I turn 65 tomorrow. Ever since I was 15 I have been drawn to the Triumph TR 6. Never owned one never even driven one. I have mentioned this to my wife from time to time over the years and she wants me to go for it. She is way more impulsive than me. Anyway I am thinking about it and stalking the Sixpack site for information but I don't know if the expectations about performance/handling would exceed the reality and don't know the first thing about how to find one that would be not necessarily Concours grade but in very good mostly original and reliable condition. Especially since I have little to no mechanical skills. Budget is about $30k which seems doable. Not really interested in other models like Miata, etc. Anyone here have any experience or insight to offer?

Search for a TR-6 or British car club. They usually have classified ads for cars. Also very knowledgeable people who can help with what to watch out for.

Guy working at the Club I cooked for in HS had a TR-3, and he let me drive it around the neighborhood. It was a POS, wobbly steering, hard to keep running, worn, torn up mistreated clap trap noisy leaky pos, and I couldn't have wanted it more at 16.

Wanting one badly myself, 4 years later in college ended up to test driving one, Green TR-6, nice condition, didn't buy it but wished I had. Even test drove the "new" TR-7, but it wasn't the same... Shoulda bought it.

Condition is everything, look for one that has documents of service, take a mechanic that knows TR issues with you, they'll know what to look for, unless you want to spend a lot of time learning on the innerwebs.

Good luck on the chase.... They are cool.

Looky here first....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWI7hy-geuM

quote:

Originally posted by kho:
I turn 65 tomorrow. Especially since I have little to no mechanical skills.

First thing I'd do is make sure there is someone reasonably close by that can and will service the car and then go talk to him.

And Happy Birthday !!

The mechanic I worked for in high school had this to say about British cars: “Fuel pump, water pump, clutch, fuel pump, water pump, clutch...”. Rinse repeat ad naseum. Speaking with a friend who’s Range Rover was in the shop a few months ago, it didn’t sound like things had changed much.

Always loved that car!
Same age here, had friends in HS with those but more with the TR4 ~ basically the same in 4-cyl.
A bunch of us had the small roadsters but money wasn't as available as it is today.
I had a Fiat 850 (bought new for $2100 in 1972) but friends had the 124, some MG B's and the TR4's were around.
Hope to see some pics when you find one!
FWIW, just saw a rerun episode of Fantomworks on yesterday with a TR6.

I, too, have a loving affection for a TR6. Once had a TR4A, but it was literally a junk. My brother got it running one day, and drove to around our (large) yard, but no more ‘cause it didn’t have brakes.

Onto the TR6, a college friend had a British Racing Green one. Beautiful car, somewhat reliable. I rode in it one time. Roughest s-o-b I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting. At 21 years old that cured me of wanting one. Reasonable acceleration, great handling, but, again, the roughest ride I’ve ever had. Including tractors.

Being near your age I’m very fond of the Miata and offer you reconsider. Much less headache and for your budget it’d fit nicely with no headaches for thé foreseeable future. Guaranteed you will have service issues with a TR.

I remember riding in my dad's with the top down. I had to sit on some pads so that I could see over the dash.

Don't know about Triumph but if it has Lucas (Prince of Darkness) electrical system, be forewarned!

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
The mechanic I worked for in high school had this to say about British cars: “Fuel pump, water pump, clutch, fuel pump, water pump, clutch...”. Rinse repeat ad naseum. Speaking with a friend who’s Range Rover was in the shop a few months ago, it didn’t sound like things had changed much.

Add in oil leaks too.
I'd second the idea of locating a good British car shop if there is one nearby but they are hard to find nowadays, unless you are lucky.
A widow or divorce or other that has already been restored or very well maintained is what you want. Even then, old 60's cars require attention, even if not driven. Maybe even more when not driven.
Expectations about performance- modern, inexpensive low maintenance cars like the Miata are all over the place and will outperform this car.
Only buy one because you always wanted one and the pride of ownership or whatever is your reason. They are also much less safe than a more modern car.
Quite honestly, with no mechanical skills and knowledge of this type of car, I think your longer term experience will be disappointing and potentially expensive.
Think of this car as a black powder gun version of a car. Only own one for the nostalgia, not for the practical aspects.

Love the TR6, have worked on a few as well as the MGB, etc. Basic advice, at your price point get one that has been professionally restored and confirm that the restoration was done well. Rear IR attach points notorious for rust...as well as most of the car. Engine is pretty simple but yes, Lucas is the prince of darkness...electrics can be problem. Hopefully on restore they redid the wiring loom. Very cool car, simple jobs are actually simple as long as the above items were handled. Gas, Oil, Water and Electricity and you are good to go

I campaigned TR3 for two seasons with the SCCPR (Sports Car Club of Puerto Rico) in 1962 and ’63.
I had a great support team: Army mechanics that performed all of the wrenching. We won the Class D Championship both years against Porsche 356s, Austin Healy and others.

It was amazingly reliable and never had a DNF!

After returning to the US, I bought another, newer model TR3. That one spun a main bearing at about 20,000 miles!

The tales of Lucas - Prince of Darkness, are true!

I am now in my 80th year and that period of time was one of the most fun in my life.

I hope you enjoy working on them, it will be like chasing your tail. My brother had one in 1978 and it was drive it for a day work on it for a week and it was a really nice one.

Isn’t the old joke “why do Brits like warm beer ? Because their refrigerators all have Lucas electrics ?”

A friends dad had a MGB when I was kid. Man that thing was in the shop more than the road. British cars from back then have a terrible rep.

A 50yr old car design is going to ride like a 50yr old car. Dont expect anything resembling modern suspension-type ride. Lots of sway and body roll. But that's part of the charm.

Having said that, if you're not mechanically inclined, or willing to become so, I would really reconsider this. As others have said, the less you drive it, the more you're going to have to deal with.

If you're not willing to rebuild a carb or deal with other common mechanical issues, it will become an expensive hobby keeping it tuned and road ready.

I love the looks of the TR6 and was looking for one in good shape in the mid 80's and they were out of my price range and ended up getting a '77' Spitfire. It was a fun car but needed constant work to keep it running like it should.

Jim

My first job as a dealership tech was at a store that had sold all things british since the mid-50s. We also sold Subaru, Isuzu, Peugeot, etc. and serviced them all. We all drank a good bit.....

How you treat your lawnmower is a good indicator of what ownership of a vintage British car would be like.

I'm of the opinion that everybody should own a British sports car at least once in their life. It allows you to divest yourself of that inner masochist and move on to something sensible, like a Corvette.

Father: TR3 / Ex-wife: Spitfire / Ex-BIL: MGA / Best Friend: Austin Healey 3000 Mk II / Me: Austin Healey 100-6

I've come to my senses, sort of - now own a C4 and a C6. $30K will buy you a nice C5 or C6...just sayin'

Adios,

Pizza Bob