I wish that I could encourage you to buy the Spitfire, but if safety is a
concern, forget it. You probably should bear in mind also that if you're on
a tight budget, any British sports car will bring you pain. Not only does
the Spitfire afford very little protection, they require more maintenance
that their Japanese counterparts. This means time -- and money. The less
time you have, the more money you'll need to keep that puppy running to get
your kicks.
I don't blame you for being attracted to that little beauty, but to be
perfectly candid, if safety and budget constraints are a concern, think
twice. Unless you have a lot of spare time to perform the maintenance and
some of the repairs yourself. The upside to this notion is that Spitfires
are easier to work on than just about any car you'll ever see.
There is an outstanding buyers guide in addition to the TVR site that you
should check out if you are hellbent on the Spitfire.
http://www.ohms.com/cgi-bin/spitlinks/spitlinks.cgi?direct=http://www.xs4all
.nl/~ekieboom/spit/spit.html
Good luck with your difficult decision. If you decide to buy, spring for a
rollbar -- and make sure your life insurance premiums are paid up if you
have dependents. Then, forget all the logic and go out and have fun.
Best wishes,
Jeff in San Diego
----- Original Message -----
From: Garner, Joseph P. <JPGarner@UCDavis.Edu>
To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>; <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 2:20 PM
Subject: Sensible advice please
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some sensible (and perhaps sobering) advice.
>
> Here's my problem....
>
> In my search for a used car on a tight budget, I have happened upon a 1974
> spitfire 1500. Every sensible nerve in my body tells me not to be so silly
> and to go and put the money down on that tercel i saw earlier in the week,
> but this is the first car i have seen which I am really excited about.
> Perhaps it is because i am an englishman in california and it is a
beautiful
> reminder of home, but at the moment i am sturggling with the urge to
> purchase with my heart and not my head.
>
> I have done as much research as i can (the TVR website was so helpful!),
and
> have enlisted the help of a friend of mine who is a better mechanic than i
> am to go and give the car a first look the car over in the flesh. I would
> not buy it if there were any mechanical or body problems of note, and i
> would get a professional mechnic to check it over first. But my main worry
> is that if the car does turn out to be sound, then i have to decide where
it
> really is appropriate.... in short, I hardly drive anywhere, living within
> cycling distance of work, my only major trip is a 2 and a half hour drive
> (sacramento to palo alto) that i make there and back maybe twice a month.
Am
> I crazy to think of doing this in an (albeit) mechanically sound spitfire?
> Or in other words, am i crazy to consider buying a mechanically sound
> spitfire for the purpose of making that round-trip twice a month? My
> particular concerns are mechanical reliability, and crash-safety (which is
> why i said it was a head-versus-heart tug of war going on here!)
>
> All honest opinions would be very much appreciated!
>
> thank you all for your time
>
> cheers
>
> Joe
> ___________________________
>
> Dr. Joseph Garner
> University of California
> Department of Animal Science
> One Shields Avenue
> Davis
> CA 95616
> USA
>
> Phone: (530) 754 5291
>
>
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