Triumph Repair: Gas Mileage, sherry sherry, triumph spitfire

Question
I'm considering a 1973 Triumph Spitfire that has, at least according to its owner, been completely rebuilt from the ground up. What kind of gas mileage can I expect from this vehicle? Dependability? Parts availability should I need to find parts?

Thank you for your time,
Sherry

Answer
Sherry,

Different Spitfire owners have reported gas mileage of anywhere between 15mpg to 40 mpg.   That's all dependent upon what mods have been made, state of tune of the car, how it's been driven, etc.  Somewhere between 25 and 35 is more realistic on a car driven normally, if it truly is in "stock" form.

The Spitfire is a very basic car so there isn't much to go wrong.  Keep in mind though that it is 33 years old, and most of the parts are still available as new/repro/used good but some of the parts like electrical switches are getting tough to find.  And rust is major problem with the cars as they weren't given a good rustproofing when built and haven't always been treated well.

As to the reliablity of the car in question.. it's worth having it looked over by a mechanic that YOU trust to see if there are any obvious problems.  Not knowing either the car in question or the seller I won't attempt to make a judgement on it's actual condition or reliablity.

There are several very good domestic suppliers specializing in Spitfires (or Triumphs in general) plus some good vendors in the UK.  Joining the local Triumph club or one of the National clubs is a good way to find leads on parts or repairs.


Cheers,

Jim