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Hello from White Salmon, WA

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HelmetHead

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As a kid I was always attracted to European cars. Most of my matchbox cars were Euro or British. I fell in love early on with the Jaguar XKE. That continues to this day. But after many decades of yearning I came to realize I just can't afford to join that club - that is, to step into a driver not a project car. A month ago an ad popped up in our local paper for a 1959 Triumph TR3. It wasn't a steal but it was priced fairly. I checked it out, went for a nice long drive, and decided this would be my poor man's Jag. It lives in a carport in the dry side of our area so it's got a layer of grime but I could see a shine underneath. The chrome was shiny, the spokes were not rusty. It ran fine but has a few items that will need attention. I plan to buy it at the end of this month so I'm not an owner yet but will be soon. Then the fun will begin.
 
sounds like a great car and a great project! welcome and we would be delighted to see pics.
 
HelmetHead said:
As a kid I was always attracted to European cars. Most of my matchbox cars were Euro or British. I fell in love early on with the Jaguar XKE. That continues to this day. But after many decades of yearning I came to realize I just can't afford to join that club - that is, to step into a driver not a project car. A month ago an ad popped up in our local paper for a 1959 Triumph TR3. It wasn't a steal but it was priced fairly. I checked it out, went for a nice long drive, and decided this would be my poor man's Jag. It lives in a carport in the dry side of our area so it's got a layer of grime but I could see a shine underneath. The chrome was shiny, the spokes were not rusty. It ran fine but has a few items that will need attention. I plan to buy it at the end of this month so I'm not an owner yet but will be soon. Then the fun will begin.
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Welcome to the best LBC forum around.
The TR3 will give you all the thrills of an E type at less than 5% of the cost.
Back in the mid 80s, I visited a couple I knew in Portland.
They showed us the sights up in White Salmon, WA where we hiked around.
Lovely area.
 
There's no shortage of scenic twisty roads here. I've driven every road in every car I've owned but can't wait to do it all again in the TR.
 
What Steve said! I think you'll find the TR3 to be a great choice in its own right. You get all the curves (and all the fun) of an XK120 but none of the worries of driving such an expensive machine.

It also seems to me that a TR3 is a little more relatable for most people who see it, if that's important to you. With an E-Type, you might get a few "I've never seen one of these in person before," but just about everyone over 30 has a story about a TR in their lives. Get ready to make a lot of new friends!
 
This is it.
IMG_2519.JPG
 
Nice Triumph!
Welcome... here from nearby Portland.
Be sure to make it to the ABFM in a few weeks.
 
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