Discussion
Have to say there are some great advantages of driving a TVR and would like to share a happy moment with you. Went to a Park and ride the other day in the snow as I will not take mine to the twons multi story. Place was full and spnet about fifteen minutes trying to find a safe place to no avail. On the way out passing the security centre with five nice wide private slots for the guys I saw one of them outside and jokingly said give you a fiver to park there? he had seen me on the CTV driving around and smiled and said "thats a beauty mate put it over here" Had a look around and did not want a penny just looked after it while I went shopping made me feel great all day?? Cerbra 4.5 LW.
I reckon this is one of the least appreciated problems of having any car that's a bit unusual.
If you're a car nut with an MX5 or a fast BMW you can park it on the street without anyone taking a blind bit of notice. If you have something a bit more out of the ordinary it'll attract more attention and not all of it will be positive.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I keep thinking that if I commuted in the TVR (ignoring the fact it would fill up with water pretty rapidly...) it would end up getting keyed or stolen. It's not a snobbish thing - I park on a road with the occasional BMW Z4 or Porsche 996 worth several times the value of my ageing S3, but it just stands out a little bit more simply for being an unusual low volume car.
If you're a car nut with an MX5 or a fast BMW you can park it on the street without anyone taking a blind bit of notice. If you have something a bit more out of the ordinary it'll attract more attention and not all of it will be positive.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I keep thinking that if I commuted in the TVR (ignoring the fact it would fill up with water pretty rapidly...) it would end up getting keyed or stolen. It's not a snobbish thing - I park on a road with the occasional BMW Z4 or Porsche 996 worth several times the value of my ageing S3, but it just stands out a little bit more simply for being an unusual low volume car.
I think that's true of any 'flash' motor.
Envy will always mean that some scrote wants to damage what they will never be able own.
Pure conjecture, but I think a tiv will always be at less risk than, say, a Porsche because of the image that's attached to the marque - in much the same way that people will often slow down to allow a tvr out of a busy junction but would not do the same for a 911 or M3.
That said at kicking out time on a Friday or Saturday night nothing's safe.
Sad reflection on modern society really.
Envy will always mean that some scrote wants to damage what they will never be able own.
Pure conjecture, but I think a tiv will always be at less risk than, say, a Porsche because of the image that's attached to the marque - in much the same way that people will often slow down to allow a tvr out of a busy junction but would not do the same for a 911 or M3.
That said at kicking out time on a Friday or Saturday night nothing's safe.
Sad reflection on modern society really.
darkmark07 said:
Envy will always mean that some scrote wants to damage what they will never be able own.
Pure conjecture, but I think a tiv will always be at less risk than, say, a Porsche because of the image that's attached to the marque - in much the same way that people will often slow down to allow a tvr out of a busy junction but would not do the same for a 911 or M3.
I don't know. Round here every housewife has a Boxster or a Z4 and 'hubby' frequently has a 911 or an M3. As a result, despite being faster and more expensive than many specialist sports cars (older TVRs included) they're seen as unexceptional. Whereas £4k's worth of noisy S Series or Wedge would attract plenty of attention.Pure conjecture, but I think a tiv will always be at less risk than, say, a Porsche because of the image that's attached to the marque - in much the same way that people will often slow down to allow a tvr out of a busy junction but would not do the same for a 911 or M3.
It's like when we had the snow - all the natives (again, in North London, but a slightly worse area) were sledging and I took my skis down to the park. The local chavs weren't too impressed with that one, it was dangerously non-conformist. Sadly there's something about the British pscyhee that fears any sort of individuality.
I park my car on car parks , miles away from anyone else, and bugger me when I come back , a car will be parked right next to me. During the summer it happened, just as I was getting out of the car. So I asked the driver... Why have you parked here, with all the other spaces available ?? The answer was ... because I wanted to look at your car !!! You can't win. 
Went to Bicester Retail Village on Sunday in the Tam. All parked up nice, walking back to the car and noticed two Asian lads taking pictures on camera phones stood in front of the car, made me smile, was going to offer to let them sit in and have a photo, after all you don’t have a TVR and expect to be anonymous. Then one of the little twa*ts got up on the bonnet 
Several loud expletives later and a dash across the car park and they disappeared rather sharpish.
Good job as I would be looking at an ABH charge if I had got my hands on him. Thankfully no damage as the front has armourfend on it and his dirty gritty feet (car park still had snow on it!) were on the protected part. Some people have no respect for other peoples property. I am now more than a little concerned about leaving it in a car park as I don’t want it damaged. It makes me angry that one persons selfish antics have wound me up to the extent I don’t feel at ease leaving it parked up.
Shep
Several loud expletives later and a dash across the car park and they disappeared rather sharpish. Good job as I would be looking at an ABH charge if I had got my hands on him. Thankfully no damage as the front has armourfend on it and his dirty gritty feet (car park still had snow on it!) were on the protected part. Some people have no respect for other peoples property. I am now more than a little concerned about leaving it in a car park as I don’t want it damaged. It makes me angry that one persons selfish antics have wound me up to the extent I don’t feel at ease leaving it parked up.
Shep
Experienced something similar at a hotel/restaurant in Chablis. We couldn't get a space in the car park, and by the time I'd shuffled the Tamora back out again (don't you just love the aircraft carrier-style turning circle), half the restaurant staff had come out to see the car.
I was happily parking up on the street outside when the security guard unlocked the gates to the vineyard's private courtyard, directed me inside and looked after the car all night. He wouldn't take a tip either.
I was happily parking up on the street outside when the security guard unlocked the gates to the vineyard's private courtyard, directed me inside and looked after the car all night. He wouldn't take a tip either.
shep1001 said:
Thankfully no damage as the front has armourfend on it and his dirty gritty feet (car park still had snow on it!) were on the protected part. Some people have no respect for other peoples property. I am now more than a little concerned about leaving it in a car park as I don’t want it damaged. It makes me angry that one persons selfish antics have wound me up to the extent I don’t feel at ease leaving it parked up.
Shep
I agree completely and feel the same way... EXCEPT I think in most cases it's not selfish antics - it's just total ignorance. Shep
Without wishing to sound patronising these lads likely had never owned a car and would have no knowledge or experience OR imagination of minor paint damage caused by climbing over something. They could do it, then stand back and the car would look as good to them as it had when they first encountered it.
With a Chim, my 'parking anxieties' centre on the absence of any natural 'bumper' or protective area. Being very low at the front, for anyone reversing into or out of the space in front in a normal saloon, the nose and most of the bonnet is out of sight. For anyone in a 4x4 it's all out of view!!
Then there's the one with a tow bar that comes to back into the space in front of me.... don't let me even start on that!! The fact that I have £450 worth of Armourfend on up front only increases my parallel parking anxiety x 2!
Nick.
nikman said:
The fact that I have £450 worth of Armourfend on up front only increases my parallel parking anxiety x 2!
Nick.
Oh dear. I thought the whole point of having armorfend was so that you didn't have to worry?Nick.
Seems an expensive way to uglify your p&j then worry about the cost of and marking it.
Is part of parking your TVR's concerns over it being GRP? And as such even a little knock, which might result in a minor, but removable dent in a metal skin, being quite a major arse to repair fully? I ask as I own a 7 with a GRP body, but living out in the sticks I have very little issue dumping my car just about anywhere. I would hate to own a car, but be terrified of parking it anywhere in case the worst should happen.
Snake the Sniper said:
Is part of parking your TVR's concerns over it being GRP? And as such even a little knock, which might result in a minor, but removable dent in a metal skin, being quite a major arse to repair fully? I ask as I own a 7 with a GRP body, but living out in the sticks I have very little issue dumping my car just about anywhere. I would hate to own a car, but be terrified of parking it anywhere in case the worst should happen.
Yes, that and the fact the paint costs a fortune if you have one of TVR's more flamboyant colours!450Nick said:
With TVRs though I think you just have to overlook the dangers and drive the thing. If it gets broken, then you can get it fixed. Yes it'll cost a lot but the chances are remote - if you live in fear and never take it out, whats the point of owning it?
Fair point, but would you parks yours here?
450Nick said:
With TVRs though I think you just have to overlook the dangers and drive the thing. If it gets broken, then you can get it fixed. Yes it'll cost a lot but the chances are remote - if you live in fear and never take it out, whats the point of owning it?
No one said anything about 'living in fear' and 'never taking it out'!! Mine, a 'second' car, does 5k miles a year and goes where I want to go - including West-End of London. The above are just comments about vulnerability of parallel parking anything so low. Light bumper scuffs and marks on my 'other' car underline the point.
LordGrover said:
nikman said:
The fact that I have £450 worth of Armourfend on up front only increases my parallel parking anxiety x 2!
Nick.
Oh dear. I thought the whole point of having armorfend was so that you didn't have to worry?Nick.
Seems an expensive way to uglify your p&j then worry about the cost of and marking it.
As far as worrying about marking it goes, if we didn't worry about that we wouldn't refer to them as our 'p&j' (Your choice of description!!)Armourfend does a great job in protecting the forward facing painted areas from becoming peppered by stone chips.
Here's mine a a few weeks ago after about 17,000 miles since it was applied. Exactly which aspect of it do you believe has been 'uglified'?
Chris71 said:
450Nick said:
With TVRs though I think you just have to overlook the dangers and drive the thing. If it gets broken, then you can get it fixed. Yes it'll cost a lot but the chances are remote - if you live in fear and never take it out, whats the point of owning it?
Fair point, but would you parks yours here?Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff