Dilemma Please Help

[TOV!E]

Right boys here is the problem, looking for another Tuscan s i have found 2, both the same price 23,000 pounds, both moonraker black and both with TVRFSH.
Right the problem is is that one is a MK1 s 2003 with only 8.000 miles, one owner and the other is a MK2 s 2005 with 43,000 miles two owners BUT with the unloved tunnel dash.
Your honest opinions please at which one you would buy,,,,Thanks Gordon....

[Macey]

I personally would drive both and get them both to a specialist like Str8Six for a full health check (engine and drive train), I have a Mk1 and do prefer the dash and looks compared to the Mk2 with tunnel dash. Good luck choosing.

Macey

[brad.noble]

I much prefer the shape of the MK1, but then again its your car!

[V8 GRF]

Can't stand the tunnel dash so it would have to be the MK1 as I just love the uniqueness and the sense of occasion that sitting behind that dash gives.

[spartridge]

Each to their own Gordon but for me Mk2, no question. I'm a big fan of the dash - think it works well, looks more bespoke than later version and matches the styling of the car best.

Expecting the 'Mk3' guys to come wading in shortly...

[TOV!E]

Macey said:

I personally would drive both and get them both to a specialist like Str8Six for a full health check (engine and drive train), I have a Mk1 and do prefer the dash and looks compared to the Mk2 with tunnel dash. Good luck choosing.

Macey

Hi Macey, no need to get them checked, both come from "MAIN DEALERS" and both have a warranty.
I am surprise that nobody has been put off by the high mileage on the MK2...........
Plaese keep your thoughts coming as this is very helpfull to me..Thanks Gordon

[Macey]

TOV!E said:

Hi Macey, no need to get them checked, both come from "MAIN DEALERS" and both have a warranty.
I am surprise that nobody has been put off by the high mileage on the MK2...........
Plaese keep your thoughts coming as this is very helpfull to me..Thanks Gordon

Aha, my preference would still be the Mk1 then, although the high milage of the Mk2 wouldn't bother me as mine is knocking on the door of 60,000 now with only a head rebuild at 14,000. Whichever you decide to get, I hope you enjoy driving it as much as I do mine.

[Gazzab]

TOV!E said:

Hi Macey, no need to get them checked, both come from "MAIN DEALERS" and both have a warranty.
I am surprise that nobody has been put off by the high mileage on the MK2...........
Plaese keep your thoughts coming as this is very helpfull to me..Thanks Gordon

Each to their own but when I lived in south surrey the most local dealer had (has) a fab reputation - but in my experiences, from what I have seen and also what I have heard from others then I would never buy a TVR from a dealer without getting it seen by a decent indie garage.
I am not sure a warranty will deal with all issues?
A Tuscan with no oil in it was one of the most interesting challenges I heard of.

[TOV!E]

Macey said:

Aha, my preference would still be the Mk1 then, although the high mileage of the Mk2 wouldn't bother me as mine is knocking on the door of 60,000 now with only a head rebuild at 14,000. Whichever you decide to get, I hope you enjoy driving it as much as I do mine.

I did like the Mk1 s i owned, but i always found it a bit twitchy, the Tuscan convert s was a lot better planted and i did give it a lot of abuse around the tracks about 4,000 miles of hard track driving so the engine i don't think is a problem, but it is that bloody dash that is putting me off, does anybody know what the buttons on the steering wheel are for and did they all have starter buttons.

[spartridge]

main/dip beam (or flash when lights off) and single sweep of wipers for the other button Gordon.

Mine has a starter button - don't know about all.

[d18mca]

HI

I had aMK1for 3 years and loved the styling,but driving wise it was nervous and tramlined quite a bit.
It also went very light at the front at high speeds.

I think the Mk2 would give you a better driving experience,but it won't be as much fun or have the classic Mk1 shape.

Depends how much you want to scare yourself.
Good luck either way.
Davy

[bobcuth]

Are you that set on black?
And do you like polishing? Because you will need to!
One h*ll of a colour to keep nice and clean!

There is apparently a simple wheel-spacer fix for the Tuscan to help with the tram-lining problem - which I must try.

Enjoying your dilemma?
Nice little problem to have really!

Good luck.
Bob

[madbadger]

TOV!E said:

I am surprise that nobody has been put off by the high mileage on the MK2...........
Plaese keep your thoughts coming as this is very helpfull to me..Thanks Gordon

I'd be much more put off by the stupidly low mileage on the Mk1. It has basically just sat around siezing up for the past 8 years.

[Tuscan Wil]

TOV!E said:

Right boys here is the problem, looking for another Tuscan s i have found 2, both the same price 23,000 pounds, both moonraker black and both with TVRFSH.
Right the problem is is that one is a MK1 s 2003 with only 8.000 miles, one owner and the other is a MK2 s 2005 with 43,000 miles two owners BUT with the unloved tunnel dash.
Your honest opinions please at which one you would buy,,,,Thanks Gordon....

Tovie, it is a nice dilemma to have isn't it. I have driven both. I went for the Mk1 at the end. The mk 2 is more refine in terms of handling and driving. However the MK 1 seemed to be more grunty to me. I have added the spacer to the front wheels which have improved handling noticeably. Next agenda will be changing the shocks. My Mk1 has a quaffie diff and close ratio gear box, which offers much more fun on the acceleration side. Also I much prefer the exterior styling - the cheese grater, the 3 in line head lights and a nice smooth "bum" with no rear lights on. It's personal taste really.

I won't worry too much about high mileage, it is probably an advantages as all the niggles and problems should have been ironed out, providing the car have been probably warmed up and look after. A low mileage car doesn't often mean a good thing, the car must've been sat idle for long time, and these cars love to be driven.

Part of the fun is tossing the coin and looking around, once you bought it that give you another level of enjoyment.

[TOV!E]

bobcuth said:

Are you that set on black?
And do you like polishing? Because you will need to!
One h*ll of a colour to keep nice and clean!

There is apparently a simple wheel-spacer fix for the Tuscan to help with the tram-lining problem - which I must try.

Enjoying your dilemma?
Nice little problem to have really!

Good luck.
Bob

Hi Bob, yes you are right the black Tuscan convert in my last pic i posted was a bugger to keep clean but i really do like the colour, i had silver and topaz Tuscans before and they did not show the dirt half as much.
I am going to drive both over the next few days and will let you know which one i am going for, plus i am still trying to get a deal to get my old convert back, but we are still a few grand away form that deal....I will keep you all informed as i need to get my arse back in a Tuscan asap.
I would love a saggy but cant justify the price for one of these at the moment, maybe in the future when the price settles down a bit (if ever they do)...
Edited to say i had the spacers fitted a feel that they did make a vast improvement

Edited by TOV!E on Wednesday 23 February 14:56

[G20RG B]

MK1 for me, get the wheel spacers and new shocks and you'll have one hell of a car.

[Telecaster]

For me (and it's only my opinion!) this is a no brainer. An 8,000 mile Tuscan should look pretty much as new throughout, unless it's been really badly cared for. With the 40,000+ mile car, most, if not all the car will have covered that mileage, including the interior which, in my experience, usually shows signs of wear in higher mileage cars. Like the majority responding to your post, I also prefer the look of the Mk 1. I also agree and learnt to my cost that you shouldn't be too relaxed because the cars are being sold by a reputable dealer - even with a warranty you still have all the hassle and disappointment that goes with being without your newly acquired car when things are not right with it.

I paid nearly £30k for a T350 that the selling main TVR dealer hadn't serviced, even though they'd stamped the book to say it had actually been done. So beware!! and check that car out before parting with your cash. Good luck with it - and enjoy!

[MrChips]

Hi Tovie,
I guess if you've owned both then you'll know which drive you prefer, or are they similar enough that it doesn't make too much influence on the decision?

If I was getting a mk1, i'd be looking at some of the 4.3's that are for sale at the moment. I've seen the Spectraflair silver one and interior wise it's in great condition, and obviously it rules out any major engine worries and will still have some warranty left.

Is the black mk2 the one at HHC? If so then i'm heading up there next week so happy to take a look for you and report back, unless you're local? I too wouldn't be put off by the mileage but it depends on whether the car has stood up well.
I saw a 2005 18k mile mk2 on Saturday that seriously looked in worse condition than any other Tuscan i've seen, including early mk1's!

[TOV!E]

Thanks for the offer to have a look at the one at HHC, i am not local to it infact i am 367 miles away, i would be very grateful if you have a quick look for me. Tony is going to send me some photos, but a look by yourself would be great...Gordon
edited to say, Mr Chips, i have noticed that you live in reading are you going to HHC to buy a car or on business. If you are looking at cars then i might (if its ok with you) make the trip myself................

Edited by TOV!E on Wednesday 23 February 19:52

[tvrtuscans]

Mk 1 every day of the week......... the brutal fact is (and here I am about to stick my neck out) that in almost all occasions the Mk 1 in any model of car is the purest from a design viewpoint...ie closest to the designers original concept. Subsequent 'face lifts' are just that....and the killer point is Mk 2's etc have cost engineered out, so alot of the original components are never as high on the quality scale in Mk 2's............of course... IMHO