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  #1  
Old 08-13-2003, 05:15 PM
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Question Are older British roadsters really so unreliable?

This past weekend, I drove a 60 Triumph TR3 and a 74 MGB all over the place with another car-loving friend. The MG was like a Rolls compared to the 4-inches-from-the-ground, ox-cart suspension- triumph. The Triumph was awesome, probably the most legal fun I have ever had. Certainly a vintage car experience, though, with very crazy steering and huge wheel. Power sliding that car through 2nd gear corners was about as good as it gets. (It was surprisingly torquey, attributable to its tractor engine origins probably).

My question is, can cars like this be expected to provide trouble-free service (or at least service as trouble-free as a similar- vintage Mercedes-Benz)? I have never considered actually buying something like this, assuming the continuous (electrical?) problems would drive me nuts. (Of course, there would always be a M-B providing daily service).

The TR3 was sooo much fun to drive. What kind of experience do you all have with British cars, either driving them or their reliability?

Cheers,

JAS

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  #2  
Old 08-13-2003, 05:33 PM
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I got a British car in my garage. And my basement. And some parts in my dresser drawers. Had it 8 years. Ain't driven it yet.
Sure is fun though.

Gilly
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  #3  
Old 08-13-2003, 05:33 PM
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Why do the British drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes refrigerators.
Jokes like that answer your question.
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Old 08-13-2003, 05:43 PM
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I've oftern wondered the same thing. I love the old British sports cars(never driven one though). I had a friend about 20 years ago that got into Triumph TR-250's for awhile. He gave up the hobby after a year or so messing with the electrical gremlins all the time. But that's as close to them as I've ever gotten.
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  #5  
Old 08-13-2003, 05:55 PM
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Triumph TR6:

Rust? Kept in a humidity free bag it would rust.

Driveline? Leaked EVERY fluid imaginable, and some I don't know were ever installed. Why? Machining of the mating surfaces was done poorly. All older Brit cars suffer from this lack of ability to make the parts to close tolerances. It's why old Harley's all leak too. The overdrive broke all the time, and the clutch throw-out bearing broke every other week.

Cockpit? The gauges broke once in a while.

Electrics? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. You learn not to drive at night and signal with your arm.

Other bits? Well, the driver's window NEVER stayed up. It would have been better off with curtains. The wipers gave out every time it rained, as they were electrical and hated the wet. Ironic, huh?

The TR6 was quick and TONS of fun. Make a great 8th or 9th car. You'd save money long term and lots of skinned knuckles by buying a 1990 or 1991 Miata for cheap.
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Old 08-13-2003, 05:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by w126
Whay aren't British roads dusty?
Because of all the oil the cars lay down?
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Old 08-13-2003, 08:45 PM
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leaks i can deal with,

the shadow of darkness cast by Prince Lucas is more troublesome.


i have a TR6 dying a horrible slow death at my buddy, mr porsche's shop. was garaged for years, now its in the rain at his place. worst pain ive ever inflicted on a auto.

ive considered the miata route MANY times, its probably the smartest move, but the triumphs sure have character!
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  #8  
Old 08-13-2003, 08:58 PM
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Gawd, I love the smell of Castrol in the morning . . . it smells like British Leyland . . .

Who hasn't grinned at the sight of a Bugeye Sprite, lusted after the dual tips on the TR-6 or pondered how they fit a V-8 in to an MGB-GT. If you grew up in the 60's the low slung British sport cars were affordable and fun, but often a nightmare to maintain with their twin carbs, leaky gaskets, valvesthat required monthly tweaking . . .

I'll always remember a bit from Road & Track about how there should be a Jaguar's Annonymous club, so that if you wanted to buy a used Jag, you had to call your JA partner first.

"There's a used XKE in the classifieds, just needs some rear end work!"
and the partner says "Okay, imagine a map of China. Now every person in China represents a Jaguar rear end part . . ."
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  #9  
Old 08-14-2003, 02:20 AM
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I had a 62 Austin Healey 3000 3 carburators BT7 (2+2)
The coolest car I ever had.
The dude I bought it from had restored it to show standards.
In 1980 I payed $5000 for it

Here is what hapend in the 3 years I had it :

- Repair the generator
- change rear engine seal
- The gaz float was always stuck an one of the carb was flooding (I had to open the float assembly and polish the little rocker arm in there)
- one leaf spring broke

Dam I wish I still had that machine

I would say.... go for it if you can get one (british car) They look and sound fantastic.
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  #10  
Old 08-14-2003, 05:29 AM
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More often than not they were badly made rather than badly designed. So if you get a rebuilt or restored car it will probably function broadly satisfactorily, although you're going to have to work on it at least once a month.

To answer your specific question, though: while you could use a 60s MB on an almost-every-day basis (I know of several people running Pagoda SLs as daily drivers in London), a British roadster is very much a second car for fun days only (although nothing kills a car like lack of use).

The landlord of a pub near me runs a nicely restored TR6. It looks and sounds and goes great. I think he gives it light use (i.e., a run to the shops, or a fun drive, rather than commuting) almost every day without problems.
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  #11  
Old 08-14-2003, 07:09 AM
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My uncle who gave me his 250SE has an MG (can't remember the year). Only problem he's got with it is the side mirror seal started leaking, and the door is being eaten away with rust.

I also know a guy that had a 2000 jaguar. 3 years later the timming chain broke. $8000AUD latter....
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  #12  
Old 08-14-2003, 07:43 AM
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The Greatest thing about old British roadsters is their simplicity.

If they break, chances are that anyone with an ounce of common sense could fix them. The parts are generaly available too, either original or re-manufactured.

If you want to get your hands dirty, you could be very happy with a TR3, 3A, 4, 4A, 5, 6, MGA,B or C (or even V8), Austin Healy 3000 or even a pre-E-type jag.

If you pay someone to fix cars for you, look elsewhere.

Once they started to get overhead cams, it all went downhill........
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Old 08-14-2003, 08:19 AM
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Why have the British never invented a computer system? Because they haven't figured out a way to make it leak oil!!
I had 2 Triumphs, an XKE and an Austin-Healy. The biggest problems (other than electrical) were encountered when I DID NOT drive the cars for a month or so. All the seals for the hydraulics are made of natural rubber, which dry rot when not used. More than once, I decided to go for a ride and at the end of the driveway discovered I had no brakes or clutch. They were surprisingly easy to work on, even for a half-assed DIY like me. On the GT-6 I had, I could raise the bonnet and sit on the front tire to change the water pump or remove the valve cover. Lots of fun to drive, though. The thing I miss the most about those is shifting gears. I love my old 450sl, but wish that it had a manual tranny. Best of luck!! BOB
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Old 08-14-2003, 08:30 AM
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Robert Mowbray wrote:

"Why have the British never invented a computer system? Because they haven't figured out a way to make it leak oil!!"

Nice line......but I can't let it go by without saying that the first Analogue AND the first Digital computers were both British.

The country just never made any money out of computing, as seems to be true of most aspects of technology.......
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  #15  
Old 08-14-2003, 09:09 AM
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Talking Just as I thought...

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

All of your comments pretty much sum up what I had been thinking, from what I have heard over the years. Certainly these cars are for weekends, and not really to be used as primary vehicles. A vintage M-B serves this purpose much better. Like my 73. It is great, if expensive to fill up all the time (that lovely V8...)

While a 107 chassis SL would be a brilliant combo of weekday reliability and weekend fun, there was something completely intoxicating about opening up the twin SU's on that TR3 in second gear, and bringing the tail out with the throttle exiting a curve.

If you haven't, go find one to drive- then drive home in your Mercedes-Benz of course...

Cheers,

JAS

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