Potential new owner
Discussion
Hi,
I'm a potential new S series owner who would welcombe any advice. The car will be my sole car which I use for work and do about 12k a year in. I live in central Brighton and garages are like gold dust so it'll be out on the road.
I understand that a TVR will not be as reliable as most standard runabouts but I don't want to be calling tha AA out every other day. Any advice on the following would be most wellcombe!
- What is the average fuel consumption (a)in town and(b) on a run?
- If the car is driven every day and not left for long periods am I likely to have a problem with chassis corrosion? (I have done some research and would get an expert to check the chassis, outriggers, etc prior to any purchase).
- It seems the roofs are not very waterproof. I used to own a Toyota MR2 Mk1 which had targa roof panels and they also leaked. I recieved a great tip from a small boat builder which was to use silicon grease on the seals occasionally which kept out the water without harming the rubber. Has anyone out there tried that. It worked perfectly on the MR2 but you had to be careful not to slime yourself when handling the panels.
Anyway, thanks for your time and all suggestions will be gratefully recieved.
Cheers,
Steve.
I'm a potential new S series owner who would welcombe any advice. The car will be my sole car which I use for work and do about 12k a year in. I live in central Brighton and garages are like gold dust so it'll be out on the road.
I understand that a TVR will not be as reliable as most standard runabouts but I don't want to be calling tha AA out every other day. Any advice on the following would be most wellcombe!
- What is the average fuel consumption (a)in town and(b) on a run?
- If the car is driven every day and not left for long periods am I likely to have a problem with chassis corrosion? (I have done some research and would get an expert to check the chassis, outriggers, etc prior to any purchase).
- It seems the roofs are not very waterproof. I used to own a Toyota MR2 Mk1 which had targa roof panels and they also leaked. I recieved a great tip from a small boat builder which was to use silicon grease on the seals occasionally which kept out the water without harming the rubber. Has anyone out there tried that. It worked perfectly on the MR2 but you had to be careful not to slime yourself when handling the panels.
Anyway, thanks for your time and all suggestions will be gratefully recieved.
Cheers,
Steve.
I'm not sure this is such a good idea. The S series is an old car now, and as such is really much more suited to second car use. I don't think they will respond well to the outdoor life either.
I am a relatively new S2 owner, and I bought mine as a weekend fun car. In this capacity it should do fine - but I still expect to have to pay out a reasonable amount on it - and I'll do less than 3000 miles per annum in it.
Much as I love the car, I would not have a great deal of faith in it as an everyday 12,000 per annum miler.
I would have to say buy an MGF or an MR2 for that - HUSH MY MOUTH!
I fully expect other much wiser forumites to now inform me I am talking b*ll*cks. Which I may well be.
I am a relatively new S2 owner, and I bought mine as a weekend fun car. In this capacity it should do fine - but I still expect to have to pay out a reasonable amount on it - and I'll do less than 3000 miles per annum in it.
Much as I love the car, I would not have a great deal of faith in it as an everyday 12,000 per annum miler.
I would have to say buy an MGF or an MR2 for that - HUSH MY MOUTH!
I fully expect other much wiser forumites to now inform me I am talking b*ll*cks. Which I may well be.
Right some facts
1.The "S" is probably more reliable if driven regularly rather than just occasionally
2. Most things on the "S" are straight forward to fix and they dont breakdown as often as people think in fact the V6 is a very good engine
3. The roofs dont usually leak,use fasil, rennovo and a put a few few layers on
4. the seals can be replaced very easilynot sure about the ones above the window
5.Mpg average 20mpg i
6.Paint and waxoyl the chassis and then waxoyl before and after winter should be ok
7.A Leven hood cover could well be worth buying
Go for it,the smile per mile is better than most
1.The "S" is probably more reliable if driven regularly rather than just occasionally
2. Most things on the "S" are straight forward to fix and they dont breakdown as often as people think in fact the V6 is a very good engine
3. The roofs dont usually leak,use fasil, rennovo and a put a few few layers on
4. the seals can be replaced very easilynot sure about the ones above the window
5.Mpg average 20mpg i
6.Paint and waxoyl the chassis and then waxoyl before and after winter should be ok
7.A Leven hood cover could well be worth buying
Go for it,the smile per mile is better than most
12k p/a is quite a lot to do in a S. Having said that, when I lived in town and only had 1 parking space I used my S3 daily for 18 months no problem and covered about 15k in that. Needed the AA once and that was a wire to the coil that had gone and so hardly a TVR fault.
You will find it needs TLC and using it everyday that can be a pain in the arse, especially if you park outside. I dont miss the evenings in this sort of temp in the drizzle under the car covered in crap until 11pm just so i could get to work the next day. something to think about cos it WILL happen.
dont ask me mpg. if you really are that bothered by mpg, dont buy one.
if you can put up with the little probs its fantastic fun. If you cant, buy a cheap hatch for everyday and badger the council until you can find a garage to rent nearby and buy one anyway.
You will find it needs TLC and using it everyday that can be a pain in the arse, especially if you park outside. I dont miss the evenings in this sort of temp in the drizzle under the car covered in crap until 11pm just so i could get to work the next day. something to think about cos it WILL happen.
dont ask me mpg. if you really are that bothered by mpg, dont buy one.
if you can put up with the little probs its fantastic fun. If you cant, buy a cheap hatch for everyday and badger the council until you can find a garage to rent nearby and buy one anyway.
DEFINATELY invest in a good outdoor car cover. It'll prove to be the wisest investment over time. I tried all sorts on mine and it always leaked somewhere!
Reliability wise if you get a good one, as most are, it should be fine.
The cars are getting older now, as previosly stated, but most are very low mileages for their age, and for the price I can see no reason why you shouldn't get one. After all if you don't like it or it doesn't work out you can always sell it. Over a period of six - twelve months it will have depreciated by all of 50p!
Go for it!
Reliability wise if you get a good one, as most are, it should be fine.
The cars are getting older now, as previosly stated, but most are very low mileages for their age, and for the price I can see no reason why you shouldn't get one. After all if you don't like it or it doesn't work out you can always sell it. Over a period of six - twelve months it will have depreciated by all of 50p!
Go for it!
My S lives outside (no garage) and was my only car until my wife passed her test a few months back. Still I choose to use it 99% of the time. My annual milage was around 6k but seems to be going to top 11k since I got the S 
Never found it to leak but do own a full cover - although it rarely gets used as I use the S almost daily.
No idea on fuel consumption - I never take much notice of that gauge, assuming it to be an approximation rather than actual fact. Same goes for that speed-o-meter thingy
Having it as your only car can be a problem when you want to do some TLC, but that's no different than with any car.
Budget a bit more than your 'average' car and take in to account it is pushing 12 years plus and you shouldn't get too many surprises.
Oh, and you get to meet such nice people
Never found it to leak but do own a full cover - although it rarely gets used as I use the S almost daily.
No idea on fuel consumption - I never take much notice of that gauge, assuming it to be an approximation rather than actual fact. Same goes for that speed-o-meter thingy
Having it as your only car can be a problem when you want to do some TLC, but that's no different than with any car.
Budget a bit more than your 'average' car and take in to account it is pushing 12 years plus and you shouldn't get too many surprises.
Oh, and you get to meet such nice people
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I've used my S3 as an everyday car for about the last 18 months now, averaging about 10k miles p.a., although it is garaged overnight.
The only time the car refused to start was down to a dodgy immobiliser which was an aftermarket fit and therefore not a TVR fault.
I also use mine as my company car which means visiting clients in various UK locations and leaving the car in whatever parking is available at each particular place. So, although it's garaged overnight, it's stuck out in all kinds of weather during the day. The only time any water's got in was when the stitching on the back window went, but I had the window replaced using the glass cover on my insurance so that only cost me £60 (of a £295 job).
It's also handled driving in the snowy, icy and generally wintry conditions (with the application of a gentle right foot), and my only real problem in this regard has been the blind to$$ers in other cars!
A lot of people will tell you that these cars tend to run better when used everyday, and my experience does seem to back this up.
Do it. I've run my S3 as my only car for the last 10 months and I'm still glad i bought it. Had the RAC out twice, within 3 weeks of getting it the throttle cable went (they all do that sir). Second time at a garage forecourt, just filled up with Optimax, immobiliser went (new Thatcham 1 installed next day for £100). Mine lives outside and I use a Leven car cap, 3 minutes to fit every night. She fires up first time and runs sweet as a nut. Economy - when the needle gets to just below half I fill her up, got about 24mpg on a run, usually about 18-19 depending on how heavy the right boot is!
RichardR said:
A lot of people will tell you that these cars tend to run better when used everyday, and my experience does seem to back this up.
In my experience this is true but regular use also weeds out loads of little niggles and stuff will wear out on a fairly regular basis. Therefore you will either need to put a reasonable amount of money by to give to garages (how much depends on the state of your car) or be very keen with the spanners. I took the latter route and saved loads of money but after a I while got p*ssed off with having to fix the latest thing in time to go to work on monday. If you're really keen then it's worth it but if you aren't then it isn't.
The absolute most important thing is to be sure of the state of your chasis, everything else can be fixed in relatively short order but if it's your daily car you don't want your car off the road while your outriggers are replaced.
Regards,
Mark
PS. Beware the contageous enthusiasm of people who've not had their cars long
>> Edited by dern on Tuesday 2nd March 08:42
Well I cant really comment here.
I've only used my S as my only transport for 14,5 years now. Only doing 10k + per year now.
Did actually break down once when the Ford ignition unit died.
Colleagues at work comment 'how come you know so much about mechanics, yours never goes wrong??'
Notoriously unreliable cars, dont do it.....
Seriously though Steve
GET ONE!
I've only used my S as my only transport for 14,5 years now. Only doing 10k + per year now.
Did actually break down once when the Ford ignition unit died.
Colleagues at work comment 'how come you know so much about mechanics, yours never goes wrong??'
Notoriously unreliable cars, dont do it.....
Seriously though Steve
GET ONE! Right heres a new owners view, with no garage:
Reliability: Engine
Eletrics: Not so good. Think it is car dependedent.
Fuel Consumption: Motorway upto 32mpg. Town mid 20s.
Corrosion: I live in Newcastle - lots of salt in Winter. No visible problems yet as I have waxoyled.
Yes, get an expert to check if you are unsure. Also see Pies' guide to buying. I should have done this first. Could have avoided about £300 of outlay to fix problems.
Roof leaking: I regularly use Thompsons waterseal and since, no leaks whatsoever. I also have the Leven Showercap, which is fantastic.
Main thing is to be sensible about what you can afford. Insurance is a killer, as is fuel if you contiually put the boot down. I am considering selling my S3 due to costs. I am in the Croydon area occasionally if you want to have a look around an S3 to see what they are like.
Reliability: Engine
Eletrics: Not so good. Think it is car dependedent. Fuel Consumption: Motorway upto 32mpg. Town mid 20s.
Corrosion: I live in Newcastle - lots of salt in Winter. No visible problems yet as I have waxoyled.
Yes, get an expert to check if you are unsure. Also see Pies' guide to buying. I should have done this first. Could have avoided about £300 of outlay to fix problems.
Roof leaking: I regularly use Thompsons waterseal and since, no leaks whatsoever. I also have the Leven Showercap, which is fantastic.
Main thing is to be sensible about what you can afford. Insurance is a killer, as is fuel if you contiually put the boot down. I am considering selling my S3 due to costs. I am in the Croydon area occasionally if you want to have a look around an S3 to see what they are like.
Right heres a new owners view, with no garage:
Reliability: Engine Eletrics: Not so good. Think it is car dependedent.
Fuel Consumption: Motorway upto 32mpg. Town mid 20s.
Corrosion: I live in Newcastle - lots of salt in Winter. No visible problems yet as I have waxoyled.
Yes, get an expert to check if you are unsure. Also see Pies' guide to buying. I should have done this first. Could have avoided about £300 of outlay to fix problems.
Roof leaking: I regularly use Thompsons waterseal and since, no leaks whatsoever. I also have the Leven Showercap, which is fantastic.
Main thing is to be sensible about what you can afford. Insurance is a killer, as is fuel if you contiually put the boot down. I am considering selling my S3 due to costs. I am in the Croydon area occasionally if you want to have a look around an S3 to see what they are like.
Reliability: Engine
Eletrics: Not so good. Think it is car dependedent. Fuel Consumption: Motorway upto 32mpg. Town mid 20s.
Corrosion: I live in Newcastle - lots of salt in Winter. No visible problems yet as I have waxoyled.
Yes, get an expert to check if you are unsure. Also see Pies' guide to buying. I should have done this first. Could have avoided about £300 of outlay to fix problems.
Roof leaking: I regularly use Thompsons waterseal and since, no leaks whatsoever. I also have the Leven Showercap, which is fantastic.
Main thing is to be sensible about what you can afford. Insurance is a killer, as is fuel if you contiually put the boot down. I am considering selling my S3 due to costs. I am in the Croydon area occasionally if you want to have a look around an S3 to see what they are like.
WildfireS3 said:
Fuel Consumption: Motorway upto 32mpg. Town mid 20s.
My last S would happily do 30 mpg... the new one (the 2.8) is currently worse than the Chimaera was.. its doing about 18-20 on the Motorway and two parts of sod all around town... Sounds good though
Good reable cars, but personally I wouldn't use one as an everyday car all year if I could avoid it... absolutely great in the summer, but not really what you want on the dark damp winter evenings.
Cheers,
Matt
>> Edited by M@H on Tuesday 2nd March 10:11
dern said:
A lot of people will tell you that these cars tend to run better when used everyday, and my experience does seem to back this up.
In my experience this is true but regular use also weeds out loads of little niggles and stuff will wear out on a fairly regular basis. Therefore you will either need to put a reasonable amount of money by to give to garages (how much depends on the state of your car) or be very keen with the spanners. I took the latter route and saved loads of money but after a I while got p*ssed off with having to fix the latest thing in time to go to work on monday. If you're really keen then it's worth it but if you aren't then it isn't.
The absolute most important thing is to be sure of the state of your chasis, everything else can be fixed in relatively short order but if it's your daily car you don't want your car off the road while your outriggers are replaced.
Regards,
Mark
PS. Beware the contageous enthusiasm of people who've not had their cars long
>> Edited by dern on Tuesday 2nd March 08:42
spot on post Mark.
I've had my S outside in Brighton for the last six months. I had to chip solid ice ooff teh door on monday to get in the thing. I use it every single day ( you may have seen me around). I treat it as the runaround that £8k woudl have otherwise bought me. But with much more grin factor.
yes, it leaks, but as long as you accept that and don't mind emptying the footwellsl/boot every now and then - so what? It's plastic.
I had one of those covers, but with the sea breezes, it flapped about ( even only by an inch or so) and has scuffed the paint. Never use it now.
get decent breakdown cover. Something will go wrong at some point. I'm no mechanic, so I knew I had to buy from a dealer too. Woudln't know a rusty outrigger from a pint of mild. I paid over the odds for peace of mind. Worth every penny to me - each to their own.
If you get one, just drive through the Southwick tunnel in third, or down to the sea from teh clock tower, past the queues, in second. You will never, ever get rid of it after that.
mail me, and I can pop round and let you have a good loook at mine ( now now, podie...).
yes, it leaks, but as long as you accept that and don't mind emptying the footwellsl/boot every now and then - so what? It's plastic.
I had one of those covers, but with the sea breezes, it flapped about ( even only by an inch or so) and has scuffed the paint. Never use it now.
get decent breakdown cover. Something will go wrong at some point. I'm no mechanic, so I knew I had to buy from a dealer too. Woudln't know a rusty outrigger from a pint of mild. I paid over the odds for peace of mind. Worth every penny to me - each to their own.
If you get one, just drive through the Southwick tunnel in third, or down to the sea from teh clock tower, past the queues, in second. You will never, ever get rid of it after that.
mail me, and I can pop round and let you have a good loook at mine ( now now, podie...).
Overwhelmed by response... Thanks guys!
Trouble is I'm being told a range of different views. As I understand it with a budget of about £6k I should be looking at a good S2 or maybe S3 if I'm fortunate.
Condition and expert inspection (particularly of the chassis) seem to be the main criteria.
The 2.9i engine gives better economy and performance.
I know most of you don't care about economy which is fine if you just use it as an occasional/weekend jolly car. As I'm doing about 12k per year the difference between 20 and 30 mpg adds up to about £700 which is significant when compared to expecting around £1500 pa on maintenance and servicing.(As has been suggested by one pistonhead).
I don't mind tinkering around a bit doing relatively trivial mechanical jobs as I did loads of that on my old mini and golf gti when I was a student. I just want a reasonably reliable car (once sorted out) that will also be my pride and joy. Insurance is ok as I had an Impreza Turbo a couple of years ago and that was affordable. That car was quick but just plain ugly.
Sorry about the essay.. if anyone can enlighten me further on any points that would be great. Does anyone know someone knowledgable enough to do an inspection in the Brighton/South east region.
Thanks once again for your comments and advice.
One last point which I'm sure will piss some of you off.. can you fit a set of golf clubs in the boot?
Trouble is I'm being told a range of different views. As I understand it with a budget of about £6k I should be looking at a good S2 or maybe S3 if I'm fortunate.
Condition and expert inspection (particularly of the chassis) seem to be the main criteria.
The 2.9i engine gives better economy and performance.
I know most of you don't care about economy which is fine if you just use it as an occasional/weekend jolly car. As I'm doing about 12k per year the difference between 20 and 30 mpg adds up to about £700 which is significant when compared to expecting around £1500 pa on maintenance and servicing.(As has been suggested by one pistonhead).
I don't mind tinkering around a bit doing relatively trivial mechanical jobs as I did loads of that on my old mini and golf gti when I was a student. I just want a reasonably reliable car (once sorted out) that will also be my pride and joy. Insurance is ok as I had an Impreza Turbo a couple of years ago and that was affordable. That car was quick but just plain ugly.
Sorry about the essay.. if anyone can enlighten me further on any points that would be great. Does anyone know someone knowledgable enough to do an inspection in the Brighton/South east region.
Thanks once again for your comments and advice.
One last point which I'm sure will piss some of you off.. can you fit a set of golf clubs in the boot?
Yes golf clubs will fit in the boot. Plus if you have a (small) folding golf cart with removable wheels that will go in there too with the roof sections.
As to the rest I have the luxury of not having to rely on it as I have another everyday car.
Since I bought it 15 months ago I've been trailered home once when a water pipe went (3 weeks after buying it). Other than that the things that have kept it off the road.
clutch master cylinder failure
Waiting for delivery on new shocks/springs (planned)
Re core of the radiator (planned)
Replacement of the trailing arms.
The last one of those was the most painful as it was completely unexpected and expensive (£400 for the arms alone) because it was found during the service/mot. I might have avoided this had I been a bit more careful about the inspection of my car at purchase but them's the breaks I guess.
Having said all that I love driving it and take it out whenever I can, and only put the roof on if it is actually raining. I did get some strange looks when I turned up at work the other morning with a sprinkling of snow on me!!
Colin
As to the rest I have the luxury of not having to rely on it as I have another everyday car.
Since I bought it 15 months ago I've been trailered home once when a water pipe went (3 weeks after buying it). Other than that the things that have kept it off the road.
clutch master cylinder failure
Waiting for delivery on new shocks/springs (planned)
Re core of the radiator (planned)
Replacement of the trailing arms.
The last one of those was the most painful as it was completely unexpected and expensive (£400 for the arms alone) because it was found during the service/mot. I might have avoided this had I been a bit more careful about the inspection of my car at purchase but them's the breaks I guess.
Having said all that I love driving it and take it out whenever I can, and only put the roof on if it is actually raining. I did get some strange looks when I turned up at work the other morning with a sprinkling of snow on me!!
Colin
I'm standing by to be corrected on this one,....
Not sure if you're aware, no one seems to have mentioned it yet, but the 2.8 (S1) runs on leaded fuel. If your bothered about economy then I wouldn't (in fact didn't!) consider this option.
I'm now waiting for someone to tell me that 2.8s are cheaper to run because.....
Not sure if you're aware, no one seems to have mentioned it yet, but the 2.8 (S1) runs on leaded fuel. If your bothered about economy then I wouldn't (in fact didn't!) consider this option.
I'm now waiting for someone to tell me that 2.8s are cheaper to run because.....
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