OMG I never thought buying a car would be this hard
Discussion
Sorry guys for the long post, just had a bizarre experience yesterday trying to buy a Griff.
I'll try and stay clear of the no name and shame policy so here goes.
Went to view a 1999 Blue Griff last weekend that I saw in Autotrader, I liked the look of the car and the salesmen seemed like they wanted to get rid of it as the garage it is being sold from do not specialise in sports cars let alone TVR's.
I had noticed that the outriggers are how I like my bacon, cripsy. So with the dealers permission I snapped a couple of photos of them and the car in general.
I also checked up front with them whether they would have no problem if I get the car looked over by a TVR specialist. They were fine with that
As the car had been sitting a while the battery was completely flat and after telling them where to locate the battery they had no luck in trying to start it with there little jump start pack. Think it was only 300amp. So I agreed with them as I was interested in the car that I would come back next week to hear it running and a test drive.
So fast forward to yesterday took a test drive car sounded nice, drove well so decided to make an offer.
The car was advertised at £16,495 for a 99T Griff with 37k on the clock which I thought was about right for a car that age "in good condition". I told the sales guy that the car ticked all the boxes but I thought that the outriggers would need attention and it is also due for a service from looking at the service history file.
I said that in my opinion the outriggers would need replacing as they were quite bad on all for corners that you can see easily and along the front tubes. So I factored in the cost of this and the service and gave him an offer. (minus a bit more for the usual haggling that normally ensues).
Apparently I was miles off what he wants also got the "they're all like that" in response to the outriggers so we say, "ok no problem what figure did you have in mind?" which was met with another your miles off. He goes away consults with his mate and comes back in a huff and tells me he no longer wants to sell it!
I think I upset him and maybe told him what he already new that the car is not worth what he was asking and he screwed up taking it in part exchange?
So I am still on the lookout for a Griff 500, the search continues...
I'll try and stay clear of the no name and shame policy so here goes.
Went to view a 1999 Blue Griff last weekend that I saw in Autotrader, I liked the look of the car and the salesmen seemed like they wanted to get rid of it as the garage it is being sold from do not specialise in sports cars let alone TVR's.
I had noticed that the outriggers are how I like my bacon, cripsy. So with the dealers permission I snapped a couple of photos of them and the car in general.
I also checked up front with them whether they would have no problem if I get the car looked over by a TVR specialist. They were fine with that
As the car had been sitting a while the battery was completely flat and after telling them where to locate the battery they had no luck in trying to start it with there little jump start pack. Think it was only 300amp. So I agreed with them as I was interested in the car that I would come back next week to hear it running and a test drive.
So fast forward to yesterday took a test drive car sounded nice, drove well so decided to make an offer.
The car was advertised at £16,495 for a 99T Griff with 37k on the clock which I thought was about right for a car that age "in good condition". I told the sales guy that the car ticked all the boxes but I thought that the outriggers would need attention and it is also due for a service from looking at the service history file.
I said that in my opinion the outriggers would need replacing as they were quite bad on all for corners that you can see easily and along the front tubes. So I factored in the cost of this and the service and gave him an offer. (minus a bit more for the usual haggling that normally ensues).
Apparently I was miles off what he wants also got the "they're all like that" in response to the outriggers so we say, "ok no problem what figure did you have in mind?" which was met with another your miles off. He goes away consults with his mate and comes back in a huff and tells me he no longer wants to sell it!
I think I upset him and maybe told him what he already new that the car is not worth what he was asking and he screwed up taking it in part exchange?
So I am still on the lookout for a Griff 500, the search continues...
Barry Ashcroft said:
+1 Looks like it has been loved royceybaby said:
I think I upset him and maybe told him what he already new that the car is not worth what he was asking and he screwed up taking it in part exchange?
If this is the car you want then give the guy a call in the morning, say you wanted to apologize because in the heat of the emotion you got a bit carried away (lay it on nice and thick to make him realize that you're really in love with the car). Tell him your best offer (one that you will honour if he says OK) - say you've scratched around to get it together and it really is the most you can afford. Ask that he keeps this offer in mind over the next few days and be sure to give him your phone number again. If this isn't a regular TVR dealer and expecting that few people will stumble through his doorway he and his boss might remember that cashflow is king and hanging on for another few months in hope probably isn't sensible. Then back off for a few days and see what happens. Give the dealer a little tickle on day 4 if you haven't heard anything.Barry Ashcroft said:
Yes I have seen that before, it has definitively been loved in its life. Shame it's not what I am after, I am looking for a more original looking example with the standard wheels and exhaust, the red interior is not quite my cup of tea either.I know I'm a fussy b
d 
Hut49 said:
royceybaby said:
I think I upset him and maybe told him what he already new that the car is not worth what he was asking and he screwed up taking it in part exchange?
If this is the car you want then give the guy a call in the morning, say you wanted to apologize because in the heat of the emotion you got a bit carried away (lay it on nice and thick to make him realize that you're really in love with the car). Tell him your best offer (one that you will honour if he says OK) - say you've scratched around to get it together and it really is the most you can afford. Ask that he keeps this offer in mind over the next few days and be sure to give him your phone number again. If this isn't a regular TVR dealer and expecting that few people will stumble through his doorway he and his boss might remember that cashflow is king and hanging on for another few months in hope probably isn't sensible. Then back off for a few days and see what happens. Give the dealer a little tickle on day 4 if you haven't heard anything.N.
Graham said:
There is an indy In sprint offering complete outrigger replacement on both sides for 1.5k IIRC
G
Yep, Sportmotive. I emailed them prior to the test drive and they quoted it takes approx 3 days to complete.G
It was armed with this pricing and the cost of a service that my initial offer for the car was based upon.
royceybaby said:
Graham said:
There is an indy In sprint offering complete outrigger replacement on both sides for 1.5k IIRC
G
Yep, Sportmotive. I emailed them prior to the test drive and they quoted it takes approx 3 days to complete.G
It was armed with this pricing and the cost of a service that my initial offer for the car was based upon.
Does rather look like that is not the ideal place to buy a Tiv. All I can see in the background is Puntos...
Also seems strong money when one looks at this
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/862139.htm
If you want a standard car I would really advise that you go and have a look at this. The guys there are straight and know their TVR's and this one looks good value too.
Also seems strong money when one looks at this
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/862139.htm
If you want a standard car I would really advise that you go and have a look at this. The guys there are straight and know their TVR's and this one looks good value too.
George 500 said:
Does rather look like that is not the ideal place to buy a Tiv. All I can see in the background is Puntos...
That is the reason I thought they would be more than willing to sell it for what it is worth. The fact they sell euroboxes a plenty, the TVR stood out like a sore thumb. I think the owner needs to make a certain amount back on the car and possibly can't afford to sell it for its true value.George 500 said:
Also seems strong money when one looks at this
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/862139.htm
If you want a standard car I would really advise that you go and have a look at this. The guys there are straight and know their TVR's and this one looks good value too.
I actually went to look at that one yesterday. I noticed a few things asthetically, which I won't mention is case it goes against the name and shame policy. But it was in good condition overall.http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/862139.htm
If you want a standard car I would really advise that you go and have a look at this. The guys there are straight and know their TVR's and this one looks good value too.
royceybaby said:
Hopefully this will work....
Do you guys think I was a bit harsh on the condition of the outriggers? This is the front offside.
If it isn't an outrigger replacement job, how much have people paid in the past to clean up and make good this type of problem?
TBH you can't really tell the condition from that photo. The peeling powder coating makes it look bad, but is no guide to the condition of the steel. You need to give the exposed metal a good going over with a wire brush, then attack it with a big scewdriver or similar. Then hit it with a small ball hammer (not too hard) to see if it sounds solid or there is a dull crunching noise. If any holes appear, or there is the slightest 'give' in the metal, then it needs replacing. Even if it passes this test, there is no guarantee it won't need doing in the near future, but at least you can give it a coat of protective paint or underseal to slow down/stop the corrosion.Do you guys think I was a bit harsh on the condition of the outriggers? This is the front offside.
If it isn't an outrigger replacement job, how much have people paid in the past to clean up and make good this type of problem?
Unless the chassis is absolutely pristine, buying any TVR is a bit of a gamble, chassis-wise. At least if it has holed, you know where you stand.
If you don't trust your own judgement, try and get one of the experts to look at it.
Given the recent experiences of people who have done body lifts then it seems that whatever the state of the outriggers, the bits you can't see are always worse then the bits you can see.
Several of the guys on here had outriggers that looked much cleaner than those and they've ended up having new ones welded on.
The argument that they all are like that doesn't stand up. Yes it is a known issue but the outriggers are used for the seat belt mountings, you don't want to have any doubts as to their strength.
I would walk away (hard I know if it ticks all the boxes) and look for another one.
Several of the guys on here had outriggers that looked much cleaner than those and they've ended up having new ones welded on.
The argument that they all are like that doesn't stand up. Yes it is a known issue but the outriggers are used for the seat belt mountings, you don't want to have any doubts as to their strength.
I would walk away (hard I know if it ticks all the boxes) and look for another one.
Colin RedGriff said:
I would walk away (hard I know if it ticks all the boxes) and look for another one.
Thing is he has given me no choice but to walk away by not telling me what price he is looking for. He didn't even say it's on for £16,495 and that's what I want. He decided he would not sell it to me.That was the part that beggared belief.
Maybe he is hoping to sell it to some unsuspecting person. I hope no-one buys that without having it fully checked first.
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