Just bought my first TVR, a 3000M
Discussion
Hi,
Thought I'd say hello to you guys as I've just bought myself a classic TVR a nice 1977 3000M. Here's some pictures:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2488966452
I'm thinking of joining the TVR owners club but I've read that they are not particularly "suitable" for owners of classic TVR's, is this true?
Cheers
Mark
Thought I'd say hello to you guys as I've just bought myself a classic TVR a nice 1977 3000M. Here's some pictures:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2488966452
I'm thinking of joining the TVR owners club but I've read that they are not particularly "suitable" for owners of classic TVR's, is this true?
Cheers
Mark
morbius said:Depends what you mean by "suitable", at least two or three of the current committee have M series cars. Yes at most meetings there will be more of the post 1980 cars - but that just reflects the number of M series on the road. You'll also find that this corner of PH is not as active as the newer TVRs lot. You'll find more M owners here:- http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/TVR_Pre1980/
I'm thinking of joining the TVR owners club but I've read that they are not particularly "suitable" for owners of classic TVR's, is this true?
Cheers
Mark
Don't know where your from, but the Dorset region usually has acouple of 'M's, and a Grantura along - at least there were when I last went down to the Avon Causeway in June.
Seems to me that its the Wedges that are scarce down here in the South. This versus my trip to Blackpool for Back Home 2003, where there seemed to be loads of wedges - obviously fettled under the bonnet and really well cared for
Nick (V8S) Hants.
Seems to me that its the Wedges that are scarce down here in the South. This versus my trip to Blackpool for Back Home 2003, where there seemed to be loads of wedges - obviously fettled under the bonnet and really well cared for
Nick (V8S) Hants.
There can be a few clicky groups, just shout over "if it wasn't for mine you wouldn't have yours!" that usually does the trick.
Thing is the pre 80 cars usually have caring owners and are well maintained and are a lovely contrast stood against the present models (check out the regional photos on the club sites).
All RO's will make you welcome its their job so join up even if its only for sprint magazine.
Cheers, supaspark.
Thing is the pre 80 cars usually have caring owners and are well maintained and are a lovely contrast stood against the present models (check out the regional photos on the club sites).
All RO's will make you welcome its their job so join up even if its only for sprint magazine.
Cheers, supaspark.
Mark..
Wecome !
I purchased my first TVR (3000M) about 3 months ago and had the same thoughts as yourself .
Have found that the folks on Pistonheads are VERY friendly , and plenty of advice on offer.
Some even have a reasonably good sense of humour ...!
Monthly Sprint mag. from the TVRCC also a good read.
I went to my first TVR outing about 4 weeks ago , and found that the older TVRs actually get more attention than the newer stuff , and the majority of TVR owners are pleased to see a new face .
Enjoy the 3000M......
Slainte.
Brian..
Wecome !
I purchased my first TVR (3000M) about 3 months ago and had the same thoughts as yourself .
Have found that the folks on Pistonheads are VERY friendly , and plenty of advice on offer.
Some even have a reasonably good sense of humour ...!
Monthly Sprint mag. from the TVRCC also a good read.
I went to my first TVR outing about 4 weeks ago , and found that the older TVRs actually get more attention than the newer stuff , and the majority of TVR owners are pleased to see a new face .
Enjoy the 3000M......
Slainte.
Brian..
Hi Brian,
Can't wait to get the car (got to wait until Saturday).
I'll join and see how it goes.
How do you find your 3000m? I shall be using mine as a daily driver so I'm hoping (praying) that as long as I keep on top of things it should prove to be fairly reliable (or am I kidding myself?) :-)
Cheers,
Mark
Can't wait to get the car (got to wait until Saturday).
I'll join and see how it goes.
How do you find your 3000m? I shall be using mine as a daily driver so I'm hoping (praying) that as long as I keep on top of things it should prove to be fairly reliable (or am I kidding myself?) :-)
Cheers,
Mark
Mark,
The M series is a great car, you'll enjoy tinkering with it! keep an eye on the chassis caus that can be troublsome, engine is pretty bulit proof and the rest is just basic mechanics.
The last spanner I used on mine was may 04 when i adjusted the bonnet after rebuilding! drove the car to Lemans 24H never missed a beat.
If you do have trouble AV,SR,DG have all the bits to repair!
If you join today you could make the Pow/passion event.
Cheers,
Glyn.
The M series is a great car, you'll enjoy tinkering with it! keep an eye on the chassis caus that can be troublsome, engine is pretty bulit proof and the rest is just basic mechanics.
The last spanner I used on mine was may 04 when i adjusted the bonnet after rebuilding! drove the car to Lemans 24H never missed a beat.
If you do have trouble AV,SR,DG have all the bits to repair!
If you join today you could make the Pow/passion event.
Cheers,
Glyn.
Mark..
Mine is a weekend car only , but wish I could have the opportunity of using it daily like yourself . Have done about 2000 miles in 3 months without a hitch . I would have the confidence to jump into my car and drive to London and back in it ( 1000 miles ) and enjoy the journey of course !
If you have sourced a car that has been looked after reasonably well in the past , and it is maintained properly in the future ( this model wont cost a fortune ) you should have no major worries or unexpected surprises ..
These cars are so rewarding to drive compared to modern day stuff , even if you do happen to have a minor hiccup , the pleasure you will have with the 3000M will far outweigh any problems.
ENJOY..
Brian..
Mine is a weekend car only , but wish I could have the opportunity of using it daily like yourself . Have done about 2000 miles in 3 months without a hitch . I would have the confidence to jump into my car and drive to London and back in it ( 1000 miles ) and enjoy the journey of course !
If you have sourced a car that has been looked after reasonably well in the past , and it is maintained properly in the future ( this model wont cost a fortune ) you should have no major worries or unexpected surprises ..
These cars are so rewarding to drive compared to modern day stuff , even if you do happen to have a minor hiccup , the pleasure you will have with the 3000M will far outweigh any problems.
ENJOY..
Brian..
In 12 years and over 40,000 miles and 50+ trackdays my Taimar NEVER failed to get me to a destination, ok we were late a couple of times.
Only called the AA out twice in that period, once for a fuel lock/vapourisation issue (which just went away) and once as a wheel came off on the M4 at 80mph. The latter incident was not the fault of the car design, but a fault of bad advice from an aftermarket wheel supplier. It still didn't stop me getting to the hotel before a trackday, I just told the AA what I needed and within 2hours I was on my way again. Bit of a surprise though!
The cars like being used, at one point I used mine everyday (it wasn't even garaged at this point) and if you can live with crap heaters, demisters, etc then its fine.
Have fun with it
davidy
Only called the AA out twice in that period, once for a fuel lock/vapourisation issue (which just went away) and once as a wheel came off on the M4 at 80mph. The latter incident was not the fault of the car design, but a fault of bad advice from an aftermarket wheel supplier. It still didn't stop me getting to the hotel before a trackday, I just told the AA what I needed and within 2hours I was on my way again. Bit of a surprise though!
The cars like being used, at one point I used mine everyday (it wasn't even garaged at this point) and if you can live with crap heaters, demisters, etc then its fine.
Have fun with it
davidy
If you are organised and keep on top of the little jobs which crop up I think you can use it everyday. There are things you can do to make it more useful in modern conditions like rad. fans, decent stereo, (more) comfortable suspension and improve the heating and ventilation. Why not invest in a heated finewire front windscreen for example. Trick is to not let the little jobs take it off the road as you take your time to finish them off- easy to do if you DO have another car you can use and live a busy life!
Mark,
Contratulations on your purchase of the 3000M and I hope you continue to enjoy it. The M-series TVR is, by far, the most popular of all the available TVR models here in the States(but then we haven't had any new TVRs to sample since 1987). I am now on my fourth M-series in the last 30 years, a V8 Taimar and the three previous ones were all pretty much daily drivers and performed very well. My Taimar has only let me down a couple of times since I got it, the last time for a blown radiator hose.
As for the TVR Car Club, I first joined when I got my first M-series in 1976 and have never regretted it.
Contratulations on your purchase of the 3000M and I hope you continue to enjoy it. The M-series TVR is, by far, the most popular of all the available TVR models here in the States(but then we haven't had any new TVRs to sample since 1987). I am now on my fourth M-series in the last 30 years, a V8 Taimar and the three previous ones were all pretty much daily drivers and performed very well. My Taimar has only let me down a couple of times since I got it, the last time for a blown radiator hose.
As for the TVR Car Club, I first joined when I got my first M-series in 1976 and have never regretted it.
HI Mark
I have only just bought my 1977 TVR 3000M, Well 2 month ago. Before a bought the car I went to a TVR club meet. The People that I met could not have been any Friendlier, they gave me a lot of advice and as other people have said there was more interest in the older cars than new. Piston Heads has also been a source of great help any problems our queries you may have there is always some one with an answer.
Regards
Andrew
I have only just bought my 1977 TVR 3000M, Well 2 month ago. Before a bought the car I went to a TVR club meet. The People that I met could not have been any Friendlier, they gave me a lot of advice and as other people have said there was more interest in the older cars than new. Piston Heads has also been a source of great help any problems our queries you may have there is always some one with an answer.
Regards
Andrew
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the replies, I feel welcome already.
I can't wait to get my hands on the car, it has had a full restoration over the last 10 years (£13,000 worth including the chassis!) and has all the receipts and photos to prove it so I'm hoping that I'm starting from a fairly sound base.
I shall join the club next month and take the car down to a meet and see how I get on, it would be the Norfolk/Suffolk or Cambridgshire meet as I'm in Norfolk or possibly a Nth London one.
Seems like everyone on here enjoys driving their 3000m's or Taimars and I can't wait to join you all.
The car is standard as far as I know with the exception of a K&N air filter (I don't know how much this increases performance if at all!!) it has had a modern stereo and speakers fitted and extra cooling fans as well, other than that it's standard.
Do you know if it's possible to get a manual for the car so that I can do any routine maintenance on it?
Also if anybody can recommend a good place for servicing/MOT's etc. in the Norfolk/Cambs area that would be helpful as well.
Can you get covers for these cars as it will be spending most of it's life parked outside (I have off road parking but it's not covered)
Hope to see some of you soon...
Cheers,
Mark
Thanks for all the replies, I feel welcome already.
I can't wait to get my hands on the car, it has had a full restoration over the last 10 years (£13,000 worth including the chassis!) and has all the receipts and photos to prove it so I'm hoping that I'm starting from a fairly sound base.
I shall join the club next month and take the car down to a meet and see how I get on, it would be the Norfolk/Suffolk or Cambridgshire meet as I'm in Norfolk or possibly a Nth London one.
Seems like everyone on here enjoys driving their 3000m's or Taimars and I can't wait to join you all.
The car is standard as far as I know with the exception of a K&N air filter (I don't know how much this increases performance if at all!!) it has had a modern stereo and speakers fitted and extra cooling fans as well, other than that it's standard.
Do you know if it's possible to get a manual for the car so that I can do any routine maintenance on it?
Also if anybody can recommend a good place for servicing/MOT's etc. in the Norfolk/Cambs area that would be helpful as well.
Can you get covers for these cars as it will be spending most of it's life parked outside (I have off road parking but it's not covered)
Hope to see some of you soon...
Cheers,
Mark
Supaspark,
I haven't had any concrete performance figures recorded on my car yet. I have been through the suspension since acquiring the car last summer, and haven't had time to get it on a track or anything.
I do know it has a rating of 210 horsepower and that is more than sufficient in a car as light as the Taimar. At the same time, it returns about 27 mpg on the highway in 5th gear....sort of the best of both worlds in that respect.
I haven't had any concrete performance figures recorded on my car yet. I have been through the suspension since acquiring the car last summer, and haven't had time to get it on a track or anything.
I do know it has a rating of 210 horsepower and that is more than sufficient in a car as light as the Taimar. At the same time, it returns about 27 mpg on the highway in 5th gear....sort of the best of both worlds in that respect.
Morbius
re:manuals
no dedicated manual I'm afraid, but I would suggest getting hold of the following:-
3000M Owners manual (you may have one of these with the car)
M series Parts Manual - available through the club
Ford Capri II Haynes Manual - covers engine and gearbox
TR6 Haynes Manual - covers braking, driveshafts (though they are Triumph 2000 not TR6 but look the same but are longer), etc
That youi give you some light reading to be getting on with.
davidy
re:manuals
no dedicated manual I'm afraid, but I would suggest getting hold of the following:-
3000M Owners manual (you may have one of these with the car)
M series Parts Manual - available through the club
Ford Capri II Haynes Manual - covers engine and gearbox
TR6 Haynes Manual - covers braking, driveshafts (though they are Triumph 2000 not TR6 but look the same but are longer), etc
That youi give you some light reading to be getting on with.
davidy
Hi Mark
Congratulations on your purchase.
The next Suffolk/Norfolk TVRCC meet is on Sunday (19th)at Fynn Valley Golf Club, just north of Ipswich, starting around 12.30pm. We will be there with our Taimar Turbo SE and probably the Tuscan - you are more than welcome to come along - it would be great to see some of the earlier cars.
Additionally we have Mike from the Polishing Company displaying and demonstrating his products, so hopefully should be a good meet.
On the servicing side locally, Scole Engineering have an excellent reputation, and have done good work on the Taimar. For specialist knowledge and a fountain of parts Adrian Venn @ Exactly TVR is very good
Look forward to meeting you
Mark
Congratulations on your purchase.
The next Suffolk/Norfolk TVRCC meet is on Sunday (19th)at Fynn Valley Golf Club, just north of Ipswich, starting around 12.30pm. We will be there with our Taimar Turbo SE and probably the Tuscan - you are more than welcome to come along - it would be great to see some of the earlier cars.
Additionally we have Mike from the Polishing Company displaying and demonstrating his products, so hopefully should be a good meet.
On the servicing side locally, Scole Engineering have an excellent reputation, and have done good work on the Taimar. For specialist knowledge and a fountain of parts Adrian Venn @ Exactly TVR is very good
Look forward to meeting you
Mark
Gassing Station | TVR Classics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff