Early MK1 Tuscans - High risk buying strategy??
Discussion
Chaps,
I've been looking for a Chim for the last couple of weeks and not really given Tuscans much of a thought, until now!
It looks like you can pick up an early 2000/1 model 4.0 for around the £12k mark, which is not that much further afield from a late Chim.
What's the general consensus on the early ones? Appreciate generally you need to give about 30 months grace on a new production run before buying in, but I 'd guess a company like TVR do a lot of running changes.
Are there any essential upgrades/mods that I should be looking for history wise - think that I may have read something about early engine failures or similar?
The other question really is useability, I'm looking for something that I can drive on a regular(ish) basis....do-able?
Cheers,
I've been looking for a Chim for the last couple of weeks and not really given Tuscans much of a thought, until now!
It looks like you can pick up an early 2000/1 model 4.0 for around the £12k mark, which is not that much further afield from a late Chim.
What's the general consensus on the early ones? Appreciate generally you need to give about 30 months grace on a new production run before buying in, but I 'd guess a company like TVR do a lot of running changes.
Are there any essential upgrades/mods that I should be looking for history wise - think that I may have read something about early engine failures or similar?
The other question really is useability, I'm looking for something that I can drive on a regular(ish) basis....do-able?
Cheers,
i think the real answer can be given by listening to the inside of your wallet
everybody can buy a super sportscar
the question is if you are willing to afford the maintainance (+ extra's)
these cars have some issues (which can be pricy) and you cant really exclude them
not even by buying a mint example with a recent rebuild
there are cars whithout rebuilds still going strong and others have had 2 rebuilds ??????
the car is thirsty and in general likes oil
i would say if you want a sportscar for everyday use without problems buy a P*****e (ooops sorry)
the tuscan has a heavy clutch, heavy steering and wide circle, no great visibility, difficult step in/out, high running costs
jeeees
sounds like my wife
rens
everybody can buy a super sportscar
the question is if you are willing to afford the maintainance (+ extra's)
these cars have some issues (which can be pricy) and you cant really exclude them
not even by buying a mint example with a recent rebuild
there are cars whithout rebuilds still going strong and others have had 2 rebuilds ??????
the car is thirsty and in general likes oil
i would say if you want a sportscar for everyday use without problems buy a P*****e (ooops sorry)
the tuscan has a heavy clutch, heavy steering and wide circle, no great visibility, difficult step in/out, high running costs
jeeees
sounds like my wife
rens
I bought 2001 tuscan red rose earlier this year. It has a fairly high mileage and older rebuild so I suppose comes into the category of "high risk". I bought from a dealer with a 1 year warranty - this paid off almost immediately as the clutch went - it was replaced at no cost to me. I've done around 1000 miles so far with very little oil use. Unfortunately the ECU is playing up and currently in for diagnosis - guess this could happen with a car of any age. My advice is if you are buying an older one get a decent warranty on it - even if you buy privately you can still do this.
Well at least you haven't bought one without asking the right questions first.
I believe that the earlier cars now represent good value for money. if you get one with an engine rebuild and still under warranty then it's a huge bonus. At £12K, and depending on your budget, you still have headroom to keep aside cash for a rebuild in the future. A friend of mine has done this and so far hasn't had any problems with the car but at least he's prepared for the worst.
You certainly can use them everyday just like I do mine. Fuel consumption isn't too bad in my opinion neither is oil. If it does use a lot of oil then it's a sure sign that things are going wrong with the engine.
Good luck
I believe that the earlier cars now represent good value for money. if you get one with an engine rebuild and still under warranty then it's a huge bonus. At £12K, and depending on your budget, you still have headroom to keep aside cash for a rebuild in the future. A friend of mine has done this and so far hasn't had any problems with the car but at least he's prepared for the worst.
You certainly can use them everyday just like I do mine. Fuel consumption isn't too bad in my opinion neither is oil. If it does use a lot of oil then it's a sure sign that things are going wrong with the engine.
Good luck
I have been considering a Tuscan and asking myself the same question re risk.
If you can find something in good condition at a price you're happy with and have reserves should anything go horribly wrong I'd say it's worth it.
How many have you seen at your £12K price ? They're very thin on the ground, or am I looking in the wrong place ?
If you can find something in good condition at a price you're happy with and have reserves should anything go horribly wrong I'd say it's worth it.
How many have you seen at your £12K price ? They're very thin on the ground, or am I looking in the wrong place ?
BDM said:
I havent seen any at £12k i would say a starting mark of £15k atleast...
There's one at £11500 in the classifieds section on here and another around the same price on TVRCC site.Quite a few around £13k-£15K which IMHO is far more realistic.
Nice looking reflex purple, 2002 for £17.5K, such a shame the budget doesn't go that far
Edited by tvrloon on Friday 4th September 12:43
tvrloon said:
BDM said:
I havent seen any at £12k i would say a starting mark of £15k atleast...
There's one at £11500 in the classifieds section on here and another around the same price on TVRCC site.Quite a few around £13k-£15K which IMHO is far more realistic.
Nice looking reflex purple, 2002 for £17.5K, such a shame the budget doesn't go that far
Edited by tvrloon on Friday 4th September 12:43
a rebuild is going to cost you about 6000 and it's never to say if you're going to need one
rens
rens914 said:
be carefull buying a tuscan for < 15000 if your budget does'nt reach 17000
a rebuild is going to cost you about 6000 and it's never to say if you're going to need one
rens
I would agree with you, it also depends on how you spend your budget.a rebuild is going to cost you about 6000 and it's never to say if you're going to need one
rens
If you've 17K to spend do you spend it all at once or buy something cheaper with a few £k in the bank for contingency. Spending it all at once puts you in a position of trouble should things go wrong.
What would you do ?
Be really carefuly about a cheap Tuscan. I bought a cheap Chimaera and spent a lot keeping it on the road. The garage I bought the Tuscan from told me about one they had in for an engine rebuild, the owner hadn't had it long and it was a smart looking car, the car had other issues too making it behond economical repair.
You could be lucky.
You could be lucky.
Remember even if you spend £20000 it doesnt guarantee you wont need a rebuild/clutch etc. My advice is find a decent early car for about 13500/14000 then put a 12 month warranty on it with a £2000 per claim limit. If you do your research on the warranty company (there are loads of independant testimonials on line)this will cover most of a top end rebuild and certainly a clucth/gearbox.
i would say buy what you like but i have no real limit concerning my toys
but if you have a limit
buy something wich leaves you some trouble money
but habe a look at a lot of cars first
have seen a lot now
a tvr is practical a handbuilt car
there are cars with door boot and other lining problems
a garantee is a good thing
rens
but if you have a limit
buy something wich leaves you some trouble money
but habe a look at a lot of cars first
have seen a lot now
a tvr is practical a handbuilt car
there are cars with door boot and other lining problems
a garantee is a good thing
rens
Hi,
I bought a Tuscan w registered with a rebuilt for 11500 Pds.
In my hands for 1.5 Years now, no issues, runs still fine.
I gave him new coulour, Ford electic orange, now he looks like new!
Total costs now with new paint,Gaz golds, approx 16500 Euros.
All, i mean "all" works fine, no faults or issues!
I hope my link works:
http://www.tvrcarclub.de/pic-show/t200908c/Data/pa...
You must have a bit luck, nobody can look inside of this
speed six engine, i know somebody he has bought a tuscan
built in 2004 for 35ooo euro with 6000 miles , but LHD
and had lost one conrod after 700 miles ( while driving in mid range 3000 rpm on highway), so engine compl. destroyed.
Rebuilt costs 13000 euro! So total costs of his tuscan
48000 Euro.
I decided the way to buy cheap, if something get faulty i try
to fix a best as possible, if my engine goes pop i will buy
a 4.3 litre from Tvr Power and i am on safe side with warranty
given.
Without warranty you are never on safe side and without some money in background
better buy a Toyota.
This cars can (or cannot) empty you pockets within short time.
Always make sure that your Baby gets best possible maintenance,
otherwise you can be sure you have to pay twice or triple or more
after brakedown.(Valve clearance every year, max 5000 miles!)
Uwe
I bought a Tuscan w registered with a rebuilt for 11500 Pds.
In my hands for 1.5 Years now, no issues, runs still fine.
I gave him new coulour, Ford electic orange, now he looks like new!
Total costs now with new paint,Gaz golds, approx 16500 Euros.
All, i mean "all" works fine, no faults or issues!
I hope my link works:
http://www.tvrcarclub.de/pic-show/t200908c/Data/pa...
You must have a bit luck, nobody can look inside of this
speed six engine, i know somebody he has bought a tuscan
built in 2004 for 35ooo euro with 6000 miles , but LHD
and had lost one conrod after 700 miles ( while driving in mid range 3000 rpm on highway), so engine compl. destroyed.
Rebuilt costs 13000 euro! So total costs of his tuscan
48000 Euro.
I decided the way to buy cheap, if something get faulty i try
to fix a best as possible, if my engine goes pop i will buy
a 4.3 litre from Tvr Power and i am on safe side with warranty
given.
Without warranty you are never on safe side and without some money in background
better buy a Toyota.
This cars can (or cannot) empty you pockets within short time.
Always make sure that your Baby gets best possible maintenance,
otherwise you can be sure you have to pay twice or triple or more
after brakedown.(Valve clearance every year, max 5000 miles!)
Uwe
Edited by Tuscanuwe on Saturday 5th September 10:17
I bought a 2001 x plate tuscan 20 months ago. I bought one that had been rebuilt, had clutch work done and had a full service history. It required a service when I bought it but used that to barter the price down a bit.
In the 20 months it's had 2 services, new clutch and seals, throttle cable, new rear tyres, injector, dash repair.
Nothing major really but all of it adds up. I now have a reliable car with all the boxes ticked when it comes to possible failures. Yes it doesn't gurantee nothing will happen but it gives a bit of peace of mind.
All in all i'm glad I purchased the car and glad I did my homework first before going into it.
My car is up for sale now but it will be a good car for someone.
In the 20 months it's had 2 services, new clutch and seals, throttle cable, new rear tyres, injector, dash repair.
Nothing major really but all of it adds up. I now have a reliable car with all the boxes ticked when it comes to possible failures. Yes it doesn't gurantee nothing will happen but it gives a bit of peace of mind.
All in all i'm glad I purchased the car and glad I did my homework first before going into it.
My car is up for sale now but it will be a good car for someone.
I fyour going to buy a cheaper Tuscan (I did) mentally allow the money to keep it on the road - if you don't need it its a bonus (I haven't) bt if you do need it you should not cry about it as its probably the money that you would have spent on a later one but you will know its Ok (and have warranty)
ie - buy Tuscan for £12k, but assume its actually going to cost you £16k, mentally put the £4k aside.
I sort of did this and my Tuscan (had a TVR Power rebuild in 2005) has needed nothing but standard servicing.
If the engine goes pop (touch wood it won't, so far so good) then I will get it rebuild and potentially have a decent warranty (which I'm sure will be worth something come resale time).
Don't spend £12k and 'expect' it to cost you nothing to run.
BTW - I have not watched the classifieds for a while but when I was looking there were several for about £13/£14k with TVR warrantys still on the engine (in the days when it was 1 year) - not sure if that is still the case.
Out of interest you never see a Tuscan requiring an engine rebuild for sale (this was what I was originally aiming for) - wonder what they would go for? If it was around £9k that would be the way to go - nice long warranty and peice of mind for approx £15k
ie - buy Tuscan for £12k, but assume its actually going to cost you £16k, mentally put the £4k aside.
I sort of did this and my Tuscan (had a TVR Power rebuild in 2005) has needed nothing but standard servicing.
If the engine goes pop (touch wood it won't, so far so good) then I will get it rebuild and potentially have a decent warranty (which I'm sure will be worth something come resale time).
Don't spend £12k and 'expect' it to cost you nothing to run.
BTW - I have not watched the classifieds for a while but when I was looking there were several for about £13/£14k with TVR warrantys still on the engine (in the days when it was 1 year) - not sure if that is still the case.
Out of interest you never see a Tuscan requiring an engine rebuild for sale (this was what I was originally aiming for) - wonder what they would go for? If it was around £9k that would be the way to go - nice long warranty and peice of mind for approx £15k
Thats same i said, without having a rebuilt you
are sitting on a 5000-8000 Bpds bomb.
But most rebuilts are done in 2003 and 2004/05 without
guarantees now available from TVR Power.
This ones are cheaper and you also can have luck!
But a 2000 to 2003 without rebuilt is a bomb!
Nobody knows when it (the speed 6) explodes.
Uwe
are sitting on a 5000-8000 Bpds bomb.
But most rebuilts are done in 2003 and 2004/05 without
guarantees now available from TVR Power.
This ones are cheaper and you also can have luck!
But a 2000 to 2003 without rebuilt is a bomb!
Nobody knows when it (the speed 6) explodes.
Uwe
Tuscanuwe said:
But a 2000 to 2003 without rebuilt is a bomb!
Nobody knows when it (the speed 6) explodes.
Uwe
Not sure i agree with that. Plenty in that range that havent had a rebuild and running fine. Just need to ensure they are serviced when needed and dont abuse it. Warm it correctly etc...Nobody knows when it (the speed 6) explodes.
Uwe
What i would say is check the full history when its gone for a service etc. Whether its been looked at yearly etc... What the previous owners have had done etc.
An engine doesnt explode on its own in my eyes. Sometimes a receipt for a rebuild can be worse as Robertjp experienced...
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