Sagaris....or Sensible???
Discussion
Calling All Sag lovers /haters!
I need some real honest advice.
About a year ago I tested a sagaris at dream machines and just loved the car to pieces, it was the only car ive ever tested that made me grin outrageously!
Howerver after doing lots of research and hearing loads of horror stories about the 7K engine rebuilds and things falling off, i had to put my sensible socks on and bought a 2007 Z4 M coupe.
350 horses and about the closest thing i could find to a Sag ,but with all the worries removed!
Ive sold that now and considering a few things...
Lotus Evora (used)
GTR (Used)
355 spyder
........SAGARIS!
But I cant help coming back to the Sagaris, BUT then again, I just read on this forum ,literally sent yesturday, from a Very Unhappy guy who has just bought a Sag and really not happy!......so back to the problem!
Am i barking mad to consider one????????????
(in the classifieds there is a gorgeous blue one 3300 miles only, and a 2005 year for £36.995
Are they still dropping in value and should I realistically pay less than that?
Help! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I need some real honest advice.
About a year ago I tested a sagaris at dream machines and just loved the car to pieces, it was the only car ive ever tested that made me grin outrageously!
Howerver after doing lots of research and hearing loads of horror stories about the 7K engine rebuilds and things falling off, i had to put my sensible socks on and bought a 2007 Z4 M coupe.
350 horses and about the closest thing i could find to a Sag ,but with all the worries removed!
Ive sold that now and considering a few things...
Lotus Evora (used)
GTR (Used)
355 spyder
........SAGARIS!
But I cant help coming back to the Sagaris, BUT then again, I just read on this forum ,literally sent yesturday, from a Very Unhappy guy who has just bought a Sag and really not happy!......so back to the problem!
Am i barking mad to consider one????????????
(in the classifieds there is a gorgeous blue one 3300 miles only, and a 2005 year for £36.995
Are they still dropping in value and should I realistically pay less than that?
Help! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I don't own a Sag but I have done some research as I am looking to buy a T350. The main questions you need to ask yourself to make the decision on whether to go for a Sag or not are the following .....
1) Are you planning to use it everyday?
2) Do you have a contingency fund IF it does do wrong?
There is a wealth of information on this forum, lots of people with experience and knowledge have posted valuable information, if you do a search, you will probably find the answers to any questions you have.
<MY_TWO_PENNETH>
The reason I am personally looking for a T350 as opposed to any other car for around the £25k mark is because I want something unique. My friends think I am stupid to want one and they point me in the direction of 3 Series BMW's and AUDI RS4's but I want a car that will make me smile when I open the garage door and make me feel good when I drive it. A car that will scare me with it's power into being sensible and give me more enjoyment at 60mph on a wet B road than SILLYmph in a quiet anonymous mass manufactured saloon.
I am going into it with an open mind and even though I am doing as much research as possible before I buy, I am prepared for it to go wrong. I am prepared to be stranded on the hard shoulder when something fails. I am prepared to have to have to spend money on it to fix what needs to be fixed and am prepared to sort out the niggly things that really should have been sorted out at the factory and I think this is the mindset you need to have for a happy TVR ownership experience.
<MY_TWO_PENNETH>
You could always look for a Sagaris that needs an engine rebuild for £5k cheaper than your budget, then take it to TVR Power for a new engine with a 3 year warranty - This should give you the car you want with the peace of mind you crave
1) Are you planning to use it everyday?
2) Do you have a contingency fund IF it does do wrong?
There is a wealth of information on this forum, lots of people with experience and knowledge have posted valuable information, if you do a search, you will probably find the answers to any questions you have.
<MY_TWO_PENNETH>
The reason I am personally looking for a T350 as opposed to any other car for around the £25k mark is because I want something unique. My friends think I am stupid to want one and they point me in the direction of 3 Series BMW's and AUDI RS4's but I want a car that will make me smile when I open the garage door and make me feel good when I drive it. A car that will scare me with it's power into being sensible and give me more enjoyment at 60mph on a wet B road than SILLYmph in a quiet anonymous mass manufactured saloon.
I am going into it with an open mind and even though I am doing as much research as possible before I buy, I am prepared for it to go wrong. I am prepared to be stranded on the hard shoulder when something fails. I am prepared to have to have to spend money on it to fix what needs to be fixed and am prepared to sort out the niggly things that really should have been sorted out at the factory and I think this is the mindset you need to have for a happy TVR ownership experience.
<MY_TWO_PENNETH>
You could always look for a Sagaris that needs an engine rebuild for £5k cheaper than your budget, then take it to TVR Power for a new engine with a 3 year warranty - This should give you the car you want with the peace of mind you crave
Thanks FlO7AAV
Thats a real help, I will only be using the car for a little fun at the weekend, I think your right about making sure I have a "TVR Fund" in the bank!
Its not really the small things going wrong that put me off... just the worry of that famous speed 6 Engine going PoP!
Good luck with your purchase and thanks for the reply!
To be honest, stories of SP6 unreliability, especially in a Sagaris, are overhyped. If you look after it, which you should be doing (given that it's your P&J), it shouldn't give you any major troubles. One of the few positive effects of the Russian takeover was a dramatic increase in build quality (although I might stand corrected here). If in doubt, get the car checked out beforehand. The vast majority of remaining TVR specialist dealers are amazing, so take advantage of it! To me, the chance to experience something that might very well not be repeated, given current "green" policies, far outweighed the (debatable) risks...
Very few disappointed Sag owners on here and I've never met one in the flesh! It's a hell of a car and very rewarding to own. Some people were trying to talk the values down but it hasn't happened. There are so few of them and the owners don't want to sell so depreciation is minimal, even in these times. I sold mine last month only because I am moving abroad and can't take it with me. I paid £40k 15 months before at 6k miles, took it to 13k and sold it back to the dealer for £35k. He will have put a warranty on it, serviced it etc.. and retailed it on for £38kish. That is glacial depreciation! So even if you buy one and sell it on next year you won't lose anything (as long as it's a good un). If you have the itch scratch it.
we had one for 40 months and did 31K miles in it, used most days. Had a few niggles, but no worse than any new car, did a few track days, toured around Europe, went to LeMans a couple of times, generally drove it ...a lot 
it was awesome, a great car, nothing quite like it and the only reason its gone is due to health reasons on my part (couldnt get in it in the end) ..anyway, once Ive had my hip replaced, we will be back in a TVR again next year
It sold for £30k in the end - it was the highest mileage one for sale, even on a March 06 plate, but in perfect condition and niggle free, as funnily enough if you use a car daily then you tend to fix them
so personally, im not a fan of paying a premium for a 4 year old car that has only had the odd run to the shops on a Sunday and got 4K miles on it....they like to be used, leave them to stand for a few months and all sorts of weird things start playing up LOL
Id look for one thats been used, but looked well - if you pay £5K less for one with 20K on the clock, thats £5K towards a warrantied rebuild if it needs one, in another 20-30K miles.......nobody really knows as I havnt seen any 50K mile Sags yet !
it was awesome, a great car, nothing quite like it and the only reason its gone is due to health reasons on my part (couldnt get in it in the end) ..anyway, once Ive had my hip replaced, we will be back in a TVR again next year
It sold for £30k in the end - it was the highest mileage one for sale, even on a March 06 plate, but in perfect condition and niggle free, as funnily enough if you use a car daily then you tend to fix them
so personally, im not a fan of paying a premium for a 4 year old car that has only had the odd run to the shops on a Sunday and got 4K miles on it....they like to be used, leave them to stand for a few months and all sorts of weird things start playing up LOL
Id look for one thats been used, but looked well - if you pay £5K less for one with 20K on the clock, thats £5K towards a warrantied rebuild if it needs one, in another 20-30K miles.......nobody really knows as I havnt seen any 50K mile Sags yet !
I have had mine almost 3 years and use it as my daily drive and love every minute of it.
Most expensive problem I've had outside of normal servicing is having the aircon regassed.
The one you mention looks gorgeous, but I would say that, it looks exactly like mine !
Prices seem to be holding well, I'm sure there's room for negotiation though.
Phone them, get a test drive, talk to the previous owner, find out how its been treated etc.
As long as they're looked after you shouldn't have any problems.
One last thing, JUST DO IT !
Most expensive problem I've had outside of normal servicing is having the aircon regassed.
The one you mention looks gorgeous, but I would say that, it looks exactly like mine !
Prices seem to be holding well, I'm sure there's room for negotiation though.
Phone them, get a test drive, talk to the previous owner, find out how its been treated etc.
As long as they're looked after you shouldn't have any problems.
One last thing, JUST DO IT !
kevin lampe said:
a 2007 Z4 M coupe.
.....the closest thing i could find to a Sag ,but with all the worries removed!
hmmmmmm if you think thats close you are miles away from the experience of a sag. The Z4M is a very tame 2 seater on par with a TT not a Saggy. The sag is mind blowing in looks and performance, 0-60 in under 4 seconds as opposed to the Z4M being over 5. The attention, road presence, sound and exclusivity of the sag alone are reasons to buy one. As for build quality, I have had more problems with my two Audis than I have ever had with a Tivver and the sag being the best built of the lot.....the closest thing i could find to a Sag ,but with all the worries removed!
I agree with druid, get some big cahoonies and get yourself in a proper sprorts car, I promise you will not regret it .... its a rite of passage to becoming a man!
Toobin said:
kevin lampe said:
a 2007 Z4 M coupe.
.....the closest thing i could find to a Sag ,but with all the worries removed!
hmmmmmm if you think thats close you are miles away from the experience of a sag. The Z4M is a very tame 2 seater on par with a TT not a Saggy. The sag is mind blowing in looks and performance, 0-60 in under 4 seconds as opposed to the Z4M being over 5. The attention, road presence, sound and exclusivity of the sag alone are reasons to buy one. As for build quality, I have had more problems with my two Audis than I have ever had with a Tivver and the sag being the best built of the lot.....the closest thing i could find to a Sag ,but with all the worries removed!
I agree with druid, get some big cahoonies and get yourself in a proper sprorts car, I promise you will not regret it .... its a rite of passage to becoming a man!
kevin lampe said:
Thanks EVERYONE...for your replies!
Seems to me I just have to go and get myself one!
.........like you all say.......time to itch that scratch!
By the way I live in maidstone.. so if there are any local Sagaris owners about...get in touch!
go for it and scratch that itch (not the other way around!!!) you really wont regret it, just be prepared for constant face ache from the grinning Seems to me I just have to go and get myself one!
.........like you all say.......time to itch that scratch!
By the way I live in maidstone.. so if there are any local Sagaris owners about...get in touch!
kevin lampe said:
Calling All Sag lovers /haters!
(in the classifieds there is a gorgeous blue one 3300 miles only, and a 2005 year for £36.995
I don't think that one has A/C - That would defo impact resell value, also in this heat and in THAT car I think you need A/C - happy to be corrected!!(in the classifieds there is a gorgeous blue one 3300 miles only, and a 2005 year for £36.995
Its very difficult to advise someone on what they should buy as everyones criteria are very slightly different, but having owned a number of TVRs and now a GTR i'll pass on my thoughts for what they might be worth.
I went to the Sagaris (06 - 8 months old when bought) from 2 T350s they second of which i bought new cherished and ran in perfectly.
But decided to sell and get the Sag, TBH i subsequently wished that id stayed with the T350. I was slightly disappointed, maybe my expectations were too high, i went into thinking it was supposed to be a major step up and it just wasnt.
On the reliablity front, i never had a major problem with any tvr i had (all used as weekend 2nd cars)
My TVR experiend was a biased love hate relationship probably 80 love 20 hate.
It was just the different squeeks and rattles that would suddenly appear, i got tired of running around with a passenger trying to find the source of the next noise. I found myself thinking its a 60k car for god sake i shouldnt have to be doing this.
However if you like tinkering and have got the time it could be a good choice, you only have to look at the number of improvements graham (varleyhyd) has made to his Sag, which makes you think why didnt they get designed like this in the first place.
Sorry to sound a bit negative, they have so many good points too, i just found it very frustrating to think that they were so close to a great car if only theyd have gone that extra few yards to finish the car off properly.
Anyway i sold the sag last year and put a deposit on a new R35 GTR, had it 3 months now and OMG this machine is incredible i cant begin to describe how good it is. Its the only car ive ever owned thats surpassed my expectations. It makes me laugh reading the endless GTR bashing over on the porsche forum, those guys are so threaten by it for some reason, constant comments about uninvolving to drive, does it all for you. Well with traction control in R you can still have some arse end out fun, which was one of my concerns when i placed the order.
Anyway each to their own, i still love tvrs and had many great years and still point like a child when i see one on the road even though ive owned several
N
I went to the Sagaris (06 - 8 months old when bought) from 2 T350s they second of which i bought new cherished and ran in perfectly.
But decided to sell and get the Sag, TBH i subsequently wished that id stayed with the T350. I was slightly disappointed, maybe my expectations were too high, i went into thinking it was supposed to be a major step up and it just wasnt.
On the reliablity front, i never had a major problem with any tvr i had (all used as weekend 2nd cars)
My TVR experiend was a biased love hate relationship probably 80 love 20 hate.
It was just the different squeeks and rattles that would suddenly appear, i got tired of running around with a passenger trying to find the source of the next noise. I found myself thinking its a 60k car for god sake i shouldnt have to be doing this.
However if you like tinkering and have got the time it could be a good choice, you only have to look at the number of improvements graham (varleyhyd) has made to his Sag, which makes you think why didnt they get designed like this in the first place.
Sorry to sound a bit negative, they have so many good points too, i just found it very frustrating to think that they were so close to a great car if only theyd have gone that extra few yards to finish the car off properly.
Anyway i sold the sag last year and put a deposit on a new R35 GTR, had it 3 months now and OMG this machine is incredible i cant begin to describe how good it is. Its the only car ive ever owned thats surpassed my expectations. It makes me laugh reading the endless GTR bashing over on the porsche forum, those guys are so threaten by it for some reason, constant comments about uninvolving to drive, does it all for you. Well with traction control in R you can still have some arse end out fun, which was one of my concerns when i placed the order.
Anyway each to their own, i still love tvrs and had many great years and still point like a child when i see one on the road even though ive owned several
N
I had a 355 for 5 years and so far the Sag for 4. The 355 is a more refined road car, performance is very similar on the road, the Sagaris handles better on the track and returns a better lap times as a result (in my hands anyway), the 355 is better built and finished, Sag insurance and servicing costs are much lower, people wave to you in the Sagaris, people give you single and/or double fingered salutes in the 355, people want to talk to you about the Sag, people ignore you (or worse) in the 355, you worry about doing too many miles in the 355, you drive the Sag whenever you feel like it.
I always wanted a Ferrari but I've only had one to seven TVR's. Now I think about it, that says it all really - TVR is a better experience overall for me.
As for a GTR, I not driven one, but I imagine I'd get bored with its lack of character after a few months. That happened to me several times with Porsche's.
The Evora looks interesting, but £50K+ for less than 300bhp is just too much. Would be a good buy if £10K less.
I always wanted a Ferrari but I've only had one to seven TVR's. Now I think about it, that says it all really - TVR is a better experience overall for me.
As for a GTR, I not driven one, but I imagine I'd get bored with its lack of character after a few months. That happened to me several times with Porsche's.
The Evora looks interesting, but £50K+ for less than 300bhp is just too much. Would be a good buy if £10K less.
Just to throw my 2 pence in as well...
You`ll not find too many stories of people buying a Sagaris and not instantly loving every moment of it.
I`ve owned my '05 Sag (number 7 off the line I`m told) for over 18 months now without any major problems. Its been driving probably 3 or 4 times a week in all weather and started fine after being away on holidays for 3 weeks (accompanied by the instant return of the smile on my face)..
Of course there are some things that occur over time, currently I need a new dash water sensor and the oil pressure sensor appears to be heading for a change too.. but she will still drives fine!
Apart from normal servicing I`ve only had the clutch replaced at 18k under warranty.
J
You`ll not find too many stories of people buying a Sagaris and not instantly loving every moment of it.
I`ve owned my '05 Sag (number 7 off the line I`m told) for over 18 months now without any major problems. Its been driving probably 3 or 4 times a week in all weather and started fine after being away on holidays for 3 weeks (accompanied by the instant return of the smile on my face)..
Of course there are some things that occur over time, currently I need a new dash water sensor and the oil pressure sensor appears to be heading for a change too.. but she will still drives fine!
Apart from normal servicing I`ve only had the clutch replaced at 18k under warranty.
J
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