The Triumph 2000 / 2500 / 2·5 Register Forum

Due to certain factors which i won't bore you all with (but the Credit Crunch is part of,shock horror) we may have to get shot of one of our cars. The (new!) wife needs hers for her commuting.I obviously need one for mine.As it stands at the minute,2500S idle in garage.Really do not want to sell her.Which leaves me one option,flog the Vectra(i know,no contest!),put 2500S on road,but it would mean for the foreseable future the S doing 500+ miles a week....those that use the forum regular,with good memories,will recall she needs 'updating'.Am in a bit of a quandary as to which way to go.I am of a view that it is doing the S no good sitting in limbo,on the other hand to go completely the other way,ie 500+ a week in all weathers is something that i am most definately not keen on.Thought i'd try here for advice before i rang Kilroy.

One angle that i've thought about of course,is that assuming 500+ miles p/w would mean regular usage of this forum and possible letters to Six Appeal

I know what I'd do! I'd park the 2500S up in the garage until things got better and continue using the Vectra for everyday use! Assuming you can put your rego on hold, like we can here, that is...

Pah! I used to do that regularly in a 30 year old GT6 and it was great fun... much easier in a 2500S I reckon - at least you can carry more tools and spares around with you

I am in a similar situation (but without such a big commute). My 2500S is languishing in the garage at the moment awaiting a number of jobs before it can be MoT'd. I rent a lockup garage from the council at a cost of about £9 per week. I use a Honda Civic to get about, the mrs has her Peugeot. Every now and again the thought (very fleetingly) crosses my mind to sell the Triumph, but I always quickly dismiss the thought, because basically the £9 per week is all the car is costing me at the moment, and I know that if I sell it with it's current faults I'll get bugger all for it and will forever regret it.
I have also thought of selling the Civic (it's probably just about worth £3,000-£3,500 at the moment, if I could even sell it) and putting a decent chunk of the cash into getting the Triumph totally sorted.
I always come back to the same conclusion however - I need both!!!! Plus it's a really bad time to be selling cars, classic or modern.

The car market is totally down the pan at the moment and has been for some time. An aquaintence is a second hand car dealer, quite a good one with a supply of cars that come from the auction, usually just off lease or at the end of a contract hire. He tarts them up, takes a reasonable margin and historically has a quick turn over. Not for the past year, or so! Whereas he used to talk of selling 5 or 6 cars per week, he is now talking of 2 or 3 punters just visiting in a week and with nothing shifting for weeks at a time. About 18 months ago, we decided to get shot of one of the cars - a VW Beetle that I;d bought a few months old pre-registered from the dealers stock (sorry, VW don't "pre-register" lets get it right - it was the sales director's car). Friend offered to put the car on his lot for me in return for a bit of training that I did for another business he part-owns. Not the slightest interest in alomost a year, so in the end I sold it to my son for what it was worth to me to sell to a big dealer.

I think in Forkie's situation, I do as others have suggested and put the Triumph in the garage until better times come again. Then the only cost is the garage and laid-up insurance.

Kevin

If the Triumph isn't costing you anything keep it and use the vectra afterall how much would you get if you sold it and if and when the future economic climate changes,how much will it cost to buy another Triumph?

How much would you get for the triumph?------How much would it cost you to buy the equivalent car in the future?.I agree with the rest of the guys,lay it up,"it's not eating a piece" sitting there,as my old dad used to say.Best of luck with your predicament,one which I'm sure will affect us all in the near future.
Regards,Bill Young.

Hi Forkie,

Yup, I'm with the rest. I have a number of cars all in various stages of rebuild/rot etc. I also have (luckily) a BIG garage. (Actually, we built the garage just after moving into the house, but before building the house extension. Must get the priorities right!). Although most of mine are 'tax exempt', your 'S' won't be. So, to be able to reduce the cost you'll have to 'SORN' it, (if not already done). An insurance lay-up policy is not very expensive and will often cover tools in the garage too.

I think you have to ask yourself that if you did sell it, do you intend getting back into Triumph motoring in the future? If 'Yes', then definately keep it. You know it's faults and that is half the battle. Also, I believe that the big saloons are now becoming more rare and I think getting a good 'un in the indeterminate future may be more difficult than you think. Keeping the car for the future does mean you can do some of the jobs at a more leisurely pace as funds permit and not having to fix it to be able to go to work tomorrow. Done that and got the teeshirt.

So, it comes down to a) have you got the space to keep it dry and b) do you want to be Triumph motoring again in the future? If the answer is yes to both..... 'Nuf said.

In my case, I have far too many projects and too little time. However, having had a big saloon 'on the road' since 1974, (although not necessarily used often ), I cannot contemplate life without one!

Now, does this help, or does it raise even more quandries?

Cheers,
Mike.

Hello Forkie.
I agree with Mike. Come summer when finances are in a better state, and you want to enjoy your motoring in an old classic, you'll be glad you kept that lovely 2500S to cruise around in.