another potential newbie :)
Discussion
hi all !
im sure you've seen this sort of post a few times by now
im contemplating getting a tuscan in the next month or so and could do with some advice.
I've done quite a bit of reading on this forum and on the web..and at the moment am pretty scared) I've read plenty of threads about potential things that could go wrong, but am not that technical...yet !
although theres a lot of horror stories (about rebuilds in the first year etc) i wonder if you guys can put that into perspective a bit for me...are there just more stories when..if
it goes wrong ??
If you had to look for 2 things when you buy a tuscan what would they be, both when its stationary, and when it's moving ?? ive read the check lists and that but its hard to know what the most important things are!
finally..promise ! am i going to be able to drive the thing ive never had a decent car and so wonder what the clutch will be like to drive...am i gonna look good stalling n jumping all the way home
cheers 4 your time all !! keep up the good work on this forum...hopefully will post back soon with news of a purchase))))
im sure you've seen this sort of post a few times by now
im contemplating getting a tuscan in the next month or so and could do with some advice.
I've done quite a bit of reading on this forum and on the web..and at the moment am pretty scared
) I've read plenty of threads about potential things that could go wrong, but am not that technical...yet ! although theres a lot of horror stories (about rebuilds in the first year etc) i wonder if you guys can put that into perspective a bit for me...are there just more stories when..if
it goes wrong ?? If you had to look for 2 things when you buy a tuscan what would they be, both when its stationary, and when it's moving ?? ive read the check lists and that but its hard to know what the most important things are!
finally..promise ! am i going to be able to drive the thing
ive never had a decent car and so wonder what the clutch will be like to drive...am i gonna look good stalling n jumping all the way home cheers 4 your time all !! keep up the good work on this forum...hopefully will post back soon with news of a purchase
))))
Welcome to what may be the best investment of your life!
Am sure you have read the threads until you are blue in the face about all the horror stories and there are others included on lists for potential customers on what to look for etc.
The early cars certainly might not have the best reputation so I would go for as relatively new as you can afford within reason. Full TVRSH is a must too particularly for the big 12k services on the Speed 6.
There will be people on here who will forever be doom and gloom about the cars and engine, and a suprising number don't actually own a speed 6 car so i would take their comments with a pinch of salt. I've owned mine for over a year and it's been so far cheaper to run than the S and Griff 500 I owned previously to that - as well as being a monumentally better car. Go for it!
The only warning I would give is that its definitely not a car for the shy and retiring type!!
Am sure you have read the threads until you are blue in the face about all the horror stories and there are others included on lists for potential customers on what to look for etc.
The early cars certainly might not have the best reputation so I would go for as relatively new as you can afford within reason. Full TVRSH is a must too particularly for the big 12k services on the Speed 6.
There will be people on here who will forever be doom and gloom about the cars and engine, and a suprising number don't actually own a speed 6 car so i would take their comments with a pinch of salt. I've owned mine for over a year and it's been so far cheaper to run than the S and Griff 500 I owned previously to that - as well as being a monumentally better car. Go for it!
The only warning I would give is that its definitely not a car for the shy and retiring type!!
Tuscans are very easy to drive, the clutch isn't heavy at all so you'll have no problems in that way. You just need to respect and get used to the car as being fairly light, rear drive and with plenty of power, they can bite if you do anything silly.
There's plenty of material on rebuilds etc in the archives. I've run mine as a daily driver for 3 years and about 24k miles with no major problems engine wise, although service costs can mount up a bit. Mine are on my profile.
Clutches can be a pain as they only seem to last around 20k miles and Nitron shocks are a big plus. I would go for one that has been reasonably well used, as they don't like sitting in garages for long periods.
Where are you? I'm sure someone nearby would be happy to give you a demo.
There's plenty of material on rebuilds etc in the archives. I've run mine as a daily driver for 3 years and about 24k miles with no major problems engine wise, although service costs can mount up a bit. Mine are on my profile.
Clutches can be a pain as they only seem to last around 20k miles and Nitron shocks are a big plus. I would go for one that has been reasonably well used, as they don't like sitting in garages for long periods.
Where are you? I'm sure someone nearby would be happy to give you a demo.
Yes - can second Basil. Clutch is not heavy at all - it has a longish progressive travel - ditto the throttle which is good news cause there is one hell of a lot of power but it can be fed in as gradually as you like.
Mine is a late 2002 with 19K on the clock - doesn't use any oil at all and pressure is excellent. No rebuilds and according to my TVR dealer is in excellent health. Like all Speed 6 engines, they sound like a bag of nails when cold but when warmed up (and with some carbon cans fitted ) they sound awesome.
There are many good Speed 6 engines out there that have had sympathetic first owners who didn't welly it until oil temp was at least 50/60 degrees. You have to do your homework and check service history and if possible, previous owner/s.
Re clutch, cannot comment as mine is fine but reckon if you like traffic light grand prix starts (or Santa Pod days), then obviously clutches won't last forever.
Look at as many as you can, ask questions, join the TVR car club and attend the regional get togethers. The members are very useful sources of info.
THEN -
BUY ONE AND ENJOY AN AMAZING CAR
Mine is a late 2002 with 19K on the clock - doesn't use any oil at all and pressure is excellent. No rebuilds and according to my TVR dealer is in excellent health. Like all Speed 6 engines, they sound like a bag of nails when cold but when warmed up (and with some carbon cans fitted ) they sound awesome.
There are many good Speed 6 engines out there that have had sympathetic first owners who didn't welly it until oil temp was at least 50/60 degrees. You have to do your homework and check service history and if possible, previous owner/s.
Re clutch, cannot comment as mine is fine but reckon if you like traffic light grand prix starts (or Santa Pod days), then obviously clutches won't last forever.
Look at as many as you can, ask questions, join the TVR car club and attend the regional get togethers. The members are very useful sources of info.
THEN -
BUY ONE AND ENJOY AN AMAZING CARAgree with all the above-loved my Tuscan S. Just to add its fine in town as well-I used mine every day to commute 8 miles in London traffic and it was fine in this environment and there is nothing like rumbling through Hyde Park on a sunny day with the roof off.
As for driving thrills honestly nothing come close to a Tiv-I have had some of the best drives of my life in a Tiv.
Look at it this way-would you really like to be sixty wondering what it would have been like?
As for driving thrills honestly nothing come close to a Tiv-I have had some of the best drives of my life in a Tiv.
Look at it this way-would you really like to be sixty wondering what it would have been like?
Good Man! pac-man said:
although theres a lot of horror stories (about rebuilds in the first year etc) i wonder if you guys can put that into perspective a bit for me...are there just more stories when..if
This might not be that helpful as I'm a non-owner (my forum name is just a statement of intent at present, sadly!), but here are a few things maybe to consider outside of the world of TVR:
Alfa Romeo 147 - my mate has one. It went back to the dealer almost once per week to get the stereo/sat-nav/phone sorted. Three years later it's still not working right. He was not a happy man (still isn't really).
Pug 206 GTi - my mate HAD one. Had some many things replaced it was almost an entirely new engine and wiring loom (IIRC), plus other bits by the time he got fed up and got rid of it. He was not a happy man.
Mitsubishi GTO - this one is mine. I've had it nearly 36 months and it has worked for just 8 of those....and by 'worked' I mean it moved, that does not include all the fancy gadgets it came plastered with. I am not a happy man....but at least I gave it a go.
The point I'm trying to make? If you're going to have hassle with a car, which you can with ANY marque or model, you might as well have one with 'TVR' on front that, as you'll have seen from these pages, will put a smile on your face like nothing else when it's going. And that's assuming it ever stops going, as there's nothing to say it will.
Go into it open eyes and realise what it is that you're taking on (financially if nothing else), but my 2p is that you only live once so go for it.
>> Edited by MarkoTVR on Friday 19th May 13:15
>> Edited by MarkoTVR on Friday 19th May 13:16
When I first starting looking at buying a TVR in the late 90s, I think the advice then stills hold true :
Go in with your eyes wide open
A brand new car will have niggles. A 2 year old car should have everything sorted by the owner.
Buy on condition, not mileage.
FSH essential
Buy from someone you would trust to have looked after the car (same for all cars).
wrt to the Tuscan I would actually put far more weight on the condition of the trim, fit and finish.
You can't tell whether an engine is OK or not - and it's fixable by a dealer or independent. A badly fitting roof e.g. daylight around the A-pillars can only be fixed with a new roof from the factory, tired carpets will be expensive to replace, worn leather on seats etc.
I think the prices asked for private sales of Tuscan's are silly low. When you drive a £20k Tuscan you'll see what an amazing car you're getting for the money. Keep £5k in the bank for a rainy day and enjoy. You may not need it.
Running costs are what will hit you. Routine maintenance and servicing - I would budget £1000 every 6000 miles.
At > 20k miles you should be budgetting for a new clutch, shocks and engine mounts.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Andy.
Go in with your eyes wide open
A brand new car will have niggles. A 2 year old car should have everything sorted by the owner.
Buy on condition, not mileage.
FSH essential
Buy from someone you would trust to have looked after the car (same for all cars).
wrt to the Tuscan I would actually put far more weight on the condition of the trim, fit and finish.
You can't tell whether an engine is OK or not - and it's fixable by a dealer or independent. A badly fitting roof e.g. daylight around the A-pillars can only be fixed with a new roof from the factory, tired carpets will be expensive to replace, worn leather on seats etc.
I think the prices asked for private sales of Tuscan's are silly low. When you drive a £20k Tuscan you'll see what an amazing car you're getting for the money. Keep £5k in the bank for a rainy day and enjoy. You may not need it.
Running costs are what will hit you. Routine maintenance and servicing - I would budget £1000 every 6000 miles.
At > 20k miles you should be budgetting for a new clutch, shocks and engine mounts.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Andy.
Welcome Pac Man - have a quick look at the following thread which should prove of assistance -
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=59360&f=5&h=0
Spend time looking around and do not plump for the first you see; well worthwhile spending the effort doing diligence.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=59360&f=5&h=0
Spend time looking around and do not plump for the first you see; well worthwhile spending the effort doing diligence.
Forums | Tuscan | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff