Discussion
Can anyone tell me a bit about the taimars - are there any mechanical differences to the M or is it just the tailgate? Are they all Ford V6's? Can anyone give me an idea of the performance and how this compares to say an S1 or 3000M......
Just seen a couple of very affordable examples recently, wondering if it's a sensible alternative to an S.
Just seen a couple of very affordable examples recently, wondering if it's a sensible alternative to an S.
FTTChris71 said:
Can anyone tell me a bit about the taimars - are there any mechanical differences to the M or is it just the tailgate? Are they all Ford V6's? Can anyone give me an idea of the performance and how this compares to say an S1 or 3000M......
Just seen a couple of very affordable examples recently, wondering if it's a sensible alternative to an S.
Just seen a couple of very affordable examples recently, wondering if it's a sensible alternative to an S.
Mechanically identical to the 3000M. All are 3 litre V6s except one or two had a 1600.
Apart from the hatch, the body moulding is very different around the bulkhead to accomodate a different heater arrangement, but this is not visible with the bonnet shut. The heater means that the dashboard is laid out differently, and the heater protudes into the passenger footwell a bit. If you look carefully, the return lip on the front wheelarch (i.e the part of the wheelarch formed by the main body moulding) is wider. There may be other differences, but I can't remember them at the moment.
Paul.
PS email me and I'll send a couple of road tests to you.
Edited by B16 RFF on Monday 11th December 17:02
In my opinion there are always more Taimars advertised at any time and cheaper than M's because of the relatively short endurance you can stand in them before being overcome by exhaust fumes??
if you are considering a purchase make sure you take your prospective purchase for a long test drive at all speeds and over a fair distance to ensure a clear and smog free interior
Neil.
if you are considering a purchase make sure you take your prospective purchase for a long test drive at all speeds and over a fair distance to ensure a clear and smog free interior
Neil.
heightswitch said:
In my opinion there are always more Taimars advertised at any time and cheaper than M's because of the relatively short endurance you can stand in them before being overcome by exhaust fumes??
if you are considering a purchase make sure you take your prospective purchase for a long test drive at all speeds and over a fair distance to ensure a clear and smog free interior
Neil.
if you are considering a purchase make sure you take your prospective purchase for a long test drive at all speeds and over a fair distance to ensure a clear and smog free interior
Neil.
If you are serious, that's a load of crap. The price guides in the magazines and buyers guides I have read put Taimar values above M's and why wouldn't they given the major difference is a huge increase in practicality.
Your view maybe different but I have noticed you are really trying hard on here to talk up the value of the TVR's you own, and now, rather conveniently, talk down the value of those you don't.
Stephen
stigproducts said:
heightswitch said:
In my opinion there are always more Taimars advertised at any time and cheaper than M's because of the relatively short endurance you can stand in them before being overcome by exhaust fumes??
if you are considering a purchase make sure you take your prospective purchase for a long test drive at all speeds and over a fair distance to ensure a clear and smog free interior
Neil.
if you are considering a purchase make sure you take your prospective purchase for a long test drive at all speeds and over a fair distance to ensure a clear and smog free interior
Neil.
If you are serious, that's a load of crap. The price guides in the magazines and buyers guides I have read put Taimar values above M's and why wouldn't they given the major difference is a huge increase in practicality.
Your view maybe different but I have noticed you are really trying hard on here to talk up the value of the TVR's you own, and now, rather conveniently, talk down the value of those you don't.
Stephen
Excuse Me!
I thought someone posted on this forum and stated that he had seen a number of Taimars advertised cheaply and wondered what the differences are??
The difference I have quite clearly stated
You should ask yourself why Taimars appear for sale with twice the frequency of M's when M's were built in twice the numbers of Taimars?
My advice as a TVR car enthusiast and restorer (passing my advice for what its worth) remains the same. Taimars are always cheaper and always more readily available because more owners get sick of them because of the constant headaches due to fume ingress into the cabin.
Doubtless you could pass your point of view as an owner that they offer fabulous value for money in the current market. providing you can fix the inherent problem most of them are afflicted with.
Yes you can fix it, Yes they are practical, Yes they are the same as an M in all but the tailgate and minor detail differences.
I think you should read my post again since I cannot find any reference to me offering an opinion as to whether they are WORTH more or less than an M.
What I have stated are the facts. In the Last 6-8 months the majority of cars advertised on the classics section pistonheads have been Taimars!
regarding talking up values, Who gives a s**t! I certainly am not planning to sell any of mine anytime soon?
Neil.
Edited by heightswitch on Tuesday 12th December 00:34
Having owned a Taimar for 12 years (1990 to 2002), I'm afraid to say that Neil is right!
Unless you block any vents at the rear (early Taimars), ensure that the tailgate rubber has the join at the side not at the bottom, ensure the tailgate fits snugly and extend the exhaust pipes beyond the rear bodywork, you will suck in exhaust fumes. You also need to stop the rear screen protector bars from rattling!
However once all of these are done, it's not a problem.
For a period I used mine as an everyday car (even transporting a 26" TV which I'm sure Neil would agree would be a bit of a struggle in an M). Definitely more practical.
There are some advantages to a Taimar, in that the boot floor is flat, access to rear light clusters and the petrol tank can be acheived without being a gymnast, the heating and ventillation is better, and it was the top of the range model.
My advice would be to be open to either M or Taimar and buy the car which you think is the healthiest (chassis/body/interior/running gear). The exhaust problem can be sorted and it pales into insignificance compared with other problems you could have!
As for value, both M's and Taimars are cracking value at the moment.
The reason for more being available, since there release in late 1976, TVR sold more of them than M's, 1977 => 155 to 132, 1978 =>125 to 42, 1979 => 100 to 38 (Turbos 22 => 10 (1977 to 1979), so this accounts for why so many later M series cars are Taimars.
Whatever you choose you will have a lot of fun with it!
davidy
Unless you block any vents at the rear (early Taimars), ensure that the tailgate rubber has the join at the side not at the bottom, ensure the tailgate fits snugly and extend the exhaust pipes beyond the rear bodywork, you will suck in exhaust fumes. You also need to stop the rear screen protector bars from rattling!
However once all of these are done, it's not a problem.
For a period I used mine as an everyday car (even transporting a 26" TV which I'm sure Neil would agree would be a bit of a struggle in an M). Definitely more practical.
There are some advantages to a Taimar, in that the boot floor is flat, access to rear light clusters and the petrol tank can be acheived without being a gymnast, the heating and ventillation is better, and it was the top of the range model.
My advice would be to be open to either M or Taimar and buy the car which you think is the healthiest (chassis/body/interior/running gear). The exhaust problem can be sorted and it pales into insignificance compared with other problems you could have!
As for value, both M's and Taimars are cracking value at the moment.
The reason for more being available, since there release in late 1976, TVR sold more of them than M's, 1977 => 155 to 132, 1978 =>125 to 42, 1979 => 100 to 38 (Turbos 22 => 10 (1977 to 1979), so this accounts for why so many later M series cars are Taimars.
Whatever you choose you will have a lot of fun with it!
davidy
Here's another thought on why there are more Taimars up for sale than M's.....They are deemed to have SOME value against an M, the owners feel that they cannot put the M up for sale as there is no market for them and the value HAS GOT TO better than scrap value!!.
Adrian@
Taimar's were always valued 1000ukp above the price of the respective M ....if the Taimar has little value then the M has even less.
Adrian@
Taimar's were always valued 1000ukp above the price of the respective M ....if the Taimar has little value then the M has even less.
Edited by adrian@ on Tuesday 12th December 08:44
Adrian, sad but probably very true. Strange comment though from yourself considering you try to eak out a living convincing people to spent vast quantities of money with you restoring them, or do you only specialize in Taimars. Hope you and Jules and the family are well and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year sTeVeR
Hi Steve and thanks for the good wishes...likewise....and you call this a living!!!
AN UPDATE ..... By 2 owners who mailed me direct, both in the same vein....I'll be dammed if I'm selling it at the moment, I'll wait till the prices come back up....I'v told them not to hold their breath.
It would be nice to find ONE customer that WANTS a rebuilt M,Taimar or S.
Adrian@
AN UPDATE ..... By 2 owners who mailed me direct, both in the same vein....I'll be dammed if I'm selling it at the moment, I'll wait till the prices come back up....I'v told them not to hold their breath.
It would be nice to find ONE customer that WANTS a rebuilt M,Taimar or S.
Adrian@
Edited by adrian@ on Tuesday 12th December 09:50
enough of this squabbling you silly sods! An M is an M, hatch or not. Whichever you buy, if its not a basket case it should be a sound investment that if well looked after i would imagine should only appreciate. If you need to access electrics and bits in the rear then a Taimar would save you much frustration over an M. There seems to be differences in the wiring and switchgear/dial positioning between M's of all ages. The dash layout, central tunnel and door panel design differs in most I have seen.
I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my Taimar easier than in the back of the wife's Saxo! There's a neat little button where the door lock is fixed to the body, just press it and up pops the hatch - providing the electronic boot mechanism and gas struts are good.I could easily fit in some snowboarding gear too. I have never had the exhaust fumes problem.
I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my Taimar easier than in the back of the wife's Saxo! There's a neat little button where the door lock is fixed to the body, just press it and up pops the hatch - providing the electronic boot mechanism and gas struts are good.I could easily fit in some snowboarding gear too. I have never had the exhaust fumes problem.
kaneit said:
enough of this squabbling you silly sods! An M is an M, hatch or not. Whichever you buy, if its not a basket case it should be a sound investment that if well looked after i would imagine should only appreciate. If you need to access electrics and bits in the rear then a Taimar would save you much frustration over an M. There seems to be differences in the wiring and switchgear/dial positioning between M's of all ages. The dash layout, central tunnel and door panel design differs in most I have seen.
I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my Taimar easier than in the back of the wife's Saxo! There's a neat little button where the door lock is fixed to the body, just press it and up pops the hatch - providing the electronic boot mechanism and gas struts are good.I could easily fit in some snowboarding gear too. I have never had the exhaust fumes problem.
I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my Taimar easier than in the back of the wife's Saxo! There's a neat little button where the door lock is fixed to the body, just press it and up pops the hatch - providing the electronic boot mechanism and gas struts are good.I could easily fit in some snowboarding gear too. I have never had the exhaust fumes problem.
You can fit a mountain bike in the back of a Taimar?
Now I'm listening
The main reason I bought a 924S a while back was the fact I could just about get my beloved Orange in the back. A year later, the car has gone, but the bike remains (I have my priorities right, lol)
.....where did you put the wheels? Did you have to take the forks off or anything?
Chris71 said:
kaneit said:
enough of this squabbling you silly sods! An M is an M, hatch or not. Whichever you buy, if its not a basket case it should be a sound investment that if well looked after i would imagine should only appreciate. If you need to access electrics and bits in the rear then a Taimar would save you much frustration over an M. There seems to be differences in the wiring and switchgear/dial positioning between M's of all ages. The dash layout, central tunnel and door panel design differs in most I have seen.
I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my Taimar easier than in the back of the wife's Saxo! There's a neat little button where the door lock is fixed to the body, just press it and up pops the hatch - providing the electronic boot mechanism and gas struts are good.I could easily fit in some snowboarding gear too. I have never had the exhaust fumes problem.
I can fit my mountain bike in the back of my Taimar easier than in the back of the wife's Saxo! There's a neat little button where the door lock is fixed to the body, just press it and up pops the hatch - providing the electronic boot mechanism and gas struts are good.I could easily fit in some snowboarding gear too. I have never had the exhaust fumes problem.
You can fit a mountain bike in the back of a Taimar?
Now I'm listening
The main reason I bought a 924S a while back was the fact I could just about get my beloved Orange in the back. A year later, the car has gone, but the bike remains (I have my priorities right, lol)
.....where did you put the wheels? Did you have to take the forks off or anything?
Think I took the quick release wheels off, thats all. It did rest against the passenger seat a bit. Just think when you break down you could get out your bike and ride off into the sunset! ( Although in a year I have had no breakdowns or problems at all except slight overheating).
Used to fit my bike (complete minus wheels) behind the back seats of my Quantum - the group I rode with used to watch in amazment as this comparitively big bike came out of this tiny two seat car. Out came the wheels from the boot and I was ready to go. Never been a fan of bike racks as so many riding spots have great roads leading to them where much fun can be had if you're not worried about your pride and joy flying off the back mid bend!!
adrian@ said:
Hi Steve and thanks for the good wishes...likewise....and you call this a living!!!
AN UPDATE ..... By 2 owners who mailed me direct, both in the same vein....I'll be dammed if I'm selling it at the moment, I'll wait till the prices come back up....I'v told them not to hold their breath.
It would be nice to find ONE customer that WANTS a rebuilt M,Taimar or S.
Adrian@
AN UPDATE ..... By 2 owners who mailed me direct, both in the same vein....I'll be dammed if I'm selling it at the moment, I'll wait till the prices come back up....I'v told them not to hold their breath.
It would be nice to find ONE customer that WANTS a rebuilt M,Taimar or S.
Adrian@
Edited by adrian@ on Tuesday 12th December 09:50
Hello Adrian.
Did you get the mail? is that big box of alluring rubberware winging its way to me for x-mas??
N.
Chris71 said:
Can anyone tell me a bit about the taimars - just seen a couple of very affordable examples recently, wondering if it's a sensible alternative to an S.
Chris, this thread seems to have been hijacked by (mountain)bikers ! You enquired about practicality and value. I owned my first TVR (a Taimar) from new from 1978 to 1983 when parenthood caused a reality check, but missed it so much I bought it back in 1986 and used it for a further 3 years. (It was LHD though, so eventually it had to go). From new I never suffered with the exhaust ingress problems, maybe the factory-new seals were just a whole lot better than aged ones. I also owned 4 "S"s (including an S3C from new), none was as practical as a Saxo (yes I owned one of those too, great little cars btw), but we all really know that classic TVRs are not about everyday transport. So whatever you decide, enjoy, they are alternately frustrating / exhilarating and if you don't go mad with the cheque book will repay you with good value-for-money fun motoring, even if you only use it sporadically.
Notanutter said:
Chris71 said:
Can anyone tell me a bit about the taimars - just seen a couple of very affordable examples recently, wondering if it's a sensible alternative to an S.
Chris, this thread seems to have been hijacked by (mountain)bikers ! You enquired about practicality and value. I owned my first TVR (a Taimar) from new from 1978 to 1983 when parenthood caused a reality check, but missed it so much I bought it back in 1986 and used it for a further 3 years. (It was LHD though, so eventually it had to go). From new I never suffered with the exhaust ingress problems, maybe the factory-new seals were just a whole lot better than aged ones. I also owned 4 "S"s (including an S3C from new), none was as practical as a Saxo (yes I owned one of those too, great little cars btw), but we all really know that
classic TVRs are not about everyday transport. So whatever you decide, enjoy, they are alternately frustrating / exhilarating and if you don't go mad with the cheque book will repay you with good value-for-money fun motoring, even if you only use it sporadically.
Spot On.
I am also glad to know that i am not the only one wondering where all the hippies had come from.
Neil.
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