Wedge TR parts cost

I haven't had a LBC in a few years and have been entertaining the idea of getting a TR8 to "fool around with". I just looked on ebay for typical parts and I was astounded . $300 for a gasket set and $144 for a set of plugs. Does everything associated with Rover cost an arm and a leg ? I'm used to paying the Corvette "tax" to maintain my DD but this seems extreme. Did I get a false reading or is this the way it is ? Bob

You can find some crazy prices on eBay. Parts for the Rover V8 should be in line with any other engine. Try looking at places like Rock Auto. Regular Champion spark plugs are just fine. Also check out The Wedge Shop and Rimmer Brothers for more specific parts. There of course are some very specific parts that are hard to find and expensive.

Bob Claffie said:

I haven't had a LBC in a few years and have been entertaining the idea of getting a TR8 to "fool around with". I just looked on ebay for typical parts and I was astounded . $300 for a gasket set and $144 for a set of plugs. Does everything associated with Rover cost an arm and a leg ? I'm used to paying the Corvette "tax" to maintain my DD but this seems extreme. Did I get a false reading or is this the way it is ? Bob

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C4 and TR8 owner here.

There is no "Corvette tax" - there's a tax on people who can't or won't shop. It's just that a lot more Corvette owners than, say F-body owners with the same drivetrain, fall into that group.

Meaningful performance and reliability upgrades to the RV8 are very expensive compared to a more common V8 like an SBC. Other than that, parts are generally in line with the other older cars I have owned.

The (minor) problem with the wedge is not parts prices, it's parts unavailability. There are a handful of parts that aren't available at all. There are other parts that are available but the new parts are garbage quality or don't fit correctly, so they're effectively unavailable.

Things like you mentioned are common auto parts store parts and cost the same as most other cars. Quality spark plugs are <$1.50 a piece. I don't even know how to go about finding an $18 spark plug...

While I'd never shop on ebay for something like this, for s&g I went over there and punched in "triumph tr8 spark plugs" and the first four hits on the default sort showed sets at $19 / $20 / $27 / $49.