looking to join the mad,mad world of tvr ownership
Discussion
as the title suggests i am looking to invest (burn) approx 15K on a TVR to enjoy before i get too old. i have owned one or two performance cars over the years and my wife did hire a chimera for my 40th (that was when i got the bug). so am looking for a convertible, should I be looking at a tamora or cheap tuscans or revisit the chimeras.
any advice gratefully accepted
mark
ps am not looking to spend hours maintaining a car myself, so a sorted specimen would be nice, also i live in Essex, any idea of local dealers / specialists.
ta
any advice gratefully accepted
mark
ps am not looking to spend hours maintaining a car myself, so a sorted specimen would be nice, also i live in Essex, any idea of local dealers / specialists.
ta
I'd go for a Chimp or a Griff (depending on your hairdressing/chest wig preferences 
). You'll get a good one for that money. You could just about get a Tamora for that money, but they are more expensive to run, and you really want £5k 'lying about' in case the very worst happens.
Hopefully someone more local to you will be along for the 'dealers' bit...
HTH
). You'll get a good one for that money. You could just about get a Tamora for that money, but they are more expensive to run, and you really want £5k 'lying about' in case the very worst happens.Hopefully someone more local to you will be along for the 'dealers' bit...
HTH
markred said:
should I be looking at a tamora or cheap tuscans or revisit the chimeras.
ta
In all honesty I wouldn't go for a cheap Tuscan or Tam. You may get a good one but they are not cheap to maintain. Spend 10-11k and get a VERY good Chimaera 450 and put the rest into a savings account just in case!ta
I have owned a Chim (4.0) and a Tamora. The Tamora is a far better car to drive, quicker and much more planted handling wise. I am no oily rag, but would imagine the Chim is more suited to home servicing etc, because of the V8 lump etc, rather than the S6 in the Tam.
As for dealers, there is Castle in Stansted and thats about it. Near Ipswich there is Kerridges, or TVR Centre (not sure what they are called now) in Barnet. But for servicing there a few more indies that will do the work, Leven in Basildon is one, there are others.
Where abouts in Essex are you?
As for dealers, there is Castle in Stansted and thats about it. Near Ipswich there is Kerridges, or TVR Centre (not sure what they are called now) in Barnet. But for servicing there a few more indies that will do the work, Leven in Basildon is one, there are others.
Where abouts in Essex are you?
thanks for replies to date, have looked at the chimeras in the classifieds and there seems to be a terrific choice. do the bigger wheels i have seen fitted to some of them ruin the handling / ride ? because i always thought the standard wheels looked small.
ps i live in westcliff-on-sea
ps i live in westcliff-on-sea
markred said:
thanks for replies to date, have looked at the chimeras in the classifieds and there seems to be a terrific choice. do the bigger wheels i have seen fitted to some of them ruin the handling / ride ? because i always thought the standard wheels looked small.
ps i live in westcliff-on-sea
Not sure on the wheel question, but if you wanted a close up look at a Tamora, then let me know, I am only a few miles away. Even take you for spin...any excuse for a drive out!ps i live in westcliff-on-sea
PR Wood Motorbodies is in Westcliff. Highly recomended for bodywork jobs, and does servicing too. My Chim was serviced there for a few years.
Go for a real TVR and get a Griff 
As far as local dealers to you go I believe Castle have a good reputation, I'm sure L100NYY on here is the salesman there (or was). Further a field I couldn't recommend Drew at Fernhurst enough, looked after me fantastically when I was buying mine, also Racing Green seem to be highly recommended on the hallowed pages of PH by many TVR owners.
Happy hunting,
Simon.
As far as local dealers to you go I believe Castle have a good reputation, I'm sure L100NYY on here is the salesman there (or was). Further a field I couldn't recommend Drew at Fernhurst enough, looked after me fantastically when I was buying mine, also Racing Green seem to be highly recommended on the hallowed pages of PH by many TVR owners.
Happy hunting,
Simon.
Edited by Mr MoJo on Monday 13th October 23:36
Also recommend speaking to Drew or Simon at Fernhurst they really know their stuff and will tell you all the pitfalls of ownership and advise you rather than sell to you.
Plus a good day out to their place they always have a bunch of properly prepped cars in stock, if this is your first TVR I reckon a 4.5 or 5 litre Chimp would be right up your street...
Plus a good day out to their place they always have a bunch of properly prepped cars in stock, if this is your first TVR I reckon a 4.5 or 5 litre Chimp would be right up your street...
Edited by chim500nj on Tuesday 14th October 16:42
markred said:
thanks for replies to date, have looked at the chimeras in the classifieds and there seems to be a terrific choice. do the bigger wheels i have seen fitted to some of them ruin the handling / ride ? because i always thought the standard wheels looked small.
ps i live in westcliff-on-sea
yes they do, stick with the standard ones (rears are different size to fronts)ps i live in westcliff-on-sea
dont even bother with dealers etc, buy one privately and save a few grand. Also get it inspected by Rob Ingleby before parting with your cash, well worth it
A chim/griff should be able to be uprated to handle and go as well as Tam. There should be examples with Nitrons or better suspension. Get the Geo properly setup and the car will handle very nicely. A 5L tweaked up to 300bhp or a 4L with a supercharger will hang onto the tail of a speed6. £15k should get all this in a neat and tidy package.
Don't confine yourself to local dealers, if you want a good car you're going to have to put the effort (and mileage) in.
Consider buying privately too. If you're uncertain it's worth paying someone (aka 'an expert') to track one down or inspect one for you.
Oh, and there might be some places to avoid. PH doesn't allow naming and shaming but read as much in here as you can and PM a few people.
Consider buying privately too. If you're uncertain it's worth paying someone (aka 'an expert') to track one down or inspect one for you.
Oh, and there might be some places to avoid. PH doesn't allow naming and shaming but read as much in here as you can and PM a few people.
Hi Mark,
To me TVR is about daring to be different from the crowd, great styling, performance that will blow away most things if you need to, and on top of all that, a fantastic V8 sound from burble to roar.
Personally I wouldn't have an S6 engine (bye bye Tamora) as reliability aside, they just don't sound right to me, are two cylinders short, and having driven a Tesco (T350) I found the whole character of the thing truly horrible. Plus, a Tuscan for £15K won't be convertible (the back bit stays up and the removed glass panel blocks boot access). It would also be too cheap for comfort IMHO.
So for £15K and for the reasons above, I'd steer you firmly towards Chimaera or Griffith. Of these the Griffith is the classic TVR. They're also cheaper to fix if anything goes wrong.
To me TVR is about daring to be different from the crowd, great styling, performance that will blow away most things if you need to, and on top of all that, a fantastic V8 sound from burble to roar.
Personally I wouldn't have an S6 engine (bye bye Tamora) as reliability aside, they just don't sound right to me, are two cylinders short, and having driven a Tesco (T350) I found the whole character of the thing truly horrible. Plus, a Tuscan for £15K won't be convertible (the back bit stays up and the removed glass panel blocks boot access). It would also be too cheap for comfort IMHO.
So for £15K and for the reasons above, I'd steer you firmly towards Chimaera or Griffith. Of these the Griffith is the classic TVR. They're also cheaper to fix if anything goes wrong.
QuiteQuietCerb said:
yes they do, stick with the standard ones (rears are different size to fronts)
dont even bother with dealers etc, buy one privately and save a few grand. Also get it inspected by Rob Ingleby before parting with your cash, well worth it
On the first point, later cars had the same sized wheels all round.dont even bother with dealers etc, buy one privately and save a few grand. Also get it inspected by Rob Ingleby before parting with your cash, well worth it
And on the second, please check the forums for advice before hiring someone to inspect. And feel free to PM me for info as to why...
Simpo Two said:
Hi Mark,
To me TVR is about daring to be different from the crowd, great styling, performance that will blow away most things if you need to, and on top of all that, a fantastic V8 sound from burble to roar.
Personally I wouldn't have an S6 engine (bye bye Tamora) as reliability aside, they just don't sound right to me, are two cylinders short, and having driven a Tesco (T350) I found the whole character of the thing truly horrible. Plus, a Tuscan for £15K won't be convertible (the back bit stays up and the removed glass panel blocks boot access). It would also be too cheap for comfort IMHO.
So for £15K and for the reasons above, I'd steer you firmly towards Chimaera or Griffith. Of these the Griffith is the classic TVR. They're also cheaper to fix if anything goes wrong.
Whilst I agree with much of this, a lot is very subjective. The straight 6 is the more 'classic' British sportscar engine, and has a distinctive sound. If you want the burble, go V8. The only way to tell if a T350 is your kind of car is to drive one. Preferably more than one. As most people will attest, no two TVRs are the same!To me TVR is about daring to be different from the crowd, great styling, performance that will blow away most things if you need to, and on top of all that, a fantastic V8 sound from burble to roar.
Personally I wouldn't have an S6 engine (bye bye Tamora) as reliability aside, they just don't sound right to me, are two cylinders short, and having driven a Tesco (T350) I found the whole character of the thing truly horrible. Plus, a Tuscan for £15K won't be convertible (the back bit stays up and the removed glass panel blocks boot access). It would also be too cheap for comfort IMHO.
So for £15K and for the reasons above, I'd steer you firmly towards Chimaera or Griffith. Of these the Griffith is the classic TVR. They're also cheaper to fix if anything goes wrong.
And the Tuscan won't be convertible - but all that is left is the roll over bar. The roof panel and rear screen both fit in the boot, and whilst they do sit on top of the boot (thereby blocking boot access), it also makes them quicker to fit if it starts to rain. The Griff and Chim need the panel in before your luggage, so everything has to come out of the boot to put it back on.
Having had both a V8 (Chim 450) and Speed 6 (Tuscan S), it really is horses for courses. Loved my Chim, great first TVR. Fast and comfortable. Tuscan was so much more in every way - including costs of ownership!! Not a cheap car to run, but then I didn't expect that given the perfomance. Go into in with your eyes open, talk to as many owners of the various cars you're looking at, get down to a club meet and buy one. You won't regret it.
Edited by timmybob on Wednesday 15th October 10:49
Edited by timmybob on Wednesday 15th October 10:50
Hey Mark,
I think with 15k to spend I would go for the chim get the shocks uprated and geo'd leaving yourself a few grand to supercharge if you get used to the power.
I'm looking to sell mine at the moment and am in South Woodham Ferrers about 15 mins away from you. I've got a couple people coming to have a look this weekend and I'm sure I could fit you in, even if you just want to have a quick look around before you decide your plan of action.
Happy Hunting,
Dom
I think with 15k to spend I would go for the chim get the shocks uprated and geo'd leaving yourself a few grand to supercharge if you get used to the power.
I'm looking to sell mine at the moment and am in South Woodham Ferrers about 15 mins away from you. I've got a couple people coming to have a look this weekend and I'm sure I could fit you in, even if you just want to have a quick look around before you decide your plan of action.
Happy Hunting,
Dom
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