New to the scene

[eddieb28]

Hi, Im new to the world of TVR. I am looking to shortly buy a Griff 500/Chimera 4.5/5 and have a bugdet of around £14K mark. I have currently got a Seat Ibiza Cupra and a KTM 400 enduro bike. I am a speed threak and can't wait to get the TVR beast. Is this enough doe to get a nice one? I have seen a few advertised for around this price and before going out to look at one I want to see if there is anything major to look out for or are there any guides available with all this useful stuff listed?

I am fairly mechanically minded but one of my good friends basically runs his own garage and he is going to carry out most of the work on it for me. Together we are gonna look for one and hopefully find a beauty.

[dnb]

It's enough cash. There is a buyer's guide lurking somewhere (you should turn it up by searching for "buyer's guide" - it may take 10 minutes for the search to work...)
General points - look for bodged repairs, check the chassis conditions, especially the outriggers, check the fans come on when the engine is warm (TVR wiring isn't up to much), check it drives smoothly and goes fast... Also look for a good service history from a reputable dealer or independant (or evidence of good competant DIY servicing if you don't mind this).

It's easier and cheaper for most people to repair "surface" problems such as respraying the stone chips than to have major mechanical work done... (Mind you, this may not hold true if you have access to good workshop facilities )

Maintainance is straight forward with nothing complicated, but there are a lot of checks & inspections involved - such as chassis condition - which need to be done regularly and take time.

Don't worry about getting a low milage example. High milage ones are often bargains as they've had the problems shaken out of them. My Griff 500 has done approx 100k miles and the engine & drivetrain are as good as they've ever been. It needs a respray and some tidying up, but other than that and having some mods to finish is in good health.

[eddieb28]

Thanks alot for the info - I will trawl the net for this buying guide. I was kind of hoping for one with around 35-45K miles on the clock but maybe I will be able to pay a bit less for a slightly higher mileage one and hope that the common problems/niggles would have been ironed out.

Hopefully next time Im posting a thread it'l be titled, "Just bought a Griff 500"

Thanks

Ed

(Keep an eye out for the pics)

[VSP90]

I agree a low mileage infrequently used car is not always a good car. The more I use my Griff 500 the better it runs. I managed a 100 mile round trip in sunny Kent yesterday with the targa top in the boot. (wearing my hat and gloves and heater on full bore !!)

[Painey]

eddieb28 said:

Thanks alot for the info - I will trawl the net for this buying guide. I was kind of hoping for one with around 35-45K miles on the clock but maybe I will be able to pay a bit less for a slightly higher mileage one and hope that the common problems/niggles would have been ironed out. Hopefully next time Im posting a thread it'l be titled, "Just bought a Griff 500" Thanks Ed (Keep an eye out for the pics)

Eddie, I've just very reluctantly put an ad up for mine in the classifieds as I fancy a change after 3 years. It needs a front respray but mechanically it's a cracker. You'll certainly have a tough task on your hands finding a standard car that's quicker than mine!! Pics should be up soon but check out my profile if they're not up yet. Get in touch if you want more info.

All the best - Chris.

[Hoover.]

This Griff Pages are full of useful info

... heres a link to the buyers guide

www.thegriffithpages.com/content/view/37/76/

[jeffsy]

... and come to the Growl in August

[eddieb28]

Chris - Sounds good, I'll check out the classifieds. I had a look at your profile and the car looks good - in a nice colour.

Also thanks for the link to the buying guide. I stumbled across that yesterday actually. Your right this site does have loads of useful stuff on hear to study.

And the growl sounds good! I'll def be up for meets/track days once the beast has arrived - (track days probably not till the weather cheers up a bit!- Dont fancy hacking round a wet track in a high powered, light, RWD sports car!)

One of my good mates has just taken delivery of a Westfield Mega Blade kit. We've been cracking on with that! Im interested to see what thats gonna be like! Hope the TVR can keep up round the track -(maybe not on the tighties but on the swoopers and straights I would imagine it would thrash it?!)

[GarryM]

eddieb28 said:

One of my good mates has just taken delivery of a Westfield Mega Blade kit. We've been cracking on with that! Im interested to see what thats gonna be like! Hope the TVR can keep up round the track -(maybe not on the tighties but on the swoopers and straights I would imagine it would thrash it?!)

Hmm.. not so sure, those Westies are v. quick. The biggest difference will be you can drive home afterwards wearing a big grin on your face whereas your mate will be wearing bugs and flies and feeling knackered.

[red griff roger]

Worth looking at the TVRCC site, or getting a copy of the mag. Move fast - prices tend to tick up as the warm weather gets nearer!

[eddieb28]

Yeah thats the main reason why Ive chosen to go with the TVR over the westies/cats. Even if im not quite as fast round there - at least Ive got a heater and CD player for the way home!
I'll check out that site to get a rough idea on dates/prices for the track days. I need to sell my Ibiza now. Gonna get it ready to sell - (New tyres, MOT)
Im really looking forward to doing a track day in the TVR - never done one in a car before - I used to be a crotch rocket pilot - did Cadwell and Malory Park on the R6 and Aprilia RS250 - that was fun! Hope the TVR is gonna be just as entertaining as the bikes were!!