Help pls on TVR 3000s
Discussion
Hi all, Im a newbie to TVR, though toyed with plenty of classics.
There is a 1979 TVR 3000S non-turbo for sale nearby me, in New York. It appears to be in great condition, very minor stress cracks, good underside, rebuilt V6 etc. I am hoping someone could tell me what to exacly look for when considering this car ? Where do they rot ? and given its a convertible is there a weak point in the structure ? Any Buyers Guide help is very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott
There is a 1979 TVR 3000S non-turbo for sale nearby me, in New York. It appears to be in great condition, very minor stress cracks, good underside, rebuilt V6 etc. I am hoping someone could tell me what to exacly look for when considering this car ? Where do they rot ? and given its a convertible is there a weak point in the structure ? Any Buyers Guide help is very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott
newyorker
M series cars are fairly robust, however there are some areas to check on the chassis
In the rear wheel arches check the square section rails that run across the car, originally felt was placed on top of these rails to dampen noise, however these retain water and rot the rails out over time. If its got the original felt in it, unless its been a dry weather only car they are likely to be rotted
Also when in the rear wheel arches check the round rails supporting the body and holding the suspension
The outriggers along the sills can rot
Often the front outrigger/body supports can rot, due to debris+water getting trapped from the front wheels
All of the above is replacebale but it usually involves a body off job (which is much scarier than it sounds)
On a 3000S you are also prone to other leaks - under the screen, over the screen and around the screen, they wern't exactly watertight!! The windscreen is a 3000S special and is a cut down Jensen Healey frame (these can rot too) and the glass is a TVR special
Other than that just check everytrhing else as you would any other classic car
Hope that helps
davidy
M series cars are fairly robust, however there are some areas to check on the chassis
In the rear wheel arches check the square section rails that run across the car, originally felt was placed on top of these rails to dampen noise, however these retain water and rot the rails out over time. If its got the original felt in it, unless its been a dry weather only car they are likely to be rotted
Also when in the rear wheel arches check the round rails supporting the body and holding the suspension
The outriggers along the sills can rot
Often the front outrigger/body supports can rot, due to debris+water getting trapped from the front wheels
All of the above is replacebale but it usually involves a body off job (which is much scarier than it sounds)
On a 3000S you are also prone to other leaks - under the screen, over the screen and around the screen, they wern't exactly watertight!! The windscreen is a 3000S special and is a cut down Jensen Healey frame (these can rot too) and the glass is a TVR special
Other than that just check everytrhing else as you would any other classic car
Hope that helps
davidy
newyorker said:
Many thanks David
Im an Englishman in NY, so this is the one....
Would you hazard a fair price please ?? (in either pounds or $). Assuming its been well taken care of mechanicaly and in good cosmetic condition (but not concours).
Scott
Hi newyorker.I'm a newbie to the forum and to TVR's,I have a TVR Price Guide Book and it lists the 3000S as:
$8,800 Fair
$15,750 Good
$27,000 Excellent
The one on ebay looks to be Very Good if not Excellent.I'm guessing the reserve will be at least $20,000 or $25,000.I hope this Helped Somewhat.Good Luck
Popzak, That is good money, much better than one would make in the UK on those guide prices, but we have a lot of later TVR's to choose from that weren't exported. I'd be surprised if any 3000S would make £10K in the UK unless its got a turbocharger fitted!
The one on eBay looks very tidy, except the ride height seems very high (it's almost a 4x4!!), it may just be that its on adjustable spring seats and their very high, or its got the wrong length springs in it!
Good luck newyorker if you go for it, but please put some miles on it, these cars are much better (and more reliable) if they are used, 34k miles for a 25 year old car is obscene!!
davidy
The one on eBay looks very tidy, except the ride height seems very high (it's almost a 4x4!!), it may just be that its on adjustable spring seats and their very high, or its got the wrong length springs in it!
Good luck newyorker if you go for it, but please put some miles on it, these cars are much better (and more reliable) if they are used, 34k miles for a 25 year old car is obscene!!
davidy
The 3000S in question is a very nice example and a car I have been familiar with for the past decade, at least. The owner also has a Taimar. This is one of the nicest 3000Ss to come on the market in the US in the last year or so and, I suspect, will command a price on the upper end of the price guides.
davidy said:
Popzak, That is good money, much better than one would make in the UK on those guide prices, but we have a lot of later TVR's to choose from that weren't exported. I'd be surprised if any 3000S would make £10K in the UK unless its got a turbocharger fitted!
The one on eBay looks very tidy, except the ride height seems very high (it's almost a 4x4!!), it may just be that its on adjustable spring seats and their very high, or its got the wrong length springs in it!
Good luck newyorker if you go for it, but please put some miles on it, these cars are much better (and more reliable) if they are used, 34k miles for a 25 year old car is obscene!!
davidy
Hi davidy.I got those price quotes from TVRCCNA.I just joined them and received my 1st issue of The TVR Times and there I got the figures.You are Absolutely Correct on the fact that TVR's here in the U.S. seem to sell for More,it seems.To tell you the Truth,I'm Suprised one can be bought for so Little.They are Very Rare and a Beautiful Automobile.Good Luck to the New Owner.I wish I could bid on it
Thanks all for the replies. She got bid up to almost $16,000 (Stg 9,000). I offrd the Seller a few,000 more than that, but he wants mid $20s.
It has low miles, 2 owners since new, been maintained but lived its whole life in moist, wet, salty NY state, so expect some work. On the ride height mentioned above, NY roads are ABSOLUTELY AWFUL after the winter's snow and ice damage, so having a raised ride-height makes sense here.
It has low miles, 2 owners since new, been maintained but lived its whole life in moist, wet, salty NY state, so expect some work. On the ride height mentioned above, NY roads are ABSOLUTELY AWFUL after the winter's snow and ice damage, so having a raised ride-height makes sense here.
newyorker said:
Thanks all for the replies. She got bid up to almost $16,000 (Stg 9,000). I offrd the Seller a few,000 more than that, but he wants mid $20s.
It has low miles, 2 owners since new, been maintained but lived its whole life in moist, wet, salty NY state, so expect some work. On the ride height mentioned above, NY roads are ABSOLUTELY AWFUL after the winter's snow and ice damage, so having a raised ride-height makes sense here.
Sorry you didn't get the car newyorker.I have a 74 2500m I just bought in Jan.It needs a bit more work before I can use it,and the ride height as you mentioned will definetly have to be addressed.I'm just accross the Hudson River in Jersey City,N.J. and I use a 4x4 Chevy Blazer for Transportation because of the roads we have.I nearly bottom my Truck on some of them.I'm in the process of moveing down the Jersey Shore,but we're haveing some problems(long story) If we don't make the move by Summer,I'm going to be forced to get a Garage for the TVR and store it or Sell it
After it rains or snows some of the pot holes are nearly a foot deep and there are plenty of them.The car would be ruined in no time.We have a Tremendous Amount of truck traffic in this area and the roads are Awful.
I'm the guy that had the high bid on the car at 15.8k. The owner wants more then this car is worth guys and is out of line with his reserve. Also, to tell you the truth, he was pretty vague with his descriptions when answering questions about the car and it took 4 emails to try and get the VIN number from him. Why? ...Also keep in mind that the car was repainted a NON TVR color which drops the price by a few thousand dollars, and the car definitely suffered some kind of trauma if it had a rebuild at 34,000 miles. What is unbelievable to me is that this character actually had the gaul to write a post (taimer78) in third person praising the car! ...He's really dreaming if he thinks someome will pay 25k. When the price guides say 27k in excellent condition, that means near mint! This car, although very nice, is not in that class in my option and I've been a car collector for over 30 years.
bigsack said:
I'm the guy that had the high bid on the car at 15.8k. The owner wants more then this car is worth guys and is out of line with his reserve. Also, to tell you the truth, he was pretty vague with his descriptions when answering questions about the car and it took 4 emails to try and get the VIN number from him. Why? ...Also keep in mind that the car was repainted a NON TVR color which drops the price by a few thousand dollars, and the car definitely suffered some kind of trauma if it had a rebuild at 34,000 miles. What is unbelievable to me is that this character actually had the gaul to write a post (taimer78) in third person praising the car! ...He's really dreaming if he thinks someome will pay 25k. When the price guides say 27k in excellent condition, that means near mint! This car, although very nice, is not in that class in my option and I've been a car collector for over 30 years.
Sorry it didn't work out for you bigsack.I'd like to hear about your collection...Eddie
bigsack said:
I'm the guy that had the high bid on the car at 15.8k. The owner wants more then this car is worth guys and is out of line with his reserve. Also, to tell you the truth, he was pretty vague with his descriptions when answering questions about the car and it took 4 emails to try and get the VIN number from him. Why? ...Also keep in mind that the car was repainted a NON TVR color which drops the price by a few thousand dollars, and the car definitely suffered some kind of trauma if it had a rebuild at 34,000 miles. What is unbelievable to me is that this character actually had the gaul to write a post (taimer78) in third person praising the car! ...He's really dreaming if he thinks someome will pay 25k. When the price guides say 27k in excellent condition, that means near mint! This car, although very nice, is not in that class in my option and I've been a car collector for over 30 years.
Erm, don't know who you are bigsack, but taimar78 isn't the seller of the 3000S on eBay, he's the president of TVR Car Club North America, and from what I've seen of past 3000S's for sale he's right. The values Popzak listed are from the Black Book/CPI Collectible Vehicle Value Guide for January-February 2006 and were published in the Winter 2006 issue of The TVR Times. From what I've seen in the photos it looks like a high quality 3000S and if Marshall has seen the car and considers it one of the best then I trust Marshall. As for paint color dropping the price several thousand dollars, what planet are you from? I watched 2500M's along with several other makes & models for a while before buying my 2500M, and quite frankly the cars with nicer paint jobs commanded higher prices regardless of color, and often a more popular non-original color would command a higher dollar than an unpopular original color. You may have been a car collector for over 30 years but the pool of TVR owners in America is rather small and a lot of cars seem to trade hands inside the club, so just because you don't think it's worth the reserve doesn't mean the car won't be sold for it.
Cool your headers Hayfever, I have a headache! To tell you the truth I don't care what car club you're in, but in every other car club, a "COLOR CHANGE IN A NON ORIGINAL COLOR" Drops a cars value, and is Points off in Club Events (Concourse). But that's not the real point I was trying to make, it was the evasivness of the seller, to answere direct questions about said (NON ORIGINAL AMC COLOR TVR 3000S) That was puzzling, Not stating the COLOR CHANGE, Or the REBUILT ENGINE, or not listing the VIN# which is all common practice in selling any car. So to me, It's NOT WORTH the $$ he want's in My OPINION, If the car was in ORIGINAL condition, then maybe.
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