Dialtone76
Living the Dream
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2013
Hello All!
I wanted to say I really enjoy the site. Everyone seems VERY friendly, and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of people joining conversations, so I hope nobody minds if I just fire off some questions for some opinions.
I am not an owner yet, but I am exploring the possibility. Been a big fan of the cars since I was young, and now that I have found the fountain of, uhm, middle age, I have the resources for one. That being said, it is not my nature to do anything impulsive, and right now I am just monitoring the market so see whats out there and how often. I also want to make sure I am not blinded by the romantic vision I have from my youth and go into this well prepared for what lies ahead. I plan to spend the rest of the year, gathering intel before making any purchases, even if someone offers me 'cant say no deal'.
First a little about me, my profession is in IT, so I have a very analytical mind, and I can usually figure things out when they aren't working. I am no gear head. At one point I was mechanical. My first two cars (78 Ford LT and 83 Pontiac Grand Prix) were absolute POS's. Armed with a toolbox and a Chilton's manual I was able to keep my car running so I could get to work and keep the paychecks coming. (Amazing what you can do when you are desperate hehe). I have swapped plugs, wires, alternators, water pump, thermostats, engine fan, radiator, hoses and belts (not timing). I won't dare say I did them cleanly, efficiently, or that anyone would mistake my work for a professional's, but I was successful. That all works into part of the allure of the desire for a TR. I always wanted to work on a car when I didn't have to depend on it for transportation (or freeze my arse off in the winter). One of my biggest handicaps is going to be that i live in a Condo building. We have underground climate controlled parking/ vehicle storage, however I don't have a garage that I can just rent a hoist and goto town. If it has to be on a lift or the hood has to come off, I am not gonna be able to do it on location.
So now that you know a little about who you are working with, a little about my goals. I envision owning a TR that is presentable, that I don't have to apologize for. It would be stored in the winter, and driven in the summer (not rain). I wouldn't go looking for racing trouble, but if I did jump on the gas I would like to keep up the rep of the car rather than disgrace it. I also want it to be reliable. While I would love to re-live the thrill of fixing a component on the car, I do not miss the anxiety of never knowing if I was going to spend my day being broken down on the side of the road. I mean I get that the cars are over 25 years old and stuff just breaks sometimes, but if I am spending $5500 a month every season I drive it, I think I might look at a less painful, more cost efficient hobby, like…touring Antarctica and speaking Penguin. Heh.
There is a wealth of information here, and I enjoy reading the stories and seeing the pictures of the work you all have done to your cars. Some of it entices me, some of it scares me. I can see myself doing some of the very same things to improve/maintain the car, and it gives me confidence. While at the same time, some of it makes me want to curl up under my desk in the fetal position and scream for my Woobie.
Many of the questions I have I know are extremely subjective and maybe no two people will say the same thing, but I am hoping to get a feeler for what I might be getting myself into. I understand every TR is different, has its own history, but generally speaking:
Is a TR a car that CAN be reliable at this age in the role I describe above? I mean how much work (other than the PM list every year) do you guys spend on repairs vs self inflicted upgrades? Other than with new performance upgrades, how frequently to the unexpected problems occur? Every year? every 10000 miles?
I don't anticipate the constant crave for lower and lowers quarter times, so I envision finding a TR, getting it tuned, some bolt-ons, and being content. Tuned in spring, out for the summer cruises and special occasions, and then hibernating the winter. If the configuration stays static, do I stand a better chance of the car being reliable or is it always a seasonal game of roulette on whats gonna break next?
If I don't have a location that would enable me to fully pull the engine apart, would you ever recommend a TR?
Sorry for the long winded post, but I just wanna get a sense for what I would be getting myself into if I give in to the childhood sweetheart. Hopefully you all won't mind the random conversation hehe.
Thanks in advance for your responses!
I wanted to say I really enjoy the site. Everyone seems VERY friendly, and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of people joining conversations, so I hope nobody minds if I just fire off some questions for some opinions.
I am not an owner yet, but I am exploring the possibility. Been a big fan of the cars since I was young, and now that I have found the fountain of, uhm, middle age, I have the resources for one. That being said, it is not my nature to do anything impulsive, and right now I am just monitoring the market so see whats out there and how often. I also want to make sure I am not blinded by the romantic vision I have from my youth and go into this well prepared for what lies ahead. I plan to spend the rest of the year, gathering intel before making any purchases, even if someone offers me 'cant say no deal'.
First a little about me, my profession is in IT, so I have a very analytical mind, and I can usually figure things out when they aren't working. I am no gear head. At one point I was mechanical. My first two cars (78 Ford LT and 83 Pontiac Grand Prix) were absolute POS's. Armed with a toolbox and a Chilton's manual I was able to keep my car running so I could get to work and keep the paychecks coming. (Amazing what you can do when you are desperate hehe). I have swapped plugs, wires, alternators, water pump, thermostats, engine fan, radiator, hoses and belts (not timing). I won't dare say I did them cleanly, efficiently, or that anyone would mistake my work for a professional's, but I was successful. That all works into part of the allure of the desire for a TR. I always wanted to work on a car when I didn't have to depend on it for transportation (or freeze my arse off in the winter). One of my biggest handicaps is going to be that i live in a Condo building. We have underground climate controlled parking/ vehicle storage, however I don't have a garage that I can just rent a hoist and goto town. If it has to be on a lift or the hood has to come off, I am not gonna be able to do it on location.
So now that you know a little about who you are working with, a little about my goals. I envision owning a TR that is presentable, that I don't have to apologize for. It would be stored in the winter, and driven in the summer (not rain). I wouldn't go looking for racing trouble, but if I did jump on the gas I would like to keep up the rep of the car rather than disgrace it. I also want it to be reliable. While I would love to re-live the thrill of fixing a component on the car, I do not miss the anxiety of never knowing if I was going to spend my day being broken down on the side of the road. I mean I get that the cars are over 25 years old and stuff just breaks sometimes, but if I am spending $5500 a month every season I drive it, I think I might look at a less painful, more cost efficient hobby, like…touring Antarctica and speaking Penguin. Heh.
There is a wealth of information here, and I enjoy reading the stories and seeing the pictures of the work you all have done to your cars. Some of it entices me, some of it scares me. I can see myself doing some of the very same things to improve/maintain the car, and it gives me confidence. While at the same time, some of it makes me want to curl up under my desk in the fetal position and scream for my Woobie.
Many of the questions I have I know are extremely subjective and maybe no two people will say the same thing, but I am hoping to get a feeler for what I might be getting myself into. I understand every TR is different, has its own history, but generally speaking:
Is a TR a car that CAN be reliable at this age in the role I describe above? I mean how much work (other than the PM list every year) do you guys spend on repairs vs self inflicted upgrades? Other than with new performance upgrades, how frequently to the unexpected problems occur? Every year? every 10000 miles?
I don't anticipate the constant crave for lower and lowers quarter times, so I envision finding a TR, getting it tuned, some bolt-ons, and being content. Tuned in spring, out for the summer cruises and special occasions, and then hibernating the winter. If the configuration stays static, do I stand a better chance of the car being reliable or is it always a seasonal game of roulette on whats gonna break next?
If I don't have a location that would enable me to fully pull the engine apart, would you ever recommend a TR?
Sorry for the long winded post, but I just wanna get a sense for what I would be getting myself into if I give in to the childhood sweetheart. Hopefully you all won't mind the random conversation hehe.
Thanks in advance for your responses!