4.0 tuscan buying advice
Discussion
Hi,
Check out www.mytuscan.co.uk
Lots of hints & tips plus a section on buying and selling. Also within last few months I replied to a similar post on here - do a search and should come up with several threads.
Nick
Check out www.mytuscan.co.uk
Lots of hints & tips plus a section on buying and selling. Also within last few months I replied to a similar post on here - do a search and should come up with several threads.
Nick
I'd recommend you have a chat with Ken at Racing Green. No affiliation other than a satisfied customer.
You will pay more for the car initially but it will come with a 12 month bumper to bumper warranty.
When I bought mine the prep included a 12k service, fresh MOT, wheel refurb and front end respray.
I've had a few niggles along the way but all have been sorted promptly without quibble or cost.
You will pay more for the car initially but it will come with a 12 month bumper to bumper warranty.
When I bought mine the prep included a 12k service, fresh MOT, wheel refurb and front end respray.
I've had a few niggles along the way but all have been sorted promptly without quibble or cost.
Things i looked for, this is just my little list. I had owned to 2 tvrs before the Tuscan and was lucky enough to get mine from a fellow Ph'er who owned it for 8 years prior to me also worked for a TVR Indy so was a mechanical very good car 
1. A re-build by a reputable indy, that was really the only way in to sp6 ownership for me, or if you get one at the right price keep some spare ££££ for a potential re-build on a rainy day.
2. A car that has been serviced and looked after and has a nice fat folder of receipts to prove it has had the cash spent on it to keep it in good order.
3. very low mileage cars are a big no for me, I like ones that have got a few miles on them. When i was looking my budget allowed for a car with 12k on it i went for one that had in the 40's. it had been used and proved and anything that goes wrong was well sorted.
4. Chassis, the T cars are much much better than pre 2000 cars trust me
, however they are getting on for 14 years old on early cars, have a good look and check it is straight and tidy and no corrosion,
5. Engine check from stone cold & watch for any smoke out the exhaust anything that is not right, they do sound agricultural but should sound better as they warm up this is normal.
6. Like buying any normal car check it all works and getting to know the previous owner is also good to find out what he knows about these special cars and there warm up procedures and so on, Better to know some boy racer has not jumped in and thrashed it from stone cold for the last few years.
1. A re-build by a reputable indy, that was really the only way in to sp6 ownership for me, or if you get one at the right price keep some spare ££££ for a potential re-build on a rainy day.
2. A car that has been serviced and looked after and has a nice fat folder of receipts to prove it has had the cash spent on it to keep it in good order.
3. very low mileage cars are a big no for me, I like ones that have got a few miles on them. When i was looking my budget allowed for a car with 12k on it i went for one that had in the 40's. it had been used and proved and anything that goes wrong was well sorted.
4. Chassis, the T cars are much much better than pre 2000 cars trust me
, however they are getting on for 14 years old on early cars, have a good look and check it is straight and tidy and no corrosion,5. Engine check from stone cold & watch for any smoke out the exhaust anything that is not right, they do sound agricultural but should sound better as they warm up this is normal.
6. Like buying any normal car check it all works and getting to know the previous owner is also good to find out what he knows about these special cars and there warm up procedures and so on, Better to know some boy racer has not jumped in and thrashed it from stone cold for the last few years.
Can't argue with anything said already but be aware also the there are rebuilds and rebuilds. You want a full rebuild with receipts from one of the big names. Anything without this should be priced accordingly (a rebuild was £7k+ a few years ago so check for current prices).
Finally I would go back through the Tuscan forum and read as much as you can - it's all there.
Finally I would go back through the Tuscan forum and read as much as you can - it's all there.
scotty_d said:
3. very low mileage cars are a big no for me, I like ones that have got a few miles on them. When i was looking my budget allowed for a car with 12k on it i went for one that had in the 40's. it had been used and proved and anything that goes wrong was well sorted.
I just don't get this. You hear this over and over again. What about the worn out stuff that's about to go wrong?I've read on here that cars that are less used are often more prone to mechanical failure but I wonder if this is urban legend devoid of any physical proof.....
Give me a low mileage car any day of the week. I personally would rather have a car less worn out regardless of clutch changes etc.
Isn't there a reason one would pay a premium for a low mileage car?
This is all IMHO of course, I agree with everything else.
Edited by gutu12 on Friday 27th December 22:46
gutu12 said:
I just don't get this. You hear this over and over again. What about the worn out stuff that's about to go wrong?
I've read on here that cars that are less used are often more prone to mechanical failure but I wonder if this is urban legend devoid of any physical proof.....
Give me a low mileage car any day of the week. I personally would rather have a car less worn out regardless of clutch changes etc.
Isn't there a reason one would pay a premium for a low mileage car?
Coming from the noble forum totally i get the thing about under used cars being problematic, given that there are weak points its best that the break while someone else owns the car. and the other parts that aren't weak should be good for along time to come.I've read on here that cars that are less used are often more prone to mechanical failure but I wonder if this is urban legend devoid of any physical proof.....
Give me a low mileage car any day of the week. I personally would rather have a car less worn out regardless of clutch changes etc.
Isn't there a reason one would pay a premium for a low mileage car?
Edited by gutu12 on Friday 27th December 22:46
I brought a low mileage noble that in a short space of time needed a lot of money spending on it.
Thanks for all the replies guys!
gutu12 said:
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I just don't get this. You hear this over and over again. What about the worn out stuff that's about to go wrong?
I've read on here that cars that are less used are often more prone to mechanical failure but I wonder if this is urban legend devoid of any physical proof.....
Give me a low mileage car any day of the week. I personally would rather have a car less worn out regardless of clutch changes etc.
Isn't there a reason one would pay a premium for a low mileage car?
This is all IMHO of course, I agree with everything else.
The longer you leave it sat the more oil that drains off the head components and out of the head. That's on top of the usual problems that rubber components display without regular use. I just don't get this. You hear this over and over again. What about the worn out stuff that's about to go wrong?
I've read on here that cars that are less used are often more prone to mechanical failure but I wonder if this is urban legend devoid of any physical proof.....
Give me a low mileage car any day of the week. I personally would rather have a car less worn out regardless of clutch changes etc.
Isn't there a reason one would pay a premium for a low mileage car?
This is all IMHO of course, I agree with everything else.
Edited by gutu12 on Friday 27th December 22:46
gutu12 said:
scotty_d said:
3. very low mileage cars are a big no for me, I like ones that have got a few miles on them. When i was looking my budget allowed for a car with 12k on it i went for one that had in the 40's. it had been used and proved and anything that goes wrong was well sorted.
I just don't get this. You hear this over and over again. What about the worn out stuff that's about to go wrong?I've read on here that cars that are less used are often more prone to mechanical failure but I wonder if this is urban legend devoid of any physical proof.....
Give me a low mileage car any day of the week. I personally would rather have a car less worn out regardless of clutch changes etc.
Isn't there a reason one would pay a premium for a low mileage car?
This is all IMHO of course, I agree with everything else.
Edited by gutu12 on Friday 27th December 22:46
have a read of a sp6 cerb of 900 odd miles i you think i talk rubbish have a read of one example that springs to mind.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Edited by scotty_d on Saturday 28th December 04:25
Not trying to antagonise here but I just don't see thread after thread bemoaning car troubles on a lack of use. Doors not opening, wing mirrors not moving or even head gaskets cracking rarely seem to be blamed on the fact that the car hasn't been used in 3 weeks or that the car has only done 1000 miles all year.
I saw the 900 mile Cerb thread at the time and I think anyone would appreciate that as an extreme example. 900 miles doesn't seen far from delivery mileage, that car had not been used at all.
All I'm saying is that I just don't remember swathes of PHers starting threads with 'my engine has gone because the previous owner didn't use it much.....'
I can see the 'Noble' argument that a car is better to have been used so that the weak parts have had a chance to fail but buy from a dealer with a no quibble 2 year warranty that some are now offering and what's the issue?
I personally would rather have a low mileage cared for example than a high mileage cared for example. As I said, the fact that a premium is required to acquire such an example would suggest that others might feel the same.
I saw the 900 mile Cerb thread at the time and I think anyone would appreciate that as an extreme example. 900 miles doesn't seen far from delivery mileage, that car had not been used at all.
All I'm saying is that I just don't remember swathes of PHers starting threads with 'my engine has gone because the previous owner didn't use it much.....'
I can see the 'Noble' argument that a car is better to have been used so that the weak parts have had a chance to fail but buy from a dealer with a no quibble 2 year warranty that some are now offering and what's the issue?
I personally would rather have a low mileage cared for example than a high mileage cared for example. As I said, the fact that a premium is required to acquire such an example would suggest that others might feel the same.
gutu12 said:
Not trying to antagonise here but I just don't see thread after thread bemoaning car troubles on a lack of use. Doors not opening, wing mirrors not moving or even head gaskets cracking rarely seem to be blamed on the fact that the car hasn't been used in 3 weeks or that the car has only done 1000 miles all year.
I saw the 900 mile Cerb thread at the time and I think anyone would appreciate that as an extreme example. 900 miles doesn't seen far from delivery mileage, that car had not been used at all.
All I'm saying is that I just don't remember swathes of PHers starting threads with 'my engine has gone because the previous owner didn't use it much.....'
I can see the 'Noble' argument that a car is better to have been used so that the weak parts have had a chance to fail but buy from a dealer with a no quibble 2 year warranty that some are now offering and what's the issue?
I personally would rather have a low mileage cared for example than a high mileage cared for example. As I said, the fact that a premium is required to acquire such an example would suggest that others might feel the same.
I'd have to say I am 100% with you , brought myself a Tuscan with 8000 miles and hasn't let me down (touches wood ) when I was looking I wouldn't have enertained anything higher than 30,000 , maybe it's just me .I saw the 900 mile Cerb thread at the time and I think anyone would appreciate that as an extreme example. 900 miles doesn't seen far from delivery mileage, that car had not been used at all.
All I'm saying is that I just don't remember swathes of PHers starting threads with 'my engine has gone because the previous owner didn't use it much.....'
I can see the 'Noble' argument that a car is better to have been used so that the weak parts have had a chance to fail but buy from a dealer with a no quibble 2 year warranty that some are now offering and what's the issue?
I personally would rather have a low mileage cared for example than a high mileage cared for example. As I said, the fact that a premium is required to acquire such an example would suggest that others might feel the same.
Engine Rebuild, Clutch (and master/slave cylinder) recently done and some aftermarket shock absorbers. If you see all of these then that's a great start. If none of these are done then you need to be looking at the very cheap end of the market.
I'd put no additional value on a low mileage MK1... in fact I'd go with the high mileage thing. If I were to go back I'd choose a 40+ K car more than I would the 23K car I got. I prefer something wearing out to perishing while unused!
Electrics can be a hassle, but if you are a bit handy with a soldering iron and a multimeter you can sort out an awful lot of stuff yourself. Still definitely worth having it all work when the car is initially presented to you.
Good luck.
I'd put no additional value on a low mileage MK1... in fact I'd go with the high mileage thing. If I were to go back I'd choose a 40+ K car more than I would the 23K car I got. I prefer something wearing out to perishing while unused!
Electrics can be a hassle, but if you are a bit handy with a soldering iron and a multimeter you can sort out an awful lot of stuff yourself. Still definitely worth having it all work when the car is initially presented to you.
Good luck.
As the owner of the Cerb mentioned above, I can see both sides of the discussion. My philosophy with regard to buying any TVR has been to buy on condition and history, but to go for low mileage where available.
I did all the right things with the Cerb, including getting inspected by the person everyone recommends on here. But there is only so much you can see and it takes a few miles in any TVR until issues are uncovered, including ones straight out of the factory. The Cerb was, and still is, in top condition cosmetically, inside, outside and underneath, just it needed an engine rebuild, new Cats, ECU, Lambdas etc. etc. to get there mechanically!
I've bought 10 TVR's over the years and this was the first I'd been caught out on and frankly that was because I trusted what proved to be a very untrustworthy dealer.
But back to the topic. The mistake I made with the Cerb was to disregard the fact it hadn't been serviced every year. In my experience if the records show it has been serviced by a recognised expert at least one a year, it will be fine irrespective of mileage. Indeed I can think of several cars I've bought that had only done ~500 miles between services for part of their lives. The advantage of buying a low mileage car is of course that in general the body, interior and mechanics will have less wear and tear and will hopefully last longer before major work is required.
Oh, the Cerb has now done 7000 miles and is running really well!
I did all the right things with the Cerb, including getting inspected by the person everyone recommends on here. But there is only so much you can see and it takes a few miles in any TVR until issues are uncovered, including ones straight out of the factory. The Cerb was, and still is, in top condition cosmetically, inside, outside and underneath, just it needed an engine rebuild, new Cats, ECU, Lambdas etc. etc. to get there mechanically!
I've bought 10 TVR's over the years and this was the first I'd been caught out on and frankly that was because I trusted what proved to be a very untrustworthy dealer.
But back to the topic. The mistake I made with the Cerb was to disregard the fact it hadn't been serviced every year. In my experience if the records show it has been serviced by a recognised expert at least one a year, it will be fine irrespective of mileage. Indeed I can think of several cars I've bought that had only done ~500 miles between services for part of their lives. The advantage of buying a low mileage car is of course that in general the body, interior and mechanics will have less wear and tear and will hopefully last longer before major work is required.
Oh, the Cerb has now done 7000 miles and is running really well!
Edited by Englishman on Saturday 28th December 09:34
hi all
surely milage alone doesn't really represent how any car was used i.e a car that lives in central london does a different kind of miles than i do in the country.and maybe 100 miles a week is better than 1000 miles every other month for example.
judge each car on its own merrits would be my advice
surely milage alone doesn't really represent how any car was used i.e a car that lives in central london does a different kind of miles than i do in the country.and maybe 100 miles a week is better than 1000 miles every other month for example.
judge each car on its own merrits would be my advice
Absolutely with Benny on this, my thoughts when purchasing my low mileage tuscan were not how many miles has it been used for, but how has it been used. Was it kept snug in a garage, or exposed to all the great weather we have. Was it driven through winter in all conditions and hence salt all over the chassis or was it laid up? Was it used for going 2 miles to the shop or was it regularly run out? Imho 500 trips to a shop 2 miles away is much more damaging to the engine than 20, 000 miles of spirited hoons. Was the previous owner likely to have redlined the car, or was their driving more moderate etc. etc. All these were far more important considerations for me than did it have 10k miles or 50k miles.
Ps be aware that the clutch and slave cylinders only last 20k to 35k irrespective of how they were treated. The internal seal design is an inherent flaw on these cars.
Ps be aware that the clutch and slave cylinders only last 20k to 35k irrespective of how they were treated. The internal seal design is an inherent flaw on these cars.
Rob Ingleby checked my Tuscan out and travels the country www.findasportscar.co.uk or phone 07799142860 have to say very professional very quick, HPI checked and full written report.
Lastly go for an S version if you can find one.
Lastly go for an S version if you can find one.
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