Discussion
I am looking to buy a 94 griff 500, what shall i specifically be aware of when inspecting the car, apart from obvious body/ interior markings etc. the car I am going to look at has had full TVR history up to 2001, but the previous owner 'serviced it himself' since. the only 'not working' item i am told is the heater switch. is this common? and easy to replace?
sorry for my ignorance!
many thanks!
sorry for my ignorance!
many thanks!
There's a buyers guide on www.tvrbooks.co.uk.
The heater switch is part of an electronics contraol panel and may be a £200 ish to replace depending on whether the whole board needs to be replaced and is still available.
The heater switch is part of an electronics contraol panel and may be a £200 ish to replace depending on whether the whole board needs to be replaced and is still available.
seasider said:
M@H said:
Ex TVR mechanic is he..?
I'm sorry but if someone is a competent mechanic i see absolutely no problem with them servicing the car themselves....
Are you deliberately trolling?
If you're not, then an set of stamps in your hand books tells you about as much as a customs ofiicial needs to know when you want to ship your Dachshund to Greece. ('..er guv, I did them injections myself...')
It's not quite a Vauxhall, is it...
>> Edited by scruffy on Thursday 21st April 09:39
I see it as a positive benefit if a car has been properly serviced by a competent owner. Hopefully he will have kept receipts for the parts and oil and kept a record of what was done. Nothing on a Griff is particularly complicated and the enthusiastic owner driver will probably have far more interest in doing things properly that the spotty youth at a main dealer. I really don’t understand all the excitement about dealer stamps in the book
I think the chassis is basically quite strong, anything after the gearbox should be well oiled anyway and in good condition, area's under the manifolds suffer from heat which takes away the protection and then surface rust leading to holes are common - so a good inspection in this area is a must - those mirrors on sticks will help!
Main chassis is central and away from the sides of the car, so accident damage shouldn't of touched the main frame. Out-riggers are vunerable, these basically hold up the seats and are ancorage for the seatbelts and could of been used as a jacking point, these can be replaced - but its not cheap!
Back to signs of accident damage - the wishbones etc are TVR's own and look quite flimsy, any 'bang' in that area will twist and bend same, serious rust in those areas need attention - but they are straight forward to replace.
Best of luck
Main chassis is central and away from the sides of the car, so accident damage shouldn't of touched the main frame. Out-riggers are vunerable, these basically hold up the seats and are ancorage for the seatbelts and could of been used as a jacking point, these can be replaced - but its not cheap!
Back to signs of accident damage - the wishbones etc are TVR's own and look quite flimsy, any 'bang' in that area will twist and bend same, serious rust in those areas need attention - but they are straight forward to replace.
Best of luck
Neither do I, but the oiks with the most cash do.
It's whether the guy wants to pay top dollar for a car with some comeback/gaurantee, or buy a dog and spend months under the bonnet (...boot, left wing, roff struts, boot again, radiator...)
Personally i relish the thought of oily hands, but some don't.. and have been brought up a strange way...
It's whether the guy wants to pay top dollar for a car with some comeback/gaurantee, or buy a dog and spend months under the bonnet (...boot, left wing, roff struts, boot again, radiator...)
Personally i relish the thought of oily hands, but some don't.. and have been brought up a strange way...
seasider said:
M@H said:
I'm sorry but if someone is a competent mechanic i see absolutely no problem with them servicing the car themselves....
Agreed... as long as they have access to a decent ramp and the appropriate tools... and tracking equipment... a pleathora of receipts for the correct parts... etc etc...
>> Edited by Podie on Thursday 21st April 09:58
seasider said:
I'm sorry but if someone is a competent mechanic i see absolutely no problem with them servicing the car themselves....
Agreed. In fact a knowledgable enthusiast MAY have a better car than one thats been serviced at the usual recommended places.
(The Griff isn't exactly that complicated!).
I would get it fully checked out though, regardless.
Plus it does give the possible resale problem of not having a stamped up book.
It's all about risk. Some self serviced cars are an absolute dream but in practice these tend to be the exception rather than the rule. While there is nothing really complicated, there is plenty of opportunities to miss stuff and/or bodge it.
There are no hard and fast rules but buyer beware. If the guy is really competent and knows what he is doing with TVRs, then fine. If he doesn't then it might be a bit of a pig. I stress might. The risk of getting a wrong'un is a lot higher so take more care. I wouldn't rule it out but check and check again.
Might be worth asking him how long it takes to service the car. If he says about an hour or so... be afraid very afraid as that is not long enough to do the job correctly as it involves a lot of inspection and checking. Accessing bits all takes time so the chances are, it hasn't been done correctly.
This is why you need to go in with your eyes wide open. It might be very good but the chances are it may not. Get it checked and that goes for buying anywhere, including dealers.
There are no hard and fast rules but buyer beware. If the guy is really competent and knows what he is doing with TVRs, then fine. If he doesn't then it might be a bit of a pig. I stress might. The risk of getting a wrong'un is a lot higher so take more care. I wouldn't rule it out but check and check again.
Might be worth asking him how long it takes to service the car. If he says about an hour or so... be afraid very afraid as that is not long enough to do the job correctly as it involves a lot of inspection and checking. Accessing bits all takes time so the chances are, it hasn't been done correctly.
This is why you need to go in with your eyes wide open. It might be very good but the chances are it may not. Get it checked and that goes for buying anywhere, including dealers.
scruffy said:
Are you deliberately trolling?
At least have the courtesy to look at someone's profile
scruffy said:The rear lights are
It's not quite a Vauxhall, is it...
It's not a dancing donkey either 
For anyone with A reasonable mechanical knowledge its not that difficult...
steve-v8s said:
I see it as a positive benefit if a car has been properly serviced by a competent owner.
Podie said:Or axle stands, string, spirit level etc etc...
Agreed... as long as they have access to a decent ramp and the appropriate tools... and tracking equipment... a pleathora of receipts for the correct parts... etc etc...
Checked with 4 wheel laser, spot on
DustyC said:Thanks...& Hi big guy
Agreed.
seasider said:
I'm sorry but if someone is a competent mechanic i see absolutely no problem with them servicing the car themselves....
Each to their own.. for the sake of £200-£300 a service I'd rather have an Indie look at mine, mainly because of the repercussions "self service" have on residual price and saleability.
However bear in mind that for some reason some people seem to think that "self servicing" is merely changing the plugs, oil and filters once in a while.
As long as this chap has been doing all the inspections, torquing up the diff bolts, changing the brake fluid, etc etc then doubltess its fine, but personally I wouldn't buy a 12.5k TVR with no stamps in the book for four years.
A 2k runabout YES, 12.5k TVR sportscar NO
Cheers,
Matt.
Avaits replies with flameproof suit on.
M@H said:
Avaits replies with flameproof suit on.
Not from me
And i would rather know that the car i'm driving has had all the work done...
Dont get me wrong mine has a stamped book as well as the work/servicing i'm doing
It just p
s me off that some people think that you need a degree in mechanical engineering to work on these cars.... Let me think
edited to add
M@H said:& 1200miles?
Each to their own.. for the sake of £200-£300 a service
You are welcome to do an inspection on mine Matt
>> Edited by seasider on Thursday 21st April 15:29
Hi Ian,
If i was buying again i would look out for...:
1. clunks in the transmission
2. Smooth engine running performance
3. Good outriggers wishbones - outriggers expensive to replace, wishbones cheap, but will give you an indication of how the car has been looked after. Find out if there is someone in your area with one who would go and look at it with you...obviously no guarantee but could spot something suspect??!!
I bought mine a year ago and it was sourced from a specialist 'Rob Ingleby', in the first few months i had to spend about 2 grand....not happy but at least now i know it has had stuff done. I have had it serviced at an independent and now intend to change oil myself and have done quite a few upgrades myself. I would deffo buy another specialist car from someone who had done stuff themselves as I agree you take much better care than the youth at the dealer!!
Regards and good luck (i personally would have a spare grand or two for the unexpected, they are great cars but do take a hammering)
Lig.
If i was buying again i would look out for...:
1. clunks in the transmission
2. Smooth engine running performance
3. Good outriggers wishbones - outriggers expensive to replace, wishbones cheap, but will give you an indication of how the car has been looked after. Find out if there is someone in your area with one who would go and look at it with you...obviously no guarantee but could spot something suspect??!!
I bought mine a year ago and it was sourced from a specialist 'Rob Ingleby', in the first few months i had to spend about 2 grand....not happy but at least now i know it has had stuff done. I have had it serviced at an independent and now intend to change oil myself and have done quite a few upgrades myself. I would deffo buy another specialist car from someone who had done stuff themselves as I agree you take much better care than the youth at the dealer!!
Regards and good luck (i personally would have a spare grand or two for the unexpected, they are great cars but do take a hammering)
Lig.
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