Thinking of upgrading to a Tuscan...advice please...

[Pepsi_x]

Hi,

I am currently thinking about trading in my Chimaera 500 for a Tuscan and I have a couple of question, which I hope someone can help with....

Given that my budget is my car + 15K, I tihnk ill be looking in the 20-25k range....That seems to get me a Tuscan between 2003 and 2005 with mileage varying from 10-40K

Anyway, my main questions are (I am only interested in the 4.0 versions):
1)
What are the main differences between a 2003 Tuscan S and a 2005 Tuscan ?

2)
I have been told by a Tuscan owner in the past that a Speed6 engine 2005 onwards will have had the various reliability issues solved and that pre 2005 engines are a lot more fragile and you are best to get a rebuilt engine if pre 2005. How true/good adivce is this?

3) Any optional extras that are generally considered mandatory extras I should look for?

Cheers in advance
J

[x 7usc]

(1) erm cant be 100% on this but tuscan s had many mods over a std tuscan but not sure if TVR adopted this as the norm, which i doubt, for standard later models.
mines a 2000 "red rose" which was TVRs factory upgrade offered to people who's orders were in build after they announced the S

upgrades included bigger brakes, larger exhaust, bigger valves & injectors and some other bits aswell (anyone)

(2) you were told right, issues were sorted some time in 2005 but personally i would choose a recent rebuilt over an un rebuilt 2005 engine IMHO

(3) after market shocks are a must (nitrons, racing reds, gaz or if you are really lucky ohlins)

[G20RG B]

[quote=x 7usc

(2) you were told right, issues were sorted some time in 2005 but personally i would choose a recent rebuilt over an un rebuilt 2005 engine IMHO

I wouldn't have any worries buying a 2005 car with no rebuild but I guess for peace of mind a rebuild would be comforting but as I said I would take a 2005 engine no problem,

(3) after market shocks are a must (nitrons, racing reds, gaz or if you are really lucky ohlins)

Good advice , I think the ride hight on standard shocks is too high as well,It doesn't look right..


[/quote]

[Smooth Smith]

1) The obvious one really, a 2003 will be a mk1 whereas a 2005 car is likely to be a mk2. It depends whether looks are a deciding factor.

The S had air con as standard. I'm not sure whether it was standard on the 2 but I'm sure someone will know.

2) As above, it is generally regarded that 2005 cars have had the known weaknesses sorted. I would not rule out an unrebuilt 2005 car at all but I see a recent rebuild from the likes of Power or Str8t as an advantage on a car.

3) On the olders cars, the lack of air con is seen as a deal breaker for some (not me).

[piquet]

i'm sure someone will be along with a more definitive answer later but from memory

mark I

the s got over the standard-400bhp s engine ( over 360 standard), close ratio gearbox, hydratrack LSD, front splitter and rear spoiler, gas discharge main beam, air con, upgraded stereo i'm not sure if the brakes got upgraded as well, you could spec some of these as options on the standard cars

i think in 2003 there was also an option to have the dash in ali rather then brass

mark II got cosmetic changes to front and rear, changed suspension ( better) and a slower rack and different power steering to make it less twitchy, better stereo and speakers, i don't know if air con became standard in them or if they also went to gas discharge, there was also an s version with revised aero package, 400bhp engine and close ratio box, which not all got

i was put off by the dash of the mark II, the pod as clarkson described it looks like a baboons arse and can be hard to read in bright light, later on they put a shade over it to help, i also hate the cheap air vent that sits between you legs, mind you i guess it makes sure you put your seatbelt on. The convertible or wavy dash is much better and if i was getting a mark II would be a must.

personally i'd say aircon is a must, having gone from mine not working to working, at speed it's a god send and would never look at one without now

the 2005 engines are generally more reliable, but they can still get screwed by other things failing and causing them to overheat etc

all engine rebuilds unfortunately are not the same, the tvr power and str8six are highly recommended, if you can get one with a 4.3 upgrade, these are worth getting due to the warranty and the improvement in the engine, put it this way i have a 4.3 and am looking at sagarises at the moment, and compared to mine the sagaris feels slow and lacks grunt, so if i buy one it'll be off to get the upgrade

[salmon]

I've recently moved from a chim to a tuscan and initial impressions are good. The tuscan seems a lot more modern in all aspects, although I wouldn't say its as comfortable as the chim on longer runs. I went for a cheaper mark 1 with a factory rebuild in '05. The difference in price was about 5k over one with a rebuild so my thinking was I can get a few years out of it and if it goes I get a power rebuild and only spent the same. Also preferred the look of the mark 1 and hoping prices have now bottomed out now as can't see them getting much cheaper so shouldn't lose much in depreciation.