My father and I recently have completed restoration on a C3 Corvette, and are fulfilling the need for something British.
We are going to check out a Tiger locally tomorrow. Apparently runs and drives, the gentleman uses is as a daily driver on most days. He also has an Alpine parts car and some parts to go with it.
Unfortunately, the Tiger resources on the net really do not have any solid buyer's guides or judging criteria. Most of it seemed to be tied up in email lists and the like.
I am basically paranoid of buying a Converted Alpine. I know that the registry exists online, but I could not find and concrete ways of telling if the car was legitimate, other than the 'FE' at the end of the car's serial # on the numberplate, which I assume is in the engine bay. Where is the other located?
Also, is there any areas prone to problems? I expect that the electrical system will need updating, and to check for rust on the sub-frame and unibody. I have also read that the spring mounts like to crack and reinforcement plates are available.
Am I missing anything here? Is there any Alpine/Tiger specific parts that are basically unobtanium or severely expensive to replace? While I don't expect a 'catalog restoration' like a Corvette would be, I want to own a car that is a nice, solid driver.
Any help would be appreciated.
