Dont need the history,but some help needed
Discussion
Ive been hankering after a Tuscan for some time now.And with prices now coming down to a level that i want to pay i would like some help with the following.Im not going in to the speed six issues,but i will be looking for an early one probably a W or X reg.On viewing a car what sort of noises are acceptable from the engine and what should i be listening for?What sound does a unhealthy engine make?.Servicing?Are they cheaper to service than the Cerbera.I spent quite a bit on mine last year,but then the word is that the Cerbera is the dearest car to maintain,is the Tuscan cheaper to maintain.Ive worked a lot on my car myself.Can i do the same with the Tuscan?
Thanks in Advance for any advice given.P.S The Tuscan for me is one car i will have to own before my affair with TVR ends.
Thanks in Advance for any advice given.P.S The Tuscan for me is one car i will have to own before my affair with TVR ends.
When the engine's working well it sounds quite clanky. Bit like mini hammers on scaled down anvils. When it's sickly, it sounds, erm, like said anvils and hammers. 
When warmed up it shouldn't be half as bad, though. You'll need to listen to a few to tell the difference. Ones with recent rebuilds tend to have more of a Japanese whir/whine to them that sounds odd, but a bit more reassuring.
The Cerb cost me £10k to run for one year - that included a fair few mods that were my choice (Headlight conversion + front-end respray, 18" wheels, and Nitrons). The Tusc cost me £10k to run for one year - that was just what it cost to keep it going. On average, they're probably about the same; some years are good, some are bad.
Age related things on an early W/X reg car to check for now (assuming it's up into 30-odd K miles):
- Top end of engine will definitely be getting worn if it's not already had a rebuild or two. Bottom end will be a bit behind. Check paperwork.
- Clutch slave cylinder will probably have gone at 20k miles or so - will be heading towards more serious clutch work by 30-odd thou. Check the paperwork for anything done here.
- Synchromesh on 2nd and 5th may well be getting worn. Check change-ups to both gears at high revs (bearing in mind you'll be needing to do 130+ to really test 5th). Check the how the owner puts the car into reverse, too - should use another gear first to stop it crunching. Hopefully NOT always fifth, though, as it's particularly weak.
- Check dash pod for lines on the display - if this hasn't been rectified recently, it's likely to affect it at some point
- Check how much is left of the discs & pads
- I wouldn't expect factory shocks to have a life expectancy beyond 7 years/30-something thou miles - check them for leaks/changes.
- Check leather for cracking
- Geometry is regularly worse than ropey... try driving it down the inside lane of a well-used dual-carriageway/motorway (one with lots of lovely ruts). It shouldn't try to bury you in the hard-shoulder/ditch if it's set up right. Check the inside edges of the tyres for excessive wear while you're at it.
- Depending on whether the chassis's ever been Waxoyled, etc. it could be starting to show signs of rust. Worth checking for, but no biggie.
Have fun!
When warmed up it shouldn't be half as bad, though. You'll need to listen to a few to tell the difference. Ones with recent rebuilds tend to have more of a Japanese whir/whine to them that sounds odd, but a bit more reassuring. The Cerb cost me £10k to run for one year - that included a fair few mods that were my choice (Headlight conversion + front-end respray, 18" wheels, and Nitrons). The Tusc cost me £10k to run for one year - that was just what it cost to keep it going. On average, they're probably about the same; some years are good, some are bad.
Age related things on an early W/X reg car to check for now (assuming it's up into 30-odd K miles):
- Top end of engine will definitely be getting worn if it's not already had a rebuild or two. Bottom end will be a bit behind. Check paperwork.
- Clutch slave cylinder will probably have gone at 20k miles or so - will be heading towards more serious clutch work by 30-odd thou. Check the paperwork for anything done here.
- Synchromesh on 2nd and 5th may well be getting worn. Check change-ups to both gears at high revs (bearing in mind you'll be needing to do 130+ to really test 5th). Check the how the owner puts the car into reverse, too - should use another gear first to stop it crunching. Hopefully NOT always fifth, though, as it's particularly weak.
- Check dash pod for lines on the display - if this hasn't been rectified recently, it's likely to affect it at some point
- Check how much is left of the discs & pads
- I wouldn't expect factory shocks to have a life expectancy beyond 7 years/30-something thou miles - check them for leaks/changes.
- Check leather for cracking
- Geometry is regularly worse than ropey... try driving it down the inside lane of a well-used dual-carriageway/motorway (one with lots of lovely ruts). It shouldn't try to bury you in the hard-shoulder/ditch if it's set up right. Check the inside edges of the tyres for excessive wear while you're at it.
- Depending on whether the chassis's ever been Waxoyled, etc. it could be starting to show signs of rust. Worth checking for, but no biggie.
Have fun!
nelly1 said:
Or just buy one from a nice bloke who's just spent £10k in a year having everything in the above list sorted.............
To be fair, I never did anything with the leather other than use saddle soap and nourishing cream. Guess I'm just not quite a fat enough b*stard to cause significant upholstery damage!
Nelly: I just had the car warranty company on the phone this week pointing out it's due for renewal. Not sure what you're doing re. a warranty going forwards, but heads-up that you're about to be without one!
J_S_G said:
Nelly: I just had the car warranty company on the phone this week pointing out it's due for renewal. Not sure what you're doing re. a warranty going forwards, but heads-up that you're about to be without one!Don't concern yourself mate......I've got that more than sorted!
...suffice to say anything that happens down the line won't cost me a bean!!!
nelly1 said:
J_S_G said:
Nelly: I just had the car warranty company on the phone this week pointing out it's due for renewal. Not sure what you're doing re. a warranty going forwards, but heads-up that you're about to be without one!Don't concern yourself mate......I've got that more than sorted!
...suffice to say anything that happens down the line won't cost me a bean!!!
Fantastic! Really pleased for you there, bud.
nelly1 said:
Could be a good selling point in the future too.....
"Tuscan with NO running costs save petrol/insurance/MOT!!"
What d'ya reckon?
"Tuscan with NO running costs save petrol/insurance/MOT!!"
What d'ya reckon?
Think the petrol costs might rack up a bit then! That aside, I'd have her straight back with zero running costs...
Although I heard one of her previous owners abused her something rotten...
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