Glen Milligan Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi everyone, I have just this week joined the register as I begin my quest to fulfill my35yr dream of owning a tr6. My first ever car, back in 1985 was a convertible herald, it cost me a fortune in garage repair bills and soon had to go. Since then I’ve pined from a distance - until now! My 55th birthday is in May and I hope to buy my self a tr6-finally! My budget would be 15k which I fear may not be quite enough? But until then I’ll be bothering you guys a little and plan to get involved in my local group (Wessex) as I live near Southampton. All advice welcome pls Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Welcome to the forum Glen. Your best plan, as you say, is to talk to the local group who should be able to give you pointers on what to look for and where the pitfalls are in selecting a '6. You may even find someone willing to go and look at them with you as a second pair of eyes. Good luck in your search. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi Glen, welcome to the forum. A 2nd pair of trained eyes as Rob say’s a a good idea, even if you are familiar with these cars. And go and see a couple before you buy. “No rust” is more important than a good mechanical condition (to me), as this is easier /cheaper to correct. Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevo_6 Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi Glen Welcome to the forum and soon to be TR6 ownership. Plenty of knowledge here, so don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions even if you think they a simple ones as we’ve all been there. All the best. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Hill Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi Glen Welcome to the Forum. Check out the members cars for sale on here, you might just pick the right car. Good luck Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Smith Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Welcome from me too Glenn, as has already been said - bodywork condition is a priority over any mechanical work required. But don't be put off a car with good history and provenance based on its colour. If you are not familiar with the TR6 there's plenty of help and advice on here and at local club level so take advantage and buy the best TR6 you can afford. For £15k you should get a decent enough UK CR model which will still require some money spent on it, or a good US spec car which requires less to being spent on it. Good luck with your search. Cheers Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TRTOM2498PI Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi Glen, Welcome. If I had £15k to spend on a 6, based on the current market conditions and prices, I would be inclined to find an ex USA (west coast car), that would probably have a lovely rust-free chassis and body, and that's largely original. As above, the body and chassis are more expensive to repair/replace than mechanicals. Good luck. Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Forey Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi Glen, welcome to the club and the forum. I am sure the Wessex group will make you very welcome, they are a very active group. Since you have just joined, give Jo or Sue in the office a call on 01235 818866 to make sure you have been given access to the members only part of this forum and the website. Sadly this is still a manual process, driven by some legacy IT systems which we hope to upgrade to make this automatic. This will give you access to all the benefits of being a member including lots of technical material, archive editions of TR Action, member discounts, continental touring and lots more. Now you are a member you even get the opportunity to drive the club's own TR2, the first RHD TR ever made. It is doing a tour of the UK during this our 50th celebration year, so it will be coming to an event near you, when the weather is a bit better. I agree with others, £15k should get you a smart and reliable TR6. Look for one that has been fully restored by somebody who cares. Get some local advise from the Wessex group, there maybe even somebody in the group wanting to sell one or knows of a car for sale. Post a photo of what you end up buying. Mick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mk2 Chopper Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) Hi and welcome. I'm fairly new to owning a '6, I purchased in 2017. My car was an older restoration, and I've done many things to tweak and improve it, and service and replace parts as necessary (that's part of the fun owning a classic like this). I found one that had a few things that wanted doing such as paint the windscreen surround and back panel which were in body colour, missing hood studs, all the gauges needed refurbing etc. Rust has to be the no.1 priority to check for, my paintwork is acceptable and I get many compliments, but it's far from perfect, still I know there's no rot in the chassis or body. At your price point you should be able to get something similar, there's a lot to check over so take your time. Good luck and post back what you managed to get. Here's my car (next change is a stainless standard style exhaust going on): Edited January 31, 2020 by Mk2 Chopper Add photos Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ntc Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Glen Pm marko on here he will see you right Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Glen Milligan Posted January 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Thank you all for your replies , here we go !!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Green 54 Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Hi Glen, I have just purchased a UK CR car with low mileage (48k) and it looks very original. I think it even has the original spare wheel judging by the date code on the tyre Not perfect, but in a good overall state given that it is a 45 year old car. What I paid was in your price range and my car should be a good basis for a nice gentle rolling restoration. Only had it a few weeks and its already proving to be great fun My recommendation is look carefully, take your time and walk away if you are not sure. If you buy one and it falls to pieces as soon as you get it home the people on here will help you put it back together again. Compared to any modern car they are a joy to work on. Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Glen Milligan Posted January 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 I’d be really interested in seeing your cars of similar value pls Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted February 1, 2020 Report Share Posted February 1, 2020 Welcome Glen and good luck with your search. While a dry state US import may sound tempting, the UK PI cars are unique and iconic and if I was in the UK I would look for a very long time before I gave up and bought a US TR6. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bill944T Posted February 1, 2020 Report Share Posted February 1, 2020 Mk2 Chopper XAS tyres? Look great. Regards Bill Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KiwiTR6 Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 8 hours ago, Bill944T said: Mk2 Chopper XAS tyres? Look great. Regards Bill Are they 165's Gareth? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mk2 Chopper Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) I couldn't afford XAS! These are called Retro Classic 001, and have a near identical tread as a Michelin XVS, and are (were?) made by Nankang. They have a nice period look though. They are indeed 165's. Gareth Edited February 2, 2020 by Mk2 Chopper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 Thanks for that info, they look nice and are cheap. How do they perform (subjective, I know). https://www.autobandenmarkt.nl/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?s_p=Retro-Classic-001-165_80-R15-86H&details=Ordern&typ=R-361170&cart_id=YJ4EcJV41y0LryoF.107.125612673&ranzahl=4&Breite=165&Herst=Retro&Quer=80&Felge=15&weiter=0&kategorie=6&Ang_pro_Seite=15&Transport=P&dsco=107&profil=Classic 001&search_tool=standard Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mk2 Chopper Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 Hi Waldi, I'm not someone who really races around, although I do like a bit of spirited driving from time to time. I run them at 22/26 psi as per the book, they are nice and compliant (comfortable), steering is lighter and the car doesn't tram line in ruts and grooves in the road like the low profiles I took off did before I got these. I think they are also more aesthetically pleasing, although some might think they are a little skinny at first compared to the usual 195's that a lot run. Hope that helps? Gareth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 Think the car sits and looks really well. I had never heard of these tyres before, and they look better than many, just wondered are they Aysymetric Construction, (As the Michelin Xas/Xvs) as well as aysymetric tread pattern? John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Smith Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 You can't beat a set of 165 XAS which were original fitment to the UK spec TR6 when new, so were Dunlop Sports. Here's Saffy, or it's maybe me, getting a bit spirited on XAS at a Classic Cars Magazine photoshoot in 2016. Cheers, Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jctr6EFI72 Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 15 k is the lowest to find a good car. I ve been looking all autumn with that budget in uk. I saw several cars.... always needed some work to make a really nice car and at the end you can add 10k minimum to get THE car. I did a complete overhaul on an old tractor ferguson in the past and were never able to recover the cost when selling it. So on my experience it is more valuable to increase the budget and find a car on which a lot of work has been done. Unless your plan is to consider the car as a several years hobby Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jctr6EFI72 Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Jctr6EFI72 said: Edited February 2, 2020 by Jctr6EFI72 Double Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mk2 Chopper Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, John Morrison said: Think the car sits and looks really well. I had never heard of these tyres before, and they look better than many, just wondered are they Aysymetric Construction, (As the Michelin Xas/Xvs) as well as aysymetric tread pattern? John. Apart from the tread as you point out, I hadn't noticed the construction being asymmetric, but I could be wrong. But thanks I love the rounded side wall really suits the car. Gareth Edited February 2, 2020 by Mk2 Chopper Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mk2 Chopper Posted February 2, 2020 Report Share Posted February 2, 2020 56 minutes ago, Andrew Smith said: Looks awesome! Gareth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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