TVR Advice needed please

[dudeone]

Help & advice needed.

Possibly looking to buy a TVR Griffiths but need some advise please.....The main question I have is about reliability as the TVR would be used to commute to and from work, ive been looking at a 92 model that's in my price range is there any thing I should/need to look out for ???

Tnx for the help

Dave

[DanRS]

Ok I guess there are a couple of questions..

1. How far is your commute and what sort of drive is it

2. Properly servicing a TVR doesn't have to cost the earth but it does have to be done regularly, have you factored this into your cost of ownership?

With regards to reliability a regularly used TVR is likey to be as reliable as any other car of that age (as long as it's serviced and you get any minor issues fixed straight away).

I ran a 1996 Griff 500 for 3.5 years (though not every day) and the only time it didn't get me home was with a fractured rad hose (I've had much worse than that with a 5 series Bimmer)

A '92 is going to be a precat so it's going to sound great, obviously it is 14 years old now so you are going to have to except it may have a few miles (though I know of one precat griff which has well over 100k on the clock and is still very strong) miles are fine as long as the old service book is stamped. Don't worry if it's not main dealer stamps recognised specialists can be better.

Bodywise look for star fractures, these can be a sod to fix as they have to beground out before refilling and spraying, the car has no bumpers so look for nurf marks which indicate a car that has been left on the road or a careless owner.

Interior, Tvr's can leak (mine didn't but alot do) this tends not to be a major issue as most people garage their cars, but if the car smells like damp dog, check the seats and dash aren't rotting, they cost a fair bit to put right. Electrics can be iffy tho most htings should work fine. The windows will be slow, they all do that, and the heater has 2 settings, bloody hot and blast furnace.

Oily bits.. The engines are very stong as long as they are looked after, warmed up gently before you put your foot down etc. on the early cars (all precats and some 500) the gearbox is from a rover, and is considered weaker than later cars, though I have to say I have never personally heard of one going wrong). Suspension bushes do wear out but they aren't too expensive to replace and will make a big difference to how the car handles.

Cooling, being GRP TVRs run fairly hot, GRP disapates the heat less efficiantly than metal, so it is important that the cooling system is in good shape, the car should get up to around 90ish on the temp gauge and the fans should kick in. In stop start traffic they will be cutting in and out for most of the time (is this how your commute will be?)

Structure, the central spine of the chassis is usually fine, but the outriggers are very exposed to grit thrown up by the wheels. you can see the outriggers behind the front wheens and infront of the rears, they will probably be coated in mud, make sure there isn't anything nasty underneath. the outrigger also runs along the sill, run your hand down and make sure it is sound.

Finally buy a copy of Steve Heaths Griff and Chimp bible, it's like a haynes manual with alot more info.

Cheers XFS