Hello I'm new to Triumph Cars

[mrv8q]

Is $3500 a good asking price for a TR-4 in this condition?

3500 might be OK, hard for me to tell from the pics. have you done a compression test? Crawled in and around and under the car, looking for rust, and checked the frame? Nice clean, clear title? How long has it been sitting? All kinds of questions! Might be OK, though!

 

[Zitch]

I couldn't find any rust in the normal spots; Rockers, fenders, door frames, windshield frame etc. The frame appears to be clean. No compression test done. Title is good. The car has sitting for about 4-6 months and was driven intermittently before that.

 

[TR4eh]

Other places to look for rust are: under the battery (I think you'll find some based on the picture of the driver's footwell); around the master cylinders (again, you'll probably find some here based on the driver's footwell picture that looks like evidence of a brake fluid leak); underneath the dash at either end, where the drains from the plenum go into the fender wells; the doglegs on both front and rear fenders (just in front and behind the doors); the inner sills (crawl under and look up under the door openings); the bottom edge of the trunk lid (look from inside the trunk); and of course the floors. If the owner pulled back the driver's carpet to show you that Rustoleum paint, he's probably not hiding anything serious, but better to know what you are getting. $3500? Depends what you value, I suppose. If I was looking for another project I might start bargaining with him.

 

[KVH]

https://www.bentleypublishers.com/triumph/repair-information/triumph-tr4-workshop-manual.html

You'll note the Bentley publishing site shows the British Leyland Manual.

 

[glemon]

I didn't read everything, if it is rust free, straight, and all there, I would consider it a pretty good deal. Early TRs are usually pretty straightforward to get running (and often work even after years of indifferent care and or storage). Looks like a good find to me, parts are readily available, and advice is too (in case you didn't figure that one out yet).

 

[Zitch]

TR4eh has me questioning my offer, maybe I should walk away.

You can tell its been repainted in the not too distant past. Fenders look like they have been replaced, Screws /screw holes are new. You can see the new paint in the wheel wells where the new under coating is comming off. The subframe is pretty clean and the battery tray has been repainted and battery pad added. But the owner is no longer availble for questions the bank is selling his assets for a family member in Cali. Price negociations are a pain with the bank contact.

Maybe I should stick to Newer German cars. I know those better. Let me know what you think

 

[sail]

https://www.bentleypublishers.com/triumph/repair-information/triumph-tr4-workshop-manual.html

You'll note the Bentley publishing site shows the British Leyland Manual.

I have both. The Bentley is a reprint of the British Leyland Manual as Randall mentioned, except for some additions to the "drivers handbook" which is in both and the "competition preparation manual" which is reprinted in the back of Bentley only. Just a clarification, not trying to sell a book, it's already gone to someone else.

 

[sail]

Rather different cars. Decide what you want, get the best car you can afford, you will pay for it sooner or later. Unless you have the skills of some here to do the work, rust is a show stopper for me, mechanical stuff more manageable. Is there a TR club in Saint Louis. If so I would think someone would be happy to look at the car with you.

 

[glemon]

I had not seen the new pics and video, so will retract my earlier post a little bit. As with any old car I would inspect it for evidence of rust or bondo rust repair, one thing I saw was around the master cylinder, which is pretty common when the corrosive brake fluid leaks. But other areas to check are floors, rocker panels, and the upper rear fender, as well as the top outside edges of the rear valence. I saw rust on the bumper and it looked like on the bottom of the bonnet, this would indicate exposure to the elements and or a harsh environment, so there may be issues painted over elsewhere. On the other hand it still looks like a car you could make into a fun weekend driver after cleaning it up and checking the brakes, suspension and tires, but I am a little partial to the Michelotti bodied TRs.

 

[waltesefalcon]

Use a magnet and a soft cloth and run it over the areas folks have pointed out as being prone to rust. It will let you know if it has any bondo on the car and how thick it is.

 

[Zitch]

Use a magnet and a soft cloth and run it over the areas folks have pointed out as being prone to rust. It will let you know if it has any bondo on the car and how thick it is.

I found a little behind the door area near the front of the rear fender that has been filled where the magnet didn't stick too well. But for them most part I didn't find too many areas. It is a 50 year old car. Just trying to see if I would lose my shirt if I paid $3500 for the car.

 

[poolboy]

Do some comparisons. See what a running car goes for. Don't expect to find a lot of comparables,but you may see enough to get an idea.
As far as loosing your shirt... yeah you probably will if you are buying it to restore and sell...you'll loose more than your shirt.

 

[BillyB62]

Zitch,

As in any hobby, an LBC will be a labor of love. Looking at the pic's you'll have money you'll need to invest - but unless you are looking for a concours show car, since it is already running and rolling, you can do that as you go. In my humble opinion, getting into the game is what is important. You'll spend some money, no doubt about it, but I think the $3500 you'll be investing initially is in the ball park of its value. I'm sure you can hunt around for something an find cheaper cars in similar shape OR hunt around and find more expensive cars in worse shape. Do your research, due diligence and follow your gut. I personally feel it is a decent value for what you are getting and a much better launching point than a lot of posters have started with.

 

[Zitch]

Zitch,

As in any hobby, an LBC will be a labor of love. Looking at the pic's you'll have money you'll need to invest - but unless you are looking for a concours show car, since it is already running and rolling, you can do that as you go. In my humble opinion, getting into the game is what is important. You'll spend some money, no doubt about it, but I think the $3500 you'll be investing initially is in the ball park of its value. I'm sure you can hunt around for something an find cheaper cars in similar shape OR hunt around and find more expensive cars in worse shape. Do your research, due diligence and follow your gut. I personally feel it is a decent value for what you are getting and a much better launching point than a lot of posters have started with.

Bill,

Thanks for the Honest advice!

Zitch

 

[waltesefalcon]

I'm with Bill, if it isn't eaten up with rust $3500 seems like a fair price. Its not too high, but you also aren't getting a steal at that price.

 

[Lukens]

Get the best car you can afford, you will pay for it sooner or later..

Can't over emphasize this. $3500 will buy you a whole lot of education.
There's a reason these cars sell for $20K - $30K and up.
That being said, owning one is a "trip". :friendly_wink:

 

[TR4eh]

TR4eh has me questioning my offer, maybe I should walk away.

You can tell its been repainted in the not too distant past. Fenders look like they have been replaced, Screws /screw holes are new. You can see the new paint in the wheel wells where the new under coating is comming off. The subframe is pretty clean and the battery tray has been repainted and battery pad added. But the owner is no longer availble for questions the bank is selling his assets for a family member in Cali. Price negociations are a pain with the bank contact.

Maybe I should stick to Newer German cars. I know those better. Let me know what you think

I didn't mean to scare you away When I said I'd bargain, I meant that $3500 was low enough that if I was in the market I'd be thinking about it and talking to him. But not low enough that I'm hitching up the trailer to beat you to it.

 

[TR3driver]

TR4eh has me questioning my offer, maybe I should walk away.

You can tell its been repainted in the not too distant past. Fenders look like they have been replaced, Screws /screw holes are new. You can see the new paint in the wheel wells where the new under coating is comming off. The subframe is pretty clean and the battery tray has been repainted and battery pad added. But the owner is no longer availble for questions the bank is selling his assets for a family member in Cali. Price negociations are a pain with the bank contact.

Maybe I should stick to Newer German cars. I know those better. Let me know what you think

Old British cars are a hobby (or obsession); never a sound financial decision. The cheapest way to have a "restored" car is always to buy one that someone else has restored.

That said, doing your own work on them and driving the results is satisfying, rewarding and FUN. If you think you can handle the work (and these cars are mostly very easy to work on) and there are no major rust issues or missing parts, then I'd say $3500 is a Good Deal. I paid more than that for my TR3 and it was disassembled, in primer and missing some parts. And I still think I got a good deal on it.

 

[glemon]

I agree with Randall, if it is pretty solid and you can get it going without Herculean efforts it sounds like a good deal to me. I paid more for my TR250, and it was in much worse shape when I acquired it, I didn't get a deal and acknowledge same, but anyhow, it looks pretty decent at that price to me, you aren't getting perfection in that price range. I really prefer doing a "running restoration" doing improvements here and there as you go along as time and money permit, to having a car apart in the garage for a year or many years redoing it all, I guess its an immediate reward kind of thing. The car looks like a good candidate for a running resto.

 

[justin_mercier]

There's also something to be said for location that you cant skip either, is paying 3500 for one that's near you and which you can pick up and look over better than paying 3000 for one that's a 7 hour drive away and which you've got to decide on the spot after driving out to look at it if you're renting a trailer to drag it home (and perhaps spending a couple hundred in the process to get it home or whatnot). 3500 is 500 less than I paid for my TR6 which, from the sounds of it, the TR4 you're looking at is in better condition than my TR6 was.

I'd say, if you're serious about wanting a british car, go for it, just knowing that it may take a bit more to have it on the road, but the triumph engines are little tanks that even when they need work, will keep chugging along fairly well. Theyr'e pretty simple cars when it's all said and done, but a blast to drive .