Which TVR to buy?

Author
Discussion

Mark-8rlbe

Original Poster:

20 posts

88 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2016
quotequote all
Good evening all. I joined the TVR club just over a week ago at the NEC show, and started the process of achieving a life long ambition – to own a TVR.
Lots of good advice from the club at the NEC, and likewise, a warm welcome and good advice from the members at my local meeting at the weekend.
I am undecided which model of TVR to go for, and thought I would post this message on the model pages within my budget of around £10k, maybe slightly more. Always had a soft spot for the wedges and the S, and having tried a Chimaera on Sunday, that is also on the possibles list.
I have done my homework, and realise that I need to get out there and try a number of cars before actually buying one. I have owned (and still do own) older vehicles, so I know the best advice is to buy the best that the budget can stretch to, otherwise you end up spending at least as much on putting a cheap one right. Chassis / outriggers is a common thread in the advice I have been given for all models.
The car is initially going to have to be used several times a week, covering around 5,000 miles per year, and possibly sitting outside under a cover until space is available in the garage.
What I am hoping to get some opinion on is:
• What do you love and hate about this model of TVR?
• How practical is it to use regularly?
• Is anyone brave / foolish enough to use theirs several times a week?
• Which company do you insure your TVR with?
• What should I be looking to pay for something with good history, with no major faults, at this time of year?
• Are there any recommended dealers – Fernhurst, DG, Tony Gilbert?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Mark

Mark-8rlbe

Original Poster:

20 posts

88 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2016
quotequote all
Good evening all. I joined the TVR club just over a week ago at the NEC show, and started the process of achieving a life long ambition – to own a TVR.
Lots of good advice from the club at the NEC, and likewise, a warm welcome and good advice from the members at my local meeting at the weekend.
I am undecided which model of TVR to go for, and thought I would post this message on the model pages within my budget of around £10k, maybe slightly more. Always had a soft spot for the wedges and the S, and having tried a Chimaera on Sunday, that is also on the possibles list.
I have done my homework, and realise that I need to get out there and try a number of cars before actually buying one. I have owned (and still do own) older vehicles, so I know the best advice is to buy the best that the budget can stretch to, otherwise you end up spending at least as much on putting a cheap one right. Chassis / outriggers is a common thread in the advice I have been given for all models.
The car is initially going to have to be used several times a week, covering around 5,000 miles per year, and possibly sitting outside under a cover until space is available in the garage.
What I am hoping to get some opinion on is:
• What do you love and hate about this model of TVR?
• How practical is it to use regularly?
• Is anyone brave / foolish enough to use theirs several times a week?
• Which company do you insure your TVR with?
• What should I be looking to pay for something with good history, with no major faults, at this time of year?
• Are there any recommended dealers – Fernhurst, DG, Tony Gilbert?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Mark

Mark-8rlbe

Original Poster:

20 posts

88 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2016
quotequote all
Good evening all. I joined the TVR club just over a week ago at the NEC show, and started the process of achieving a life long ambition – to own a TVR.
Lots of good advice from the club at the NEC, and likewise, a warm welcome and good advice from the members at my local meeting at the weekend.
I am undecided which model of TVR to go for, and thought I would post this message on the model pages within my budget of around £10k, maybe slightly more. Always had a soft spot for the wedges and the S, and having tried a Chimaera on Sunday, that is also on the possibles list.
I have done my homework, and realise that I need to get out there and try a number of cars before actually buying one. I have owned (and still do own) older vehicles, so I know the best advice is to buy the best that the budget can stretch to, otherwise you end up spending at least as much on putting a cheap one right. Chassis / outriggers is a common thread in the advice I have been given for all models.
The car is initially going to have to be used several times a week, covering around 5,000 miles per year, and possibly sitting outside under a cover until space is available in the garage.
What I am hoping to get some opinion on is:
• What do you love and hate about this model of TVR?
• How practical is it to use regularly?
• Is anyone brave / foolish enough to use theirs several times a week?
• Which company do you insure your TVR with?
• What should I be looking to pay for something with good history, with no major faults, at this time of year?
• Are there any recommended dealers – Fernhurst, DG, Tony Gilbert?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Mark

v8s4me

7,234 posts

218 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Go for the one you fall head over heels in love with. That's because unless you are completely besotted with the thing, when it goes wrong and the bills start mounting up, you'll end up hating it very quickly.

I've not had my Wedge long enough to give you chapter and verse but I've had my 'S' 10 years, and I love it.

Yes, you can use either daily so long as you keep on top of the maintenance. Keeping your TVR outside is not the best way to preserve it, but not everyone is lucky enough to have a garage, or even a drive. Many do live outside all year round and appear to be none the worse for it.

I'd suggest you copy this post to the 'S' Forum as well so you get a balanced view on both models. In the meantime have a look at THIS. It was on for somewere in the region of £6k and sold very quickly, so it gives you an idea of what you might have to pay for a well sorted 'S'. You'll end up paying a lot more in the end for a project and doing it up. If your budget will stretch, let someone else do the hard work and get the big bills.

I get the feeling Wedges offer better value at the moment but that will no doubt change as more people realise what great cars they are. So maybe grab a bargain now?

Good luck and have fun.

mk1fan

10,507 posts

224 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Holy multiple post Batman.

You're money will go further in a Wedge, V6 S or a Taimar. Older cars though and more likely to need a tinker.

£10k should buy a pretty mint Wedge with a bigger V8 though. The 3.5 is great but no tarmac ripper.

What do you want from the car?

They can all go on tours or be used on track. I have done plenty of both.

How I would rank the models;

Wedge - pretty relax sports car. Lazy to drive. Bigger engined have the poke to go fast.
S - V6 has enough power and handling to be a proper sports car. Unfortunately, you can end up wanting more power.
Tamora / T350 - real performance cars. Once warmed up they just want to go like a manic terrier on a lead.
Sag - the best car TVR produced. Both lazy or manic. Just press the throttle.

Which would I have if I had to just have one? The Tamora. However, it would have to be a big gun to my head. They are all great, involved, wide awake drives.

With £10k in my pocket, I would look at a decent Wedge 350i or S3 at around the £7k mark and keep the rest as an insurance fund.

Belle427

8,858 posts

232 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
1995 400 owner here.
I love the noise and the raw driving experience, there isn't much out there like it for the money.
I don't find it scarily fast compared to many of todays cars but its enough for me to have fun in.
I hate the fact that some of the corners they cut wiring wise is a joke, and that most areas on the chassis although good on mine, are quite difficult to inspect or maintain without a partial or complete body lift.
I find most maintenance tasks on them relatively straightforward, although access can be tight on certain items.
I would not hesitate to use it every day if I had to and I think it benefits the car.

billynobrakes

2,675 posts

264 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Agree with Mk1 Fan

Had a Chimaera

Got a T350 and a 350i and love them both

Terence

175 posts

251 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
I have had a couple of wedges and a Chimaera. Started with a 350i which was a great car, then moved onto a Chimaera which was a lovely car had more power and a larger boot, so a practical daily driver, but I never felt as comfortable driving it as I did the wedge. So I sold the Chimaera and decided to by an S. I drove three different S's a 2.8 and two 2.9s and felt all three were lacking in the power department (my then daily hack was a rover 200 Vi). I would have loved a V8S but the budget did not stretch that far. I bought another 350i a couple of years ago and am well happy with it. My advice would be to try as many as you can and buy the one that you feel instantly comfortable with.

Yex 450

4,583 posts

219 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
1998 450 owner here

Best fun car I have ever owned in terms of both raw driving experience and noise

Makes me smile whenever I walk into the garage and grin like a maniac every time I start the engine

From the driver’s seat it feels planted and great to drive, but then again I have spent a few bob on it over the years, see my garage in my profile for full details of how things have evolved for my car. The good news is that I bought the car cheap (just over £8K) and it was mechanically sound at the time. I knew I would need to spend money on it as I wanted to keep it but was able to do this over a period of years as opposed to getting a major bill soon after taking ownership

It is silly quick for me and can quite easily embarrass quite a few modern cars known to have a turn of speed or can just as easily attract attention as it burbles along on tick over

You should always buy on condition as a good 400 will be quicker than an unhealthy 450, a good 450 will be quicker than an unhealthy 500 etc. etc.

Lots of people on here use their cars as their daily driver and the consensus is that TVR’s are better and easier to live with if they are used regularly. Some of these live outside on the road and carry on regardless

My car is insured with REIS and I am happy with the price and their service and have been with them since I bought the car in 2010

You are buying at the right time of year as prices have dropped due to winter approaching. The dealers you quote are all good and Fernhurst are currently offering cars for sale with variable prices depending on what you want done to it before taking delivery, call them and enquire about anything they have you fancy they are nice people to talk to. They have 4 Chimaera’s on their site currently, 3 400’s at £12K and 1 450 at £11K showing as deposit taken so if you could stretch your budget a little there are cars available from a well known dealer.

Personally I would look for a car that has had the outriggers replaced in the past 2-3 years as this is a major job cost wise, read £1,500-£2,000 depending on where you go and how they do the job – body lifted or body off. There is also the other work that will be discovered during an outriggers refurb that you will need to do whilst the car is in that situation

Ask as many questions as you like on here and you will get lots of sound advice thumbup

mrzigazaga

18,534 posts

164 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Buy a 400SE and try to avoid dealers as you will be paying 3-4K more than you should be....

DJR 7

1,413 posts

256 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Firstly, welcome to the fold.

I have to agree with V8s4me, you need to really want the car you own. I ran a Chimaera for a couple of years as a daily driver, it lived outside and would often leak leaving puddles in the foot wells, at the time the car was only a couple of years old, it proved to be a comfortable enjoyable daily commuter. Storage is great if you are looking to use it for tours.

I've had various TVR's since but recently purchased a V8s, this was a car that I had always hankered after. Given the short period I've owned the car and the fact its now being restored I'm not really in a position to comment on the longevity nor its true ability, this brings me back to V8s4me comment, if you really like the car you purchase all the work they require is pleasurable and not painful.

Happy hunting
D

v8s4me

7,234 posts

218 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Hello again! As regards my V8S...

Mark-8rlbe said:
What do you love and hate about this model of TVR?
I love the noise it makes and the effortless way it gets down the road. It will pull cleanly in 5th from just under 2000rmpm upto some stupid speed if you're not concentrating. It's also a great DIY car and very easy to work on (relatively speaking!). I used to hate the stupid roof, but I've fixed that thumbup

Mark-8rlbe said:
How practical is it to use regularly?...Is anyone brave / foolish enough to use theirs several times a week?
You can drive an 'S' every day and many owners on here do. As for practicality, well that depends on what you want to do with it. There's not a lot of room to carry stuff and fuel consumption on the V8S is below 20mpg around town. This goes up to a heady 23mpg on tour. V6's are much more economical and cheaper to insure.

Mark-8rlbe said:
...Which company do you insure your TVR with?...
I'm with Classic Line, no issues so far.

Mark-8rlbe said:
...What should I be looking to pay for something with good history, with no major faults, at this time of year?
Pay as much as you can afford to get the best car you can. If you have the budget go for one which has had lots of work done already. As a very rough guesstimate I'd say for every £1 "over the odds" you spend on a fully sorted car as compared to what you might save on a "project" at "the right money", you'll save £3 on work you will eventually have to do yourself and maybe £5 if you have to get a specialist to do it for you. You can easilywork this out for your self by having a look at Southways price list. Richard has established an excellent reputation and prices are fair for the amount of work involved. A full body off on an 'S' will cost at least £6,000. Add to that the cost of a full respray, say £4,000 to get it done properly, see the S&D price list for examples. They did an excellent job on my V8S back in 2011 so maybe get feedback from a more recent customer if you are thinking of using them. If the interior needs doing you'll be looking at another £2,000 to £3,000 depending on what you want done. So, add that little lot up and you're looking at a full restoration cost of around £13,000, excluding buying the "project" in the first place.

So if someone offeres you a fully restored 'S' for less than £10,000 rip his arm off and start driving it thumbup

zombeh

693 posts

186 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Mark-8rlbe said:
What do you love and hate about this model of TVR?
I don't think I hate anything about it, I hate being blinded by everyone else's headlights being pointed at my face but that's because they're too high up.

It does make a lovely noise to the point that being sat in traffic in the morning isn't as soul destroyingly horrible as in a boring car. Listening to a v8 is preferable to fighting the radio to find something not annoying then giving up and listening to a tractor engine clattering away smile

[quote]How practical is it to use regularly?
Fairly, it's not the most economical thing in the world and they're 25 years old, things will break occasionally. I've been left stranded a couple of times by mine having broken CV joints and driveshafts but it's always fairly obvious what the problem is and fairly straightforward to fix. You're not going to get incomprehensible electronics issues because there aren't any.

[quote]Is anyone brave / foolish enough to use theirs several times a week?
I drive it to work every day

[quote]Which company do you insure your TVR with?
um, not a clue, flux I think. Whoever was daft enough to insure it for commuting

davetripletvr

370 posts

162 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Hi and welcome, as you are in the midlands i would give David Geralds a call as he did have a couple of Chimaera's in that were up for sale and as serviceing and honesty goes i trust David Geralds, they will also bend over backwards to help you out. Always found Tony Gilberts a bit expensive but thats just my opinion, he does have a lot of returning customers.
So get out there and dont be afraid to ask them to get the car on the ramps for inspection and remember outriggers might look good and solid from underneath but could be rotten and holed on the top where you cant see.
Good look and i would buy on overall condition and maintenance

v8s4me

7,234 posts

218 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
zombeh said:
... I hate being blinded by everyone else's headlights being pointed at my face but that's because they're too high up.
And badly adjusted. Don't get me going on that one!

zombeh said:
...I drive it to work every day...
clapclapclap

rev-erend

21,404 posts

283 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
With any TVR. Condition is everything.

Also worth checking the chassis outriggers.. as all TVR's are now of an age that it will be an issue.

Good luck in which ever model you choose.

bsdnazz

762 posts

252 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
I've been using my S reg Chim 400 as a daily drive for the last 13 years and have put about 80,000 miles on it.

I use it for my daily commute to and from work - Twickenham to Colnbrook on the motorways or A and B roads depending on traffic and in September took it up to the Isle of Skye for a week.

We like the Chim for a number of reasons including looks and practicality. It looks great and has enough carrying capacity to go away for a few days. We often drive into town in the evening and traffic can be heavy but the Chim's cooling is sorted so it's fine. Coming home late at night with the top down and loud music playing makes use laugh like a couple of nutters!

Now that I've turned 50 insurance is a lot cheaper and I usually insure with one of the major companies, currently Churchill for just under £240 comp.

Good history does help as these cars to need to be cared for. I find the best way to catch problems early is to drive it daily.

We did pay a premium when we bought the car in 2003 and got it from Fernhurst. The service most years although I've also used Sportmotive a couple of times.

ClassiChimi

12,424 posts

148 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
Why I love my Tvr
It's way too fast
Looks stunning
Has a fantastic engine
Reliable running gear
Simplicity
Cheap to maintain ( as long as it's not been neglected )
Comfy on longer journeys
A huge boot compared to almost all other soft tops
It's a soft top smile
One of the few Performance cars that can still be fixed in a garage with spanners
It's way too fast hehe
The charm of its looks and character it omits especially when it's running,
Glorious sound

Downsides, nothing once you sort a few gremlins that tend to plague these cars smile
You just have to remember these are older cars now, get one that's been serviced and used regularly, as others have said, driving them regularly will show up its faults and good owners slowly repair replace parts so the good ones now should be just that.
10k is a little low to get a really good one but not impossible.
Most practical Tvr and with the right engine mods every bit as fast as any.
Great cars. smile



ChilliWhizz

11,990 posts

160 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
ClassiChimi said:
Why I love my Tvr
It's way too fast
Looks stunning
Has a fantastic engine
Reliable running gear
Simplicity
Cheap to maintain ( as long as it's not been neglected )
Comfy on longer journeys
A huge boot compared to almost all other soft tops
It's a soft top smile
One of the few Performance cars that can still be fixed in a garage with spanners
It's way too fast hehe
The charm of its looks and character it omits especially when it's running,
Glorious sound

Downsides, nothing once you sort a few gremlins that tend to plague these cars smile
You just have to remember these are older cars now, get one that's been serviced and used regularly, as others have said, driving them regularly will show up its faults and good owners slowly repair replace parts so the good ones now should be just that.
10k is a little low to get a really good one but not impossible.
Most practical Tvr and with the right engine mods every bit as fast as any.
Great cars. smile
Al, your enthusiasm never fails to put a smile on my face....... smile

sparkythecat

7,898 posts

254 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2016
quotequote all
I've had my Chimaera for almost 15 years and still enjoy it. The only thing that I dislike about it is the roof. In fact, I hate the roof.

Would that I could release 2 handles on the header rail and throw it easily back over my head like the MX5 driver, or press a button and have it stowed automatically like most other modern convertibles. But oh no! I have to get out of the bloody thing, release tensioned struts and velcro, empty all my luggage and shopping out of the boot and then manhandle a big, fking numb, lump of canvas covered glassfibre into a floppy vinyl sack before wrestling it in a convoluted twisting and lowering action into the boot, trying all the time to avoid scuffing the bodywork, before e, replacing the luggage and shutting the boot lid. Then I have to carefully fold down the rear roof section so i can see over it through the rear view mirror, taking special care not to crease the flimsy plastic rear window too much, before i can eventually get back in the drivers seat and continue on my journey.

Then, a half hour later, when it stars raining, i have to do all that st again in reverse, this time taking special care to ensure the roof section is dead centered otherwise either you or your passenger are liable to be deafened by wind noise, dripped on or both. The drip is in any event academic, because by the time you've got the roof out of the boot, out of it's bag and back on the car, you, your passenger and your luggage and shopping are all piss wet through anyway.

If ever I should meet the numpty who designed this roof, I'm going to slap him and piss in his pockets. The stupid tt