From: "James Hoffman" <ericerichoffman@yahoo.com>
> Hi all-
>
> I'm new to the list. I am a car junky and have owned the following:
Porsche 928 5 speed, 72 Mercedes 250 Coupe, 67 Mercedes 250S, 67 Pontiac
LeMans convertible.
>
> I am considering the following: Volvo P1800, Alfa Spyder (round tail),
Triumph TR3 and TR4.
>
> If I start with a show (or nearly so) quality car and I am mechanically
useless what should I budget to run a Triumph maybe 5000 miles per year.
>
> What are some pros and cons of the TR3 vs TR4. Also vs the other cars I'm
considering. Can these cars be made to not leak and be reliable
electronically. Can someone reccommend a mechanic in Atlanta, GA.
>
> Eric Hoffman
> Alpharetta, GA
Eric,
The TR3 and the TR4 are very much the same in the performance department.
But the TR4 has such niceties as roll-up windows and a heater (I think the
heater was an option on the TR3 and standard on the 4, but not sure). The
hood goes up a bit nicer on the 4.
Yes, these cars can be made to not leak, but most people do not know how to
do this or do not wish to put the effort in to do so. I fall in the later.
As long as the leaks are small I leave them alone. When I have to start
adding oil often because of the leak, then I get off my lazy butt and do
something about it.
I drive a 65 mile round trip on an average day, sometimes a bit further. I
used my 1962 TR4 as my dayly driver for many years, now I use a Spitfire for
this. I still have the 62 TR4, ok, I still have a few 62 TR4s, but that one
is now a weekend car. In 5 years of driving the TR4 300 plus miles a week,
it left me on the side of the road one time. And it had been telling me for
weeks it was going to do so, I just kept telling myself "I'll get to it next
weekend", until the points just gave up. Shortly after that I converted it
to electronic ignition, and never had another problem.
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