hello

[tuscan_thunder]

hi all,

i am thinking of buying a new car which can be very impractical as i will only have it for around a year (impending marriage).

i was half decided on an elise. BUT, as the part-owner of a G26 (full spec stage 3 2.1 pinto, 5 speed, engine on stand, whole car in need of repair) i feel an affinity to Ginetta. I also suspect a G33 will be cheaper than the equivalent Griffith.

I have been a a G33 once- the original yellow press car and it was fairly impressive. but that was many years ago. i also have a hillclimb fiesta which i will be selling soon so the G33/Elise/whatever will be used as a day car and a weekend toy. my daily commute is only about 4 miles so that is not too much of a problem.

So, are G33s out there? are they easy to find? what are the main problems (as opposed to issues such as leaking)? what money do they go for?

any help/advice gratefully received

yrs
t_t

[ccharlie6]

Theres a very nice looking G33 on Ebay at the moment which i would love but alas student funding doesn't stretch that far! i dont think there is much to go wrong with them understressed V8 and all best person to ask i think is minimax as he has one

[url]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=18308&item=4505417523&rd=1[/url]

>> Edited by ccharlie6 on Thursday 25th November 18:31

[tail slide]

IMO a G33 fits the bill as a simple gutsy sports car experience. Price for standard ones 6-12k depending on condition, fairly straightforward to check out as long as you know your way around cars, & hold their value at this level. Often leak a bit in heavy rain & demisting is useless, but great fun whether dawdling or pressing on. Not as comfy/well equipped as a Griff but simpler to maintain & similar performance.
I enjoyed both!

[ccharlie6]

i've never heard a G33 driven in anger and ive been told that they actually are louder than a Griff! is this true?

[minimax]

tail slide said:

IMO a G33 fits the bill as a simple gutsy sports car experience. Price for standard ones 6-12k depending on condition, fairly straightforward to check out as long as you know your way around cars,

dead easy to check as everything is simple + no electronic gadgetry to blow up!

tail slide said:

Often leak a bit in heavy rain & demisting is useless,

understatement!!! rain collects in the underside lip of the dashboard and spills over into the footwell flooding it (until I fixed mine there was often 2" of water in the footwells) and also spills on to your legs when you take a bend and through the heater outlets, the steering column, and the plate over where the stereo would go. however, this is easily sorted with a bit of silicone sealant in the right places.
I forgot to mention that the doors leak along the sill so eventually (20 - 45 minutes in heavy rain at motorway speeds) the sill carpets will soak through thoroughly

tail slide said:

but great fun whether dawdling or pressing on. Not as comfy/well equipped as a Griff but simpler to maintain & similar performance. I enjoyed both!

absoultely correct, it is spartan, but that means low weight, and with 270 lb/ft as standard you will find it plays with a 4.0 or 4.3 griff and there's damn all in it with a 5.0!

I drive mine to work every day, rain or shine and take the long route home every day and I absolutely adore it - as for reliability I have put 11,000 miles on it in 4 months with no problems, including driving 2,800 miles to the algarve & back again fault free

>> Edited by minimax on Friday 26th November 17:28

[minimax]

ccharlie6 said:

i've never heard a G33 driven in anger and ive been told that they actually are louder than a Griff! is this true?

when I took it to croft the marshall said it went off the noise meter and wouldn't let me back on! other PHer's there told me it was the nicest sounding car in attendance (including ultimas, cerberas and 911's)
and I have heard it mentioned before that it sounds better. it's certainly a different sound to a griff - the griff is what I would describe as woofly/rumbly whereas the ginetta sounds like a nascar racer (in the words of burriana500) or a souped up mustang with no exhaust!


I am ever so slightly proud of it



>> Edited by minimax on Friday 26th November 17:30

[ccharlie6]

It sounds like im building the wrong ginetta! well i'll definitely have to try and get one later on in life