ferrari vs tvr
Discussion
Basil
Point taken. And, yep, Raris can depreciate pretty badly and can have their own set of problems too. Its all a question of what you are prepared to put up with vs the dosh you shelled out to own the thing.
Do you not think that TVR could offer more by way of reliability, finish and service, after years of building Chims, Cerbs and Tuscans?
Point taken. And, yep, Raris can depreciate pretty badly and can have their own set of problems too. Its all a question of what you are prepared to put up with vs the dosh you shelled out to own the thing.
Do you not think that TVR could offer more by way of reliability, finish and service, after years of building Chims, Cerbs and Tuscans?
Got both and had/driven a few. Here is a vast oversimplification and generalisation.
The character of the cars is just so completely different. With the Ferrari you are buying into an immense heritage and impeccable engineering. Unabused they will go to very high milages reliably with just routine maintainance. The handling and the control feedback are both faithful which makes them a pleasure to use.
The TVR is just under-engineered throughout in comparison. However the performance is shattering especially per £ spent. The handling and control feedback are inconsistent which makes them more difficult to drive but perhaps very rewarding when you get it right. TVRs are more of a hobby because they need constant fettling and they seem to be more exclusive, I see far more 360s for instance than Cerbs.
As to running costs, it is down to luck, buying a good one, finding a good independent garage, keeping on top of maintainance and knowing how to be mechanically sympathetic. They can both be reasonably economic to run and they can both be disasters.
The character of the cars is just so completely different. With the Ferrari you are buying into an immense heritage and impeccable engineering. Unabused they will go to very high milages reliably with just routine maintainance. The handling and the control feedback are both faithful which makes them a pleasure to use.
The TVR is just under-engineered throughout in comparison. However the performance is shattering especially per £ spent. The handling and control feedback are inconsistent which makes them more difficult to drive but perhaps very rewarding when you get it right. TVRs are more of a hobby because they need constant fettling and they seem to be more exclusive, I see far more 360s for instance than Cerbs.
As to running costs, it is down to luck, buying a good one, finding a good independent garage, keeping on top of maintainance and knowing how to be mechanically sympathetic. They can both be reasonably economic to run and they can both be disasters.
Ramasys said:
Basil
Point taken. And, yep, Raris can depreciate pretty badly and can have their own set of problems too. Its all a question of what you are prepared to put up with vs the dosh you shelled out to own the thing.
Do you not think that TVR could offer more by way of reliability, finish and service, after years of building Chims, Cerbs and Tuscans?
I certainly agree that detail finish could be better but in a year and a half of daily use my Tuscan hasn´t missed a beat so I have no issues with reliability. It also handles pretty well with the Nitron suspension set up, although I agree the standard stuff is awful.
If I could afford a 550 I would have one tomorrow though.
said:
yes dude good joke i think you
dont know where you talking about! look at TVR Tuscan Performance 0-60 mph in 3.9/Ferrar 348 0-60 mph in 6.0 or 5.6!!! 0-160 mph Tuscan in 8.9 or 8.3 (Tuscan speed six or Tuscan S) 0-160 mph ferrari in 15.0 or something. and beat a chimeara forgot it too
I think this guy doesn't know what he's talking about..
in reality published TVR performance isn't attainable by most mortals........
TVR straight line performance is incredible but it's not a fair comparison. You have to accept that the build quality is just not up there with a Ferrari.
I'm on my second TVR, a Cerb. But I'd have a Ferrari every time if (when) money permitted. I wanted 4 seats, otherwise I may have looked at a 348. My Cerb has now been waiting for a part for over 4 weeks - frankly what's the point ?
A 456 was just too much this time round, next time though, and there aren't many cars better than a 550......
I saw a classifieds ad' this morning and was prompted to post this very question... someone beat me to it! Spooky.
There is a lovely looking 1994 348 Spyder in the classifieds that may well be what you're on about.
My question is the same, which I think has been nearly answered..."which is likely to cost more to run/service... a 2002 Tuscan 'S' or a 1994 348 Spyder?"
The 348 looks absolutely gorgeous and at about £37k is not much more than a couple of year old Tuscan and less than a brand new Marcos TSO.
Presuming the car is honest and straight with all servicing in place... marque loyalty aside please... would you get in it tomorrow and drive straight down to the Costa del Sol?
I did it in the Griff and it never missed a beat... I'd worry about it in a Tuscan but would give it the benefit of the doubt and go for it... I'd do it in a Chevy V8 engined Marcos in a blink...
a Ferrari 348 however
it's a car I never dreamed I would ever own, and it would be a BIG commitment for me. Are they just too delicate to hammer down to Spain over two 13 hour 110 degree days or, as long as they are looked after, can they take as much stick as my humble ability can chuck at them.
Like I said... not interested in inter-marque arguements, TVR and Ferrari are both great cars.
I pay maybe £1500 - £2000 a year to run/service my Griff, I would expect £3000 for a Tuscan. Much more than this I would be a bit put off, that's why I was quite pleased to see the reasonable servicing costs mentioned earlier. It's any unexpected or inherant faults that I would worry about.
Sorry it's a bit long winded but i know very little about Ferrari except that they look gorgeous, go a bit, win lots of races, howl like a banshee and have a heritage to die for.
There is a lovely looking 1994 348 Spyder in the classifieds that may well be what you're on about.
My question is the same, which I think has been nearly answered..."which is likely to cost more to run/service... a 2002 Tuscan 'S' or a 1994 348 Spyder?"
The 348 looks absolutely gorgeous and at about £37k is not much more than a couple of year old Tuscan and less than a brand new Marcos TSO.
Presuming the car is honest and straight with all servicing in place... marque loyalty aside please... would you get in it tomorrow and drive straight down to the Costa del Sol?
I did it in the Griff and it never missed a beat... I'd worry about it in a Tuscan but would give it the benefit of the doubt and go for it... I'd do it in a Chevy V8 engined Marcos in a blink...
a Ferrari 348 however
it's a car I never dreamed I would ever own, and it would be a BIG commitment for me. Are they just too delicate to hammer down to Spain over two 13 hour 110 degree days or, as long as they are looked after, can they take as much stick as my humble ability can chuck at them. Like I said... not interested in inter-marque arguements, TVR and Ferrari are both great cars.
I pay maybe £1500 - £2000 a year to run/service my Griff, I would expect £3000 for a Tuscan. Much more than this I would be a bit put off, that's why I was quite pleased to see the reasonable servicing costs mentioned earlier. It's any unexpected or inherant faults that I would worry about.
Sorry it's a bit long winded but i know very little about Ferrari except that they look gorgeous, go a bit, win lots of races, howl like a banshee and have a heritage to die for.
A long hard run on a hot day is precisely where a 348 would win. It is engineered to take a hammering, just look at Ferrari's Le Mans record. The dry sump and oil cooler with thermostaticly controlled electric fan are just part of the engineering. Remember Ferrari live in Italy and their cars are driven by Italians through the Italian summer.
Another current TVR owner here contemplating the jump from Rover V8 in a Chimaera to TVR S6 in a Tuscan S, and beginning to think a 'rari might be the way to go, although it would be a pretty big commitment.
I'd be going for a 348 or 355 and my budget would be very much at the low end (and probably LHD) of the 355 scale.
If I don't really stretch the budget, and go for a 348, will I regret it?
I'd be going for a 348 or 355 and my budget would be very much at the low end (and probably LHD) of the 355 scale.
If I don't really stretch the budget, and go for a 348, will I regret it?
I had a Chim,Cerb and then a Griff. All great cars with no serious problems. Electrics on the Cerb were a pain but in terms of handling and speed this was the best car by a long way. Driver comfort with poor aircon and a red hot transmission tunnel is another matter. If you wanted a fun drive down France to Italy the soft tops would win.
Now I have a 355 GTS.
Handling beats any TVR I have ever driven including a Tuscan.
Build quality beats any TVR I have ever driven. I have been on TVR test drives and rarely seen one, (even new demonstrators) that doesn't have something dropping off. They need looking after with superglue to hand.
I would still go back to TVR's if I wanted less money tied up in a car, but would have the Ferrari otherwise.
The 355 can be pushed harder than a TVR IMO because it will stay on the road better. The high revving engine will take alot of punishment and I am far less concerned with the temp gauges and oil pressure than I was in the TVR's.
I haven't even got a warranty on the 355 and touch wood in nearly a year I haven't needed it. I got it serviced by Verdi and they could have sold me one but kind of gave me the impression that it wasn't really needed. So far they have been right.
I used the warranty on my TVR's every year (apart from the GRiff)and was very glad to have them. Even with the warranty they were more expensive to run (So far!).I had to replace shockers, bushes,steering racks etc. They were just not good enough to last.
However and this is a big however....I drove the TVR's for more miles, the first 2 as every day cars. If you did this with a Ferrari the depreciation would be too high. Unfortunately not many people drive them the miles and so high milers are much cheaper. I will do about 6-8000 in a year and this will be more than it has ever done.
Ferraris can take the miles however and I would advise a high miler as good value for money. I am always told that ones with miles are better than ones that have been used as low mileage posing toys for the weekend.
Now I have a 355 GTS.
Handling beats any TVR I have ever driven including a Tuscan.
Build quality beats any TVR I have ever driven. I have been on TVR test drives and rarely seen one, (even new demonstrators) that doesn't have something dropping off. They need looking after with superglue to hand.
I would still go back to TVR's if I wanted less money tied up in a car, but would have the Ferrari otherwise.
The 355 can be pushed harder than a TVR IMO because it will stay on the road better. The high revving engine will take alot of punishment and I am far less concerned with the temp gauges and oil pressure than I was in the TVR's.
I haven't even got a warranty on the 355 and touch wood in nearly a year I haven't needed it. I got it serviced by Verdi and they could have sold me one but kind of gave me the impression that it wasn't really needed. So far they have been right.
I used the warranty on my TVR's every year (apart from the GRiff)and was very glad to have them. Even with the warranty they were more expensive to run (So far!).I had to replace shockers, bushes,steering racks etc. They were just not good enough to last.
However and this is a big however....I drove the TVR's for more miles, the first 2 as every day cars. If you did this with a Ferrari the depreciation would be too high. Unfortunately not many people drive them the miles and so high milers are much cheaper. I will do about 6-8000 in a year and this will be more than it has ever done.
Ferraris can take the miles however and I would advise a high miler as good value for money. I am always told that ones with miles are better than ones that have been used as low mileage posing toys for the weekend.
UpTheIron said:
Another current TVR owner here contemplating the jump from Rover V8 in a Chimaera to TVR S6 in a Tuscan S, and beginning to think a 'rari might be the way to go, although it would be a pretty big commitment.
I'd be going for a 348 or 355 and my budget would be very much at the low end (and probably LHD) of the 355 scale.
If I don't really stretch the budget, and go for a 348, will I regret it?
I'm in the same ballpark as you Paul, I figure high 30s? I was also advised that I could get an early LHD 355, but then, working on the principle of buying the latest in a set model that you can, then a late 348 seems more sense... and personally, I prefer the side veins on the 348 to the scoop on the 355.
How does the supposedly better drive of a LHD weigh out against the desirability of a RHD? Any opinions? LHD doesn't particularly bother me.
IMHO,
Both Marques suffer poor build quality, both can be unreliable. One costs substantially more than the other to run than the other, and depreciates in telephone numbers. In terms of convincing yourself what's right, depends what you want to do with your car and if you can afford the crap that goes with it, buy it.
When it ocmes to topics like this one, dont post on web sites and expect unbiased professional advice. What you will get is defensive self justification for why someone has done what they have done with their hard earned cash.
You will notice no criticism of any specific marque, I have left that to the reader.
>> Edited by daftlad on Tuesday 29th June 20:51
>> Edited by daftlad on Tuesday 29th June 20:55
Both Marques suffer poor build quality, both can be unreliable. One costs substantially more than the other to run than the other, and depreciates in telephone numbers. In terms of convincing yourself what's right, depends what you want to do with your car and if you can afford the crap that goes with it, buy it.
When it ocmes to topics like this one, dont post on web sites and expect unbiased professional advice. What you will get is defensive self justification for why someone has done what they have done with their hard earned cash.
You will notice no criticism of any specific marque, I have left that to the reader.
>> Edited by daftlad on Tuesday 29th June 20:51
>> Edited by daftlad on Tuesday 29th June 20:55
I drove a Griffith 500 and an F355 on the same day at a Bruntingthorpe race day and, being an owner of neither, like to think I have a fairly objective view of the performance of each.
Starting off the line: Like any TVR owner will tell you, put the pedal to the floor in a straight line and the experience is like no other. The Griffith is from another planet in terms of the grunt and the noise. While the Ferrari has its own beautiful soundtrack, I found the F355 needed a few more revs (say up to 4000 rpm) to get really moving so, without looking to performance statistics, I'm sure the 500 has quicker sprint times from standing start IN A STRAIGHT LINE.
But get to the first turn and the F355 starts to catch up. The brakes are clearly not as good in the 500 as they are in the F355, so you have to brake earlier in the TVR and so you wind up killing off some of that straight line speed while the F355 is still accelerating down into the corner. The steering and handling on the 500 is also noticeably short of the F355's so, you will feel a distinct need to brake down to a slightly lower speed in the TVR before turning in and accelerating into the turn apex.
Superior steering and handling in the F355 also means you accelerate more quickly into the apex. The F355 may not wow you in the straight line as much as the TVR, but the Ferrari's stability in the turns is much better. While flooring the TVR in a straight line leaves you grinning, it's REALLY something to come into a turn apex in the F355 with the throttle floored, precise steering guiding you exactly where you want to go, feeling the car's rock solid grip, gently drifting on all four wheels out of the turn while accelerating almost as quickly as you did in a straight line. At this point, the best I could do with the TVR was wrestle with inferior steering and feather the throttle waiting for the grip to come back and pray that the rear end doesn't spin out under too much throttle. At this point, the TVR feels like a pretty ordinary car with a ridiculously powerful engine strapped onto it. A lot of that amazing power you saw in the Griffith in a straight line gets wasted once you are faced with real driving/racing conditions. I don't care about the 0-60 times you cite, the cornering acceleration is much better in the F355.
I didn't have timing on my laps and obviously a lot will depend on the circuit layout you are driving on, but I suspect the F355 would come out ahead over a lap. The straight line performance levels are not different enough to overcome the fact that the TVR loses oodles of time in the corners to the F355.
The F355 is a much more complete package
Starting off the line: Like any TVR owner will tell you, put the pedal to the floor in a straight line and the experience is like no other. The Griffith is from another planet in terms of the grunt and the noise. While the Ferrari has its own beautiful soundtrack, I found the F355 needed a few more revs (say up to 4000 rpm) to get really moving so, without looking to performance statistics, I'm sure the 500 has quicker sprint times from standing start IN A STRAIGHT LINE.
But get to the first turn and the F355 starts to catch up. The brakes are clearly not as good in the 500 as they are in the F355, so you have to brake earlier in the TVR and so you wind up killing off some of that straight line speed while the F355 is still accelerating down into the corner. The steering and handling on the 500 is also noticeably short of the F355's so, you will feel a distinct need to brake down to a slightly lower speed in the TVR before turning in and accelerating into the turn apex.
Superior steering and handling in the F355 also means you accelerate more quickly into the apex. The F355 may not wow you in the straight line as much as the TVR, but the Ferrari's stability in the turns is much better. While flooring the TVR in a straight line leaves you grinning, it's REALLY something to come into a turn apex in the F355 with the throttle floored, precise steering guiding you exactly where you want to go, feeling the car's rock solid grip, gently drifting on all four wheels out of the turn while accelerating almost as quickly as you did in a straight line. At this point, the best I could do with the TVR was wrestle with inferior steering and feather the throttle waiting for the grip to come back and pray that the rear end doesn't spin out under too much throttle. At this point, the TVR feels like a pretty ordinary car with a ridiculously powerful engine strapped onto it. A lot of that amazing power you saw in the Griffith in a straight line gets wasted once you are faced with real driving/racing conditions. I don't care about the 0-60 times you cite, the cornering acceleration is much better in the F355.
I didn't have timing on my laps and obviously a lot will depend on the circuit layout you are driving on, but I suspect the F355 would come out ahead over a lap. The straight line performance levels are not different enough to overcome the fact that the TVR loses oodles of time in the corners to the F355.
The F355 is a much more complete package
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