I'm tempted to a possible return to TVR ownership...wise or?

[Shaun400se]

Afternoon folks.

Having admired them for many a year, I'm seriously considering taking a punt on a T350T. I'm an ex- Griffith owner of 1992 4.0 litre vintage, and also more recently owned 4.3 and 500 variants, both of those conspiring against me in the reliability stakes, and being Aberdeen based, they both proved to be a real nuisance to resolve problems with.

So, a simple question - how far wrong could I go with this T350T not long up for sale at Racing Green?

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...

Any background info, technical advice, do's and dont's and what to look for would be (very) gratefully received.

Shaun+

[The Surveyor]

That's a beautiful looking T350 and with very very few miles, it's barely run in! Racing Green have an excellent reputation but it's a long way back if there are any niggles to sort out.

Personally I'd look for something which has been used more regularly unless your planning on only doing very little driving yourself. You're paying a huge premium for a low mileage car and once you've driven it home, and driven it for a few years, most of that premium would be lost.

How many miles do you intend to do per annum?

Reliability wise, it seems from my experiences that the more you drive these cars, the more reliable are.

Paul

[sanquin]

The Surveyor said:

Reliability wise, it seems from my experiences that the more you drive these cars, the more reliable are.

Paul

+1

I drive mine regularly and the car has proven itself very reliable. (Usually) one service a year and it does not break down Must say that I do want to have everything sorted in the service so I do not spare expense and the service costs are thus reasonably high.

Edited by sanquin on Thursday 4th July 18:51

[Laser Sag]

sanquin said:

The Surveyor said:

Reliability wise, it seems from my experiences that the more you drive these cars, the more reliable are.

Paul

+1

I drive mine regularly and the car has proven itself very reliable. (Usually) one service a year and it does not break down Must say that I do want to have everything sorted in the service so I do not spare expense and the service costs are thus reasonably high.

Edited by sanquin on Thursday 4th July 18:51

+2
Regular use and proper servicing should see you with a relaible car. I know we are all different but at less than 300 miles a year I think I would be more worried at what might have perished etc.

If you are worried about reliability ?I would suggest something with a few more miles on it. Most of these cars had their niggles ironed out when they were used from new and so there is a good chance this one may not have gone through that process yet. In which case you could end up doing it now. All IMHO

[cammy71]

Shaun, there is a north east of Scotland based TVR services called TVR Ecosse. Seen some very good reports about his work. Think his name is Barry. So, don't be put off by your location. Have a T350C myself - love it, best of the three TVRs that I have had.

[T350 Brad]

Had a look 'round this car on Monday - not surprisingly it's absolutely immaculate inside and out, and the colour scheme looks even better in the flesh. As above, I was concerned about perishables and and lack of use, plus I do 7-8k miles a year so paying a hefty premium for an ultra-low milage version didn't really stack up for me.

[Zippee]

It's a lovely car BUT is it really worth a 10k premium over the others because it has low miles? Plus all the other potential problems a low mileage car can produce - personally I'd go for a mid to late 20s car with some reasonable mileage, thorough history and everything run in.

[Shaun400se]

Cheers to you all.....that's all good advice and information and I'll obviously bear it in mind. I did have a slight concern myself about the averaged out 250-300 miles a year that the car has clocked, and the usual worries about me then having to pay for all the upgrade and development work that most over T's have clearly gone through (and for the better) once they were on the road and being regularly used. The attraction with this particular model is its colour scheme - call me boring but the graphite with graphite wheels I think just looks superb - and of course cosmetically it's got to be just about perfect, and the pictures do seem to bely that fact. Another plus point is the fact that its Racing Green selling it so presumably it'd come with a years warranty and that after I could get an honest appraisal of what upgrades if any, it really needed and of course which of those it has already received.

I'm waiting for them to call me back anyway, and will see where that leads me......I was tempted by a Sag, but at a £15-£20k premium over this car and with only perhaps 70 of the 350T's left on the road, I think it'd be a good long term buy, both in the enjoyment AND investment stakes, on the basis that it's well looked after, and believe me, if I buy I'll look after well!

Thanks everyone for the time you've spent responding and ill let you know how I get on.

ATB.
Shaun+

[Quentin1]

Make sure you test a t before the ownership experience. The T350 is a wonderful car, but for me personally the t wouldn´t be an option because of the ridiculous wind noise the roofs generate. If open top motoring is a must I´d go for the Tamora, or buy a c instead. Just a thought...

Björn.

[Laser Sag]

Shaun400se said:

Cheers to you all.....that's all good advice and information and I'll obviously bear it in mind. I did have a slight concern myself about the averaged out 250-300 miles a year that the car has clocked, and the usual worries about me then having to pay for all the upgrade and development work that most over T's have clearly gone through (and for the better) once they were on the road and being regularly used. The attraction with this particular model is its colour scheme - call me boring but the graphite with graphite wheels I think just looks superb - and of course cosmetically it's got to be just about perfect, and the pictures do seem to bely that fact. Another plus point is the fact that its Racing Green selling it so presumably it'd come with a years warranty and that after I could get an honest appraisal of what upgrades if any, it really needed and of course which of those it has already received.

I'm waiting for them to call me back anyway, and will see where that leads me......I was tempted by a Sag, but at a £15-£20k premium over this car and with only perhaps 70 of the 350T's left on the road, I think it'd be a good long term buy, both in the enjoyment AND investment stakes, on the basis that it's well looked after, and believe me, if I buy I'll look after well!

Thanks everyone for the time you've spent responding and ill let you know how I get on.

ATB.
Shaun+

Only comment really would be yes you will get a good warranty but will they let someone else do any remedial work, if not thats a lot of grief to get problems sorted out when there is that sort of distance between owner and supplier.

Whilst the colour isn't my own taste a friend had a grey one and it used to look pure evil behind you, seemed to be hoovering up the road in the rear view mirror.

Whether its that one or another hope you enjoy.

Kev

[SimonPercy]

Zippee said:

It's a lovely car BUT is it really worth a 10k premium over the others because it has low miles? Plus all the other potential problems a low mileage car can produce - personally I'd go for a mid to late 20s car with some reasonable mileage, thorough history and everything run in.

+1

My T350t is close to 60k miles now, not many of them done by me, so as you say most of the fine fettling has been done at someone elses expense, and i now have an amazing car.

The roof panels do whistle, at various speeds depending on how well they are fitted after removal, but is not normally an issue until above 70 mph, which obviousley you cannot do in this country . If it is still an issue your exhaust is not loud enough!!