Shaye Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Hi I'm new to classic cars and due to view a 1969 Triumph Herald tomorrow. I was wondering what I should be looking for and checking when viewing the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Rust, rust and rust basically. Not sure if you can get to buyers guide https://www.tssc.org.uk/tssc/cars_final.asp?model_ID=42 looks a nice clean car in your photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Shay, 1/ Join the TSSC, if you haven't already! 2/ when you can again, go to Local Area Group meets (see https://www.tssc.org.uk/tssc/areas_google.asp) and ask an experienced member to come along with you to inspect prospects. 3/ Buy a copy of the Haynes "Guide to Purchase and DiY Restoration, Spitfire.GT6.Vitesse & Herald". My old copy - don't know about the latest - has a large section on what to look for, plus costings for repair, expressed in 'tyres' so inflation proof. Clever! And very useful in bargaining with the seller! "That rusted swingletree farshap will cost me at least monkey to fix! Come down £500!" 4/ Never, ever, buy the first car you see. 5/ if anything looks wrong, walk away! There's always another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 That would be a good personal reg no. for me (Povey). If you buy it,lose that air filter,more restrictive than the original. Steve (Povey) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Vitesse bumpers too. Unusual colour scheme but looks solid. 3 hours ago, JohnD said: 4/ Never, ever, buy the first car you see. I still regret NOT doing that a few years ago, the car is still beautiful and a lot less bother than the one I did buy. 3 hours ago, JohnD said: 5/ if anything looks wrong, walk away! There's always another. But only if substantially wrong? Minor things can simply be easy replacements. Having said that, do be careful when a seller tells you something is an 'easy fix', it may be to them with years of experience or the right contacts, but can be a problem for new owners. In the end it all comes down to how much work you're prepared to do, or do you just want an immediate driver with everything sorted. Looks like a Gumtree sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 looks quite a tidy one from the pics, bear in mind a good body and worn mechanicals is a better bet than good mechs and a lousy body cant see the door fits and have to agree with steve about the silly air filter noisy and restrictive , if thats the only bit of bling it should be a good start to be out and about very soon .depends if the asking price is fair or silly does it have a valuation certificate ??? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 But was that the first car you had looked at, Colin? The first of that type/marque? Always look on that as a learning curve. For the first car, you know nothing. Picky, picky. If you are unsure, walk away. That's where 1/, 2/, 3/, and 4/ come into play! As for valuation certs! Not worth the paper, unless based on a physical examination/inspection. TSSC's are on photographs! Might not even be the same car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 As already said rust is the major thing to look for as it is the most expensive to put right. Get under the car and check the chassis for rust plus any repairs that look doubtful. Look at the chassis under the diff as this tends to rot through when the drain holes block up and would be a major problem. Also check the MOT history on the DVLA site. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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