How long is a piece of string...

[PreTVR]

Kind of following on from andyf007's thread (very useful BTW, ta.) I wondered whether you guys would be able to help me with my search for a TVR.

One thing that has often been mentioned is "not buying a dog"... aside from the obvious (four legs and a wagging tail - they all seem to have a glossy coat and a vicious bark!!)... what should I look for/at to tell whether it is a dog? Obviously dealers/private sellers are going to be far better at hiding the signs than I am at finding them. (Actually, I say aside from the obvious... probably best to tell me the obvious too!)

Any help gratefully received!!
Cheers,
Phil

[simpo one]

When I was in your position of looking for a first TVR, I was after an S3. I had a very long and useful chat with the guy listed under 'technical helplines' in Sprint. That gave me enough confidence to buy privately. Before getting each Griff I went to TVRCC meetings and spoke with owners and drew up a list summarising their input, problems they'd had, etc. I typed this up into a handy checklist so that when I went to view cars I could check all the points without forgetting anything.

It's hard to keep your brain on track when viewing a car, esp a TVR, and written notes helped a lot.

[simpo one]

But to answer your question, my piece of string is about six feet long and used as a cat toy...

[Qube]

I read Steve Heath's book and jotted down a few things about what to look for, Problem was when the chap opened the garage door and it was the colour i wanted with magnolia interior , full TVRSH and low miles the last thing i was doing was looking at the list, but after a few minutes i seemed to calm down and started to look at the things i wanted to look at, theres not a lot that you can look at because the car is so low, best approach is take someone with you how knows a few things about the car or get a mechanic from a local tvr dealer or specialist to look at it for you. Mine had full TVRSH but it still needed a new Rad , rear shocks and springs , plug leads , etc , but i think you will need to be prepared to spend a bit on whatever car you will buy. The string can be short if your lucky or very long if your not.

[Ballistic Banana]

Twice half its length

[SGirl]

Other PHers advised me to look at lots of cars before settling for one I liked - good advice that. I also asked David Batty to come out and cast an eye over the car I was keen on buying, just to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong with it before I handed over the contents of my piggy bank (it was a private sale). He charges for his travelling time plus the time it takes to inspect the car, but IMHO £80 or thereabouts for peace of mind was well worth it.

[mel]

There's also a griff buying guide in one of the EVO back issues thats worth while, the other point I would say is that if the price is right there's nothing wrong with "buying a dog" all you need to build into the equation is the cost of bringing it upto spec. I took this decision when I was looking for my "perfect" Griff but failing I eventually found a far from perfect Griff but at a price that allowed me to spend on it and turn it into what I rally wanted.

Oh yes and twice the distance from the middle to one end

[andyf007]

Glad you liked the thread. Know how you feel

Loved Wedg1es input. What I wanted was the advice of the more longstanding owners being more accessible to us new boys, a "First timers advice from real owners" page would be nice in a PetrolTed style.

PH is like taking your average eurobox veggie, who wants to try eating TVR meat for the first time, for a quick tour of the help forum slaughterhouse. It's a bit off-putting!

I must admit, though, it's worth taking the extra time to find the threads and replies from the more experienced members (there were a few mentioned in my thread), these give a much more attractive insight into ownership. Go to their profiles and read their contributions.

Happy Hunting

Andy

[incorrigible]

Like Andy said, these forumn are great if you need some info, how do I fix....etc, very rarely do people write in with...
How do I get this grin off my face ?
Suggested gear for that right hander down by Sainsburys ?
Need help enjoying my motoring !

Go on one of the meets and you'll realise how much and why people love these cars, and this site of course

[incorrigible]

andyf007 said:PH is like taking your average eurobox veggie, who wants to try eating TVR meat for the first time, for a quick tour of the slaughterhouse

Forgot to add ROTFLMAO