Discussion
I first discovered TVR when the Tasmin was launched in '80, the year I left school. Nearest I could get was a Spitfire when I was 18 (stop sniggering at the back!).
I can remember looking over my dad's shoulder when TVR announced the Tasmin 200; at £9885 it was the only car in Britain that had a convertible option for LESS than the hardtop!
I was in my late 20's when I drove a Nissan 300ZX and a TVR350i in the same week; I don't remember much about the Jap other than it was very fast and totally uninvolving, but I could describe the TVR down to its number plate!
I got the chance to buy a cheap Tasmin; 5 years later I turned it into a 390SE and here we are. My car is my hobby: I have more tools and equipment than some garages (OK, OK, so I need them with a Wedge! ;-) and I have probably 'wasted' more of my life under a TVR than I have doing anything else. I would rather lie on a cold garage floor and fiddle with my propshaft than watch TV, which is just as well 'cos I haven't got one!
I travel the UK as a Service Engineer and have met more people socially through the car I drive than by any other means. I can usually find someone to sit in a pub with and talk about cars - and sometimes other things - and whether I'm home or away there isn't a day goes by that I don't log onto PH, a far better site IMHO than Egroups became once the adverts took over.
That's TVR for me in a nutshell, then.
And not a single swear word or sexual innuendo, Ted. How about that...
Ian
I can remember looking over my dad's shoulder when TVR announced the Tasmin 200; at £9885 it was the only car in Britain that had a convertible option for LESS than the hardtop!
I was in my late 20's when I drove a Nissan 300ZX and a TVR350i in the same week; I don't remember much about the Jap other than it was very fast and totally uninvolving, but I could describe the TVR down to its number plate!
I got the chance to buy a cheap Tasmin; 5 years later I turned it into a 390SE and here we are. My car is my hobby: I have more tools and equipment than some garages (OK, OK, so I need them with a Wedge! ;-) and I have probably 'wasted' more of my life under a TVR than I have doing anything else. I would rather lie on a cold garage floor and fiddle with my propshaft than watch TV, which is just as well 'cos I haven't got one!
I travel the UK as a Service Engineer and have met more people socially through the car I drive than by any other means. I can usually find someone to sit in a pub with and talk about cars - and sometimes other things - and whether I'm home or away there isn't a day goes by that I don't log onto PH, a far better site IMHO than Egroups became once the adverts took over.
That's TVR for me in a nutshell, then.
And not a single swear word or sexual innuendo, Ted. How about that...
Ian
This is a great topic, surely after all the negative response over the last days.
TVRs are great cars, and we all love them. No car can
give the same grin on your face from the moment you
wake up the engine. I bought my second hand Chimaera
in March 2002 as a second car, but I ended to use it as a daily runner. The car has done 7000 miles now in 6 months, without a problem. Every mile was fun, and lots of positive reactions. At the end of this year, my new LHD Tuscan will arrive, and I'm counting off the days...
TVRs are great cars, and we all love them. No car can
give the same grin on your face from the moment you
wake up the engine. I bought my second hand Chimaera
in March 2002 as a second car, but I ended to use it as a daily runner. The car has done 7000 miles now in 6 months, without a problem. Every mile was fun, and lots of positive reactions. At the end of this year, my new LHD Tuscan will arrive, and I'm counting off the days...
well done guys.Keep 'um coming.quote:
I've often been asked, and I really don't know the answer to: "Well, what are you going to buy after the Cerbera?". I can't think of anything I really want to own instead
That's so true. I am new to ownership (2 months) but can anyone seriously think what else out there gives the same thrills on 4 wheels for the money??. Lets keep praising and remember that a TVR is a monster of a car that I for one saved for because it was a dream to own one. Now I have the reality I am certainly not dissapointed
Can't say I've seen much negativity - not in the Griff
section, anyway7 months and still stopping people (of all ages!) in their tracks, staring and positively commenting about it.
Yesterday I stopped to gawp at R6CKT (blue Chimaera). . thinking how fantastic it looked
when I realized I was sitting in one as well!
Enjoy sitting in the living room and watching punters stop to admire it in the driveway . . .
Yesterday I stopped to gawp at R6CKT (blue Chimaera). . thinking how fantastic it looked
when I realized I was sitting in one as well!
Enjoy sitting in the living room and watching punters stop to admire it in the driveway . . .
I've always wanted to drive a TVR since reading the Wedge reviews in the '80s. And when TVRs starting burbling around Barnet after the local dealer changed from Morgan cars I have lusted after such a beast.
My chance came a couple of years ago, when I was looking to upgrade from my 20V Turbo Fiat Coupe. I thought I'd better try everything I could possible want, including an Elise, M3, Boxster, 996 and the only thing that came close to my now purchased Tuscan for the combination of fun, looks, image, speed, sound was the 911 (it had the then new optional sports exhuast - very nice it has to be said).
But the TVR it was. And the only thing I would replace it with in case of fire, theft, accident would be another Tuscan. The fact that people still come up to to me and ask me about the car, and wave and grin as a pass is only a bonus.
Cheers,
Andy.
My chance came a couple of years ago, when I was looking to upgrade from my 20V Turbo Fiat Coupe. I thought I'd better try everything I could possible want, including an Elise, M3, Boxster, 996 and the only thing that came close to my now purchased Tuscan for the combination of fun, looks, image, speed, sound was the 911 (it had the then new optional sports exhuast - very nice it has to be said).
But the TVR it was. And the only thing I would replace it with in case of fire, theft, accident would be another Tuscan. The fact that people still come up to to me and ask me about the car, and wave and grin as a pass is only a bonus.
Cheers,
Andy.
I love my Griff and have a huge grin every time I drive it.
When I spent a day getting sideways at Bedford the grin became permanent. Most fun I've had in a car ever. And yes, that includes those late night 'teenage' car antics too.
But....
...before I bought it I was really glad there was this forum so I could become familiar with the sorts of 'TVR specific' maintenance (i.e. problems!) I would need to sort out, and hence my expectations were about spot on. In fact I enjoy pottering about fixing this and that on the car. Its all part of the experience.
On the other hand, and to use a recent example, if someone posts that they've been looking at BMW's and Audi's and are now thinking of a TVR, I'm not going to say 'Go for it, you'll never regret it'. I'm going to say 'Be aware its a very different beast and needs looking after - if you can live with that then Go for it, you'll never regret it!'.
I would hate it if people stopped sharing their problems (and good times of course!) on PH.
By the way, its not just TVR bashing that happens. My previous car was a BMW M Roadster. I've lost count of how many times people posted really useful thoughts about that particular car. 'Don't touch one, its a Clown's shoe'. Full of insight. Thanks. Ever driven one? No? Well fcuk off! (Bloody hell, the coffee's taking a long time to kick in this morning!)
When I spent a day getting sideways at Bedford the grin became permanent. Most fun I've had in a car ever. And yes, that includes those late night 'teenage' car antics too.
But....
...before I bought it I was really glad there was this forum so I could become familiar with the sorts of 'TVR specific' maintenance (i.e. problems!) I would need to sort out, and hence my expectations were about spot on. In fact I enjoy pottering about fixing this and that on the car. Its all part of the experience.
On the other hand, and to use a recent example, if someone posts that they've been looking at BMW's and Audi's and are now thinking of a TVR, I'm not going to say 'Go for it, you'll never regret it'. I'm going to say 'Be aware its a very different beast and needs looking after - if you can live with that then Go for it, you'll never regret it!'.
I would hate it if people stopped sharing their problems (and good times of course!) on PH.
By the way, its not just TVR bashing that happens. My previous car was a BMW M Roadster. I've lost count of how many times people posted really useful thoughts about that particular car. 'Don't touch one, its a Clown's shoe'. Full of insight. Thanks. Ever driven one? No? Well fcuk off! (Bloody hell, the coffee's taking a long time to kick in this morning!)
quote:Having just completed over 2000 miles driving around Scotland last week, in our Chimaera 450, I can honestly say it was a brilliant success and an amazing experience.
I'm starting this thread for TVR owners to talk about the positive side of ownership.
I'm tired of the large amount negativity on these forums surrounding these beautiful works of art.
Driving through Glencoe valley with the hood down and blue skies overhead, well you can just imagine it. People waved at us, people turned and smiled and a curator of a castle allowed us to drive up to his castle's portcullis to take photos !!! (to discover that he was an avid car fan and use to drive a rover and was surprised to see how similar the TVR engine was).
The car was well behaved, didn't let us down, was quite happy cruising at 'progressive speeds'
, was fantastic on the winding roads when it came to passing traffic 
and at one point even returning 30 mpg (the worst was 19 mpg) between fill ups. And that's what it's all about. Enjoying driving the car you own is one thing, enjoying owning it another and seeing other peoples enjoyment... just can't be beaten.
Whilst it's easy to find fault in anything (and I'm one of the culprits), you are correct, the praise seldom comes. The boards appear to be biased towards criticism purely because people either want to fix problems on their car or hear that they're not the only ones with the same problems. We both love
the Chimaera and would happily get another one... ofcourse improvements could be made but as far as we're concerned nothing so bad that we would get rid of the car. MC
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