An Article by Tom Witt
February, 2003

Page 7

Ramblings

For the inspired potential Tiger owner:
Doing a Tiger can be an expensive proposition. Especially if you have a very limited budget. What I have done is not for everyone. My goal was and is to own a genuine Tiger in respectable condition for the least amount of money possible. Thus far I feel I am accomplishing that goal. If this story has inspired you to do likewise please consider the following before your wife comes looking for me with a loaded gun:

Finding a Tiger in the $5,000 price range is not too common. They are out there, but "someone else" always seems to have the inside tract, or the car is so hopelessly rusted and thrashed that it is not feasible to tackle regardless of your skills, facilities and budget (some, see the email below, felt my car fit that description). Likely the lower end is the $10,000 (plus or minus a few thousand) and many (but not all) of these cars can be of rather questionable condition. Often over time they will require nearly the effort that is going into my car. In my case all the bad news is on the table and all the work will be done up front rather than "repairing as you go."

I was fortunate in that though not TACed yet, two knowledgeable people in Tigerdom have acknowledged my car as a real Tiger. At the point of sale though I was still taking a risk and in retrospect should have done more investigation first. My fear was that others might be prompted to snatch the car knowing that a potential buyer was out there. I guess the risk goes both ways.

Beyond the "is it a real Tiger" concerns is what are you getting as far as condition issues. Tiger's rust, and Tiger's get dented. In most cases body filler is a necessary evil, but how much of the car is shaped with it? It may look good now, but in 5 or 10 years will you find your car has now become my car? Are you mechanically inclined? It may have gotten home from the point of sale, but can you keep it going safely? Do you have the patience to deal with the Tiger's cramped quarters (fore, aft and mid-ship)? The following is an email from a prominent Tiger owner regarding my car. I never took it as an insult, but a challenge. Could you? From the Tiger mail list:

"Tom,

I have been following your saga with some interest, because I am familiar with you car and realize how much work it requires. I recall when the PO brought the car into Smitty's Sunbeam for an estimate of what it would cost to "fix it up." Smitty asked me to look it over for the people and give them my estimate, so I did. The more I looked, the more depressed I got. So much rust and cancer, so much bent sheet metal, so many missing parts. I was torn between trying to save the poor thing, or parting it out and junking the rest. The man said he didn't plan to do any work himself, but would pay Smitty (or whoever) to do everything for him. (Smitty had no intention of undertaking the project.) Then he sucked in his breath and admitted with considerable pain that he might be willing to spend as much as $5000! Well, you can imagine his reaction when I told him it would take at least $20,000 just to make the car safe and driveable (he drove it in to Smitty's!!), and maybe another $15-20K to pretty it up. So that was the end of that. Afterwards the car sat in Smitty's shop for well over a year, then finally disappeared. When I asked where it went, I was told it had been purchased by a fellow named Tom Witt. And now you know the rest of the story.

Good luck!
(name withheld)"

I comment: Yikes, and my budget for ALL mechanical/bodywork to primer is $2,500 to $3,000!!!!

I have been fortunate in many ways regarding this project and some important issues have fallen in my favor. I have been diligent in persisting and patient with the time table. If it takes 5 or more years (very likely) then so be it. It may be that a nice coat of primer is as far as the painting EVER gets. There are others who exceed my efforts in all these matters and mine is only one story. Someone will always have a better looking, faster Tiger and they will have done it for less money, and of course, telling you all the time they worked twice as hard as you did. Can you handle that? Just some thoughts for the perspective "Budget" Tiger owner to chew on.

Tom