Help with the valuation of a Griffith that's been sitting...
Help with the valuation of a Griffith that's been sitting...
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Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Friday 31st August 2012
quotequote all
Hi Guys,

I know this chap who has a 1992 Griffith 400 which he wants to get rid of. Its not advertised for sale so we need agree on a price, I'm no expert on these cars so could really do with some helpful advise on what this car may be worth.

Now, this car has been sitting on his property for 8 years, barely covering 100 miles in this time!!! I'm assured that it runs but would need servicing. It also needs new carpets and seals to sort a leak problem, a windscreen, brakes, tyres, leather needs treating and a hole to be paired in drivers seat where the seatbelt has worn it through. The wing mirrors have the lacquer peeling away and the rest of the paintwork will probably need mopping.

Now like i said previously its a 1992 Griffith 400. Also its blue in colour (may be tahiti??) and has around 65,000 on the clock.

Please give me your help with valuing this so that i can figure out a fair offer. I cant stand seeing this car sitting there and really want to get it back up and running on the road. I plan to do most of the work myself to keep the cost down.

Please ask me any questions and I'll try to answer if I can.

Thanks in advance.

haircutmike

22,455 posts

228 months

Friday 31st August 2012
quotequote all
£3.5K

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Friday 31st August 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for your reply Haircutmike.

If anyone else has any other thoughts, please let me know.

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Friday 31st August 2012
quotequote all
Thanks cossers. Yeah that's a good idea, I guess that's the best option really.

neutral 3

7,975 posts

194 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
There Will Be LOTS of hidden stuff to attend to , i bet All of the wishbones are rotten, ball joints, track rod ends, steering column UJs, brake discs And callipers, the shocks will be knackered ( for deffo if they are a certain cheepo brand ) the steering rack and then the Chassis And Outriggers which on a Griff of that age will surely be rotten . Seat belts are Another item that just dont last well.

Tyres Will be also be shot .

A full repaint will be circa £2,500 for Anything decent

I would say 3 k absolute tops .

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Thanks Neutral 3, very helpful advice indeed. That's the sort of info I need, typical parts and areas of the car that rot with the sort of age of this car. I shall check all that you mentioned and see the state of it all.
Does anyone know of someone knowledgeable with these sort of things, who could come and check the car and value it (obviously for a fee), in south east endland?

Alexdaredevilz

5,697 posts

203 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
On the other hand, it 'might' just need a service

Englishman

2,251 posts

234 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Has the car been kept inside or outside, covered or not?

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Outside and it uncovered

wargriff

1,908 posts

226 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
I bought mine for £4250 7 years ago.

It had been kept outside and was f***ed. The paint/leather/hood/dash etc all need work. And the engine ran but was only running on 7 cylinders. Drove it from Newcastle to Cornwall. And have been spending ever since smile

As this may/may not run I would say £3000 is about the money.

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
See, I guess this is the problem really, i need to have a proper look over it or get someone to have a look at it with me.

Its a shame for such a nice car to just sit there, but it needs to worth it for me to get it back to life and not become a money pit......which it may well be.

Any other areas which are particularly prone to rotting?

haircutmike

22,455 posts

228 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Where is the car situated?

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Hertfordshire

TOV!E

2,016 posts

258 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Granite said:
Hertfordshire
Give Martin a ring at bespoke Performance, ( herts) he will give it a look over for you......

Granite

Original Poster:

19 posts

164 months

Saturday 1st September 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for all the responses and help with this everyone. Trying to figure out what to do with this at the moment, will speak to the owner and see what can be arranged.

Will keep you posted.

jeboa

546 posts

285 months

Sunday 2nd September 2012
quotequote all
Doom and gloom!!!


Carpets £400
Seals £200
Winsdscreen £400 (supposing you can't just live with it and 'suffer' a crack later on the insurance???)
Brakes 250 (we're talking Ford parts here folks...)
Tyres 500 ( Camskill Toyo T1R's - reasonable to say the least)
Leather 800 (pretty much replacement money - refurb <> £300 )
Wishbones 500 ( replacement - but realistically - blast, powder coat and new bushes)
Paint £200 (wing mirrors - crappy plastic, poor adhesion, rest of the body would probably get away with a good cut depending on colour)

Service £200 - it's a 20 yr old car, £10 oil filter, some semi-synth and a few squirts of grease - that's reasonable. Don't let anyone tell you it's a 'specialist car' - it's just a RV8 with some bog standard Ford brakes - simples!


So...budget.... £3.5k (and take the risk on the chassis)

Maybe at 60k miles it needs a new cam - another - £1k - so now we're at £4.5k

Outriggers, £2k

All in £6.5k to be spent (for a bit of a minter) - so if you price the car at £5-6k, that probably fits with the price the cars are going for right now.

I think the previous estimates on here have been a bit low.

So... £3k...bit low in my opinion...

haircutmike

22,455 posts

228 months

Sunday 2nd September 2012
quotequote all
All the above true but if you're taking on that work there has to be a bit of a bonus for the risk factor and for the aggro of doing the project!

I still reckon £3.5 tops.

There's a guy on here who a few only years ago, bought a good condition griff that hadn't run for some time with an alleged dodgy cam for £4K!

neutral 3

7,975 posts

194 months

Sunday 2nd September 2012
quotequote all
I Still say 3 K max....

If she's sat outside all that time , There will be Lots needed. And once she's back on the road Other nigles And problems will rear their head.

Front brakes , inc callipers , discs , hoses and possibly the Master Cylinder .
Then the wishbones, they will surely be rotten ( and the bushes shot ) then ball joints , then the shocks Konis probably , ( which if Not leaking now , will when it's done a few miles , mine did after 5 years of Dry garage storage )
The steering rack u/Js will have dried out, the steering rack gaiters will have hardened ( guessing it's a Non PAS car ) .

Then there is the Outriggers
Then the Clutch Slave and Master Cylinder seals, which will have dried out .
it's Bound to have let some water into the cabin , the inertia seat belts don't wear we'll and the mounting bolts on both my cars were a pig to undo.
Tyres will have hardened And perished
Rear brakes , hoses , discs and Calipers .
Paintwork .........

Loubaruch

1,410 posts

222 months

Sunday 2nd September 2012
quotequote all
Dont forget carpets also. If its been outside they will stink to high heaven and even if you replace them yourself its quite a major job and at least £300+, if done professionally probably 1000+ and as said above seat belt mountings, hood mountings etc. are probably well and truely rusted, not a pleasant job.

Wouldn't it be far easier to find a decent car that has been looked after, plenty around at the moment you could save yourself not only a great deal of hassle but a lot of hard earned and be using the car straight away.

500dread

195 posts

167 months

Monday 3rd September 2012
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It's worth more than £3500 in bits!

If you don't buy it gimme a shout.

I could do a lot with a scruffy Griff.

Things you wouldn't do to a 'good' one but the end result would be spectacular for a lot less money than trying to restore one to former glory.

Imagine that. A blank canvas Griff for not a lot of money.