Tvr Tuscan but or not to buy that is the question !

[Speed 3]

General rule is the later the better in terms of build quality. Early cars will have needed an engine rebuild so if not done, budget for it. For those it would generally be better to buy done as you'll pay proportionately less than doing it yourself. My preference was for a late Mk 1 as those had the issues remedied in their build spec. Probably worth paying a bit of a premium for better dampers (Nitrons or Gaz the usual choice) as they would set you back £1500-£2000 fitted and they are key to better handling. Chassis not usually a problem on the Tuscan, but Waxoyle history helpful. Electrics can be niggly, particularly if not used regularly. Once you get to the late Mk 1's you start to get into the rarer options - S, Red Rose, Mk2/3 and full convertible. By their rarity and in most of those cases, slightly uprated performance they command a premium all the way up to nearly £50k. Depends on your budget and your view of investment potential. There is no such thing as cheap Tuscaneering but as already mentioned earlier, a running budget of £1500/yr should work out on a 5-year average with low-ish miles and no requirement for engine rebuild. Over that time you shouldn't see any real depreciation so net/net it's a cheaper way to thrilling motoring than other options.

If you can't get an inspection done and are still concerned, pay the slightly higher prices from one of the well-established independents - most of these guys are ex-dealer network and know their stuff. My rules:

Always to travel for the right car
A thick history file is not a sign of impending doom, its a vital indicator of how diligent the previous owners were
Buy a colour/trim you like but don't buy the wrong car in the right colour
Don't buy the first car you see (rule broken in my case as I was confident in the history, spec and the dealer)

[Markmagpie]

Thanks for taking the time to pass on all the helpful information
It's given me a lot to think of I'm definitely leaning
towards upping my budget and looking at a mk2

[Tuscanuwe]

Mk2 is best choice, due to low built quantity best value for the Money.
A lot of niggles sorted, but engines only bulletproof after rebuilt from Tvr Power.


Uwe

[Markmagpie]

Thanks what sort of money are you looking at for
tvr power rebuild just to factor into the budget?

[Speed 3]

Markmagpie said:

Thanks what sort of money are you looking at for
tvr power rebuild just to factor into the budget?

Currently £5400 for the basic rebuild, upwards from there if you want to up-spec to 4.3 / Red Rose etc

http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/upgrades/

[m4tti]

Speed 3 said:

Currently £5400 for the basic rebuild, upwards from there if you want to up-spec to 4.3 / Red Rose etc

http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/upgrades/

Most basic rebuilds will be significantly more than that.

[stevieeg]

Has anyone actually managed to get a £5.4K rebuild with warranty that didn't require any further worn part replacement?

[m4tti]

And the 5.4k rebuild retains the existing rods, which is a known weak point.