£25k = reliable clean tvr worthy of European road trip??

[likesachange]

As above, I am tempted to get a TVR t350 or tamora for Le Mans and road trip over France and alps...

I have a 25k budget and I can see a few T350's for sale within reach give or take a grand or 2. But would it be a realistic option to smack on 3000 miles over a couple of weeks without issues?

I know it must annoy many loyal owners of all this unreliable talk, I had the same with my Alfa gta's.... But the question has to be asked...

Also how good are the warranties on these tvrs that you see advertised by garages and specialists?

Thanks
J

[fatboychim]

This was my mates car,

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

I'm not saying buy it, but all the talk of unreliabilty can be unfounded. He bought it, used it, tracked it. He owned it for 3 years and I don't think he owns a spanner. It let him down once when the 100 amp fuse blew.
So what I'm saying is, buy yourself a car and enjoy it and don't worry about all the Doommongers.
Ps, I also know what he sold it for!!!

[Sevenman]

likesachange said:

As above, I am tempted to get a TVR t350 or tamora for Le Mans and road trip over France and alps...

Not too long after we bought the Tamora we did 3000 miles in 3 weeks including the Alps.

No issues, good fun. Final day was 600 miles in endless rain to get home. No problems. Some good roof-off drives.

Link to trip writeup

This was late May in the Alps after we had to turn back due to a snow storm higher up.


And less than £25k to buy, but with the spend in the last few years it must be getting close.

likesachange said:

Also how good are the warranties on these tvrs that you see advertised by garages and specialists?

Good enough, but it runs out and make sure you budget for servicing. They seem to cost plenty to run.

[likesachange]

fatboychim said:

This was my mates car,

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

I'm not saying buy it, but all the talk of unreliabilty can be unfounded. He bought it, used it, tracked it. He owned it for 3 years and I don't think he owns a spanner. It let him down once when the 100 amp fuse blew.
So what I'm saying is, buy yourself a car and enjoy it and don't worry about all the Doommongers.
Ps, I also know what he sold it for!!!

Thanks, that all sounds promising.

I bet he sold it for a lot less than that ...

I hope it's not a car which sits in the "never meet your heroes" catorgory...

[likesachange]

Sevenman said:

likesachange said:

As above, I am tempted to get a TVR t350 or tamora for Le Mans and road trip over France and alps...

Not too long after we bought the Tamora we did 3000 miles in 3 weeks including the Alps.

No issues, good fun. Final day was 600 miles in endless rain to get home. No problems. Some good roof-off drives.

Link to trip writeup

This was late May in the Alps after we had to turn back due to a snow storm higher up.


And less than £25k to buy, but with the spend in the last few years it must be getting close.

likesachange said:

Also how good are the warranties on these tvrs that you see advertised by garages and specialists?

Good enough, but it runs out and make sure you budget for servicing. They seem to cost plenty to run.

It seems the tamora would be the sensible choice leaving a few k for maintanence....

I'm off to read your write up

[fatboychim]

likesachange said:

I bet he sold it for a lot less than that ...

Oh yes.

[billy no brakes]

[quote=likesachange]As above, I am tempted to get a TVR t350 or tamora for Le Mans and road trip over France and alps...

I have a 25k budget and I can see a few T350's for sale within reach give or take a grand or 2. But would it be a realistic option to smack on 3000 miles over a couple of weeks without issues?

I know it must annoy many loyal owners of all this unreliable talk, I had the same with my Alfa gta's.... But the question has to be asked...

Also how good are the warranties on these tvrs that you see advertised by garages and specialists?


I have 3 of the blighters a Griff , Cerb and a T350 which I,am picking up from sir Doms next week as its having a 4.5 put in and it comes with a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty , I have been all over France in the Cerb and Griff on one trip 2800 of your miles and the only issue was the brake switch melted and that might have been because of some spirited driving, enough said just get one and if you can find one with some warranty left even better

[Targarama]

You can spend £10k on a TVR and have a perfectly reliable car - this would be a Chimaera or an older model. I have done numerous 2-3,000 mile European road trips in my Chimaera and now my T350. After 2 years of not doing so many miles I am planning a few long trips this year, all the car will get is the usual service/MOT/eagle eye at Str8Six (one of the top indie specialists).

Do it.

[likesachange]

Thanks for all this info. It really has enlightened and reassures me.

I seen a few specialists pop up and a few oooop north which is a bonus.

Hexham horseless carriages only 30 mins away??

Those 5yr unlimited mileage rebuilds can't be cheap?? What power is it after a 4.5 conversion..
I've seen a few choose the LS7 lump which am sure divides huge opinion..

Is like to know worst case scenario ... I.e. engine failure what £££ we talking...

[Noisy]

I did 3500 miles in a week going to Hungary and back for a wedding 18 months ago in my Tuscan without any issues, a Tamora or T350 should do the same thing no problems.

[billy no brakes]

Noisy said:

I did 3500 miles in a week going to Hungary and back for a wedding 18 months ago in my Tuscan without any issues, a Tamora or T350 should do the same thing no problems.

How did you get on with the vertigo, you had a fantastic recovery it seems to me

[7 TVR]

I,ve thrashed several TVR's from London to Spa tracked them for two days then thrashed it to the ring where you guessed it we thrashed them some more & then when the tyres where worn and my pockets empty we thrashed them home, and not once have I had a single problem other than my group hiding the Griff keys to force me into the Tuscan
Like everything in life TLC pays dividends & just as a comparison my T350 was bang on your budget was with me a year including two big euro trips and apart from about £1600 in servicing and parts was sold for what I paid for it Happy days!

[likesachange]

7 TVR said:

I,ve thrashed several TVR's from London to Spa tracked them for two days then thrashed it to the ring where you guessed it we thrashed them some more & then when the tyres where worn and my pockets empty we thrashed them home, and not once have I had a single problem other than my group hiding the Griff keys to force me into the Tuscan
Like everything in life TLC pays dividends & just as a comparison my T350 was bang on your budget was with me a year including two big euro trips and apart from about £1600 in servicing and parts was sold for what I paid for it Happy days!

Sounds more and more appealing!

Thanks for that.

Decisions decisions, so many people around me saying I'd be mad etc and I really want to prove them wrong!