Tamora Advise needed
Author
Discussion

jonboy_100

Original Poster:

16 posts

232 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
quotequote all
Hello everyone! First post on Pistonheads!

I am seriously looking into purchasing a second hand TVR Tamora and am desparately seeking any advice that you can offer. Bascially I dont know what I should and should not be looking out for.

My budget is no more than 20k.

I have heard something about the first Tamora's (Pre 04/05) requiring engine rebuilds but no sure which model/year this affects and why. If anyone has a dummys guide to Tamora's that would be great!!

Many thanks,

John.

tamore

9,994 posts

314 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
quotequote all
try and get one which has been rebuilt with components made from something more durable than blu tak, unlike the originals. don't do it if you're on a tight budget, ie expect to shell out 2k per year in repairs. lastly, but most importantly, do it!

jonboy_100

Original Poster:

16 posts

232 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
quotequote all
do all the models require rebuilds at some stage then?

Tonto

2,983 posts

278 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
quotequote all
Thats not really known, as many TVR's do very low annual milage.
Current evidence suggests that not all cars go bang (any build year), but it looks like fewer later cars have problems.
From 03 onwards, the engines got more reliable.
For your budget, you should be able to get an 04 onwards. There are not a lot of Tams around as few were produced, so you may have to compromise on colour/spec/trim.
I bought privately, as I have a fair amount of experience relating to TVR's. You may be better off going to a dealer if the car is new to you. You'll pay a premium of course, but will have some come back if you have problems.

Tonto

2,983 posts

278 months

Tuesday 5th June 2007
quotequote all
Just had a look in the Classified. I would suggest you have a look at This
(If you like Red that is.) Its been recently rebuilt by Austec, who have a very good reputation. I've not heard of any engine problems on a re-build they have carried out, (anyone else like to comment on that)?

If I was in market for a Tam now, I'd have a very serious look at the above.

(I'm not linked to the seller in any way btw!!)

jonboy_100

Original Poster:

16 posts

232 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
Thanks for the advice Tonto. That car is very interesting! (had email from seller) however just not too keen on the colour...sorry!

tamore

9,994 posts

314 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
sorry jonboy, i should have explained what i meant. it's not that they are guaranteed to go bang, but just don't try and run one on a really tight budget. you'll get a nice tamora whci has had a rebuild for 17-18k, and put the rest in the bank as a slush fund. with a bit of luck, you'll not spend a penny on unplanned repairs and have 5% interest from 2-3k at the end of the year.
i ran a cerb for a year and did nothing but fill it with fuel and service it.

FUBAR

17,065 posts

268 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
That's AlexRWD's car, and a lovely motor it is too yes

Flagpole

196 posts

245 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
Yeah it is a lovely Tam. Sounded great when following it to Gaydon last year. Why are you selling it Alex?

HarryW

16,036 posts

299 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
Tonto said:
Just had a look in the Classified. I would suggest you have a look at This
(If you like Red that is.) Its been recently rebuilt by Austec, who have a very good reputation. I've not heard of any engine problems on a re-build they have carried out, (anyone else like to comment on that)?

If I was in market for a Tam now, I'd have a very serious look at the above.

(I'm not linked to the seller in any way btw!!)
yes Got to agree if I was looking for Tam then this ticks all the boxes, feck the colour that is the last tick on the list for me.
Hell I'm not even looking for Tam and I even considered looking at it when the advert first appeared hehe.

AlexRWD

1,254 posts

267 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
jonboy_100 said:
just not too keen on the colour...sorry!
All I can suggest is - come see it in the flesh, you can't properly judge a car colour from a website photo, and I've always had lots of positive comments when people see this colour biggrin

oh, and thanks for all the positive comments from everyone else smile

Reason for selling? I've had this car 3 years, longer than I've kept any other sports car, so it's time for a change .... not entirely sure what to though scratchchin

FUBAR

17,065 posts

268 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
Another Tiv though Alex, obviously rolleyes

jonboy_100

Original Poster:

16 posts

232 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
what are the servicing costs of the Tamora and how often do they need servicing?

PXXX

13 posts

235 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
FYI… Take a look at the one from James Agger - www.jamesagger.com.
I have a 2001 with 24k on the clock, no problems runs very well and has been looked after by Paul at PPC, who has done a great job with the car - www.ppctvr.co.uk.
Service (with a couple of fixes) last year was £600 this year £700. I also fitted a new radio and speakers ……which is now inaudible due to the sport exhaust upgrade from TVR Power.

The car is driven hard and all this talk of unreliability needs to be put in prospective. You can now get a good Tam from a dealer like James with a warranty for £19k or you can get one privately for £17k. That will give you £3k to spend on sorting should anything go wrong. Where can you get a car like this for that money???


jonboy_100

Original Poster:

16 posts

232 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
thats exactly why I looking for one PXXX!!!

can anyone tell me whether all the Tams are fitted with the TVR own Speed Six engine? Or is it from a particular month/year? are the pre Speed Six engines more reliable? Or am i completely confused?

David Godfrey

3,857 posts

254 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
jonboy_100 said:
thats exactly why I looking for one PXXX!!!

can anyone tell me whether all the Tams are fitted with the TVR own Speed Six engine? Or is it from a particular month/year? are the pre Speed Six engines more reliable? Or am i completely confused?
as far as I know all tams are sp6 either a 3.6 or a 4.0

PXXX

13 posts

235 months

Wednesday 6th June 2007
quotequote all
Yep the Tam is a speed Six. No other engine offered for the car.

Issue with the Speed Six appears to be random. Like all high performance cars it’s all about how well the owners have looked after it. If they thrash it from cold, never check the oil etc then it’s going to have problems.
FYI, this is what I did re my car purchase. I bought it privately, checked all the history and invoices, full service, factory engine rebuild and some other invoices for steering adjustment etc. I contacted the garage who had looked after it to see if it had any problems and what was the history regarding the rebuild. All regular stuff.
Prior to purchasing I took it to an independent TVR specialist who gave me a report on the condition. All in all it was in good order. I then pointed out some minor issues to the vendor negotiated the price down and paid the cash. Like I said above I have never had a major problem. My opinion having owned a lot of performance cars is pound for pound this is exceptional fun….Get a good one and you won’t regret it.