Quick - tell me about your TR driving big miles

[tdskip]

And/or about how reliable and resilient your TR is!

I think a couple of us could stand being reminded that we're dealing with what happens when deferred maintenance meets PO's bodges or sincere but misguided attempts at repairs...

 

[Moseso]

I have to go back to the early '70s to dredge up these stories, so the car in question was only 13 or 14 years-old... but...

I used to drive my '59 TR3 all up and down the West Coast. Home base was San Francisco. The car took me to Portland, OR and Los Angeles on numerous occasions. The only time I ever had trouble was the time 2 deer stepped out in front of me one night, going south on US 101 in Oregon. I couldn't miss both of them because they took up the whole dang road! I was probably still going 25 or 30 when I hit one. It really messed up my headlight adjustment, but I made it home by morning anyway!

I learned a lot about deer habits and how better to avoid them. I haven't hit one since (knock wood) even though Minnesota is actually deer-infested!

 

[SCguy]

I drove my 74 TR6 from CT to Southern California and then up and down from Southern California to San Jose numerous times. In all, I put over 50,000 miles on my car and don't remember a major issue.

 

[tdskip]

I used to drive my '59 TR3 all up and down the West Coast. Home base was San Francisco. The car took me to Portland, OR and Los Angeles on numerous occasions.

Now that is what I was hoping to hear!

Who else wants to weigh in here with a story?

 

[tdskip]

I drove my 74 TR6 from CT to Southern California and then up and down from Southern California to San Jose numerous times. In all, I put over 50,000 miles on my car and don't remember a major issue.

50K miles would hold me over for a loooong time - right on Larry!

 

[TR3driver]

I got my "now wrecked" 59 TR3A in 1984 (bday present from my late wife) and drove it all over the place. Don't know just how far, but the odometer rolled over twice and was disconnected for awhile. Mostly relatively local trips, but went 1000 miles each way to VTR 2000 in Oregon, and VTR 2001 in Colorado.

Certainly had some issues over that length of time; but only came home on a wrecker twice. First time was a bone-head move on my part, trying to reuse the locktabs on the con rod bolts. Would've been OK I guess, if I hadn't also reused the torn oil pickup screen

Second time was after that Toyota tried to park in my trunk (and didn't fit).

 

[kodanja]

hmmm back in 82' I drove my 73' Gt6 from New Haven Ct to Virginia beach and back.
That about the furthest I ever drove a TR.

I'm not as brave now!

 

[tdskip]

Second time was after that Toyota tried to park in my trunk (and didn't fit).

Ouch, but pretty funny description.

So that had to be 150K+ miles - wow.

 

[Guest]

I drove my TR3 into the interior of Mexico and back some years ago. Fueled by tequila, I have no idea how far we went, the odometer didn't work.

 

[Guest]

Bought the 8 in Atlanta.
Drove it to the Mitty, then 1100 miles home.
The only stops were for fuel.
The only problem was a bad ground in the dash that means you drove off the odometer, not the fuel gauge when the lights are on...

 

[Andrew Mace]

Once again (most of you have "heard" this all befor):

Bought my current Herald 1200 sedan in 2002. Three weeks later, took it 2550 miles from NY to MN and back. In March 2003, it became my ONLY car for about six months. From then up to the present, it's been used as much as is allowed by my insurance (and maybe just a wee bit more).

I've had to do some u-joints, a clutch, a couple of wheel and/or axle bearings, and typical replacement of brakes and other "maintenance items. It has yet to leave me stranded; it's managed to get home even after part of the clutch exploded and after a diff. bearing nearly disintegrated!

Bottom line: over 30000 miles since 2002, on a car that had 50k when I bought it and looked nice but turned out to have some minor "issues," mostly from having been used for only 700 miles in the 13 years previous to my buying it!

Over the years, there have been quite a few other Triumphs in the family, most of them having gotten the daily use treatment, since they were new or "just" used cars at the time. Not really any better, but certainly no worse (in terms of reliability, etc.) than anything else we had, including various Fords, Volvos, etc., etc.

 

[PATR8]

I drive my 8 from PGH to D.C. in the summer (Usually three to 5 trips each way). It provides better milage than my H3 and is definately easier to find parking for once I get there. My 8 has yet to give me any trouble and when I have time on the way home from D.C I try different routes through the mountians of VA and MD. Even after my radio nearly caused a fire (the CD players fault, not the car's, or even mine), I prefer the top down rumble to the H3's A/C and XM radio (I do like the XM allot though).

Closest to letting me down was the power steering dying last time home leading to me basically rebuilding the front end.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Properly rebuilt and maintained the TR's are very reliable and capable of making many cross country trips. As they age, the transmissions tend to break in a not so gentle fashion and the throw out bearings do not last long. Also, the original Lucas alternators and generators were subject to more frequent failure. I drove a TR4 for a number of years, including a round trip east to west trip, in -40 and 110 degree temps. Nary a problem (except the generator). I drove a TR6 (which I still have and under restoration) for many years until parking it due to a transmission failure. I never had a problem with the engines.

Oh, they all leaked like a sieve in the rain.

 

[NickMorgan]

Can't really go that far without falling off the edge into the sea!
I suppose the futhest was just over 1,000 miles in five days around Scotland on a rally. Doesn't sound much compared to US trips, but this was on small, single-track bumpy roads with grass growing out of the middle!

 

[tomshobby]

In 65/66 I drove my 64 TR4 back and forth from Madison, WI to Fort Knox, KY. I made several trips usually with a guy from my home town. The most memorable was the second to last trip home with the two of us and two more guys riding behind the seats on the little shelf. Never gave it a thought that we might have car trouble and never did.

 

[John_Mc]

I bought my TR6 in Vancouver, B.C. in 2002 and drove it home to San Jose, CA not having ever had any experience with these cars. Car gave me no problems although, it threatened to overheat once. I've driven it to Tahoe once, out to the Central Valley many times (in-laws, a 375 mi round trip). My wife and I regularly go on drives along the coast that total about 125 mi RT. We took it for about a 500 mi RT for our anniversary. I've put about 30000 miles since I've purchased it and I have yet to need a tow.

 

[Tinster]

I drove 175 miles in one day - without breaking down.
All time record for my car. Average is about 7 miles
between breakdowns. Hoping it will improve.

d

 

[gsalt57tr3]

500 miles in 1 weekend, driving from Fresno to Sacramento, driving in and around Sacramento, then returning to Fresno.

No issues at all, it ran a little warm on the way home because the temp was 102.

 

[DougF]

Last year I put close to 10,000 miles on my TR6. I did get a flatbed ride home once due to a newer water pump failure(inferior repro part).
Most of the problems I have had over the years have been caused by reproduction parts. This has to be the biggest reason for our "unreliable" driving.
I would have no problem taking the car on a 1000+ mile trip this instant.

 

[Mark Jones]

Bought my 80 Spitfire sight unseen in 2002. The day before arriving got a call saying that the carb had caught on fire. Flew/bus to Jenkins, KY, spent a day rebuilding the carb and then drove 1,700 miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway and other back roads home to Halifax, NS. Best trip ever!