Considering a T350

[JCW]

Hello

I've been wandering around the forum, gradually picking up information but have struck a blank on a few areas for which I'd appreciate some answers:

Without casting aspersions on this car would I be correct in thinking that its priced at this level, as most cars of this age have undergone an engine rebuild or is it age/mileage related?

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C378800

Does anyone know how many 'chameleon green' cars were built? Personally, I prefer the lighter colours and would prefer to avoid a respray but are they colour sensitive from a resale perspective?

Lastly, I've seen mention of the 4.0l engine upgrade but does this add or detract from the value of the vehicle. Thanks in advance.

JCW

[peteA]

Colour choice personal - unless its really dodgy there's probably no impact on resale but there always safe colours

Engine rebuild is a definate selling point but more important is by whom rather than what...standard, 4, 4.3, 4.5 will cost more but not neccessarily mean one is worth more than another, I would say each increment will be worth a bit more?

Condition and service history are key I would say

[Zippee]

The one you link to is a very early car so no boot roller or bulkhead between boot and passenger compartment, no recess in the boot/glovebox, glued on fuel filler ring, early engine etc though nothing really wrong there.
The seats look more like Bison (vinyl substitute) than leather but don't quote me on that.
Just over 30k on the original engine, could be a good sign could be a bad - I don't care what people say it is a lottery. My cars engine was very well cared for and warmed through and I still needed a rebuild at 28k due to a failed half time bearing - theres also a stronger possibility the early S6 engines don't have the stronger internals, then again mine was a late 2004 and still failed (that said the engine itself was strong as an Ox before the bearing went).
A rebuild is a good idea if you can find one, not many cars in the classifieds and even fewer with rebuilds (though I do know of a Mint 4.3 on the market )
Make sure you get Air-con, the heat soak is tremendous and IMHO you'll need air-con at some points!
Just make sure you buy on condition and NOT price. Don't be afraid of a private sale (not just saying that because of my situation) as it'll give you a chance to see how the owner treats the car, warms it up, drives it, talks about it - a knowledgeable and enthusiastic owner can really make a difference to finding the right car!
Above all use this forum, the TVR community is small, there's around 200 350c and less than 80 targas on the road so people on here will stand a great chance of knowing at least some history if not past owners etc.

[JCW]

I've read that the targas are a bit noisy; is this liveable with or just an obvious statement? Although there is an attraction (for me) of more power from the larger engines is there an ideal compromise e.g. 4.3 etc?

[ShiDevil]

Targa panels can be a little noisy, if you have no clue how to fit them generally they are drowned out by the 6 horsemen of the apocalypse under the bonnet Nothing about a TVR is a compromise, you get one because you live it and love it

Edited by ShiDevil on Saturday 4th May 18:34

[jpp]

Panels on 2004-on are better but all down to practice. Great if you do the odd track session and/or are 6' 3" plus. The challenge will be to find one in the spec you prefer.

I just love how progressive and communicative the handling is, even by comparison to my old S1 (admittedly modified) Elise.

[JCW]

Is the 'C' a bit small for larger folk? Assuming the roof bubble gives more headroom as this may be an issue for me?

[jpp]

You can take out seat cushion and rake the seat back if you need to wear a helmet. I just prefer more clearance.

[jpp]

One consideration with a 'T' is the level of the drivers side 'cage' tube - for me this is at temple level.

Working out how to reduce the frequency I made contact with it was how I came to find out about removing the seat cushion. The seat is also much more supportive laterally like this.

[AdvocatusD]

ShiDevil said:

Targa panels can be a little noisy, if you have no clue how to fit them generally they are drowned out by the 6 horsemen of the apocalypse under the bonnet Nothing about a TVR is a compromise, you get one because you live it and love it

Edited by ShiDevil on Saturday 4th May 18:34

I think it's important that the OP is clear that Targa panels are not silent.

Depending on your personality they can either be acceptable or quite wearing. My targa panels were an excellent fit, but they still whistled above 70/80 MPH and unless you're way into the rev range, the engine is really not going to drown them out.

They will whistle the most on motorway drives, so the car will only usually be doing about 3500- 4000 at that point (not loud enough to drown it out). I spoke to Jason about this and had special deeper rubber replace the seals, which made a world of difference but they were not silent by any means.

The targa panels can be a bit of a phaff, and in hindsight I would have gone for a standard coupe, even if the targa cars are arguably more desirable.

[Targarama]

Some fit better than others. Unless it is very windy then mine are silent until over 100mph. I actually use their noise as an indication of speed without using the speedo. If I start to hear a whistle from the panels then I'm in licence losing territory.

Btw. Many Coupe door glass seals seem to whistle. My targa never has at any speed.

Try both cars, choose the one you like. They are both awesome.

[ShiDevil]

Agree on putting into perspective. Its a hand built car and each are different, some fit better, some bigger gaps etc. Its no louder than a soft top IMO. Having had a z4 theres not much difference. I've have upgraded the foam inside and increased the depth and density, which resolved it for me and meant I didn't have to fiddle so much . I can't say I have an issue with sound now, other than the usual front of door near wing mirror area which has me perplexed :/

Edited by ShiDevil on Sunday 5th May 16:54

[JCW]

In which year was the car updated from bison interior, rear bulkhead and engine upgrades?

[donski58]

JCW said:

In which year was the car updated from bison interior, rear bulkhead and engine upgrades?

I believe it was late 2003, typical TVR some late 2003 have the upgrades some don't, all 2004 cars should have the upgrades.

Good luck
Don

[Zippee]

JCW said:

I've read that the targas are a bit noisy; is this liveable with or just an obvious statement? Although there is an attraction (for me) of more power from the larger engines is there an ideal compromise e.g. 4.3 etc?

The targas do whistle, though the 2004 onwards cars had different clips to the earlier ones which helped a lot. Mine whistle from 80 onwards though it can be slower if theres a really strong wind. TBH it's really not that bad - remember though these are not quiet cars with the build quality of a Porsche, you will get squeaks, bangs, rattles etc but it's all part of the TVR experience

Engine wise, standard is the 3.6, a tiny handful were supplied with a 4.0 from new and some have been rebuilt to 4.0. The 4.3 is chalk and cheese different over the 3.6, so much more low down torque as well as top end power - certainly not an upgrade I regret in mine...

As for Bison interior, I believe this was standard unless people specced the uprated leather and wasn't year dependant though I'm happy to be wrong on this. The other options, boot roller, sunvisors etc were 04 on I believe.

[JCW]

Thanks everyone. Some good information here.