Thinking of taking the plunge
Discussion
I am moving overseas and find myself now able to get a TVR (something I have wanted to do for a long time). Before I spend the money though, what are some signs to look out for? Having owned a number of high performance cars in the past I have had success by buying the newest, best kept and lowest mileage car I can afford. Also do know that no high performance car is going to run like a Honda, Toyota, etc. So with that knowledge I am looking at a late model T350, Cerbera or Tamora. I could reach for a Sagaris, but I like the look of the Tamora or T350 a little more. Any help on model selection, common faults, good years/bad years, options, etc. would be very helpful. Also, this is going to be an every day car (only driven a mile or so though and parked indoors at both home and work), not a weekend racer. Thanks for the help and insights.
You're going to have to extend your journey to work, 1 mile, she'll barely be warm so definitely no fun to be had.
Loads of info on the forums about what to look out for, but i think the general consensus on a speed 6 is that they got better after 04.
Warm up till hot before too much right foot is the main rule to keep them from engine troubles.
Loads of info on the forums about what to look out for, but i think the general consensus on a speed 6 is that they got better after 04.
Warm up till hot before too much right foot is the main rule to keep them from engine troubles.
unrepentant said:
As Stim said the engine takes a while to warm up - 5 or 6 miles at least. I would have thought that a regular 1 mile commute would not be the best thing for it.
That kind of commuting won't do any engine much good. Suggest buy a bike and/or a pair of walking shoes, a coat and an umbrella for the trip to work and keep the Trev for the weekends!In my opinion TVR's are about being weekend racers! The car will definately not be fun over 1 mile. No going over 3000 rpm, so no spirited driving at all. I have to agree that you would feel more benefit physically and mentally by walking briskly. Some situations just dont suit the cars. However, if you do get one I'm sure you will find yourself leaving earlier to take the long way there and back and also spend time with it at the weekend!! Do consider a Rover V8 engined car though. This would be more forgiving on short journeys and probably warms up quicker too.
RefinedRogue said:
no high performance car is going to run like a Honda, Toyota, etc. So with that knowledge I am looking at a late model T350, Cerbera or Tamora.
Can't claim to be an expert, but I thought the Speed Six was generally thought to be more troublesome than the V8s?I can totally understand that the newer cars have a slightly different appeal to, say, a Griffith, but if reliability is a concern then I wouldn't write off the older cars.
I'd agree with the other posts - get a pushbike for the short commute, but definitely DO buy a TVR. I think that you'll find that what could have been a very short journey from A to B usually turns into a long journey via C, D, E and F, taking much longer, but MUCH more fun.
I took about a year to buy my first TVR, and am as happy as a pig in sh
te with my Cerbera.
My advice would be:
Don't rush in - think carefully about which model you want
Go for test drives (this will deffo help make your mind up that you NEED at TVR in your life)
Read as much as possible about TVRs - this forum is a great source of info (but you need to look objectively)
Join the TVRCC and get reading the excellent Sprint magazine
Get hold of someones back collection of SPRINT magazines and immerse yourself in them
Give one of the specialist TVR sourcing and inspection guys as call and talk through your requirements. I used Rob Ingleby (Find a Sportscar), whom I would recommend. I spoke to him at length twice before using his services, I found him an excellent source of information and advice. He will either inspect a car that you have found, or has a search service as well
Buy on condition rather than age
Have some flexibility over interior and exterior colour - but definitely have a shortlist (after all - you're going to hate it if you bought a car you don't like the colour combo too much)
GO along to the TVRCC meet near you, or one of the bigger ones (like Chatsworth). This helped me out last year by seeing lots of TVRs all parked up next to each other - that way you can judge which colours you think look best (and there might even be some for sale). Speaking to owners of the cars will give you some great insights too, and they may also be willing to take you out for a spin as a passenger
Avidly read the classifieds to see what is coming up, at what asking price. This will help you make some judgement about value (as will taking to Rob Ingleby)
Good luck with your decision, but you should deffo DO IT.
I took about a year to buy my first TVR, and am as happy as a pig in sh
te with my Cerbera. My advice would be:
Don't rush in - think carefully about which model you want
Go for test drives (this will deffo help make your mind up that you NEED at TVR in your life)
Read as much as possible about TVRs - this forum is a great source of info (but you need to look objectively)
Join the TVRCC and get reading the excellent Sprint magazine
Get hold of someones back collection of SPRINT magazines and immerse yourself in them
Give one of the specialist TVR sourcing and inspection guys as call and talk through your requirements. I used Rob Ingleby (Find a Sportscar), whom I would recommend. I spoke to him at length twice before using his services, I found him an excellent source of information and advice. He will either inspect a car that you have found, or has a search service as well
Buy on condition rather than age
Have some flexibility over interior and exterior colour - but definitely have a shortlist (after all - you're going to hate it if you bought a car you don't like the colour combo too much)
GO along to the TVRCC meet near you, or one of the bigger ones (like Chatsworth). This helped me out last year by seeing lots of TVRs all parked up next to each other - that way you can judge which colours you think look best (and there might even be some for sale). Speaking to owners of the cars will give you some great insights too, and they may also be willing to take you out for a spin as a passenger
Avidly read the classifieds to see what is coming up, at what asking price. This will help you make some judgement about value (as will taking to Rob Ingleby)
Good luck with your decision, but you should deffo DO IT.
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