Bought a Grifter Yesterday.......
Discussion
It is a 1998 Griff 500 in BMW Velvet Blue with Magnolia.
I bought it from a fellow PH'er who had owned it from new. It had only covered 4800 miles and has not been used for the last two or three years.
Given the lack of use, I was surprised that it managed the 250 mile journey home without the clutch slave bursting a seal or the brakes failing.
It is now safely taxed and tested and in my garage awaiting the mother of all services. It will probably get the calipers rebuilt just to be on the safe side.
It is a timewarp car, just like new inside, outside and underneath, with just a couple of minor paint blemishes to fix.
I was starting to despair of finding a really good one after seeing a couple of late LE models, one of which was mouldy, damp, had rust all over the chassis and was absolutely covered in stonechips.
This one is a great drive, though the surfeit of torque over traction is something to watch out for.
The throttle response, unbelievable thrust and the quality of the gearchance are a revelation after the Esprit, even if the steering and ride quality fall somewhat short of Lotus standards.
Then there is the noise, which is fantastic, if a little subdued compared to early Griffs and big wedges.
My friendly MOT tester gave me a broad wink when I mentioned decatting the thing, so there is plenty of scope to make the thing sound completely savage.
I ought to have done this years ago.....
Cheers
Pat
I bought it from a fellow PH'er who had owned it from new. It had only covered 4800 miles and has not been used for the last two or three years.
Given the lack of use, I was surprised that it managed the 250 mile journey home without the clutch slave bursting a seal or the brakes failing.
It is now safely taxed and tested and in my garage awaiting the mother of all services. It will probably get the calipers rebuilt just to be on the safe side.
It is a timewarp car, just like new inside, outside and underneath, with just a couple of minor paint blemishes to fix.
I was starting to despair of finding a really good one after seeing a couple of late LE models, one of which was mouldy, damp, had rust all over the chassis and was absolutely covered in stonechips.
This one is a great drive, though the surfeit of torque over traction is something to watch out for.
The throttle response, unbelievable thrust and the quality of the gearchance are a revelation after the Esprit, even if the steering and ride quality fall somewhat short of Lotus standards.
Then there is the noise, which is fantastic, if a little subdued compared to early Griffs and big wedges.
My friendly MOT tester gave me a broad wink when I mentioned decatting the thing, so there is plenty of scope to make the thing sound completely savage.
I ought to have done this years ago.....
Cheers
Pat
should prodly be stuck on your face now and hope you have ordered your Chest wig and Medallion. 
Chuckler said:In all honesty, if you buy a seven year old TVR privately and the only fault is a disfunctional horn, then you have been unbelievably lucky.
Glad you're pleased with her Pat, and sorry again about that horn!
I bought it expecting to have to replace items like the radiator, exhaust, pads, caliper seals, clutch slave cylinder and even the tyres.
If I get away with only having to do a couple of things from that list, then I will be a happy man.
Hats off to you for choosing BMW Velvet Blue, it is a fantastic colour.
Cheers
Pat
The greatest TVR ever. 
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