GT6 - Daily runner?

[AlleyCat]

Hello All,

looking for some advice, i have loved GT6's for a long time, and currently use a Classic Mini as my daily runner.

im looking to relegate the mini to Weekend car/Summer Fun car. and am considering a GT6 to replace its daily duties.

any advice on what i should look out for? what the insurance is like im 25? and also is it the kind of car that i could use as a daily runner?


Thanks

[caziques]

My 21 year old son may be the only person in the world who commutes to his job at McDonalds in a signal red late Mk III - but then the only salt he comes into contact with is on the chips.

[varsas]

The value of a GT6 is in the body and chassis.

Make sure it's all straight and lines up OK (you might need to look at a few to get a feel as to what 'OK' is). The body can distort during restoration or any major sill work as it's not really strong enough to hold itself together (yes, I know GT6's are better in this respect then Spitfires but it can still happen). Being a mini owner I don't need t tell you to look out for rust.

Apart from that; if the body work, chassis and interior are all good you won't go too far wrong. Engines/gearboxes etc are all pretty easy and cheap but it's usual stuff...check for end float, smoking when hot, blue smoke on the overrun, nasty timing chain noises...usual stuff.

Personally I'd want to check the chassis and running gear was correct for a GT6 and it hadn't been made up out of a GT6 body, spitfire running gear/chassis (suspension and brakes are different on the GT6, very much so in some cases) and a 6 cylinder 2000 saloon engine, but that's just me.

If you are nearby this man:

http://www.jyclassics.co.uk/

might be able to help, I believe he offers an inspection service. If you look at the cars for sale (my old Spitfire is the blue one near the bottom) you'll see they have GT6's in every now and again.

What exactly are you after? Mk1, Mk2 or Mk3? You don't see many Mk1's or Mk2's for sale anymore.

Apart from the usual places (carandclassic, eBay, autotrader etc) you might try the classifieds section here:

http://www.tssc.org.uk

And I assume Club Triumph has similar. You might consider joining one or both of the main Triumph clubs, and I expect ther's a GT6 only club about somewhere?

[Warwick67]

I've run many an inappropriate car as my daily driver, including a GT6 for a 3 year stint (until taken off the road for a rebuild). Only thing I'd say is if you need transport for work, have a plan b & be prepared to work on it when it wants rather than when you want, especially around mot time... I've been playing these games for nearly 30 years now (according to my wife) and never grown out of it (again according to my wife).
Go for it andgood luck :-)

[Warwick67]

I've run many an inappropriate car as my daily driver, including a GT6 for a 3 year stint (until taken off the road for a rebuild). Only thing I'd say is if you need transport for work, have a plan b & be prepared to work on it when it wants rather than when you want, especially around mot time... I've been playing these games for nearly 30 years now (according to my wife) and never grown out of it (again according to my wife).
Go for it andgood luck :-)

[AlleyCat]

thanks for the advice everyone! now my problem is convincing the missus this is a good idea

[sday12]

I ran a Mk 3 Spitfire for over a year as a daily.

Noisy
Uncomfortable
Wet
Cold
No vision
Unreliable
Expensive
Will deterioate a good car quickly
Handfull in the wet/ice/snow
Will leave you dreaming of a Vauxhall Corsa with a decent heater.

But on the days that the sun shines and everything works it's great.


So the answer is no, but you're going to do it anyway.

[Chingers]

The other bit to take into account is how many miles you do every day? Triumph straight 6s were never the most economical engines - even in GT6s.

[triumphkryten]

Use a mk1 Vitesse 2 litre saloon as a daily driver, with no problems - same technology, engine and running gear as a GT6 non-rotoflex.

Should give no problems, just make sure you lube the trunnions regularly with ep90 and not grease, and a tip to make it run sweeter in the winter is to route the air intake pipes behind the water pump instead of in the clips by the radiator - gets you off choke quicker, improves warmup drivability and saves you a bit of fuel....