Griffith future Classic says this months EVO mag!
Discussion
I think it's generally accepted that the Griff is a 'future classic'. In other words, it will be a 'classic' when it's old enough. Can be a handy phrase for understanding insurance companies! Some will accept 10 years as 'classic', which includes all 4.x models.
Think ahead 10 or 20 years and it all becomes clear!
Think ahead 10 or 20 years and it all becomes clear!
yes pain the bloody arse when you're trying to buy one.
Funnily enough there was a letter in the Evo issue after they'd outed the Maser 3200GT as a great secondhand buy.... some guy was looking for one and then suddenly found they'd all been sold or prices gone up - all because of Evo.
If only I liked red cars.....
Funnily enough there was a letter in the Evo issue after they'd outed the Maser 3200GT as a great secondhand buy.... some guy was looking for one and then suddenly found they'd all been sold or prices gone up - all because of Evo.
If only I liked red cars.....
This is one of the reasons why I'm so reluctant ever to let my Griff go. It IS a future classic - statement, not opinion - and I'm hoping I'll still have mine when it's as highly regarded as the Jag E-type is now. Just hope I can keep it in one piece until then!
Does anyone know how many Griffs there are still out there, total numbers??
Does anyone know how many Griffs there are still out there, total numbers??
The trend kicked off very late last year when Griffith prices started to firm up,
then come May this year all hell broke loose and cars that had swapped hands for £15-16000 were/are suddenly fetching £19-20000.
Supply and demand I think and a whiff of a classic car for £20K that may even be worth £20K when you sell it!!
then come May this year all hell broke loose and cars that had swapped hands for £15-16000 were/are suddenly fetching £19-20000. Supply and demand I think and a whiff of a classic car for £20K that may even be worth £20K when you sell it!!
It's not exactly new news...
Evo said this first time round - in a buying guide back in 2001.
Classic cars in January
and
Classic & Sportscar back in 2000
Prices have been pretty static (not really depreciating) for good cars, except for the 'newest' griffs for a few years now.
B
>> Edited by bjwoods on Saturday 6th September 14:26
>> Edited by bjwoods on Saturday 6th September 14:27
Evo said this first time round - in a buying guide back in 2001.
Classic cars in January
and
Classic & Sportscar back in 2000
Prices have been pretty static (not really depreciating) for good cars, except for the 'newest' griffs for a few years now.
B
>> Edited by bjwoods on Saturday 6th September 14:26
>> Edited by bjwoods on Saturday 6th September 14:27
jamer said:
The trend kicked off very late last year when Griffith prices started to firm up,
Supply and demand I think and a whiff of a classic car for £20K that may even be worth £20K when you sell it!!
So how are things at the 'entry level' end of the market? Any chance of getting a nice 4.0, non-BV 4.3 or early 500 that has been driven (50-70K miles) for something in the lower teens, or should I forget about it and concentrate on Chimaera's instead?
If I can live with stone chipped fronts, slightly worn leather interiors and a generally 'used' car (given my usage I guess a 'garage queen' would look like that in a short time, anyways) can I still get a reasonably-priced Griff in the near future or do I need to worry about the current appreciaton trend?
The reason I ask - in a year and a half or so the to-be-built apartment I just bought will be ready, and as moving house will mean getting to live closer to work and getting to/from work by train on days that I don't need to be on the road (I am an editor for an automotive trade/industry mag) will be a viable option. By that time, my current daily (Citroën ZX)will have 150+ K miles and I want to replace it with something, er, a little more interesting. That's where the idea of importing a RHD TVR came in. I confessed my sinful intentions to the local TVR importers and they were quite helpful. They said if I do a sensible purchase, their service department would have no trouble in keeping me on the road at a reasonable cost.
I have an intensely modified classic Saab Turbo as a back up (which will by then have some reliability built in, hopefully - still in the closing stages of a very extensive rebuild project with some loose ends to be sorted), so practicality (big boot) and all-weather performance will not be such an issue.
I can, however, garage only one car at a time at home - the other will have to stay with my parents a few dozen miles down the road, where I'll be swapping cars as needed/desired.
So basically, I need something reliable (relatively speaking) and presentabl - a driver rather than a weekend/show toy. Something I can use and put like 10-12,000 miles a year on without feeling remorse, and won't cost the earth in servicing (which rules the early Cerbera, which at the current rate would be within my budget, out I guess).
I like te idea of putting a 'classic' sports car which more or less defines the make TVR next to my classic sports saloon that represents the quintessential Saab - which explains the appeal the Griff has to me. On the other hand, I like the looks of the Griffith and Chimaera equally. As I plan this to be my last car purchase for a goomany years, I would like to get soemthing that I'd be proud of in a decade and offers some kind of value retention.
As this will be more or less a daily car that needs to be driven in a wide range of road/weather circumstances, would a 4 litre or a 4.3 be more suitable than a five litre? And similarly, would the allegedly 'softer' Chimaera offer less in the way of heart-stopping, b*tt clenching moments than a Griff?
Questions, questions...
I can't really see a Griff (or many other "classic" cars) being a good investment. They're for driving and enjoying. If at the end of the day you don't end up losing shed loads of money when you sell then that's great but if you're reason for buying/keeping one is to make money then I reckon you're dreaming. Just my 2p!
Quite. Keeping value will do for me. Perhaps in the future prices will yo-yo with the economic climate like established classics, but not yet, at least not much. To 900-TR: If Griffiths follow the classics trail, prices will start to vary enormously depending on condition, eg basket case vs concours.
The only fly in the ointment, IMHO, is that Griffs are GRP whilst 'true' classics are metal. Also, TVR itself does nothing to culture the marque's heritage - in fact it does exactly the opposite. Whilst major motor manufacturers maintain museums of all models, even prototypes etc, TVR delight in destroying them. A great shame.
The only fly in the ointment, IMHO, is that Griffs are GRP whilst 'true' classics are metal. Also, TVR itself does nothing to culture the marque's heritage - in fact it does exactly the opposite. Whilst major motor manufacturers maintain museums of all models, even prototypes etc, TVR delight in destroying them. A great shame.
I didn't spot this article a couple of months back. I'm disappointed about that, because I heard recently from the new owner that the Griffith featured in the article was the one I owned for 6 years (K666 TVR) and sold last summer. How detailed was the article, were there pictures etc? Just wondering if I should try and get it as a backissue.
Steve, it was edition 60 October 2003 page 140 "Hidden Treasures". Your old car is com[pared with a BMW M635csi and a Porsche 968CS. Each car gets a couple of pages. Half a page by Jethro Bovingdon justifying his choice of the Griffith as the best of the three together with a rather nice half page shot of yours in a field, half a page of buying advice (which has a few errors in it) and a column by the current owner Paul Hillman who says he rather likes it. Probably a nice to keep edition for you Rich...
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