mmmm could be a problem
I must add , I totally admire your thoughts , must be a better man than me
Ps wpuld not let my pride and joy out of my site , but I suppose some ( can't be many) don't care
This can only just see the price of mine increase quicker ' as it won't either last long or will be stolen a lot quicker
Good luck , keep us all up to speed with your on coming months
Seriously now , don't be silly
Andy
K12beano said:
If you wanted to be a little bit sensible, you might ensure you have a modest budget set aside for "unforeseens" but you know what the VED will be, you can soon research your insurance costs, you'll be in the 16-24mpg bracket, every 6,000 miles it'll need its oil change and a few other bits and bobs, more attention for every other service, your tyres will need changing at least twice as often
Andy, thanks. This is precisely the reason I posted. I really do need someone to confirm my suspicions that it is a ridiculous idea. I will heed your advice seriously. But that's no guarantee!
Well what I can say ,
Any TVR driver is a friend of mine , mines a pre-cat griff and must add is fantastic and without doubt puts a smile on my face when ever I drive her .
To be honest , TVR s are generally in your blood from birth or not , so what ever I say you will have one or not and my god what fun you will have .
I just can't bare thinking of you standing at the road side looking at a empty space or god forbid a car not starting on the turn of the key .
Snow coming soon too , maybe don't wax too heavy as with that torque of set against that amount of BHP , you want any further slipping .
Any TVR driver is a friend of mine , mines a pre-cat griff and must add is fantastic and without doubt puts a smile on my face when ever I drive her .
To be honest , TVR s are generally in your blood from birth or not , so what ever I say you will have one or not and my god what fun you will have .
I just can't bare thinking of you standing at the road side looking at a empty space or god forbid a car not starting on the turn of the key .
Snow coming soon too , maybe don't wax too heavy as with that torque of set against that amount of BHP , you want any further slipping .
MPoxon said:
Do what I did and buy the TVR, keep it as a weekend car and buy a £200 ka / fiesta to drive as a daily car.
I had thought about that but I'd have no where to keep the Griff during the week. I've looked at the possibility of renting a garage but at London prices that really would bankrupt me! Maybe I need to move....stuarte said:
I had thought about that but I'd have no where to keep the Griff during the week. I've looked at the possibility of renting a garage but at London prices that really would bankrupt me!
Ahh yes I see. Looks like all or nothing then. Personally I wouldn't fancy mine as a daily. Every time i drive mine it is a fantastic exerpience, if i used it as a daily then there would be times when I would be knackered driving back from work at silly times when I just want to get home and welcome driving a sensible euro box. There are also places that you perhaps wouldn't want to leave it and then there is the guilt factor of waking the neighbours up every morning.stuarte said:
Maybe I need to move....
Now that is dedication!
Just buy a decent one, with a decent tight roof. My roof has never let any water in. You could always get some fresh rubber seals put on for not much cost.
It's true, they are better the more they are used frequently.
Vandalism. Really, is anyone/any car immune from this nowadays? Nah, not really. You're just as likely to get a Nissan Micra keyed all round as to get a hood slashed etc. Worry about this all your life and never be free or do things you'd like and just hope bad stuff doesn't happen?
Good luck with your final decision. I hope you're not deprived of owning a masterpiece by making the wrong decision.
It's true, they are better the more they are used frequently.
Vandalism. Really, is anyone/any car immune from this nowadays? Nah, not really. You're just as likely to get a Nissan Micra keyed all round as to get a hood slashed etc. Worry about this all your life and never be free or do things you'd like and just hope bad stuff doesn't happen?
Good luck with your final decision. I hope you're not deprived of owning a masterpiece by making the wrong decision.
stuarte said:
I'm seriously considering buying a pre-cat Griff to use as my daily driver as I've always wanted one and can't wait any longer! Budget puts me in 4.0 litre territory and lack of off-street parking dictates it'll be street parked overnight.Oh, and my commute is around north london (no lovely B roads). Am I mental?
Contrary to bar room opinion there is nothing inherently wrong with a Griffith, or the idea of using one everyday.BUT
you must exercise religious preventative maintenance. The happy long term owners are the ones that get their hands dirty or the ones who use a competent specialist without hesitation, on time, every time.
I am sorry to say that buying on a budget and leaving it on the road sounds like a recipe for disaster. I fear you will not get the best from the ownership experience. If you go ahead I hope I'm wrong, but the best way to run and enjoy a Griff these days is to park it somewhere you can work on it and keep on top of it, and have a daily hack. It really is cheaper to do that way. Insuring a Griff as a second car for limited miles, plus reduced servicing, fuel and maintenance will save more than the £1000 a year of running a cheap hatch.
I've had my pre-cat 4.0 for a few months now and although it isn't a daily driver (I work away so don't drive every day) it is my favourite car when I do drive. Mine has had a few wrinkles to sort - cold heater, blowing exhaust manifold, failed alarm/immobiliser but nothing I couldn't sort myself. I've retrofitted power sterring from a Corsa and I reckon that has made the car much more of an everyday prospect!
Buy carefully, keep some cash back for the unexpected. If you buy a reasonable one and then decide it isn't your cup of tea I doubt you'll lose much money when you sell it on.
Just my 2p!
Buy carefully, keep some cash back for the unexpected. If you buy a reasonable one and then decide it isn't your cup of tea I doubt you'll lose much money when you sell it on.
Just my 2p!
I've only owned my pre-cat for four months now but I'm in the "bad idea" camp.
I became so obsessed about owning one I couldn't sleep before finally cracking and getting one but I couldn't run it as a daily driver. This time of year it would drive me mad and I have a decent drive to work.
My main concerns would be:
If you work late the headlights are rubbish (but I guess all of London is floodlit)
No ABS so when you're tired and it's wet and you aren't paying attention you can get in trouble
The non-assisted steering is a pig at town traffic speeds and only comes alive when you build up some speed. This would be the main thing for me I find reverse parking/slow manouvering it can be a pain.
All these things are fine when you are out for a drive on a nice day but not so much fun when it's raining on a Monday night in Feb when you've had to work late and you're shattered.
Mine has been utterly reliable so far but I think if you have limited cash then you need to be good with a spanner. I have already serviced a lot of things on the car that would have cost me £££ if I hadn't done it myself. If you go for it chassis care will be critical on a 20year old car if you use it year round.
I became so obsessed about owning one I couldn't sleep before finally cracking and getting one but I couldn't run it as a daily driver. This time of year it would drive me mad and I have a decent drive to work.
My main concerns would be:
If you work late the headlights are rubbish (but I guess all of London is floodlit)
No ABS so when you're tired and it's wet and you aren't paying attention you can get in trouble
The non-assisted steering is a pig at town traffic speeds and only comes alive when you build up some speed. This would be the main thing for me I find reverse parking/slow manouvering it can be a pain.
All these things are fine when you are out for a drive on a nice day but not so much fun when it's raining on a Monday night in Feb when you've had to work late and you're shattered.
Mine has been utterly reliable so far but I think if you have limited cash then you need to be good with a spanner. I have already serviced a lot of things on the car that would have cost me £££ if I hadn't done it myself. If you go for it chassis care will be critical on a 20year old car if you use it year round.
Been thinking about this before giving a response. 
I ran my 500 as a daily for about 9 months. It wasn't until the weather here (Northumberland/Newcastle)got really bad that I went back into the Alfa that I owned at the time. I wasn't concerned about snow etc, as being from Aberdeen ran my previous Esprit through the depths of winter as well as the M5. It was more having some mechanical sympathy for the chassis etc.
When I bought my pre-cat to replace it, I made the decision that I would't use it as a daily, purely and simply as I think it's a far nicer experience going to the garage and it being a sense of occasion when I drive it, rather than it being the norm.
It can be done, I'm just not sure that I would want to again. End of the day though, if you think you can and keep on top of any issues that arise, you will have a car that will get under your skin and you will never ever be able to not have one in your life!
I ran my 500 as a daily for about 9 months. It wasn't until the weather here (Northumberland/Newcastle)got really bad that I went back into the Alfa that I owned at the time. I wasn't concerned about snow etc, as being from Aberdeen ran my previous Esprit through the depths of winter as well as the M5. It was more having some mechanical sympathy for the chassis etc.
When I bought my pre-cat to replace it, I made the decision that I would't use it as a daily, purely and simply as I think it's a far nicer experience going to the garage and it being a sense of occasion when I drive it, rather than it being the norm.
It can be done, I'm just not sure that I would want to again. End of the day though, if you think you can and keep on top of any issues that arise, you will have a car that will get under your skin and you will never ever be able to not have one in your life!
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