Is there such a thing as a reliable Griff?

[SamPet]

Hello,

I'm well aware that they're not the most reliable beasts, but don't want to spend my life regretting buying one.

Is there anyway I can be more confident in my decision? Buying from somewhere like "Fernhurst TVR", or any good years to look out for?

I've got a maximum budget of £17k and am in love with the noise!

Oh dear... I see bills coming, please help!

Sam

[SGirl]

Just go for it and buy one! The one I had was very reliable, never had a major problem with it. It didn't leak, either! Just make sure you do your homework and get a good one to start off with.

Have fun.

[daveb500]

I bought mine from Fernhurst and they were very good. Just remember that you are buying a car 10+ year old so you have to expect a few niggles as you would with any car of that age. If it looks well looked after and has a good service history, you should be fine. I've done a few bits on mine but they have all been minor or cosmetic.

Go for it !

[CHGRIFF]

Bought mine from new in 1996 and she's done 96000 miles. Only problem has been a broken crankshaft pulley bolt. Cant say better than that.

[Ash-man]

excuse me,is their such a thing as a reliable griff..have done 100000 miles in my 1998 reg 500..aint let me down once.used daily ,all year round.most people that experince probs never use the bloody things .then when come to use it come on here and whinge that it wont start..if they used their daily euro box so sparingly doubt they would be any better..had 3 tvrs now all of which i put stupid miles on covered well over 250000miles in tvrs .never stop smiling.never owned any of newer models but certianly trust my v8 to get me anywhere..

[Bluebottle]

£17k will get you an absolute beauty but, don't go for the youngest with the least mileage, go for the one in the best condition.
Many of the older cars have had full chassis restoration to better standards than when they left the factory. Suspension and brake overhaul/upgrades a very common and well worth taking into consideration when looking at the sales prices as doing it yourself and be quite expensive depending on the spec. of the upgrades you go for.
www.thegriffpages.com is an excellant source of information for potential buyers.
And in answer to you opening question with the above in mind, they can be very reliably especially if used regularly
If I exclude the major upgrades i have had done to mine, I've probably had no more than 3 or 4 reliability issues in over 5 yrs of ownershp (and its a 14yr old car now!) .

[Bluebottle]

CHGRIFF said:

Bought mine from new in 1996 and she's done 96000 miles. Only problem has been a broken crankshaft pulley bolt. Cant say better than that.

And how long has it been off the road for now?......;)

[yellowgriff]

Being in the motor trade my self,, Best buy one Private 1 or 2 owner cars are out there, Be patient one has your name on it,
I looked at a private car.. 1 owner for 8 years, Then looked at about 10 others none as nice as the first private car, I looked in Racing green & fernhurst Five grand dearer but not as nice, The money you save on purchase cost ..you will be upgrading the car, I said i wouldnt upgarde & have now spent 2K.
Look for proper service history & low owners ,, Hope you buy a griff & enjoy yourself...( Great car No probs up to now)

[Englishman]

I've had two Griffs. In total that's ~7 years of ownership. Never broken down allthough used regularly.

If they are looked after to TVR's service schedule and you have everything done that is necessary, they are as, if no more reliable, than any other car in my experience. I'm still using a 10yr old one for business regularly.

[RichB]

Bought mine new in March 99 so it's 10 years old and not had any serious issues with it. Always had it serviced properly and looked after it. Also, as mine's a low mileage 2nd car which does about 3,000 miles a year, it goes against the argument that you have to use them every day for them stay reliable

[MADMAX2]

errr nope they are not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RichB]

MADMAX2 said:

errr nope they are not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Errr doesn't that somewhat contradict what we have said below?

[dhf]

5 TVR's i think it is now,never once been stranded ,can't say the same for my daily drive,a Ford Mondeo

[SamPet]

Wow.

Thank you all for your replies.

The Griff would be used daily for a short (20 minute) urban commute (I appreciate this isnt the best thing for it), and then used throughout the weekends.

I have always loved the Griff and am bored by the prospect of an M3 or Audi

If anyone sees any nice ones, would they be willing to post them here?

Thanks everyone. The hunt begins

Sam

[CHGRIFF]

Hi Bluebottle. Thought the mileage was most important, and in all honesty it's been one of the most reliable cars i have owned. Of interest the worst one was a new Volvo some years back.
However since taking it off the road a little while ago for Supercharging, David and I looked at the car yesterday and likened in to 'Triggers broom' in Only Fools and Horses, 13 years old but everything has now been replaced with new and upgraded parts. Car 98% complete, Mark Adams will be mapping shortly.

[Bluebottle]

CHGRIFF said:

Hi Bluebottle. Thought the mileage was most important, and in all honesty it's been one of the most reliable cars i have owned. Of interest the worst one was a new Volvo some years back.
However since taking it off the road a little while ago for Supercharging, David and I looked at the car yesterday and likened in to 'Triggers broom' in Only Fools and Horses, 13 years old but everything has now been replaced with new and upgraded parts. Car 98% complete, Mark Adams will be mapping shortly.

Thats excellant news Colin, I look forward to seeing it out to play "shortly"
(Was only pull'n ya leg mate )

Just noticed that my car has now done over 100k miles!, well...some bits of it have anyway

Edited by Bluebottle on Thursday 11th June 12:32

[BJWoods]

SamPet said:

Hello,

I'm well aware that they're not the most reliable beasts, but don't want to spend my life regretting buying one.

Is there anyway I can be more confident in my decision? Buying from somewhere like "Fernhurst TVR", or any good years to look out for?

I've got a maximum budget of £17k and am in love with the noise!

Oh dear... I see bills coming, please help!

Sam

don't be silly... just buy a good (looked after) one

I've had mine 11 years, and it has always got me to where I'm going...

Do you actually have to spend some money servicing/maintaining it -- yes of course..

do you have to spend some money replacing bits as they get old and wear out -- yes of course..

None of the above make a car unreliable.

B

Edited by BJWoods on Thursday 11th June 13:57

[CHGRIFF]

My trouble Bluebottle is that at my age I cant see so well and I can never find my bloody glasses, so everything takes twice as long to do. Thats my excuse.
Regarding buying a Griff, for the money available money, buy one with a very good service record and looks very tidy. You may get one with less than 25K mileage and as long as it has been used on a regular basis it should be reliable. As someone mentioned, the cars with most problems are the ones that sit in garages for extended periods, even low mileage ones. An addded advantage when buying a Griffith now is exceptionally low depreciation, you should be able to buy one keep it a couple of years and sell for a similar price, very few other cars will come close when considering depreciation costs. If you want a true Supercar, buy one then go the SC route, it will blow your mind away.

[macdeb]

Had two. Neither let me down. Basic engineering, simple to fix/take care of.
[still can't get my head around this 'low mileage cars give trouble' folklore] If it's well looked after, it's well looked after whatever the mileage! Anyway, good choice and good luck.

[BJWoods]

Mines low mileage, and well looked after no problems...But I do use it regularly

Any make of car, leave it in the garage for months at a time, and you will get problems.