GTV, what to look for ?
Discussion
Sadly due to moving house, had to dispose of my Elise and am running around in something a little cheaper to run (and consequently very, very boring).
Having now served my pennance and saved a few pennies, am giving some serious consideration to buying an early N/P plate GTV 2 litre, say £3500 to £4000.
As my previous experience with Italian cars involved a 16V Fiat Coupe whose engine spectacularly ingested itself, wonder if anyone could tell me what to look for. How are they for rust, running costs, obtaining parts, servicing etc ?
Whilst I dont neccesarily expect to run it at a similar cost to a Ford, I cannot spend the sort of money that the Elise cost to service (thanks JCT 600 !)
Many thanks for your kind assistance.
Having now served my pennance and saved a few pennies, am giving some serious consideration to buying an early N/P plate GTV 2 litre, say £3500 to £4000.
As my previous experience with Italian cars involved a 16V Fiat Coupe whose engine spectacularly ingested itself, wonder if anyone could tell me what to look for. How are they for rust, running costs, obtaining parts, servicing etc ?
Whilst I dont neccesarily expect to run it at a similar cost to a Ford, I cannot spend the sort of money that the Elise cost to service (thanks JCT 600 !)
Many thanks for your kind assistance.
A couple of useful sites:
www.gtvv6.com/buying.htm
www.aroc-uk.com/BuyingGuides/Spider_gtv.htm
As with anything, condition is paramount. TS cambelts need doing preferably at 36k miles to prevent an early lunch. Look for a proper AR or specialist service history.
I know its a different engine & age to what you're afrer, but have a look at the history of mine via my profile; nowhere near as painful as I would have expected it to be!
Good luck.
www.gtvv6.com/buying.htm
www.aroc-uk.com/BuyingGuides/Spider_gtv.htm
As with anything, condition is paramount. TS cambelts need doing preferably at 36k miles to prevent an early lunch. Look for a proper AR or specialist service history.
I know its a different engine & age to what you're afrer, but have a look at the history of mine via my profile; nowhere near as painful as I would have expected it to be!
Good luck.
Presume you mean the thread entitled "GTV, pre purchase gearbox". As this was only put on WEF 9th January 2005 at 16.15 and my question was put on the 7th January, I would have had to have amazing powers of ESP to foresee that someone was going to ask the same question as me 2 days later......
Thanks for the warmth of your welcome though to a potentially new member of this site who was making a genuine enquiry and sincerely hope your not indicitive of the attitude of the other members !
Thanks for the warmth of your welcome though to a potentially new member of this site who was making a genuine enquiry and sincerely hope your not indicitive of the attitude of the other members !
Rich...
I recently picked up a '98 T-Spark GTV for a little less than your budget but in need of a cam-belt change so would be on the money if I had it done.
It is a little new to me so cannot offer long term owners advice but would suggest that you look for trim problems if you go for the cloth trim as it seems weak around seat handles etc. Tyres wear on the inside edge on the front so make sure you wind the steering to full lock and get a good look. Windows seem to be problematic so make sure they seal properly when closed from the inside. If you go for a red one check that all the panels are the same colour as the panels fade differently, ideally look for a garaged car. When you take it for a drive make sure it feels properly chuckable (not as chuckable as an Elise but it still pretty damn good) as it wont if the suspension bushes are on the way out. Make sure you get the brown key and code number, You will regret it later if you don't. Overall I think the older ones are now damn good value for money if they have been looked after. The 2.0 is not exactly a road burner but it is a sweet engine that will rev all day and the lighter front end means you can throw it in to corners with a lot of confidence. I find myself borrowing it back from my wife any time my journey will involve some twisty stuff.
It is a little new to me so cannot offer long term owners advice but would suggest that you look for trim problems if you go for the cloth trim as it seems weak around seat handles etc. Tyres wear on the inside edge on the front so make sure you wind the steering to full lock and get a good look. Windows seem to be problematic so make sure they seal properly when closed from the inside. If you go for a red one check that all the panels are the same colour as the panels fade differently, ideally look for a garaged car. When you take it for a drive make sure it feels properly chuckable (not as chuckable as an Elise but it still pretty damn good) as it wont if the suspension bushes are on the way out. Make sure you get the brown key and code number, You will regret it later if you don't. Overall I think the older ones are now damn good value for money if they have been looked after. The 2.0 is not exactly a road burner but it is a sweet engine that will rev all day and the lighter front end means you can throw it in to corners with a lot of confidence. I find myself borrowing it back from my wife any time my journey will involve some twisty stuff.
I owned a 3.0L for 3.5 years, it was good fun to drive and I found it very reliable.
Things to look out for as they are expensive:
- check cam belt has been changed (roughly every 50.000 miles)
- check the rear supension (50.000 - 60.000)
- check front tyres, if they aren't worn evenly, there's a problem with the trimming (quite common, but mine never had it)
As it has frameless doors, you might hear wind noises, but they can be aligned quite easily. Check the seals, particularily whether pieces were cut off - some people tried to save the alignment by doing that.
>> Edited by ChimBungee on Saturday 15th January 00:26
Things to look out for as they are expensive:
- check cam belt has been changed (roughly every 50.000 miles)
- check the rear supension (50.000 - 60.000)
- check front tyres, if they aren't worn evenly, there's a problem with the trimming (quite common, but mine never had it)
As it has frameless doors, you might hear wind noises, but they can be aligned quite easily. Check the seals, particularily whether pieces were cut off - some people tried to save the alignment by doing that.
>> Edited by ChimBungee on Saturday 15th January 00:26
ChimBungee said:
I owned a 3.0L for 3.5 years, it was good fun to drive and I found it very reliable.
Things to look out for as they are expensive:
- check cam belt has been changed (roughly every 50.000 miles)
- check the rear supension (50.000 - 60.000)
Probably been noted before, but the 2.0TS needs a little more TLC than the 3.0V6. Both the above points are good ones, but revise the interval to 36,000 miles for the TS.
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