S Series / Wedge
Discussion
Hi
I am considering buying a summer 'fun' car and have always liked the S Series and Wedge. My budget is approx £5K. It would seem from looking at classifieds that this sort of money would buy either but as I am not mechanically minded I wondered which of the two is possibly the most reliable??? Do you still get the huge engine rebuild cases as in the much newer cerberra etc?? Do people tend to spend thousand on upkeep during the year??
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Chris
I am considering buying a summer 'fun' car and have always liked the S Series and Wedge. My budget is approx £5K. It would seem from looking at classifieds that this sort of money would buy either but as I am not mechanically minded I wondered which of the two is possibly the most reliable??? Do you still get the huge engine rebuild cases as in the much newer cerberra etc?? Do people tend to spend thousand on upkeep during the year??
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Chris
S is ford sierra based (mainly) and either ford cologne or rover V8 powered with matching gearbox/drive train. Think how reliable granada taxis were or the police rover 3500 and the miles they did. with regards to spend. In my three years of ownership I have have been overhauling a poorish example - it has only let me down once (flat battery) and costs about £50 to service myself. Overall including the rebuild work I have probably spent £2000 total of which £100 was chassis welding and suspension coil overs and £400 was gearbox rebuild. The rest was titivating and my choice to spend not essential
Summary - cheapish, easy to self maintain, and fun - get an S but check the chassis well, then check it again when buying
Mark
Summary - cheapish, easy to self maintain, and fun - get an S but check the chassis well, then check it again when buying
Mark
The S is a reliable car. But it comes down to looks. IMHO the S looks fantastic and I wouldn't want a wedge.... However there are others who would argue the other way. Remember, you have to love your classic car, if not you will never get the satisfaction out of ownership.This is a heart not a head decision.
Cheers
Tony
Cheers
Tony
Mechanically I would say the Ford 2.9 is the stronger of the two engines, cams are a weak point on the V8.
Against that though garage expertise on the 2.9 is getting harder to find, whereas there is still strong support for the V8 particularly with specialists.
Similar arguments apply to the wedge I guess, though its the older 2.8 engine in the wedge, the 2.9i is too new, and the V8 will be the 3.5 not 3.9.
I'd be inclined to be open minded on what to buy, and look at a few (maybe a lot!) till you find a good one.
Against that though garage expertise on the 2.9 is getting harder to find, whereas there is still strong support for the V8 particularly with specialists.
Similar arguments apply to the wedge I guess, though its the older 2.8 engine in the wedge, the 2.9i is too new, and the V8 will be the 3.5 not 3.9.
I'd be inclined to be open minded on what to buy, and look at a few (maybe a lot!) till you find a good one.
I almost bought a wedge V8, what a soundtrack !!!! I decided that I was not ready for the power of the V8 so bought an S2 with the 2.9 ford engine. Of course all TVR`s are drop dead gorgeous cars to look at and I must admit the Wedge still floats ma boat. The ford and rover engines are of course reliable but now getting on a bit, both cars are great and put a huge smile on your face. Whatever you buy, enjoy.
Scuse me sneaking in.
Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
jmorgan said:
Scuse me sneaking in.
Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
Hi Jeff, I remember that passenger seat run in your Wedge Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
it was a treat, hope the ole gal is ok and still making you grin.steve j said:
jmorgan said:
Scuse me sneaking in.
Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
Hi Jeff, I remember that passenger seat run in your Wedge Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
it was a treat, hope the ole gal is ok and still making you grin.
How you doing with yours?Go with what you fancy model wise but buy on condition.
It's really hard to say about costs, the experience varies hugely. My V8S has only cost normal service bills until this year when my petrol tank turned into cheese.
My wedge has had a new coil and leads, but that's it.
The Cerbera had had lambda sensors and some rubber suspension things.
Whatever you choose, all the cars are high performance and some are quite elderly so some things will need replacing.
Visit your TVR CC regional meeting (Herts and Beds) and ask the owners questions
They're all good!
It's really hard to say about costs, the experience varies hugely. My V8S has only cost normal service bills until this year when my petrol tank turned into cheese.
My wedge has had a new coil and leads, but that's it.
The Cerbera had had lambda sensors and some rubber suspension things.
Whatever you choose, all the cars are high performance and some are quite elderly so some things will need replacing.
Visit your TVR CC regional meeting (Herts and Beds) and ask the owners questions
They're all good!
jmorgan said:
steve j said:
jmorgan said:
Scuse me sneaking in.
Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
Hi Jeff, I remember that passenger seat run in your Wedge Why not try them. Ask nicely and I am sure people will give you an honest opinion, a look see around them, point out the foibles and maybe a blast up the road. If you ask me I would say Wedge but then I am biased. I'am a brick lover.
Rule number one. Put away the TVR goggles when looking.
it was a treat, hope the ole gal is ok and still making you grin. How you doing with yours?
It still gives me a buzz, I`ve been hankering for two more cylinders but of course a permy job must come along first. Here`s the result of being out of work 
excuse the glare on the polished metal Ooooooo. Stainless mainifolds? On me list of must haves. Probably get the interior done this year, could do with new carpets and trim. Had a few issues with the tin worm but simple for the garage so not much of a hit on the pocket. Last year it was rocker tips breaking up so 16 of them replaced and three valves. Wedge fest a few years ago and the rolling road showed a very healthy output so still eating rear tyres at around 3-5 thou. Gota love that torque. (or me right boot needs the lead weight removing )
)jmorgan said:
Ooooooo. Stainless mainifolds? On me list of must haves. Probably get the interior done this year, could do with new carpets and trim. Had a few issues with the tin worm but simple for the garage so not much of a hit on the pocket. Last year it was rocker tips breaking up so 16 of them replaced and three valves. Wedge fest a few years ago and the rolling road showed a very healthy output so still eating rear tyres at around 3-5 thou. Gota love that torque. (or me right boot needs the lead weight removing )
I`ve felt your right boot, ooer, if you know what I mean )
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