Your opinions?
Discussion
I wonder if you guys could help me out...
Following on from this thread in general gassing where I built up a shopping list, after test drives in all I've managed to narrow down my list of potential cars .
The list was;
Alpina B8 - too nose heavy for a 3 series
964 RS - getting hard to find decent examples for sensible money
993 - too bland
Z3 M coupe - no storage space
R33 Skyline - too synthetic
Ghibli Cup - I'm not 40 yet
Which leaves me with the last two: a Cerbera or a Tuscan...
I'm hoping I can get more of a steer towards working out which car I should go out looking for.
- As the Cerbera is an older car will a later example have most of the production problems shaken out or would it be better to look at earlier cars that have been 'sorted'. Is it the same for a Tuscan?
- What's the better engine, the v8 or a speed 6?
- What's the difference between a Tuscan and a Tuscan S?
- I've heard a few nightmare stories about engine rebuilds and loose electrical connections - are the dealers sympathetic to problems or is it a case where they just stick a warranty claim in to the factory and argue to toss about this later?
Sorry about the amount of questions but I don't know much about Tiv's and thought you'd be the best people to ask.
Thanks for your help.
Following on from this thread in general gassing where I built up a shopping list, after test drives in all I've managed to narrow down my list of potential cars .
The list was;
Alpina B8 - too nose heavy for a 3 series
964 RS - getting hard to find decent examples for sensible money
993 - too bland
Z3 M coupe - no storage space
R33 Skyline - too synthetic
Ghibli Cup - I'm not 40 yet
Which leaves me with the last two: a Cerbera or a Tuscan...
I'm hoping I can get more of a steer towards working out which car I should go out looking for.
- As the Cerbera is an older car will a later example have most of the production problems shaken out or would it be better to look at earlier cars that have been 'sorted'. Is it the same for a Tuscan?
- What's the better engine, the v8 or a speed 6?
- What's the difference between a Tuscan and a Tuscan S?
- I've heard a few nightmare stories about engine rebuilds and loose electrical connections - are the dealers sympathetic to problems or is it a case where they just stick a warranty claim in to the factory and argue to toss about this later?
Sorry about the amount of questions but I don't know much about Tiv's and thought you'd be the best people to ask.
Thanks for your help.
If I had a maximum budget of £25k, I would only spend £20k on the car and keep the rest for servicing/nasty surprises/rainy day. I think that prices you out of the Tuscan market, so a Cerbera it is then. If I was buying a Cerbera I would buy a V8 - just because it was designed to have one in the first place and all the modern TVRs aren't.
Of course you should test drive both as the experience is very different.
Happy hunting!
Cheers,
Andy.
Of course you should test drive both as the experience is very different.
Happy hunting!
Cheers,
Andy.
Hi Ricardo and welcome to TVR-land!
I think the best thing you could do is go to your nearest TVRCC meeting (eg City Region or MidEssex, who get loads of TVRS esp Cerbs and Tuscans)) and talk to the tyres, kick the owners etc.
You'll get a much more realistic view of ownership and what's available. There's loads of info on this site too but as I'm a Griff bod I can't give you any first-hand input on these.
Anyway, I can think of worse decisions, so enjoy!
I think the best thing you could do is go to your nearest TVRCC meeting (eg City Region or MidEssex, who get loads of TVRS esp Cerbs and Tuscans)) and talk to the tyres, kick the owners etc.
You'll get a much more realistic view of ownership and what's available. There's loads of info on this site too but as I'm a Griff bod I can't give you any first-hand input on these.
Anyway, I can think of worse decisions, so enjoy!
As stated above, I'd make sure I had a couple of £k left on one side in case of problems, taking your budget down to £22-23k. Then again, I'd do the same with any of those listed above - they're all high-performance 2nd hand cars that can have things go pop.
You tend to only hear about the bad things on the forums, rather than the cases where people have fault-free driving - something worth remembering. As TVRs are handbuilt, there will be more niggles with them than some production-line Toyota but loads of bits on them are from the parts bin - rear light cluster off a Fiesta, electric mirrors off a VW, etc., etc. in the case of a Cerbera.
For £22-23k, you're looking at a very early Tuscan, from when the S6 engine in it was a new development, and did have more problems. It's got better over time, but at that age the chances are it's not going to be as reliable as an AJP V8 in the Cerbera.
[Edited to add...] Production quality of Cerberas is generally accepted to have improved over the first couple of years. For £23k, you should easily be able to get yourself a '99 plate V8 that's totally sorted.
>> Edited by j_s_g on Tuesday 9th December 18:33
You tend to only hear about the bad things on the forums, rather than the cases where people have fault-free driving - something worth remembering. As TVRs are handbuilt, there will be more niggles with them than some production-line Toyota but loads of bits on them are from the parts bin - rear light cluster off a Fiesta, electric mirrors off a VW, etc., etc. in the case of a Cerbera.
For £22-23k, you're looking at a very early Tuscan, from when the S6 engine in it was a new development, and did have more problems. It's got better over time, but at that age the chances are it's not going to be as reliable as an AJP V8 in the Cerbera.
[Edited to add...] Production quality of Cerberas is generally accepted to have improved over the first couple of years. For £23k, you should easily be able to get yourself a '99 plate V8 that's totally sorted.
>> Edited by j_s_g on Tuesday 9th December 18:33
Hi AC79...
You would be more than welcome at a Mid Essex meet...there is one on Sunday this weekend.
We have lots of all the models....so plenty of people to chat to.
But it may be a good idea to sit and spend a decent while searching through the different model forums to get some idea of what they are all about and what you would prefer.
There are plenty of threads on predicted costs and upkeep and on the speed 6 engine issue.
If you would like to join us at any time....drop me a mail and I'll send you some details....
Happy reading....
...//P//
You would be more than welcome at a Mid Essex meet...there is one on Sunday this weekend.
We have lots of all the models....so plenty of people to chat to.
But it may be a good idea to sit and spend a decent while searching through the different model forums to get some idea of what they are all about and what you would prefer.
There are plenty of threads on predicted costs and upkeep and on the speed 6 engine issue.
If you would like to join us at any time....drop me a mail and I'll send you some details....
Happy reading....
...//P//Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff