Is it possible
Discussion
Sorry to tell you but there's no such thing as cheap high performance. You will need to research the car very thoroughly as at that age clutch,shocks etc are getting tired in addition to what you might have read on engine reliability. Then there is the service interval of 6k to consider ( they are more reliable if used every day.) but you may be able to do some of that yourself.
They are great cars but they can piss you off big time if you don't take care.
They are great cars but they can piss you off big time if you don't take care.
Yeah I see your point about the servicing, the car will be my only car (I walk to work) so will be used in the evenings and weekends, my dad has a Griff 500 and is pretty hot on cars so is it just a case of making sure oil and coolent are ok? as for the clutch and shocks surly they will be ok I have just had to change the clutch for the first time in my supras history and thats just done 79k miles
As you no know doubt read astonD buying a tuscan is a game of chance,you seen my story,i couldn't agree more with 2 smokin barrels,i still got a very bitter taste in my mouth but saying that the tuscan is such an awesome car and all this hassle and expense will not put me off,it's just that you have got to look into buying one with your eyes wide open and very deep pockets but the summer days out in it will far out weigh all the niggles....good luck my friend...
but at the end of the day "oh my god what a car"
hmm the thing is I love the look of the Tuscan but the hassle might just be too much are these problems that TVR are looking into?? I mean a new clutch at 12k miles sounds abit naff I mean there are Supra lads pushing 400+bhp on the standard clutch for 40k miles, I may just get a Griff 500 as the rover block is pretty bullet proof in comparison. The thing that comes to mind tho is if I get a Tuscan with low milage and it has had a new clutch and engine rebuild are the replacement parts better or just the same?
astonD said:
hmm the thing is I love the look of the Tuscan but the hassle might just be too much are these problems that TVR are looking into?? I mean a new clutch at 12k miles sounds abit naff I mean there are Supra lads pushing 400+bhp on the standard clutch for 40k miles, I may just get a Griff 500 as the rover block is pretty bullet proof in comparison. The thing that comes to mind tho is if I get a Tuscan with low milage and it has had a new clutch and engine rebuild are the replacement parts better or just the same?
It seems EVERYONE new considering getting into TVR ownership expects them to last and work just like their Mass produced tin cans..... Consider this.... Toyota are possibly the biggest car manufacturer in the world and have BILLIONS to spend on research to get it just about right. TVR build approx 1500 cars a year and have threepence halvepenny to spend on research in comparison.
TVRCraft are an inde out there whom have developed alternative components from far superior materials in an attempt to provide owners with more reliability. Such components are certainly not cheap and are so far unproven, tho IMO WILL perform far longer you just have to look at the engineering quality to understand that, (this has been my route for a repair).
I do reckon a 12K Tuscan if its not bent and the chassis, body and electrics are ok will be a good fun car to buy, but not a cheap car to run. You would be wise to set aside 5K or so for a TVRCraft top end rebuild. They also offer a superior clutch assembly. If not fitted a descent set of after market shocks will be required at some stage. There are also the throttle bodies (spindle housings) that wear out (but can be bushed), Exhaust that rots (poor grade stainless), Pod displays that seem to give up at some stage(but can be repaired), The various sensors that fail( but can be replaced), Trumpets on the air boxes are fragile (but can be botched up or replace with a carbon fibre item). Basically DONT expect an old Tuscan to be a cheap high performance car to keep on the road. As one of the guys said earlier....YOU PAYS YER MONEY AN TAKES YER CHANCE.
BUT nothing twice the price and more gives the same sort of rush when gassing it....
Good luck
Regards
G
This may or may not be relevant to you - however I went from a Griff 500 to a Tuscan. In the year I had the Griff it needed an engine rebuild (excessive cam lob wear) after only 40k, amongst a myriad of other pricey issues! I have now had the Tuscan the same period of time and have found it so much less problematic (Speedo issue only touch wood!), and so much more fun. I think it sounds better too - and is much more of an attractive car!!
Advice is to no go straight in at entry level though, pay a little more and get one with FSH that has been cared and looked after. ANY tvr suffers without proper TLC!!
Advice is to no go straight in at entry level though, pay a little more and get one with FSH that has been cared and looked after. ANY tvr suffers without proper TLC!!
astonD said:
Hi guys
I am 22 at the mo and got a Supra however I have been toying on the idea of getting a Tuscan when I am 25 I should be able to spend around 11-13k do you think prices will drop to this figure in the years to come???
You will need to get hold of a post 2004 if you want to edge your bets on reliabilty. For 13k in 3 years time i doubt you will get a post 2004 but you will get a pre 2004 which are a pile of crap and i know i had one. Finger followers then cam shaft went and to put the icing on the cake the crank shaft let go..
Edited to say as somebody said you pay your money you take your chance.. but you can edge your bets..?
>> Edited by yi8tvr on Thursday 6th April 13:36
astonD said:
Fair point its just that my old mans Griff 500 has never had a problem in the last 5 years of ownership just the starter motor the other week and thats just a simple DIY job.
Dont compare a V8 to Speed 6 on relabilty.. the V8 has been around as long as time the Speed 6 is only 6 years old ?
IMHO even in three years time £13,000 wont buy a lot of Tuscan. I know you do see sub £20,000 early models offered now but I think you could be looking at a world of pain. If you are setting yourself a target of owning one save as hard as you can and I would have thought you could get a good car for £18,000 / £20,000 then. When I was 18 I had the dream of owning an E Type and saved every penny. Within three years I had £5,000 which back then when dinosaurs roamed the earth was a heap of dosh and would have got me a great example. Sadly I opted to get married and my hard earned went on a house. What I am saying is most things are possible if you set your heart on it.
Good luck
Di
Good luck
Di
I'm not normally one for talking up residuals, but I think Di is right...I don't think you will be able to buy a decent Tuscan for £13k in 3 years time.
Why do I say this? Because of what might drive the value that low:
ENGINE
In all likelihood by then there will be proven options/fixes S6 related issues - be it TVR, AutoCraft, Austec or Speed8 Chevy etc.
So you might be able to buy an early 2000 with failed engine for £10k, but you will need to spend £5k - £13k to fix it, so that's the thick end of £20k for a good one.
CHASSIS
Also in 3 years time what state will the chassis be in on the early bottom dollar cars? Again, maybe pick up a car with good engine but chassis that needs work.
COSMETICS
Or maybe you could get a car like mine will be in 3 years - even now 5 years / 25k miles, wear and tear is truly showing...if I were to sell now, I would be looking at:
- Respray for roof panel, targa hoop, boot lid, front end (all chipped)
- Probable new rear screen (scratched)
- 1x refurb & 2x new spiders (kerbed / damaged)
So add on another 3 years and 30k or so of abuse, and I reckon there will probably be at least £2k-£3k of cosmetic work, which is a pretty big proportion of the mooted £13k.
If you take those three areas, then you could spend more than the £13k figure on repairs alone. And that is before you add on Nitrons or any other 'consumables' that need replacing.
I bought my first Chim around 5 years ago, and comparable cars today are fetching around 75% of what I paid. IMHO the bottom price of a GOOD Tuscan (excellent cosmetic condition, recent rebuild, other upgrades - e.g Nitrons) is now around £23k...I see no reason why it will depreciate faster than a Chim, so that gives a figure of around £17k in 5 years time.
Also, given the hammering residuals have taken due to the S6 reputation, if the current fixes offered are proven then residuals could be improved further.
Why do I say this? Because of what might drive the value that low:
ENGINE
In all likelihood by then there will be proven options/fixes S6 related issues - be it TVR, AutoCraft, Austec or Speed8 Chevy etc.
So you might be able to buy an early 2000 with failed engine for £10k, but you will need to spend £5k - £13k to fix it, so that's the thick end of £20k for a good one.
CHASSIS
Also in 3 years time what state will the chassis be in on the early bottom dollar cars? Again, maybe pick up a car with good engine but chassis that needs work.
COSMETICS
Or maybe you could get a car like mine will be in 3 years - even now 5 years / 25k miles, wear and tear is truly showing...if I were to sell now, I would be looking at:
- Respray for roof panel, targa hoop, boot lid, front end (all chipped)
- Probable new rear screen (scratched)
- 1x refurb & 2x new spiders (kerbed / damaged)
So add on another 3 years and 30k or so of abuse, and I reckon there will probably be at least £2k-£3k of cosmetic work, which is a pretty big proportion of the mooted £13k.
If you take those three areas, then you could spend more than the £13k figure on repairs alone. And that is before you add on Nitrons or any other 'consumables' that need replacing.
I bought my first Chim around 5 years ago, and comparable cars today are fetching around 75% of what I paid. IMHO the bottom price of a GOOD Tuscan (excellent cosmetic condition, recent rebuild, other upgrades - e.g Nitrons) is now around £23k...I see no reason why it will depreciate faster than a Chim, so that gives a figure of around £17k in 5 years time.
Also, given the hammering residuals have taken due to the S6 reputation, if the current fixes offered are proven then residuals could be improved further.
s7usk said:I missed that one
by the way ASTOND not all pre 2004 tuscans are a pile of crap as pointed out by yi8tvr,i know becouse ive got one,some have have problems but not all,plus you will be going for the better looking mk1 as well.....go for it
Surely if you apply that logic then this year all pre-2006 S6 engines are "a pile of crap"...the jury is still out on anything that there isn't a representative sample of 20k mile cars.
Plenty of 2004 engines have gone pop too. Sure things are getting better, but if you are going to hedge your bets, then get an early Tuscan with a just-rebuilt engine
Save hard and go for it.
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