Servicing costs and rough guess on a problem?
Discussion
Hello all
Been looking at possibly getting a TVR as I remember seeing them whizz around as a kid and am now in a position to actually afford one. Have a friend of a friend of a friend with a S1 he wants to part with but was wondering how much servicing/maintenance they need a year and how much I ought to set aside for looking after it servicing wise assuming nothing major goes wrong?
he also mentioned that it needs some welding on the "out riggers". through the wonder of google I seem to have found what these are. can these just be welded in place or does the car need to be partially disassembled? and what rough sort of cost am I looking at?
thanks
Rhys
Been looking at possibly getting a TVR as I remember seeing them whizz around as a kid and am now in a position to actually afford one. Have a friend of a friend of a friend with a S1 he wants to part with but was wondering how much servicing/maintenance they need a year and how much I ought to set aside for looking after it servicing wise assuming nothing major goes wrong?
he also mentioned that it needs some welding on the "out riggers". through the wonder of google I seem to have found what these are. can these just be welded in place or does the car need to be partially disassembled? and what rough sort of cost am I looking at?
thanks
Rhys
Welcome to the forum.
Outriggers on their own can be done with the partial body lift. As you may know these cars feature a fibreglass body which can be very difficult to weld around as it poses a fire risk. Outriggers hold the 'sides' of the car together on the chassis which is made of mild steel which rusts. Cost can vary. It can cost very little if you do it mostly yourself but in a garage could be costly. Is the car in question in the classifieds?
Personally, I don't bother having my car serviced by TVR specialists as it's basically a Ford Sierra (V6 S obviously). I do it most the upkeep myself. Parts are obtainable, some are hard to find but most are easy. If there is indeed as such thing as a cheap TVR to maintain, these are the babies.
Outriggers on their own can be done with the partial body lift. As you may know these cars feature a fibreglass body which can be very difficult to weld around as it poses a fire risk. Outriggers hold the 'sides' of the car together on the chassis which is made of mild steel which rusts. Cost can vary. It can cost very little if you do it mostly yourself but in a garage could be costly. Is the car in question in the classifieds?
Personally, I don't bother having my car serviced by TVR specialists as it's basically a Ford Sierra (V6 S obviously). I do it most the upkeep myself. Parts are obtainable, some are hard to find but most are easy. If there is indeed as such thing as a cheap TVR to maintain, these are the babies.
The Lukas is right they are fairly easy to service and most parts are easy to get and not too expensive. I'm not sure but maybe the later S with the 2.9 engine may be better in terms of maintenance as the older 2.8 engine may not be as easy for bits now - but I'm not an expert on that so others may be able to advise better (- they still go and sound OK though!!). If you get a garage to do the outriggers it would be expensive and would need to be factored into the purchase price so you go into it with your eyes open. RT Racing at Sheffield does the outriggers (no doubt others maybe nearer you as well) and may be able to give you an idea of price maybe without seeing the car. One thing for sure is the cars are very enjoyable and insurance isn't expensive with someone like Hagerty provided its a second car and preferably garaged.
Jim
Jim
Edited by jimed on Wednesday 29th July 17:07
heya chaps
thats fantastic info on the servicing. The car isnt in the classifieds however I noticed another S1 that is in the classifieds. this one seems in better nick than the one my friend of a friend is offering and is a bit cheaper too. heres the link
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1123192.htm
thoughts?
thats fantastic info on the servicing. The car isnt in the classifieds however I noticed another S1 that is in the classifieds. this one seems in better nick than the one my friend of a friend is offering and is a bit cheaper too. heres the link
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1123192.htm
thoughts?
If Outriggers need a "small amount of welding" then you must check the trailing arms to see if they have been replaced or need similar (S1 trailing arms will not be easy to replace)... I think if the outriggers need a small amount of welding, its the welding of the new outriggers in place that they are talking about...
still it thats all thats wrong with it and say £1500 see's it repaired then you are looking at say £3500 for a sorted S1... thats still a decent price for a sorted car.
Just make sure you check whatever you are looking at to make sure there are no other expensive bits to factor in - like tyres, exhaust, suspension etc etc...
if the cost goes up, you might do well to heed Jim's advice and at least look at a 2.9.
good luck whatever you do, if you buy a goodun you will have loads of cheap fun. If you buy a baddun you will get to know us lot a lot better - a win-win if ever I heard of one
K
still it thats all thats wrong with it and say £1500 see's it repaired then you are looking at say £3500 for a sorted S1... thats still a decent price for a sorted car.
Just make sure you check whatever you are looking at to make sure there are no other expensive bits to factor in - like tyres, exhaust, suspension etc etc...
if the cost goes up, you might do well to heed Jim's advice and at least look at a 2.9.
good luck whatever you do, if you buy a goodun you will have loads of cheap fun. If you buy a baddun you will get to know us lot a lot better - a win-win if ever I heard of one
K
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