Changing from a Chimaera to a Tuscan
Discussion
Hi Guys, I currently have a 4.0 chimaera that I bought as an entry into the TVR brand. I have to say the whole experience has genuinely been so good and not at all like the scaremongers suggested, although I took my time looking and paid maybe a little over the odds and got a good un from a main dealer. I am know looking to change it for my boyhood dream of a Tuscan.
What Id like to hear about is the experience of anyone who has made the same swap - the differences in reliability of the S6 v V8, costs of ownership etc etc. Whilst I cherish my cars and they want for nothing maintenance wise, I do not have never-ending pockets so are any models considered better than others, typical annual running costs etc
Again maybe I have been listening too much to the scaremongers and should have learnt my lesson.
Sorry if this has been covered before, but seems the search facility is still down...
Cheers
What Id like to hear about is the experience of anyone who has made the same swap - the differences in reliability of the S6 v V8, costs of ownership etc etc. Whilst I cherish my cars and they want for nothing maintenance wise, I do not have never-ending pockets so are any models considered better than others, typical annual running costs etc
Again maybe I have been listening too much to the scaremongers and should have learnt my lesson.
Sorry if this has been covered before, but seems the search facility is still down...
Cheers
HI i made the change 2 months ago from a chim 450 which i ran for 18 months trouble free 2 trips to lemans and about10000 miles,just a lot of petrol and a few gallons of oil.great car and like yourself always wanted a tuscan so after trawling all the posts on here reading all the coments i decided to get one with a rebuild regardless of mileage . i must say its a completely different animal from the chim ,it dose do a few more miles to the gallon than the chim about 4/5 more the power delivery is amazing and you wont lose that grin off your face untill you wash it off that night.insurance 70 pound more yet again i was surprised . it is well worth doing i would recommend to anyone ,try to find one that has not had more than 2 or 3 owners and had a recent rebuild mine had done 21450 miles and rebuilt at 17500 with full history.YOU WILL NOT REGRET THE CHANGE but i do mise the noise off the chim. regards jon......
I went from a Griff 500 which I had for 18 months to a Tuscan. I loved the torque and the noise of the V8 in the Griff and the running costs weren't too bad. The Tuscan is a different beast altogether, it handles better, is better built (IMHO) and the power delivery is phenominal. OK, it doesn't sound like the V8 but with a set of carbon cans you can hear all those lovely pops and bangs on the change down and when you floor it, it sounds like a wailing banshee on heat. It makes the hairs on your neck stand on end!!!!! Insurance wise it cost me the same, and if it wasn't for the cost of a dreaded rebuild and clutch I don't think it costs an awful lot more than the Griff to run. So BUY ONE with a recent rebuild and new clutch (if buying a MK1) and you will be laughing..... even more so when you press the loud pedal!
Cheers guys, its good to hear from other people who have made the same move and recommend it. Will definately look for one with a recent rebuild - does that cure the problems totally or will another be likely to be needed in the future (appologies if that is a really dumb question!!)
Does a budget of £17-18k to buy the car and £1500-2000 per year (excluding insurance/tax/fuel etc) sound reasonable to get a good un, or do I need to put more money to it? I imagine that budget will get an early one, so engine rebuilds aside, any other problems to look for?
I guess its the same as the chimaera - buy on condition and service history not age and mileage???
Does a budget of £17-18k to buy the car and £1500-2000 per year (excluding insurance/tax/fuel etc) sound reasonable to get a good un, or do I need to put more money to it? I imagine that budget will get an early one, so engine rebuilds aside, any other problems to look for?
I guess its the same as the chimaera - buy on condition and service history not age and mileage???
If its had a recent rebuild, mileage becomes less relevant so condition and options become more important. A rebuilt engine won't guarantee another failure but if its built to 2006 spec it should have more chance of lasting.
For your price range I think you should be able to get a top condition 2000/1 reg with rebuild and new clutch. Then allow £2000 a year to run it you won't be far off the mark.
Happy hunting, let us know how you get on.
For your price range I think you should be able to get a top condition 2000/1 reg with rebuild and new clutch. Then allow £2000 a year to run it you won't be far off the mark.
Happy hunting, let us know how you get on.
I made the move from a Chim 4.0HC to a 2000 W Tuscan in April of this year. I had owned the Chim for 4 years with the only minor problems being an alternator and a battery. The Tuscan had just had a £7,000 re-build with Autocraft and had about 37,000 miles on the clock (about 11,000 more than my 96 P Chim!). I paid £16,000 for it against an advertised price of £17,300 as it needed a few things done like a tyre, a look at the brakes and the interior needs a tidy-up.
Since I've owned it I have a new tyre to matech the other 3 new Toyo T1-R's, new front brake discs, new front brake pads and a new battery. I've also had my shocks done as they were on their way out (but not an MOT failure) and went for Gaz Golds. When I got the car it had a few ride and handling issues (felt unsettled on the brakes) which all of the above work has completely sorted. I did know the work was needed but you need to remember that a Tuscan uses more expensive parts. The Chim has Ford brake parts so will be much cheaper to replace. Have a look at sites like tvrcarparts and you'll get an idea of the difference in parts costs.
I've also had a string of niggles as well and most of these are very common problems if you read this forum.
I couldn't get the car MOT'ed for about a month as I couldn't get in the doors every time (I know I could have given it to a dealer to sort but I don't have bottomless pockets and like to keep running costs as sesible as possible). This was connected with the controllers for the door openings which I re-soldered. This has got rid of most of the problem but it still fails to let me in the drivers door from time to time.
The roof also leaks at the front corners where it meets the windscreen so check this. My Chim was 100% water tight, never leaked. I know a bit of work and fiddling with the roof and seals will sort the Tuscan out and that's my next job.
The heater doesn't work either which I think is the stepper motor which is buried in the guts of the aircondioning system. Not easy to get to (2 man job to get the bonnet off) but I think the part is about £50.00 if it is that.
I have a lazy starter motor which I thought was the battery so if any car you look at sounds slow to turn over suspect the starter motor as well as the battery. There's some very recent posts on this.
I currently have an efi warning up which could be the lambda sensors or it could be a false reading, again another recent topic on here and common problem. This it will need a dealer to fix and I can't drive the car until this is done.
So am I glad I made the change? Well yes. OK the above is a long list of things to have gone wrong for me in 7 months but the things like brakes disc and pads are wear items which I knew needed doing when I got the car and wont need doing again for thousands of miles. The shocks are an upgrade so I didn't need to spend as much on them but they do make the car handle brilliantly.
The Tuscan is very different to a Chim, it's so much faster than my 4.0HC. It now handles brilliantly as well. As for looks... well I love the look of the Tuscan. The drive is different, my Chim was more of a cruiser where as the Tuscan likes to be 'driven' which is why I have the Tuscan it's my second car so not used every day.
Ask yourself how you use your car and how you'll feel if you experience a few problems like I have. I'm a TVR nut and must be honest and say I get fed up sometimes with the problems as it typically happens when I want to drive the car. Also ask yourself if you're prepaired to pay the extra running costs of a Tuscan.
You should defo look for a re-build car. I would try and find one that has just been done with a 2 year warranty from TVR Power. Check the car over very carefully as you don't want to miss something that needs to be done.
All in all I love my Tuscan but hope that the spending goes down a little next year. By the way, my insurance is only about £70 more with a future classic policy with Classic Line.
Keep us posted on what you decide to do.
Since I've owned it I have a new tyre to matech the other 3 new Toyo T1-R's, new front brake discs, new front brake pads and a new battery. I've also had my shocks done as they were on their way out (but not an MOT failure) and went for Gaz Golds. When I got the car it had a few ride and handling issues (felt unsettled on the brakes) which all of the above work has completely sorted. I did know the work was needed but you need to remember that a Tuscan uses more expensive parts. The Chim has Ford brake parts so will be much cheaper to replace. Have a look at sites like tvrcarparts and you'll get an idea of the difference in parts costs.
I've also had a string of niggles as well and most of these are very common problems if you read this forum.
I couldn't get the car MOT'ed for about a month as I couldn't get in the doors every time (I know I could have given it to a dealer to sort but I don't have bottomless pockets and like to keep running costs as sesible as possible). This was connected with the controllers for the door openings which I re-soldered. This has got rid of most of the problem but it still fails to let me in the drivers door from time to time.
The roof also leaks at the front corners where it meets the windscreen so check this. My Chim was 100% water tight, never leaked. I know a bit of work and fiddling with the roof and seals will sort the Tuscan out and that's my next job.
The heater doesn't work either which I think is the stepper motor which is buried in the guts of the aircondioning system. Not easy to get to (2 man job to get the bonnet off) but I think the part is about £50.00 if it is that.
I have a lazy starter motor which I thought was the battery so if any car you look at sounds slow to turn over suspect the starter motor as well as the battery. There's some very recent posts on this.
I currently have an efi warning up which could be the lambda sensors or it could be a false reading, again another recent topic on here and common problem. This it will need a dealer to fix and I can't drive the car until this is done.
So am I glad I made the change? Well yes. OK the above is a long list of things to have gone wrong for me in 7 months but the things like brakes disc and pads are wear items which I knew needed doing when I got the car and wont need doing again for thousands of miles. The shocks are an upgrade so I didn't need to spend as much on them but they do make the car handle brilliantly.
The Tuscan is very different to a Chim, it's so much faster than my 4.0HC. It now handles brilliantly as well. As for looks... well I love the look of the Tuscan. The drive is different, my Chim was more of a cruiser where as the Tuscan likes to be 'driven' which is why I have the Tuscan it's my second car so not used every day.
Ask yourself how you use your car and how you'll feel if you experience a few problems like I have. I'm a TVR nut and must be honest and say I get fed up sometimes with the problems as it typically happens when I want to drive the car. Also ask yourself if you're prepaired to pay the extra running costs of a Tuscan.
You should defo look for a re-build car. I would try and find one that has just been done with a 2 year warranty from TVR Power. Check the car over very carefully as you don't want to miss something that needs to be done.
All in all I love my Tuscan but hope that the spending goes down a little next year. By the way, my insurance is only about £70 more with a future classic policy with Classic Line.
Keep us posted on what you decide to do.
Thanks for these insights into the differences between the cars, sounds like you've had a few niggles with yours shortlad but then again when you put in perspective like you did its not too bad really. I am positive I will make the jump at some point, I guess I just wanted some reassurance as to what I might be potentially letting myself in for! I drive around 4-5k miles per year in the TVR now which I guess will stay similar, and I do have another car so I wouldnt be relying on it at all. Also I'm no expert so I think I would have an "expert" look it over again and on your advice will certainly look for one which has had a recent rebuild.
Thanks again all, if or more likely when I take the plunge I will be back....
Thanks again all, if or more likely when I take the plunge I will be back....
MJW1977 said:
Well, I went and looked at a couple. Found a nice 03 plate 4.0 with 27k on the clock and FSH by the supplying dealer. It was in great condition and only 2 owners
Does the engine problem relate to this age of car and anything else I should be aware of?
Cheers guys
I have watched the speed six forum for a while, used to have a cerby, currently dabbling in bikes but hoping for a later (i.e. tamora / tuscan) TVR next year some time. Does the engine problem relate to this age of car and anything else I should be aware of?
Cheers guys
I think that you really need a rebuild during / after 2005 to be confident, even if it has been rebuilt, there have been several rebuilds done before this time that simply used the inferior components once again. I certainly wont be buying one without a post 2005 rebuild.
Message Board | Tuscan | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff