Advice on buying a 3000M
Discussion
I have an opportunity to buy a 1976 3000M but need to find some more info.
The car has been stored in a barn for 16 years on axle stands with all the fluids drained from it vital parts. The engine turns manually. There is 66,000 miles on the clock.
Chassis has some surface rust. Bodywork has some bubbling no sign of crazing. Window frames are pitted. Windows look and work OK. Clutch pedal doesn't move (maybe because it has no fluid). All brakes have been freed, front discs have been skimmed. New Toyo tyres, alloys are reasonable. Interior looks like it needs a good clean, although two large rips on the drivers seat. All parts are seem to be there, although one bumper needs replacing.
Anything in particular I need to be looking at?
What sort of price do you think I should be paying?
The car has been stored in a barn for 16 years on axle stands with all the fluids drained from it vital parts. The engine turns manually. There is 66,000 miles on the clock.
Chassis has some surface rust. Bodywork has some bubbling no sign of crazing. Window frames are pitted. Windows look and work OK. Clutch pedal doesn't move (maybe because it has no fluid). All brakes have been freed, front discs have been skimmed. New Toyo tyres, alloys are reasonable. Interior looks like it needs a good clean, although two large rips on the drivers seat. All parts are seem to be there, although one bumper needs replacing.
Anything in particular I need to be looking at?
What sort of price do you think I should be paying?
After sixteen years? The cost of a newly rebuilt one minus the cost of totally rebuilding it. After sixteen years you can't count on any seals, bushes, hoses being good. Pot luck what state the internals are in, it's possible they've retained enough oil to prevent corrosion, it's also possible that your bearings etc are now covered in rust.
Pocket money! Seriously from your description neither the bodywork, nor the interior are in excellent condition. The mechanicals are an unkown entity and are going to need time and money. Unless you want the the challenge of a restoration and have the time and motivation to do this, you would probably be better leaving it or buying a car where all the work has been done. I'm speaking from having rebuilt a 3000M myself and it took a very long time.
hey, mr sheen how are ya?
that looks impressively tidy for an old car left dormant for that long i was thinking that it would make a great litle weekend project maybe.
funny enough i was reading somewhere the other day that there are quite a few 3000M's stashed away in barns and lockups just waiting to be found and restored.
make sure rats or any other critters haven't been knawing away at the wiring or made a nest in it somewhere.
good luck with it if you decide to buy it!
see you around mate!
BTW great photography in the new Tipler book!
>> Edited by forthright mc on Tuesday 31st January 01:57
that looks impressively tidy for an old car left dormant for that long i was thinking that it would make a great litle weekend project maybe.
funny enough i was reading somewhere the other day that there are quite a few 3000M's stashed away in barns and lockups just waiting to be found and restored.
make sure rats or any other critters haven't been knawing away at the wiring or made a nest in it somewhere.
good luck with it if you decide to buy it!
see you around mate!
BTW great photography in the new Tipler book!
>> Edited by forthright mc on Tuesday 31st January 01:57
Anyone wants a rear screen I've got one
Things to look for on the car. Check the chassis very carefully round the rear wheels. There is a latitudinal member ahead of the rear wheels which forms the front of the structure which hold the diff and goes underneath the leading edge of the shelf behind the seats. This can rot out at its ends and it's an MOT failure item. Also check the chassis rails underneath the battery box as these tend to get acid on them and rot out.
If the doors have dropped the replacement hinges are Anglia 105e and virtually unobtainable so you'd have to have them rebuilt
Most of the mechanical/electrical bits can still be got and someone like Adrian Venn will give you more details of what to look for
Things to look for on the car. Check the chassis very carefully round the rear wheels. There is a latitudinal member ahead of the rear wheels which forms the front of the structure which hold the diff and goes underneath the leading edge of the shelf behind the seats. This can rot out at its ends and it's an MOT failure item. Also check the chassis rails underneath the battery box as these tend to get acid on them and rot out.
If the doors have dropped the replacement hinges are Anglia 105e and virtually unobtainable so you'd have to have them rebuilt
Most of the mechanical/electrical bits can still be got and someone like Adrian Venn will give you more details of what to look for
The best advice is to examine your reason for wanting to buy it.Whatever you pay for it , it will be a negative equity car. This does not mean it has no value but it does mean that if you want to restore it , it will cost far more to do properly than it will ever be worth and looking at your V8S you will not be happy with driving around in an unreliable shed.
Its 30 years old, which means that every single part of it is 30 years old. It was 14 years old when it was put in the barn and I will bet it was not put to rest because it was in its first throws of youth and was in good condition. Add to that 16 years of cold and damp and hot and damp.
It will need taking down to a bare chassis and TOTALLY rebuilding from the ground up which could easily cost £10000+ not counting your own time.
I have a 3000S which I have 90% restored for myself using the BEST of everything and if its not new its recondtioned, and I mean everything. It needs little to finish it but time and has cost me to date in excess of £12000 on top of buying it and that does not include one penny for my time, genuine 36000 miles and potentially one of the best. It will soon be for sale at much less than half of what it has cost because I just dont have the time to finish it.
The point of this droning reply is if you want to do it for the joy of what you achieve and the pleasure you can gain from the pride in owning it then it is worth doing, if you think you can do it on the cheap then you just can't. So many people think that because many of the parts are from another car they are free but my engine alone has cost over £3500.
I sincerely hope that you buy it and make a nice car of it again, these "M" Series cars are far better than many think and I cannot understand why they have such little value when people will frequently spend £8000 on an MGBGT. From the mid 80's till about 2000 people frowned on non convertible TVR's but now we have the Cerbera, T350 and Sagaris so maybe TVR coupes are the way to go and given that we live in England may not be as silly as people think.
Make the right decision and though I am close to stopping trading in TVR's I did everything from enthusiasm sTeVeR
>> Edited by thegamekeeper on Tuesday 31st January 20:31
>> Edited by thegamekeeper on Tuesday 31st January 20:37
>> Edited by thegamekeeper on Wednesday 1st February 09:46
Its 30 years old, which means that every single part of it is 30 years old. It was 14 years old when it was put in the barn and I will bet it was not put to rest because it was in its first throws of youth and was in good condition. Add to that 16 years of cold and damp and hot and damp.
It will need taking down to a bare chassis and TOTALLY rebuilding from the ground up which could easily cost £10000+ not counting your own time.
I have a 3000S which I have 90% restored for myself using the BEST of everything and if its not new its recondtioned, and I mean everything. It needs little to finish it but time and has cost me to date in excess of £12000 on top of buying it and that does not include one penny for my time, genuine 36000 miles and potentially one of the best. It will soon be for sale at much less than half of what it has cost because I just dont have the time to finish it.
The point of this droning reply is if you want to do it for the joy of what you achieve and the pleasure you can gain from the pride in owning it then it is worth doing, if you think you can do it on the cheap then you just can't. So many people think that because many of the parts are from another car they are free but my engine alone has cost over £3500.
I sincerely hope that you buy it and make a nice car of it again, these "M" Series cars are far better than many think and I cannot understand why they have such little value when people will frequently spend £8000 on an MGBGT. From the mid 80's till about 2000 people frowned on non convertible TVR's but now we have the Cerbera, T350 and Sagaris so maybe TVR coupes are the way to go and given that we live in England may not be as silly as people think.
Make the right decision and though I am close to stopping trading in TVR's I did everything from enthusiasm sTeVeR
>> Edited by thegamekeeper on Tuesday 31st January 20:31
>> Edited by thegamekeeper on Tuesday 31st January 20:37
>> Edited by thegamekeeper on Wednesday 1st February 09:46
A helpful hint if you do 'restore' a 3000M - remember to put back all the nuts holding the steering wheel on! Something which I must of forgot! So that when the dealer who buys it from you takes it for a drive with a magazine journalist for a car magazine article the steering wheel doesnt start to come loose 
.
Remember gamekeeper - Martin 2 1993!
>> Edited by redwedge5 on Saturday 4th February 18:26
. Remember gamekeeper - Martin 2 1993!
>> Edited by redwedge5 on Saturday 4th February 18:26
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