Faults:

In the second year of ownership it required two new rear-ends.

In the first year there were two long stayovers at the dealership for electrical issues. That same year it required a head replacement due to warpage.

After first winter I was amazed to see rust erupting thru paint.

Lastly, the headlights popped up as a pair only occasionally.

General Comments:

When it was running right, I was grinning ear to ear, especially in the autumn thru the wooded mountains.

It had a wonderful exhaust note, and the gearbox was very smooth.

Faults:

In my opinion... forget the TR7. Even when it's running, there's something wrong. Go for a TR6 or a Spitfire. The TR6 has elbow room, but is short on leg room. The Spitfire has lots of legroom and less elbow room. The TR7 is a car that IMO is not going up in value. I regretted owning it.

General Comments:

The looks are either love it or hate it. Initially I liked it... but with all the problems I've had, I slowly disliked the look. Now when I see one, I feel sorry for the owner.

Faults:

I bought the car new in 1976, and the electrical components kept the car in the shop over and over for the first 6 months -- first instance, all interior lights went out.

Loose lug nuts when delivered to me by the dealer.

Grinding transmission when down-shifting to 1st gear (no solution ever found.)

Trailing arm shackles loose, needed securing.

Misaligned driver's side door (always leaked no matter how many times it was re-hung and adjusted.)

Headlight switched wired in backward -- "up" meant "down" and vice versa.

Brake lights and turn signals replaced (all this is within the first month or two, on a new car.)

Factory shipping plug in trunk not removed for delivery -- trunk filled up with water from rain!

A year or two later, began going through RH front wheel bearings -- replaced several times, then suddenly the problem stopped and never happened again.

Oil level "idiot light" had a pressure sensor whose diaphragm ruptured, dumping all the engine oil onto the road.

General Comments:

I bought the car for its styling -- in 1976 it was unique among round-cornered American "big cars." I didn't care about the reliability issues, and in fact they gradually went away over time.

Plenty of room on the inside for me (6 ft tall) and the dash is laid out perfectly; everything visible from a comfortable driving position.

At the time it was the best-cornering car I'd ever driven. A friend had a TR6 and we had little races. He could pull away from me on straight sections, but I'd easily pass him on the turns.

Despite a reputation for poor build quality, confirmed by my own experiences in its early years, my TR7 became so reliable that for years it was my only car, and in fact I moved cross-country (600+ miles) in it with no backup.

Faults:

Well the car looks awesome nothing has gone wrong with it since I've had it. I've had the car for I guess a year I'm about to turn 16 and my parents bought it for me. I do need to either replace the battery or the battery wires because I'm having to jump it to get it started so I'm thinking it the battery.

General Comments:

I haven't been able to drive it yet, but I can't wait. My parents put a paint job on it for me, it's a pearlesent white to blue. I want to know where to find parts for this car because I want a face car a I believe that I can make it real fast.