Monkeylegend Posted August 9, 2004 Posted August 9, 2004 SWMBO came out with the classic "well I didn't say you had to sell it"......closely followed by "so are we going to put that money together with mine to get me a better car.......??" Er, no dear, that wasn't the idea....... "Yes of course we are darling. It will have four seats, a proper roof,and won't rust." "Oh I knew you would see sense and put me and the children first. What are we getting then my precious?" "Oh you probably haven't heard of it my dearest" " What exactly is a speed twelve than my lovely?" Well it might work. Quote
Mat Jackson Posted August 10, 2004 Posted August 10, 2004 Thought you were going for a V8? I was always a big fan of the V8S. Very very classic shape and good reliability (for a TVR!!!. A friend of mine has an S3, and is impressed with it. Doesn`t have a problem with the reliability (he also has a Westfield), he just wishes he could get it to handle as well as the Westie. Let me know how you get on, and remember to bring it around when you get it. (Hopefully mine should be on the road in a few weeks or so) Mat Quote
chrisbin Posted August 10, 2004 Author Posted August 10, 2004 Thanks Mat. Yep, Tiv is still favourite with my heart, just my head keeps throwing doubts at me.....!! Rest assured I'll stay in touch! Look forward to seeing yours complete - you'll have to bring it over and make me jealous! Monkey - hmmmmm not quite her idea!! Something with an X and a 5 in its badge is more up her street.... Quote
wrightster Posted August 10, 2004 Posted August 10, 2004 loads of tvrs for around 10K got me thinkin now Quote
MartT Posted August 10, 2004 Posted August 10, 2004 Can vouch for the TR6. £8-10k should get a top notch car. Even cheaper than a Westie to insure! Get a pre 73 car and save car tax. (Probably best to go for one which has been restored) Although not as raw as a Westie. More of a laid back cruiser. 2.5litre 6 cylinder injection and good exhaust note. Actually I sold my TR6 to buy the Westie! Quote
Steve Kirk Posted August 10, 2004 Posted August 10, 2004 Just an idea , but don't dismiss the old shape merc SL .The 107 series (1972-1989) beautifully built, not mega fast but the later V8 models are fairly rapid.For the sort of money you are looking at spending you should be able to drop on a later 300 or 420.Parts are cheap as long as you stay away from main dealers.The big plus with these cars is the build quality, they where the last series of car to be built by engineers before the accountants took over and QC went to ratsh#t. For a convertable these cars are truly practical with a brilliant hard/soft top.A practical classic with a capital Class. The only downside i can ever remember was getting stopped for speeding in a 280SL on the M62 in 1984,now i feel old! Quote
chrisbin Posted August 10, 2004 Author Posted August 10, 2004 Just an idea , but don't dismiss the old shape merc SL .The 107 series (1972-1989) beautifully built, not mega fast but the later V8 models are fairly rapid.For the sort of money you are looking at spending you should be able to drop on a later 300 or 420.Parts are cheap as long as you stay away from main dealers.The big plus with these cars is the build quality, they where the last series of car to be built by engineers before the accountants took over and QC went to ratsh#t. For a convertable these cars are truly practical with a brilliant hard/soft top.A practical classic with a capital Class. The only downside i can ever remember was getting stopped for speeding in a 280SL on the M62 in 1984,now i feel old! Good call Steve, and its one that I have looked at, but only casually to date. I think the biggest issue is rust on bodywork....Its certainly a different idea.. Quote
Steve Kirk Posted August 11, 2004 Posted August 11, 2004 "rust on bodywork" - mercs don't rust, they just oxidise quietly to themselves.Seriously,as with any classic you do have to be careful.but i think the good ones out number the bad. My personal choice would be as late a 300SL as you could find.Not much slower than the 380/420 but economical and cheaper to run.Don't buy red or white ,dark metallics suit car well and whatever you do don't buy one with a manual gearbox,there are a few out there(only on six cyl engine models) Don't be scared of high miles , my last merc had done 247000 mls when i sold it and was still fresh .Go on buy one...run it for a few years and then sell it for what you paid.People will always pay good money for a nice SL. Steve Quote
wrightster Posted August 11, 2004 Posted August 11, 2004 any more thoughts info on the elan turbo ? they look like quite good value Quote
chrisbin Posted August 12, 2004 Author Posted August 12, 2004 any more thoughts info on the elan turbo ? they look like quite good value Yep, they do look quite good and will probably be a future classic.........but they don't really do it for me I'm afraid. At the end of the day there's got to be a bit of "heart" in the decision when buying a toy, however much sense it make to the "head" IYSWIM... Tiv's are currently favourite, although I'm getting a sore ear from my daughter who doesn't think they're enough..... My debate is whether an early/higher mileage Chim is better than a "classic" mint S series........Oh and the S will probly have to be a V6 as the V8's are both pretty scarce and expensive (may as well have a Chim for that money I reckon..) Decisions, decisions........ I remember going through all this 2 years ago....back then I was trying to decide whether an old Caterham was really worth the money, or whether a Tiger was any good!! Thanks for all the suggestions and interest! Quote
jl34 Posted August 12, 2004 Posted August 12, 2004 TVR 400SE, maybe not the prettiest car but wonderful presence and good value if you get a good one, just do your research. I think it is the best sounding road car of all time, just awesome. Griffiths are climbing in value now, you will pay £11-12k for a tatty early griff. Quote
jl34 Posted August 12, 2004 Posted August 12, 2004 TVR 400SE, maybe not the prettiest car but wonderful presence and good value if you get a good one, just do your research. I think it is the best sounding road car of all time, just awesome. Griffiths are climbing in value now, you will pay £11-12k for a tatty early griff. Quote
scorcher Posted August 12, 2004 Posted August 12, 2004 How about a Corvette.( if you can live with LHD ) Decent V8 reasonable insurance / parts availability and decent following in UK and probably turn more heads / more reliable than a TVR. Quote
hilux Posted August 12, 2004 Posted August 12, 2004 Tiv is still favourite with my heart, just my head keeps throwing doubts at me.....!! Rover derived Griff is a genuine classic in the making and TreVorS can be made to handle at a cost. The Cerbera is awesome, check out when Jezza Clarkson filmed a standing mile with Porsche turbo, Lotus Esprit turbo, VX powered Caterham, Aston DB7 Vantage and Dodge Viper.... The Cerbera absolutely slaughtered them, and I mean slaughtered, it won with multiple car lengths on the only one to come near it, the Porsche. If I could afford the repair bills I`d have one tomorrow for sheer straight line brutality and fantastic road presence Quote
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