TVR Daily.. madness?
Discussion
This is a reasonable resource with a checklist for buying a car (You need a Google docs account to download)
http://www.mytuscan.co.uk/
http://www.mytuscan.co.uk/
One thing to bear in mind about a TVR as a daily driver is the someone may hit it factor. GRP is horriffically expensive to repair. After 18 hours of having my 1st Elise, someone cracked the rear clam in a parking incident. £2000 worth of damage.
After over 10 years as a TVR owner and a (former) young owner, the repair costs have always frightened me.
Just bear it in mind if you are going to be parking it everywhere. Aside from petrol costs, one of the reasons I rarely drive my Griff these days.
After over 10 years as a TVR owner and a (former) young owner, the repair costs have always frightened me.
Just bear it in mind if you are going to be parking it everywhere. Aside from petrol costs, one of the reasons I rarely drive my Griff these days.
It's a subject that divides - personally I wouldn't dream of using a decent car everyday since I had an Integrale 15-odd years ago. Familiarity bred contempt and it stopped feeling special. Then there was the worrying about where it was parked - and the fuel/service costs.
See the pix above my post, then have a look at the "Bugger" thread. Get a £500 snotter (back-up too in case you do have any reliability issues) and enjoy the TVR every time you go out in it.
See the pix above my post, then have a look at the "Bugger" thread. Get a £500 snotter (back-up too in case you do have any reliability issues) and enjoy the TVR every time you go out in it.
bobbins said:
It's a subject that divides - personally I wouldn't dream of using a decent car everyday since I had an Integrale 15-odd years ago. Familiarity bred contempt and it stopped feeling special. Then there was the worrying about where it was parked - and the fuel/service costs.
See the pix above my post, then have a look at the "Bugger" thread. Get a £500 snotter (back-up too in case you do have any reliability issues) and enjoy the TVR every time you go out in it.
I disagree that familiarity breeds contempt. What it does do in my opinion is make you completely familiar with the car and indeed makes you feel more connected to the car. What happened to me on Saturday was bad luck as I've driven in far worse conditions.See the pix above my post, then have a look at the "Bugger" thread. Get a £500 snotter (back-up too in case you do have any reliability issues) and enjoy the TVR every time you go out in it.
Driving a TVR is special no matter how often or how many times you get behind the wheel, to hear the engine fire up and the rumble as you drive out of the garage never fails to ignite a sense of occasion and after 7 years of ownership and 50k miles it still feels special, has never let me down and never fails to put a smile on my face (except on last Saturday morning around 09.30
)I'll agree about the cost of filling the car up but servicing costs are no more than any other car and certainly less than cars of similar performance.
I'm with V8 GRF on this. I only have a TVR so if I drive that is what I drive. in fact the only cars I've had have been TVRs so in 18 years my 'daily drive' has been a TVR. Familiarity has not bred contempt in me, I still enjoy pretty much every minute I'm driving. They can be driven in almost any circumstance though deep snow and standing water are not much fun. Look after the car and it will look after you. I do worry sometimes about where I park, but not so much that it would ever stop me using it. And with little supermarket carpark door opening incidents a little nudge on fibreglass is less serious than a little nudge on very thin sheets of metal.
If you want to do it you should do it. Do you want to look back on when you thought about buying a TVR or on when you did own a TVR?
If you want to do it you should do it. Do you want to look back on when you thought about buying a TVR or on when you did own a TVR?
At the end of the day it is down to mileage, practicality and fleet.
If it's your only car and you don't have six kids, four dogs and a smallholding, and you don't intend to do more than say 15,000 miles a year, then go for it.
If you do, go for it anyway, but get a big estate car to handle the other crap and the heavy business miles.
I do about 30,000 miles a year, mostly business, but love the chance to take the TVR to clients from time to time, winter or summer.
Dogs, towing, house moves, collecting those large rolls of hay and straw etc are for the Merc ML + trailer
Long motorway drives, four up and in comfort, are for the Audi.
Horses for courses, but if your courses are short and uncomplicated, then go for the TVR daily driver, so long as daily driver isn't four miles at 6 mph in and out of Central Anywhere - that's what automatic euroboxes are for. (nearly said bus/tram/train then.....
)
If it's your only car and you don't have six kids, four dogs and a smallholding, and you don't intend to do more than say 15,000 miles a year, then go for it.
If you do, go for it anyway, but get a big estate car to handle the other crap and the heavy business miles.
I do about 30,000 miles a year, mostly business, but love the chance to take the TVR to clients from time to time, winter or summer.
Dogs, towing, house moves, collecting those large rolls of hay and straw etc are for the Merc ML + trailer
Long motorway drives, four up and in comfort, are for the Audi.
Horses for courses, but if your courses are short and uncomplicated, then go for the TVR daily driver, so long as daily driver isn't four miles at 6 mph in and out of Central Anywhere - that's what automatic euroboxes are for. (nearly said bus/tram/train then.....
)
All helpful
I think buying a TVR makes more sense then buying a jaguar.. just
like I said, I want something special, something different.. and you cant get any more different then a low, shiney, shouty car, made from plastic in Britain.
Fuel costs dont bother me.. the only thing that does is major bills.. engines etc, but as you have all said, get one thats already had the work done, less problems.
Ill only use the car 3 maybe 4 times a week, due to work etc so it will kind of be a toy rather then a major daily driver
I think buying a TVR makes more sense then buying a jaguar.. just
like I said, I want something special, something different.. and you cant get any more different then a low, shiney, shouty car, made from plastic in Britain.
Fuel costs dont bother me.. the only thing that does is major bills.. engines etc, but as you have all said, get one thats already had the work done, less problems.
Ill only use the car 3 maybe 4 times a week, due to work etc so it will kind of be a toy rather then a major daily driver
I was in your position 2 years ago, similar ages etc but i never intended running the car everyday (and i wouldnt!) Insurance was 1200 for me but halfed the day i hit 25, depending on model specialists will be able to give you good quotes but 99% are 25+. I found that T350s are much more expensive to insure than the Tuscan S i eventually bought and you wont get a good 350 in budget. Bide your time, etc, ect, my S came with insurance and a 12k service within your budget and i love it. Personally i don't use my car everyday, the cold temps scare me and if am honest i love the special feeling that i get jumping from the daily into the Tuscan on a weekend! You say your running 1000ish miles a month, personally id suggest that a dry sumped car wouldnt be best suited if you were running short trips all the time but if your doing longer runs it would probably be ok. The car needs a specailist service every 6k, i pay £400 for a 6k and £600 for a 12k so your looking at a grand a year plus whatever it needs for a MOT. MPG realistically your looking at around 15 combined, so around £5k a year, Youll need a set of back tyres every 10k ish at £500 odd.
So i guess it all comes down to Budget, i wouldnt pay best part of £8000 a year to put pointless traffic filled miles on my Tuscan, get one, buy a diesel runabout and smile from ear to ear every weekend!
So i guess it all comes down to Budget, i wouldnt pay best part of £8000 a year to put pointless traffic filled miles on my Tuscan, get one, buy a diesel runabout and smile from ear to ear every weekend!
V8 GRF said:
I disagree that familiarity breeds contempt. What it does do in my opinion is make you completely familiar with the car and indeed makes you feel more connected to the car. What happened to me on Saturday was bad luck as I've driven in far worse conditions.
Driving a TVR is special no matter how often or how many times you get behind the wheel, to hear the engine fire up and the rumble as you drive out of the garage never fails to ignite a sense of occasion and after 7 years of ownership and 50k miles it still feels special, has never let me down and never fails to put a smile on my face (except on last Saturday morning around 09.30)
I'll agree about the cost of filling the car up but servicing costs are no more than any other car and certainly less than cars of similar performance.
As I said, it's a subject that divides!Driving a TVR is special no matter how often or how many times you get behind the wheel, to hear the engine fire up and the rumble as you drive out of the garage never fails to ignite a sense of occasion and after 7 years of ownership and 50k miles it still feels special, has never let me down and never fails to put a smile on my face (except on last Saturday morning around 09.30
)I'll agree about the cost of filling the car up but servicing costs are no more than any other car and certainly less than cars of similar performance.
Contempt may be a bit strong - but the novelty of certain foibles of the Lancia bugged me on a daily basis and I'm sure would do the same with the Cerb. Plus before long you start thinking the car is down on power, when all that's really happened is you've got used to it. By driving something that can barely blow the skin off a rice pudding for most of the week I'm guaranteed the 'first drive buzz' of the Cerb every time I take it out.
As for the servicing, even if you do it yourself an extra four plugs and decent quality oil make it more expensive than the average runabout for starters, and that's before you get round to other things.
Looking at pictures of that Griff prove you can be a decent driver and feel 'connected' to the car but still come unstuck/run out of luck. I'd rather not take the gamble.
I've had mine out in the snow twice in the last few months. One of the journeys involved ungritted back roads and several hills covered in snow and ice. The novelty of trying to keep it in a straight line soon wore off and when I got home I breathed a huge sigh of relief and vowed it was the last time it'd be going out in it. Having a car you really don't care about to handle journeys in such weather is great back-up. Prang it, write it off, go buy another one - no regrets or sad pictures.
But then again I like a bit of variety. Offer me steak every night and I'll crave a greasy kebab before long.
OP - just get one ;-)
When I started my company in 1989 I bought a TVR to be my daily driver, did 66,000 miles and parked it up, bought a Griff, then another, then another, then another - getting bored bought a Cerbera, then another, then a Sag which is my rather mileagy daily driver. Overall over 440,000 miles in TVRs as daily drivers
Does it still feel special?
You bet it does!!
Does it still feel special?
You bet it does!!
thanks everyone.
Sadly, because I live at home with the family, the idea of a snotter isnt one that would go down well.. the drive way is already full.
Dads van
My van
Mams Arbarth
My car (what ever I buy)
Dads XKR
Little brothers Pug
Mam would kill me if I boght 2 cars
Worked out today that I will do no more then 600 miles a month, and will only use it 3 days out of 7.. work etc, so really itll not be a serious millage monster and will be closer to a weekend car.
Sadly, because I live at home with the family, the idea of a snotter isnt one that would go down well.. the drive way is already full.
Dads van
My van
Mams Arbarth
My car (what ever I buy)
Dads XKR
Little brothers Pug
Mam would kill me if I boght 2 cars
Worked out today that I will do no more then 600 miles a month, and will only use it 3 days out of 7.. work etc, so really itll not be a serious millage monster and will be closer to a weekend car.
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