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Looking to own Triumph again


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Be gentle with me, first post.

 

Its been a long time since my last Triumph, 1980 to tell the truth but now I am retired I feel the need to go silly again. Always liked Triumphs as did my Dad, his last one was an Acclaim in 1986. I have had Heralds a Spitfires and really fancy a TR4 but funds will not stretch that far. But having looked on the interweb TR7's look sensibly priced and they seem very sensible since they are fare easier to get in and out of than a Spitfire.

 

So after looking round we thought we had found a decent buy. Bodywork is original (i.e. not tarted up for sale) with no rot and mechanically sound all at a sensible price. But I am worried by the owners apparent lack of maintenance. He had had it 20 years and in that time changed the oil 3 times (its due again now) saying its a conspiracy to change it every year. He has done approx every 30,000 miles in the car in those 20 years. That is a change every 5 years which seems crazy to me. Also the tyres are the same ones on the car when he bought it. They still have tread but are cracked, he says its only cosmetic but they look lethal to me.

 

I can easily replace the tyres but what about the engine. Cam chains need regular oil changes in my experience and I don't want to buy something that's about to implode on me. No facilities for DIY rebuilds so would be paying garage to do any major work. MOT history looks fine but they do refer to "minor" cracking of tyres (no surprise there).

 

What do you lot think.

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Hi Skidpan,

 

Welcome to the forum! Now is the time to start looking as spring is round the corner so there should be cars coming to the market soon. There are generally a few around on Ebay and the other classic sites, other than that have you looked up the dealers such as Robsport or S&S? They will have cars to sell which you should be able to get deals on and both Simon and Steve know their stuff and will be able to point out what is good about their cars.

 

Other than that, where are you? It's always worth a trip to your local group there are plenty of us wedge folk about and you will find plenty of people willing to look out or over cars with you and give you their experiences too!

 

Hope this helps

 

Ian

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The slant 4 engine does not benefit from neglect of oil change . . . . . OK, it may not need changing annually, but I wouldn't leave it longer than 3 years and preferably 2, even if the car covers only a modest mileage.

 

20 year old tyres are lethal indeed, I wouldn't drive out of the garden gate on them . . . .

 

If the body really is rot free then that's unusual, and a major plus point that might well outweigh possible reservations re engine - always assuming that the price is right, of course ! Mechanical work is cheaper than body work . . . .

 

If you let us know whereabouts you are, then hopefully there'll be someone local willing to add another pair of experienced eyes to an inspection ?

 

Cheers

 

Alec

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Live in the North Midlands.

 

When I said there is no rot I don't mean it is totally rust free. Its a BL car from the 70's/80's, it would have rust when it left the dealers. What I mean is the thing appears to be perfectly usable and structurally sound but it would benefit from some tidying. This is not an issue since a mate is in the trade and will help at mates rates, he has also offered to have a look before I spend). There does not appear to be any shiny patches of fresh underseal hiding bodges for starters and all the paint has that look of genuine age about it.

 

I don't want a perfect concours car, I would be terrified to take it out. Just want something perfectly acceptable and usable that should I decide to move it on after this summer (might hate classic motoring after years of fuel injection, power steering and aircon) should not have cost me a small fortune, maybe even break even if I am lucky.

 

In the past I had a mate who spend a large sum buying what appeared to be a perfect classic (Spitfire) which turned out to be a total basket case. The chap who restored it was possibly the best person on the planet with filler and paint, it looked perfect. Problem was it was all filler and paint, new panels would probably have cost less and taken less time to fit.

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If the body is sound the rest can be sorted if the price is reasonable, however be careful as apparently superficial rust can indicate hidden problems.

 

Most spares are readily available & reasonable quality however there are a few items that are not fit for purpose like the rubber carburettor mounts where you have to find alternatives (NOS or metal).

 

I have had mine for nine years and during that time has covered 43K miles including 5 Ten Countries Runs & 3.5 Round Britain Reliability Runs so it does not have a quiet life (the half RBRR was due to filling up with Diesel at 2am in Wales!). Its fun to drive & reasonably safe with decent seat belts and crash protection built into the design. Handling with a standard set up is pretty good but was definitely improved when I swapped to MGF wheels with modern tyres. Also the large boot is a real plus point if you want to take a lady with you for the weekend as there is enough room for large bags plus any tools/spares you may need to take.

 

Hope you find a good one and enjoy it.

 

Cheers

 

Howard (Doha, Qatar)

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With the TR7 the body is the main consideration. If it is an honest car, and has had little apparent work to the body and still in a reasonable condition, no hidden rust, then this is good. As already stated parts are readily available with specialist back-up if you lack room to work on the car. After some 50 plus years owning/working on Triumphs the main reason I bought a TR7 was because it is comfortable, holds the road very well, has large boot and basically is a modern Triumph.

 

The TR7 is a greatly underrated car and interest is starting to grow in the model.

 

Regards,

Dave

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While I understand that you are not looking for a concours winner, it's probably been looked after with an excellent body condition it's likely to last you and retain its resale value. It is likely to be easier to maintain if it's been regularly service.

 

I would not disagree with Alec he has had owned TR 7 longer than me. Personally I change my oil every year without fail and would check the anti freeze strength anually also equally as important on a TR7 in my opinion

 

I saw this which I believe is reasonable priced although you Should satisfy yourself in this matter.

 

https://m.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C951753

 

Good luck

Edited by derek H
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I saw this which I believe is reasonable priced although you Should satisfy yourself in this matter.

 

https://m.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C951753

 

Good luck

 

Crikey, is that reasonably priced? The one I am looking at is just over 1/3 the price of that. Good point about antifreeze. Its got me thinking that if the oil has not been touched very often its probably got the original antifreeze and brake fluid in it.

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Crikey, is that reasonably priced? The one I am looking at is just over 1/3 the price of that. Good point about antifreeze. Its got me thinking that if the oil has not been touched very often its probably got the original antifreeze and brake fluid in it.

 

That car IS very reasonably priced, others will be cheaper for a reason.

 

Key things to look for:

  • Rear trailing arm mounts, look from under the car AND under the carpets
  • Rot under the windscreen hidden beneath the scuttle plate
  • Spare wheel well floor
  • Inner sills
  • Floors and seams with inner sill and front corner of the drivers well where they often rot through from the wheelarch.
  • Turrets in the engine bay are difficult to repair
  • If there is bubblling on wheels arches then expect horrors behind the wings
  • Flitch panels between bulkhead and front suspension turret - a real pain to cut out and replace

 

In the engine:

  • Listen for a chattering timing chain - not a bad job actually but if you rely on a garage its more expense to negotiate
  • look for coolant leaking from the slot in the engine block under the front carburettor, tell tale that the water pump is dying. Again all do-able easily if you are mechanically inclined but not cheap through a garage.
  • Check for any signs of overheating, mayonnaise in the oil or severe tappet noise. Both will require cylinder head removal which is a difficult job on these engines.
  • If the oil hasn't been changed then the timing case will be full of crud and nastys.

Hope that helps. This is a good read: http://www.triumphtr7.com/documents/tr7info/buyguide.asp

 

IMG_9987.jpg

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Well done Wayne, Now for the bad points.

 

Joking, Actually if you find a good one and I think paying a little more to purchase the right car is worth it.

 

Like Dave said I believe it's an underrated car, I've driven many thousands of miles in mine and had a lot of fun driving it. When I drove to the Italian lakes with just one night stop over I felt comfortable and got out feeling the same as I did getting in. I doubt I could say that if I was in my TR6.

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Well, you can have one of mine, a genuine one owner, absolutly rust and accident free, 8500 Km (that's about 5300 Miles...) from new example, used sparingly, for 20K :P

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Well, you can have one of mine, a genuine one owner, absolutly rust and accident free, 8500 Km (that's about 5300 Miles...) from new example, used sparingly, for 20K :P

 

For less than 20K (£16941 actually) I could get a brand new MX5. Looking at the list of pitfalls above that looks a far more sensible idea especially as I can get 0% finance on one. Instead of paying to repair a TR7 I could be buying a car I could look after and hopefully have a trouble free time with. God knows what the Mrs would say though.

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You indicated that you have been a triumph owner before and wanted a triumph again. I guess you will therefore already be aware that there are areas of possible concerns,

 

If it's a Triumph you want then you need to determine how much you want to pay, I personally think you will need to be extremely lucky to find a fault free car if you are looking at cars 1/3rd of £6,999.00

 

I have seen TR7/TR8 that have sold for £200 for a wreck to £20,000+ for a Concours TR8, low mileage original TRs in exceptional condition have traditionally been sought after too.

 

A friend of mine was considering a modern sports car 6 years ago with a price range of £20000 - £23,000 or a classic for a similar cost. He bought the classic which is now worth £34,000 the modern one would now fetch £10,000.

 

There is no guarantee but a good TR7 like that I mentioned earlier (assuming the advert is correct) will give you fun you have enjoyed in the past and hopefully hold its price if you continue to look after it.

Good luck

Derek

Edited by derek H
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I own a TR7 and an MX5. I bought the MX5 new in 2009 and echo Derek's comments re how modern cars devalue. In contrast the TR7 I bought in 2006 has increased in value. Interestingly I find a 300 mile journey in the TR7 to be more comfortable than the MX5. The boot is also very small on the MX5.

 

Regards,

Dave

Edited by DaveR
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Hi Skidpan I am considering selling mine. 1979 FHC restored two years ago. - Brooklands green! PM for more details. cheers Clem

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So we went yesterday for a look. Like I said before it checked out OK, no serious worries. That is except for the seller.

 

Taking into consideration the comments above regarding oil changes he was still insistent that they are not necessary. Says that the oil in the sump does not degrade and only needs changing every 10,000 miles or so. While we were looking we spotted that all the brake pipes looked nicely greased, was this good maintenance or a way to hide corrosion. Seller says he greases the brake pipes every autumn to prevent them rusting and after a quick wipe they looked sound. But then without prompting he went on about changing brake fluid being another industry con and how can moisture get into the fluid with a sealed system. In the 20 years he has owned the car no brake fluid changes have been carried out so we suspect there may be corrosion inside the braking components. Same applied to the antifreeze, industry conspiracy, never needs touching.

 

So to sum up its had no brake fluid, no antifreeze, no tyres in 20 years and only 3 oil changes, he talked me out of buying it, great salesman.

 

We decided best to walk away.

 

Have another plan now but it probably will not involve a Triumph (or MX5).

 

Thanks for your offer elclem1 but South West France is a bit far away.

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Hello Skidpan, I fully understand your reasons for not buying the car. As far as not seeing the point in changing the fluids at least he was honest.

 

Good luck your car viewing.

Dave

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No probs, its a good car, very original inside but its had a respray as it was very tatty when I bought it, silicone brake fluid i'll have you know!"!!! If you would like pics pm me your e mail. you never know you might just like the look of it? good hunting Clem

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have another plan now but it probably will not involve a Triumph (or MX5).

 

Well its sorted and plan B worked, actually better than I expected. Mate has contacts in several local towing companies and has landed several real bargains in the past. I personally think his best was a Nissan Almera whose owner refused to pay the towing fee when it ran out of petrol on the motorway. Owner signed title over and mate paid £100 towing fee. Ran perfectly for 3 years (after filling with petrol) and sold it on for a profit.

 

A BMW 120i convertible became available and now its mine for the sum of £2000. 10 plate, one owner, 35,000 miles, full service and MOT history and prior to the "incident" was in perfect nick. The owner took it out for a run one dry day late last year and was hit by a motorbike that had lost control. No injuries but one damaged 120i and one very damaged motorbike. Problem was the BMW was off road on a SORN for the winter and not insured and the bike was uninsured as well. The BMW owner has been charged with driving with no insurance and Tax and will get a ban since it will put him well over 12 points. No insurance to pay for repairs and although the bike was to blame no hope of any insurance repairs from that. Guess only hope would be to take legal action against the bike owner.

 

Basically he wanted rid and needs money for the inevitable fines so we got a good deal. Car looks sad with no front bumper but other than that its just a few knocks and paint, mate recons £1000 including a salvaged bumper will sort it. No rush thus he is fitting it in as and when, May 1st is my target. Best bit, since no insurance involement its not recorded so no loss in value. Similar cars are selling for £7000 min.

 

Hopefully it will not have any long term rust issues, I will not be using it during the winter months and mechanically it should be good for many years.

 

Don't suppose it will ever be a true classic but it seats 4 if needed which is a bonus as well.

 

Thanks for replying to the previous posts, guess I am just a wimp with regards to buying a 40 year old car. Sounded like a good idea but in reality was not for me.

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Forgive me for jumping in on this thread but I'm going to anyway... :)

 

I am trying to source a good project car, and joined this forum to see what TR 7 enthusiasts have to offer.

I think that my definition of a good project car is something that's almost a good foundation that can be improved upon with some blood sweat and tears in the garage in the evenings.

 

I have some experience on Saab forums ( again apologies ) but over there, there are members who hoard/collect/stash cars and will sometimes let them go ... wondered if TR7 Owners are the same!! (Human nature says yes, rust may say otherwise!)

 

Have looked around eBay, Car and Classics, Gumtree and the like, there are a couple of options but I would like more and wondered if you guys can help?

 

 

Hi Skidpan I am considering selling mine. 1979 FHC restored two years ago. - Brooklands green! PM for more details. cheers Clem

 

Is this in France? If it's in the UK might be interested, please PM with more details!

 

So to sum up its had no brake fluid, no antifreeze, no tyres in 20 years and only 3 oil changes, he talked me out of buying it, great salesman.

 

We decided best to walk away.

 

Sounds like he didn't want to part with it!! Do you happen to know if its still for sale? If so would you be willing to PM me the details?

 

Thanks in advance for your help guys ... Look forward to hearing from you.

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