I need an honest opinion

[TriumphGT6]

My parents are hassling me to get a more modern car. My mom keeps pushing me into getting a Toyota(am fixing a 1998 for her) or a Honda(have a trail bike by 'em), and my dad keeps saying to get something with a perfect body that needs some interior work and/or an engine rebuild.

I was wondering about what my car would be worth on the open market:

1973 Triumph GT6 MKIII
Original Straight Six, Carbs & Transmission

ENGINE - 52,000 miles, never rebuilt, uses no oil and has good even compression in all cylinders.

TRANSMISSION - No issues, but does leak oil, needs new rear seal, will be done before sale.

Interior - New Carpet Set, installed w/ Matching rear deck carpet. Seats restuffed, with original cloth seat covers installed in great shape. No dash or dash cover warpage. Missing armrest & knee pads. Has remade door panels. Has had floor derusted(had surface rust) and has been painted prior to carpet installation, which was snap in vs. glue.

EXTERIOR - Has OK paint(was repainted in the 1980's), but up clsoe you can see some crackage on the hood. There is very little rust on the body, and on top of that, most panels don't have any and haven't ever been repaired. The driver & passenger rocker panels have rust & you could fiberglass them, but they are on $130 a piece to replace them with new panels. The passenger's side front panel the bumper hooks into needs replacement or fiberglass repair. The passenger rear quarter panel has about a 3/4" wide by 4" long strip near the weld that needs fiberglass. There is minor surface rust (about a half inch squared) at the top of the rear end near the trim chrome. Has 2 1" diameter dents on the rear wheel panel (driver's side) and 1 dent on the hood about 2" diameter, all are repairable and if I don't sell it now, all bodywork will be done this spring before sale. The bumpers are straight but could use a rechrome.

WHEELS - Has stock steel wheels, which have been repainted by me to a original looking silver color, and they have the original steel-with-chrome wheel centers w/ Logo.

FRAME - Frame was rustproofed very well a long time ago, and the underbody of the car is rust free also.

NOTES - Does not currently have a spare tire. Needs emergency brake lubed up as it sticks a little. Tires have great tread but are aged, so replacement is recommended.

 

[michalotti_tr]

If you get rid of it for your parents, you'll regret it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nopity.gif Instead you could point out how much you're saving in car payments and insurance - parents like to hear rational, logical arguments like that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif You could also point out it would take far less money to fix your GT6 up than it would take for a downpayment on a new car.

Seriously, I couldn't give you a value for the car as I haven't followed GT6s.

 

[BritBox]

Hi,

You don't need a new car, you need new parents.

Good luck,

 

[TriumphGT6]

My dad grew up around Corvette's and I'm very interested in getting a C4(1984 - 1996) Corvette Convertible, most likely a 1984 - 1988. I currently own a 1991 TC, a 1996 Saturn (For Sale Too!) a 1973 Honda ST90 (I'd die before selling it) and the GT6.

Oddly enough, the GT6 has never broke down, and never had unexpected problems. It gets an average (I don't beat on my cars or hot rod them) 23mpg on Premium (mostly city) and it has plenty of power with an entirely stock setup.

My mom actually doesn't mind driving corvettes, so she isn't opposed to it at all. She also likes the fact that the 80's ones have the 350. The gas mileage isn't bad with 16 city and 28 highway(Automatic, 1mpg less with the 4+3 manual) on regular. My mom would drive it occasionally in the summer if I'm at College. For several years she regularly drove my dad's 1963 Split Window, which needed to be revved often due to a giant Holley Carb setup. She drove it real easy, even though it had a dynoed 500RWHP and would pop a wheelie if you wanted it to.

My parents want me to get a more realistic toy. I'm actually was looking at 1980's vettes for quite a while, so its not like I'm against them. I also like the fiberglass that can't rust, and the 350 that can be rebuilt for almost no money.

After I sell the Saturn and use some of my stored away money, I should have $6500 towards the Vette. I would buy the Vette, then go about selling the Triumph at a leisurely pace(he he).

Any idea what it may be worth? Here are some pics:

Sorry for the sucky image quality, I need a better camera(Christmas). I am looking for a rough estimate of open market value. I have an idea that its worth between $3500 and $5000 right now, and about $8000 restored.

As far as the down payment argument, my family doesn't buy stuff on payments, we save then buy in full(except mortgage, but that's it). I own the Honda, Saturn, Lincoln & Triumph in Full, and always have.

My dad bought the Honda with it needing a head job(he just bought a new head from Honda instead for $60) for $40 with 1800 miles. I bought the Saturn for $900 with it needing a bore job (spent $250 and got head cleaned too). I was given the Lincoln by my Dad's friend because it spun a main bearing in 1994 and was stored inside heated storage until 2004(has 74,000 miles). The Triumph was $440 in the Bargain corner with the body in the same shape as it is now, but not running, needed carbs rebuilt, master cylinders and most of the hydraulics rebuilt/replaced, and the interior had no carpet and the seat foam had disintegrated.

I'm not rich, but I can rebuild mechanicals, can redo interiors top to bottom, and can do body work, so I get stuff on the cheap.

 

[JamesWilson]

[ QUOTE ]
My parents are hassling me ....

[/ QUOTE ]

Speaking as a parent, that's what we're supposed to do. It hardly matters what the subject may be, we'll find something, anything, whenever we want.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif

Undoubtedly you, like most children, will pay attention to those things you want to hear, ignore most of the rest, and dissemble when necessary: the best way to handle this hassle is to recite the LBC ownership axioms:

<ul type="square">
[*]My British car is not running and hasn't done so in quite some time.
[*]I ought to sell it, but its not worth much if it isn't running... I need to get it running to sell it...
[*]Ah, it so much fun to drive the car again... I really can't sell it now, its running so well...
[*] It quit working, I really should sell it, but its not worth much when its not running. I ought to get it running again....
[/list]

Most of us on the BCF have probably used this with our wives/families/friends/anyone in earshot/etc. at some time or another. This ought to provide several months (years even) of avoiding the issue....

During that time I suggest you find something like a thoroughly disreputable girlfriend (and, if you really want to do the job, pick a transgendered partner to really wind their springs tight) with which to distract their attention.

You, too, could even find that amusing..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Trust me.... would I lead you astray? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonono.gif

 

[Mark Jones]

Sounds like you want a newer "toy". Personally I wouldn't get rid of a good working play car, unless you just do not like the GT6 and would rather have a Vette.

 

[JamesWilson]

It sounded at the start like your parents were on to you to get something "sensible" and reliable.

But with you owning four cars and contemplating buying a 'vette that impression was obviously way wrong.

The Triumph is a perfectly reasonable toy (price insurance too for your age bracket). It sounds like its just not one they prefer to play with.....

What do you want to play with?

 

[Morris]

NADA says the car is worth $4100-$8100. You can look it up for yourself at www.nadaguides.com.

My opinion is that every chooch in town drives a vette. A GT6 is a beautiful and unique car that you rarely ever see. Furthermore, the vette you are talking about buying will go down in value over the next few years, while the GT6 will go up. Finally, American parents tend to have a prejudice against British cars. From experience I can tell you, it's just as easy to blow time and money fixing up an American sports car as a British one. And things like interior pieces are much harder to come by. And the idea that American sports cars are more "practical" and "reliable" than British ones is, in my opinion, a total myth.

morris

 

[Alan_Myers]

Hi,

Hmmm. I think you should tell your parents you've gotten *two* Triumphs in trade for Mom's Saturn and need them to sell some more of *their* cars so you can have the garage space. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Let me see if I have this straight, they want you to get "a more practical car... like a Corvette"? Have they been to a gas station for a fill up in the past year or so? I agree with a previous suggestion, too: You might want to carefully compare insurance rates before making a final decision (My TR4 is classified as an "economy car" by my insurance company, heh heh).

I stopped listening very closely to my Dad about cars after he "helped" me with my first engine rebuild, on the cheap of course. It developed a nasty knock after less than 5K mi. He was sure I could re-use the wrist pins, so I did. (BTW, before he "retired", he was a military pilot and airplane mechanic.)

On the other hand, I'll probably be in the market for a GT6 MkIII/+ next year, so maybe I should be a little more supportive of your parent's opinions and arm-twisting! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

But, hey! Do what *you* want!

 

[trfourtune]

if you had it restored and could pay for the restoration with the sales of the other stuff,that's what i'd do. maybe make a few modern updates for reliability and freshening up(ie suspension).all the rest will not have the same character (besides,girls like those british sports cars).