i think i may be beginning to regret my decision

[YamR1,V64motion]

hi all,
i dont think im enjoying the Griff as much as i thought, its not the car as (apart from fitting a hot start kit and a new otter switch) its behaved faultlessly, i looked and found a good one so this isnt the issue-the car performs and drives exactly how a Griffith should,but for some reason i cant really explain too well im just not as in love with it as i thought i would be and am having cold feet,does anyone else ever get this? or am i just mad?.
perhaps i should just go back to bikes,who knows?.

[macdeb]

Well, weather don't help. I've always had bikes before [but sadly no more]found a TVR next best thing.

[mf68]

i would say wait for the sunshine and the better weather it makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable, better with the top down and a lot more grip, i would say that it is twice as much fun in the summer than the winter

[rodbloke]

I can only say don't be too hasty...just wait until the weather gets a bit nicer and the roof comes off. I've only had my Griff since Sept and have had the winter blues already. This is my 2nd TVR and I used to get miserable in the winter with my first one as well.

I can understand the pull of bikes though as they are such a rush, but a volvo ended that choice for me a few years back...

[antonyj]

How long have you had it?
Not long from my memory of your recent posts.

This time of year is never the best for ragtops, although the griff is better than most with its hard section.

I have only had my car for 2 1/2 years, but believe me summer is FANTASTIC with these cars.

If you have taken the time to find a good one , then I would suggest you hang in there.
March is only seven weeks away,the days will be longer, the weather will be better the roads will be drier and the fun will be there to be dragged.......

Dont sell it , these cars are VERY special and to not go through a summer is to not give yourself a chance with the car.

[GarryM]

Weather definitely makes a big difference. I don't know if you intend to but attending a track day is a must and will make you appreciate just what an animal the Griff can be. It is sooo much fun!

[mrmaggit]

Ah, grasshopper, you so impetuous.

You need to take time to find serenity.

When Sun warms roads, you find out why you chose car.

Be patient, else you find ditch bloody quickly.

[Sam_68]

Yep, been there, done that, bought (and sold) the T-shirt.

Looks great, sounds great, and very swift in a straight line, but just not my idea of a driver's car...too much brute force and bloody ignorance. Animal is a fair description.

Kept mine a year before going back to Lotus.

[mrmaggit]

Sam_68 said:

Yep, been there, done that, bought (and sold) the T-shirt. Looks great, sounds great, and very swift in a straight line, but just not my idea of a driver's car...too much brute force and bloody ignorance. Animal is a fair description. Kept mine a year before going back to Lotus.

S'ok, I agree with you. The Griff IS an animal, and it WILL chew you in an instant. But, if you drive at as you would a powerful motorbike, the rush is nearly the same.

Persevere, young lad, but wait until the salt has gone before you even think about pressing that pedal on the right too hard.

Come and grace us all with your presence at the Growl.

maggit

[luv griffs]

dont really know how to answer this one cos its pretty rare to read such a post, but if I where you id certainly give it a few more months, if you dont like it then seek out a good psychiatrist.

[topsparks]

Don't give up yet,come toLeMans with the Berks TVRCC,I sold my first Griff to a mate (Roy,E6 TVR)and he was having second thoughts but after having had such a good time at LeMans last year he is a Griff owner for life and even talking about an LS6 engine converstion(been spending too much time with jellison!).

[Ballistic Banana]

Hang in there Giles, Jan/Feb to me is teh most un enjoyable months in the Griffith and I Barely dive it

Then all hell lets loose and Roofs Roads get better and better and the whole Griffith experience is revealed.
ok, its not quite the same Rush you get on a Sports Bike but its the nearest thing you'll get toit on 4 wheels.


Stick in there mate the Smiles per Miles arent Fare away


BB

[barreti]

antonyj said:

March is only seven weeks away,the days will be longer, the weather will be better the roads will be drier and the fun will be there to be dragged.......

[cough] seven weeks? Did you forget to turn the calendar over into Feb AntonyJ

[barreti]

Read this...
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=172994

This is what owning a convertible TVR is about - any of them.
Give it 3 months. You'll be hooked, and you've an awful lot more to gain that you have to lose.

[mistert]

I dont think you have given enough time to appreciate the benefits of the car. The TVR will never compete with a fast sports bike like the R1 and it is a big mistake to compare them.

IMO any well ridden sports bike will wipe the floor with the Griff, I'm no great rider but I have experience of both so have a little insight. If you expect to get along at the same rates in the Griff as you would on the bike think again.

Riding a bike is a very different experience, concentration levels are higher and more focussed, you are part of the machine, its a more intimate relationship than in a car. Dont think I mean the Griff is a breeze to drive, its just the concentration isnt quite so intense.

Again IMHO if you try and 'wring its neck' every time you drive it you will miss out on what the Griff is all about, it isnt an agile handler like a Lotus but has other qualities like the immense torque which make rapid progress and overtaking a real joy.

I've only had my Griff since last March but I've had convertible rwd cars for years, they really arent much fun in winter weather, but just wait til the sun shines, top down and you get a decent stretch of road... if I had to choose and one had to go, it would be a hard choice but I think the bike would lose (just). Fortunately for the moment I can afford both

Give yourself the Summer at least before you make up your mind.

[YamR1,V64motion]

los angeles said:

I hope you feel don't guilty, Yam. I know of disappointed Griffith owners who parted company with their dream car very soon after buying it. And I see another on PH sold his because because it "couldn't go round corners." Now and then my 500 LE sounds like a bloody agricultural tractor and off I go to get it fettled once more. Subtle they aint. TVRs are made to be exploited to the full over here, sunny days most of the year, wide roads, long journeys, noise no problem (Harley bikers see to that) but who knows if TVR will ever getr here. >> Edited by los angeles on Tuesday 7th February 23:46

would like to thank everyone for the perspective on it, the truth is i would feel incredibly guilty if i sold it, as the car has been great in every way possible, i dont dislike driving it 1 little bit nor do i have a problem going around corners,(although ive found myself going into a higher gear if going through a fast corner at the moment to be safe, the truth is that i dont know if its the right car for me after all, in the way that utting my foot down doesnt excite me how i feel it should, also if i did decide it wasnt for me and put it up for sale it would look very bad to potential owners wouldnt it?, becaus ei havent owned it very long, i feel really bad now because i do like the car, its just now the noveltys warn off i guess it feels a bit of an anti climax, i really dont know whats wrong with me?




also to mister T, i know a Tvr and a sportsbike are very different and i wouldnt make the mistake of comparing them, in all honesty a well ridden modern 1000cc sportsbike should be able to gap any Tvr(including the Sagaris) with relative ease in most situations,riding a bike is a lot harder than driving a car in my opinion.

>> Edited by YamR1,V64motion on Wednesday 8th February 00:38

[geoffvalenti]

YamR1 V64motion said:

hi all, i dont think im enjoying the Griff as much as i thought, does anyone else ever get this?

Normally when its pissing down with rain, I'm sitting in slow moving traffic, and the Griff is trying to do its best to shake itself to bits Windows up, roof on, wipers doing what only Griff wipers do it's miserable.

But, I don't blame the Griff, I blame myself. I should have left it at home and taken the Supra. I normally get in this situation when I'm so desperate to drive the Griff, (after a few days of abstenance) that I convince myself it's not going to rain, even if its patently obvious that it is

I've wanted a car that handles like the Griff for so long now, that I don't think I could ever say I regret buying it. To me it's just what I want out of a car, brute force acceleration, V8 soundtrack and the ability to break traction on a bone dry road whilst moving in 2nd, 3rd gear, whatever, its a joy to behold.

Sure, other cars go round corners faster, a few accelerate faster, but very few have that "animal" personality that the Griff displays. Then there's the look of the thing, all curves, great from every angle, its doing 100mph, standing still!

If you'd have asked me 10, or even 5 years ago, what was my absolute dream car, I'd have replied TVR Griffith. In those days I couldn't ever see me getting one, but I'd have done anything to make it possible.
Now I have got one, I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming, but a quick peek in the garage is all it takes to reassure me

Maybe it's my age, in these days of virtual supercars available from the local dealer in family saloon guise, maybe the Griff doesn't quite have the appeal to the younger generation. Maybe in these days of sanitised extreme performance, the seat of the pants driving experience just doesn't cut it? But for me, brought up with cars that were real cars, the Griff is the pinnacle of the back to basics driving experience.

I'd stick with it Giles, but as you can probably see if you've read the above, I may be a bit biased

[jeffsy]

Cummon everyone - GROUP HUG !!!

hang in there Yam...take a few trips out. We did the Eurohoon in Sept last year which cemented our Griff in our affections for ever. Get onto the Autobahns and round the Alps with the lid off - mate Im telling you....

[gerjo]

I'm afraid I don't agree with the comments above: if the Griff doesn't get to you right away, even in the winter, there is something wrong.

Personally I was and still am totally blown away by this car (4 years of ownership) and I don't know any other car, the very exotic Ferrari's/Astons/Lambo's excluded, that gives me the thrill of a Griff, the current TVR line-up included.
True, there are many better cars around and cornering/handling isn't it's main USP (although it isn't that bad if you tweak it a bit) but none give the same rush as a Griff. As for straight line performance, if again you tweak it a bit, there is little that can stay with it.

[97octane]

I was slightly disillusioned by my first couple of months of Griff ownership, sorting out leaks (loooong threads on TVRCC and PH - I was a pain in the a*s to forum regulars), getting used to spine-shattering ride, hot footwell, other irritations.
But it's like heroin. I can't get mine out of the garage at the moment and it's killing me inside...
Give it time