I can't believe I am about to ask this question.... but...
Discussion
what sort of mpg could I expect to achieve from a briskly driven Tuscan?? Also, as somone who does 18,000 a year at full chat in my Honda S2000, am I completely out off my rocker to be even thinking about an early Tuscan (circa £18k) as a replacement?? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Just go for it!!!
And now the serious bit:
Fuel economy is probably the least of your worries - I get anything from under 15mpg in mixed driving around town and driving for fun (i.e. briskly!), up to almost 30mpg on long constant speed motorway runs.
The biggest costs will be servicing every 6,000 miles. I would budget £5-750 for a minor service, and £1000 for a major (alternating) at an independent specialist. That will allow for all the random miscellaneous things you'll need sorting, such as the loose bonnet pins and broken hazard warning switch on my last service. Not normally anything major, just things which add quite a bit of labour. You should expect to get 6-10,000 miles from a set of rear tyres, and maybe 15,000 from a set of fronts, depending how you drive. Clutches last about 20k, and cost £1k+ to replace. Shocks will last 20-30k before they start showing their age, which will be another £1k-ish.
Hopefully you can rule out depreciation as a major cost if you go for an early car, but do allow enough spare cash to bring it up to 100% mechanical condition. If it's at all rough around the edges, 18k miles a year will turn it into a shed in short order. They're not as unreliable as people make out, but they're not that well built, and big mileages do take their toll if you skimp on the maintenance.
Finally, go into it with your eyes open regarding engine rebuilds. No warranty will cover an early engine needing a rebuild (the warranty company will successfully claim it's wear and tear due to design flaws), and there's no 100% guarantee that an engine previously rebuilt after say 2004 will be immune. That can be 6k+/- if it does go pop.
Having said all that, nothing else for 20k will go like a Tuscan, or give you such a thrill every time you open the garage. Just remember you're buying Ferrari performance, and potentially Ferrari running costs.
Cheers,
Pete
p.s. Mine's a late 2003 3.6 btw, up to 27,000 miles, and it's been mechanically and cosmetically brilliant in the 8,000 miles I've owned it.
And now the serious bit:
Fuel economy is probably the least of your worries - I get anything from under 15mpg in mixed driving around town and driving for fun (i.e. briskly!), up to almost 30mpg on long constant speed motorway runs.
The biggest costs will be servicing every 6,000 miles. I would budget £5-750 for a minor service, and £1000 for a major (alternating) at an independent specialist. That will allow for all the random miscellaneous things you'll need sorting, such as the loose bonnet pins and broken hazard warning switch on my last service. Not normally anything major, just things which add quite a bit of labour. You should expect to get 6-10,000 miles from a set of rear tyres, and maybe 15,000 from a set of fronts, depending how you drive. Clutches last about 20k, and cost £1k+ to replace. Shocks will last 20-30k before they start showing their age, which will be another £1k-ish.
Hopefully you can rule out depreciation as a major cost if you go for an early car, but do allow enough spare cash to bring it up to 100% mechanical condition. If it's at all rough around the edges, 18k miles a year will turn it into a shed in short order. They're not as unreliable as people make out, but they're not that well built, and big mileages do take their toll if you skimp on the maintenance.
Finally, go into it with your eyes open regarding engine rebuilds. No warranty will cover an early engine needing a rebuild (the warranty company will successfully claim it's wear and tear due to design flaws), and there's no 100% guarantee that an engine previously rebuilt after say 2004 will be immune. That can be 6k+/- if it does go pop.
Having said all that, nothing else for 20k will go like a Tuscan, or give you such a thrill every time you open the garage. Just remember you're buying Ferrari performance, and potentially Ferrari running costs.
Cheers,
Pete
p.s. Mine's a late 2003 3.6 btw, up to 27,000 miles, and it's been mechanically and cosmetically brilliant in the 8,000 miles I've owned it.
Budget for 20mpg overall and £1000 per service and you won't go far wrong.
I clearly drive like an old lady, as I got over 15k from my last set of rears, and my fronts would probably have been good for 20k+ had I not swapped them. This is probably because I do more commuting / motorway driving than most.
My shocks however were shot after 15k miles. Budget a grand, but do them once, uprate to aftermarket jobbies and they should last longer.
Keep enough for a rebuild aside - say £6k, and be prepared for needing more than one. If you have a warranty, and get in their face enough, you WILL get some money out of them, but your car could be off the road for some time whilst you are haggling with them.
Other than asking if you can afford to maintain it properly (don't mean to be rude) as this will cause you the biggest problems if can't keep things tip-top, my biggest concern would be that the hassle / niggle factor may be a problem if it is your only car - expect your car to be off the road for a few weeks a year with services, niggles, rebuilds etc.
If you need your car for your job, or even if you don't consider running two cars - either use the Tuscan every day and have a banger for backup, or have a decent 'normal' car and use it for your daily slog and keep the Tuscan for fun.
I clearly drive like an old lady, as I got over 15k from my last set of rears, and my fronts would probably have been good for 20k+ had I not swapped them. This is probably because I do more commuting / motorway driving than most.
My shocks however were shot after 15k miles. Budget a grand, but do them once, uprate to aftermarket jobbies and they should last longer.
Keep enough for a rebuild aside - say £6k, and be prepared for needing more than one. If you have a warranty, and get in their face enough, you WILL get some money out of them, but your car could be off the road for some time whilst you are haggling with them.
Other than asking if you can afford to maintain it properly (don't mean to be rude) as this will cause you the biggest problems if can't keep things tip-top, my biggest concern would be that the hassle / niggle factor may be a problem if it is your only car - expect your car to be off the road for a few weeks a year with services, niggles, rebuilds etc.
If you need your car for your job, or even if you don't consider running two cars - either use the Tuscan every day and have a banger for backup, or have a decent 'normal' car and use it for your daily slog and keep the Tuscan for fun.
Thanks guys - you have confirmed my fears, that for the way I use a car (18k hard and fast miles a year, the Tuscan is a bad bet). Much as I love the car, and I am not knocking it - Budgeting £6k for a refurb and up to £1k per service (£3k a year for me) is just not sensible! Oh well... back to the drawing board. Enjoy your Tuscans - they are wonderful cars.
I have to agree with the above posts - I had 3 very enjoyable years out of my 2000x reg tuscan - sold it 3 months ago 
It was a second car, and as such was great, but for servicing, sorting little nigles which will happen from time to time, this will mean it being off the road for several days at a time. This will p$$$ you off after a bit if you rely on it for every day use.
However, nothing at all this side of 100K will come close in terms of acceleration, sound , fun and just even looking at it............
I WILL BE BACK........
Simon
It was a second car, and as such was great, but for servicing, sorting little nigles which will happen from time to time, this will mean it being off the road for several days at a time. This will p$$$ you off after a bit if you rely on it for every day use. However, nothing at all this side of 100K will come close in terms of acceleration, sound , fun and just even looking at it............
I WILL BE BACK........
Simon
DannyT said:
Thanks guys - you have confirmed my fears, that for the way I use a car (18k hard and fast miles a year, the Tuscan is a bad bet). Much as I love the car, and I am not knocking it - Budgeting £6k for a refurb and up to £1k per service (£3k a year for me) is just not sensible! Oh well... back to the drawing board. Enjoy your Tuscans - they are wonderful cars.
Shame - as they are great great cars!
I moved from an S2000 to my 2000 Tuscan in Jan 2005. I also bought a £4K Saloon to do the majority of business miles (25K per annum)
Go on - you know it make sense!
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