No service Griff

[bogbeast]

I have just seen a 25k mileage 5.0 Griff advertised. No service history mentioned and lo and behold on ringing it turns out there isn’t any.

I know rule number one is “must have service history, TVR authorised or specialist independent”, but, in the list’s opinion, would it be a worthwhile proposition to buy (at good price) and then pay for serial services to bring it upto date?

Or is it just too much of a risk…..

[flasher]

Don't touch it......

there are plenty good ones out there. It's probably had the biggest "haircut" since Beckham had his head shaved a while back.....

ANd if it's gone 25,000 miles without a proper oil change or service, it's shagged anyway......

[ches]

How much is a good price?

[bennno]

1 lady owner, never raced / rallied or serviced

genuine 250,000 sorry 25,000 miles... looks like a cut and shut from the photo

nah...must be some service history somewhere

I guess if a specialist says its ok

Bennno

[flasher]

£13750 FOR A 96 N plate. 25,000 miles on the clock (as genuine as Del Boy) phone Boycey........

[R6CKT]

Is it black with black leather by any chance ? If it is I think I may be able to add a little bit to this, as the car i am thinking of has been for sale for about 2 years that I know of where's it advertised ?

[flasher]

Not black.... it's that very light sea green colour.

Ocean Haze....

25,000 miles from new (ho-ho) Long Mot (long as my arm) Good runner (which is what the owner will do once you have bought it) Needs attention to interior (i.e: it hasn't got an interior/ or its totally rotten)

My advice would be to steer well clear especially when the guy selling it describes it as a "babe magnet"

[HarryW]

quote:
My advice would be to steer well clear especially when the guy selling it describes it as a "babe magnet"

Is that the same as a wallet haemorage
All Tivs are loved or have been loved at some point in their history, even if the last owner was a t*sser. To have no history means only one thing, it has not been loved recently and someone has something to hide, IMHO steer well clear.

H

[angusfaldo]

Bog

The comments here are good ones. And the price does seem a tad low for a decent 96 Griff.

They don't do well without two things. And the two things are:

- regular driving

- regular servicing

Find yourself an additional 1000 budget and go get one with a complete history. Its not that difficult.

[kevinday]

Barge Pole comes to mind, find another one.

[simon.b]

run away

[REV-EREND]

Run away from that one .. no service history in the trade just means - it's been clocked. It's probably
done about 85K but it is hard to sell a Griff 500 on an N plate with that kind of milage, even with a full service history.

Rev.

[bogbeast]

Well thankyou all. Pretty much what I was thinking. Amazing how my common sense disintegrates when I consider buying one of these cars….

For your info, the add was on the autotrader website, text of the ad as follows:

quote:1994 TVR GRIFFITH 5.0 320 BHP,
1994, 25000 miles, Metallic Ice Blue, full Navy hide hood, private plate, new Bridgestones, CD player, remote locking alarm, awesome performance, looks and sound . £14,750.

[CleG]

yus .. do they have the proof its only done the 25k without the history this could deff be a lot more.

Is it the one from E-bay?

>> Edited by CleG on Wednesday 12th June 10:49

[GasBlaster]

You could always check with the factory - they keep records of services...provided the garage has notified them.

[simpo one]

'Sea green' isn't 'light blue!'

You could always check it out just to satisfy your curiosity. That mileage is not impossible for a 96 car - mine is 97R with 17K. A friend has just bought an excellent 96N with about the same mileage. A badly maintained/poorly cared for Griff is usually easy to spot. What's the owner like? How much does he know about TVRs? Can he answer basic Griffith questions? Do his knuckles drag on the floor? You'll soon find find out if he loves it or treats it like sh*t. How long has he had it? Did he have it serviced, and if so, ask him what happened to the service history. It does seem a bit dodgy but if the car checks out you could use lack of FSH as a bargaining tool. Will he accompany you to the nearest TVR dealer with it for a professional checkover? Or an AA inspection?

[DaveMorton_Eunos]

I used the lack of servicing for the last 3 years (4,500) miles to negotiate on mine. I got all the old MOTs to bear out the mileage (done at different MOT stations).

I paid around £2K less than a Private price. I was expecting to spend £1,000-£1,500 on the alarm and a good service. So not much saving in the end but I'll know the car is right which is a good thing.

I can see why the last owner got cheesed off with main TVR dealer servicing I've got a lot of the bills and at the last main dealer service he got stung for :

£535 on the service
£696 on a silencer + fitting
£860 on a clutch and bushes
Total £2k + (!!)

Last 3 years worth of bills is therefore just oil & filter changes and generic "service" bills from non TVR garages.

Up till then service history is very good with a lot done by the TVR factory (Bristol Road in Blackpool).

Its being serviced by a Specialist as I type

As others have suggested it could be worth a look.

(Its not Ocean Haze BTW. Ocean Haze and Antique Turquiose were my 2 preferred colour choices. I got Antique Turquoise in the end.)



Dave

[simpo one]

There's always Crystal Verde of course...

[davemorton_eunos]

Who's she and why is she the last resort