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GT6 Hi New Guy with limited experience. GT6 Question

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SamM

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Hello everyone. I am a big fan of the styling of older british sports cars. I like the coupes especially.

My dilema is that the only experience I have had with british cars is my brothers 1998 V8 lotus espirit. This car is wholly tempermental and unreliable. It almost seems to resent him on a personal level. I know this is impossible as it is an inatimate object but I just get that feeling. Like a girlfriend that is cheating on you or something.....

Anywho, on to the Triumph content. I currently live in Chicago an need a daily driver, 99 corvette is the weekend toy. Is there any chance that something like a Triumph GT6 would in any way fit the bill? I commute 8 miles (16 round trip) everyday and all of it is on side roads.

I am a little spooked by my bro's bad luck and was wondering if the tempermental nature he has had is indicitive of all british cars. I don't mind getting my hands a little dirty and the way the hood opens on this thing it looks like it shoudl be pretty easy to wrench on.

So am I barking up the wrong tree? If I am not what should I expect to spend on one? I don't want to win the local concours just buzz around town.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Sam
 
Take a clue from the Lotus, British cars are FULL of "quirk". Chicago means cold winters, hot summers, wind, rain, ice, snow, etc.

Now, let's review ....... you were asking about a 30-35 year old British sports car built by a failing manufacturer as a daily commuter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif

To put a bit of persective on this, I have a 1970 GT6, a 1980 TR8, and a TR7 coupe that will be reborn as a TR8 "hot rod". So, how smart am I?

Get an old Civic with a/c and ignore what the salted roads do to your rice burner. Then, buy a nice GT6 ($4-6K) and enjoy it side by side with Corvette. Two kinds of fun.
 
from a fellow corvette (c4), and triumph owner (see sig). You dont want a triumph to be your soul transportation for bad weather and such. I would rather take the corvette out than the triumph when the weather is poor, just so i can rest assured i wont be sitting in the rain working on it on the side of the road. Thats me though As Bob said, the corvette and triumph fill the same niche but they are different kinds of fun. Personally my TR3 is way more fun to drive than my corvette /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif but the 'vette is way way faster. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
 
Re: Hi New Guy with limited experience. GT6 Questi

I am not sure I would judge British cars using a 1998 V8 Lotus Espirit as an example.

I have 5 and if they are well kept and looked after they can be pretty reliable. It is a matter of getting them right in the beginning and then keeping them that way. I had a "Jag" specialist work on one of my cars and it never ran right. Then I found a real mechanic and the car has been GREAT!

Bruce
 
Re: Hi New Guy with limited experience. GT6 Questi

Well, being from Minn. I would say this. For the winter buy a beater. But as for a GT6 as a daily driver. Try this on guys for size. My 16 year old son drove it everyday all summer long and the only issue he had was the alt. went our a couple of weeks ago.

Now I had to do the normal maintance on it but these cars are like little tanks. The engine can take a lot. As for driving in the rain, at this point of the car restoration we drive with a towel in one hand and a rain suit on. There are some holes in the firewall still and the windshield rubber is so old that I am suprised it hold the darn thing in.

As a daily driver, 8 months of the year I would say yes. Anyways I am a believer in missery loves company.

What do I know I just drove my motorcycle into work this morning and we have had about 6 inches of rain in the last 12 hours. Good luck.

Tom
 
Re: Hi New Guy with limited experience. GT6 Questi

Thanks for all the replies. I had a feeling that these would a tough do for a daily driver but you always hold out hope.

TR3cubka - I understand what you mean about the difference between fun to drive and fast. The vette is the fastest car I have ever owned, and it spends a lot of time at DE days at local tracks. The only problem is that during day to day driving it is too fast. Approaching anything near the limits of this car on public roads is felonius(sp??)and really wrong.

Having something a little smaller would certianly provide more grins.

My brother may be selling the Lotus and I am thinking about getting a GT6 so we have something to work on and drive for fun.

Thanks again for all of the input.


Sam
 
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