Thinking of buying an s with 20k on clock

[yewcheck]

Has had no engine work......is this a concern or is the mileage to low to worry about?

It has history, do I take a gamble?

Its a 2002 s

Dave

[Dutch_Cerbera]

yewcheck said:

Has had no engine work......is this a concern or is the mileage to low to worry about?

It has history, do I take a gamble?

Its a 2002 s

Dave

guess you mean No Rebuild done, well it all depends on the price
you can easily find the price for a rebuild

[yewcheck]

Dutch_Cerbera said:

guess you mean No Rebuild done, well it all depends on the price
you can easily find the price for a rebuild

Sorry mate yes I mean has had no rebuild!

The cost of the car will pretty much use up all my cash so for a while it would not be easy to find extra cash to fund a rebuild

[mrcyeo]

A very well discussed topic on here. We all know that the engine will need a rebuild at some point but when, nobody knows. I bought mine with 33k on the clock with no rebuild and it now has 43k and still no rebuild. Will this put people off buying my car (yes, even though it's not for sale) but the car has been loved and well looked after and serviced every year (good healthy measurements), does this mean the engine will last forever, no!

Buy it (if it's been well looked after, serviced and overall good condition), then enjoy it and if it goes bang save up and rebuild it and again remember to just enjoy it! I have never regretted buying my tuscan and I love it!

[Basil Brush]

If you're not able to easily find a few grand if something did happen then maybe consider a cheaper non S. I've no idea about this car but c.20k miles is the window for valve guides/top end on early engines and clutch fingers, if not already swapped.

Has it been used lightly over the 10 years or sitting for a while?

[yewcheck]

Basil Brush said:

If you're not able to easily find a few grand if something did happen then maybe consider a cheaper non S. I've no idea about this car but c.20k miles is the window for valve guides/top end on early engines and clutch fingers, if not already swapped.

Has it been used lightly over the 10 years or sitting for a while?

Not sure about the use, but thanks for the heads up on the fingers clutch etc

What would be the cost of a topend rebuild?

Dave

[Basil Brush]

Have a look on TVR Power's website for an idea on costs.

[blueg33]

I was going to say that you need to be looking at the clutch at that mileage and engine mounts.

As for re-build, mine made it to 42k before needing one, other cars only made it to 10k with every permutation in between.

If you like the car, why not get TVR Power to look at the engine, if they think its ok they will give you a warranty for about £750.

IMO its mad to buy any high performance car using all of your cash and non spare for fixes. Something WILL need doing, it may not cost 1000's but could easily cost £100's. Just look at parts prices on any of the specialists websites and then add some labour.

Great cars, but do go in eyes open

As well as clutch and engine check the following:

all windows fully working
all door locks fully operational
heater and fan and aircon (if fitted) all working (run for 10 minutes or so to be sure)
all lights working
dash pod display fully working with no lines
fans come on at the right temps
rad leaks
clutch slave leaks
brake discs ok (the S discs are expensive)
no leaks from steering rack
fuel hoses in fuel tank/boot ok
paint bubbling over exhaust manifold on bonnet
evidence of leaks
alarm working, both keys coded to alarm?

The list goes on

[yewcheck]

Thanks for all your help guys

So really with my budget I should be looking for something that has had some engine work for peace of mind.

Does tvr power call to inspect a vehicle or do I need to visit them?

Dave

[Basil Brush]

Wise words from Nick.

Just to give you an idea, I'm very hands on with my car but I'd guess I've averaged about 2k a year in servicing and repairs over the 9 years I've had it. Some years have been better, some a lot worse.

[blueg33]

yewcheck said:

Thanks for all your help guys

So really with my budget I should be looking for something that has had some engine work for peace of mind.

Does tvr power call to inspect a vehicle or do I need to visit them?

Dave

They will be removing cam covers etc, so take it to them is my guess.

I reckon mine cost circa £1800 pa on servicing and stuff, but that did include a rolling road mapping session last year, and a 12k miles service this year which was nearly £1000 alone.

Others have longer ownership and better records than me

[Zippee]

yewcheck said:

So really with my budget I should be looking for something that has had some engine work for peace of mind.

Personally I'd be looking at a car a couple of grand below your budget to allow for any work that may need doing straight away. A new clutch for example could be £1200 in one hit, service - £6-800 etc....

[nawarne]

blueg33 said:

I was going to say that you need to be looking at the clutch at that mileage and engine mounts.

As for re-build, mine made it to 42k before needing one, other cars only made it to 10k with every permutation in between.

If you like the car, why not get TVR Power to look at the engine, if they think its ok they will give you a warranty for about £750.

IMO its mad to buy any high performance car using all of your cash and non spare for fixes. Something WILL need doing, it may not cost 1000's but could easily cost £100's. Just look at parts prices on any of the specialists websites and then add some labour.

Great cars, but do go in eyes open

As well as clutch and engine check the following:

all windows fully working
all door locks fully operational
heater and fan and aircon (if fitted) all working (run for 10 minutes or so to be sure)
all lights working
dash pod display fully working with no lines
fans come on at the right temps
rad leaks
clutch slave leaks
brake discs ok (the S discs are expensive)
no leaks from steering rack
fuel hoses in fuel tank/boot ok
paint bubbling over exhaust manifold on bonnet
evidence of leaks
alarm working, both keys coded to alarm?

The list goes on

OK - Nick has covered most of the bases in his list.
My S is just turning 50K miles. It's still up with Jason at STR8 six...but should be picking her up tomorrow...woo-hoo!
My car has some bubbling/blistering on the bonnet - caused by heat from the cats not being dissapated when standing in traffic...but it polishes up well!
Extras over and above (routine)servicing I've had to have done are 1) new throttle (roller bearing) bodies (originals suffer from wear on the butterfly spindles). 2) New shocks & springs all round (originals were in poor shape-2 shocks were leaking quite badly from seals). 3) New heater matrix

Having said above, the car has been reliable, and the engine has not been touched internally. Sure, stuff like wishbone bushes, diff mounts and engine mounts have been replaced...but where do you draw the line at 'consumable' parts and 'major' replacements.

Its been to Spa twice, Nurburgring last year and on to Nuremburg, and 2 trips to LeMans with a French holiday afterwards...and didn't miss a beat.
They have tremendous road presence and once you drive one, very addictive - just get a well cared for example.
Nick

[BeillyNoy]

yewcheck said:

Has had no engine work......is this a concern or is the mileage to low to worry about?

It has history, do I take a gamble?

Its a 2002 s

Dave

Dave
If it was a black one that you had your eye on then I'm afraid it's sold.

[yewcheck]

Congrats looked / sounds like a sweet motor

[Robertjp]

As has been said, if it hasnt had engine work, it probably will need it at some point, and its not just the top end, little end bearings were cheap and nasty, and my car at 32k had piston rings that were at the end of their life and a knackered oil pump.

My engine had previously had finger followers and cams replaced (was sold to me with a 'full racing green rebuild' which was bullst. It then needed new valve guides cutting, new half time bearings, seals, new rings, crank grind, new oil pump, new engine block (!!!) plus all the other ancillary bits, roller bearings throttle bodies etc etc etc!!

[blueg33]

Robertjp said:

As has been said, if it hasnt had engine work, it probably will need it at some point, and its not just the top end, little end bearings were cheap and nasty, and my car at 32k had piston rings that were at the end of their life and a knackered oil pump.

My engine had previously had finger followers and cams replaced (was sold to me with a 'full racing green rebuild' which was bullst. It then needed new valve guides cutting, new half time bearings, seals, new rings, crank grind, new oil pump, new engine block (!!!) plus all the other ancillary bits, roller bearings throttle bodies etc etc etc!!

There are re-builds and re-builds! That's what I found.

[yewcheck]

After ferrari ownership, this seems so much more of an expensive car to run might have to rethink what toy to buy

[BeillyNoy]

yewcheck said:

Congrats looked / sounds like a sweet motor

Thanks.
It's a nice car, but does need some TLC. It's in the workshop now having stuff done to it. I'll get the paintwork and interior seen to in the Winter, when I'll miss it less. I had it inspected by Rob Ingleby beforehand, so thankfully none of this was a surprise.

FWIW there's a nice 2002 S for sale at Racing Green. In very dark blue. I drove it on Monday and it's cracking. Feels really planted in terms of ride. Although the engine sounded ever so slightly rough, it'll be serviced before sale so one less thing to worry about. In fact, it was that car that persuaded me to go for the one I bought. Loved the S, just didn't fancy a blue one in the end. Could soooooo easily have gone for the 2003 Spectraflair silver car they have in stock, if it wasn't for the £1k per litre cost of paint. Even just a front end respray would be
(but what an amazing looking car.....)

Good luck in your ongoing search.

N.

[Dutch_Cerbera]

yewcheck said:

After ferrari ownership, this seems so much more of an expensive car to run might have to rethink what toy to buy

a colleague told me today that they got their 997 GT3 back from service, costs were above 3k euro....

Edited by Dutch_Cerbera on Friday 25th May 16:39