TVR T350
Author
Discussion

typer0612

Original Poster:

624 posts

199 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
opinons of them? seen one for sale and with abit of loan is do-able... lol might be dreaming at the moment but why not dream if its within reach pending a bank loan of £8k lol i havent applied to the banks or anything as of yet but by basic financal calucations i suppose i could obtain one

not sure re running costs ?

what are they like to drive compared to a EP3 civic type r?

pat

ScottishSamurai

8,176 posts

205 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
Can't offer much constructive advice, but I know of a couple folk that have had one and didn't have a bad thing to say about them.


IMO they are the most perfect shape coupe made in recent years. Hope you get one! smile

typer0612

Original Poster:

624 posts

199 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
ah right im looking more for the opinon of people who have owned / own a T350 and have / owned a civic type r

i like them and iv done insurance quotes theyre not bad, suprised me but then they are rare cars and so on all the variables with insurance i guess.

just wonder what the servicing / parts are like not the fuel consumption that doesnt worry me smile

Great Pretender

26,140 posts

243 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
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Plotloss

67,280 posts

299 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
Not owned a Civic but regarding the T350. Work on the basis of a £3K a year slush fund to cover repairs and servicing and you'll either have a happy surprise at the end of your ownership experience or a not too nasty shock.

typer0612

Original Poster:

624 posts

199 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
3k a year on servicing... thats a fair bit?

Great Pretender

26,140 posts

243 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
typer0612 said:
3k a year on servicing... thats a fair bit?
Welcome to TVR ownership smile

Druid

1,312 posts

210 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
typer0612 said:
3k a year on servicing... thats a fair bit? of an exageration!
My first year of a 'modern' TVR ownership hasn't cost anything like that, there will, of course, be exceptions but a 12k service (the big one) should come in well under a grand.

thainy77

3,347 posts

227 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
I think 3k a year slush fund is about right, he didn't say 3k in servcing but who knows what will pop up. If i average what i have spent on mine over the last 18 months it works out a grand a month, alot of this was optional though.

Targarama

14,784 posts

312 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
The issue is that you should not be planning to run a modern TVR on a tight budget. Of course nobody needs to waste money, but don't think that you get Ferrari performance for Mondeo money.

6k service costs between £300 and £500 depending on where you go
12k service costs around £200 to £300 more

Always use a TVR specialist (there are no such things as TVR main dealers any more - they are all TVR specialists). This is especially try for anything to do with the engine or electrics.

The additional budgeting is for tyres, brakes, and anything else which might need replacing. You could of course go for a year or two with no big extra costs. However the clutch may need replacing sooner or later £750-£1000 fitted, or the digital dash may need repairing (£300 or so I think). If you're buying a car at the lower end of the market then it will probably need more doing sooner than a fresher/pricier model.

Druid

1,312 posts

210 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
thainy77 said:
If i average what i have spent on mine over the last 18 months it works out a grand a month, alot of this was optional though.
£18k now that is true love. thumbup

thainy77

3,347 posts

227 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
Druid said:
thainy77 said:
If i average what i have spent on mine over the last 18 months it works out a grand a month, alot of this was optional though.
£18k now that is true love. thumbup
Yeah we have a love hate relationship wink.

jammy_basturd

29,778 posts

241 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
Targarama said:
The issue is that you should not be planning to run a modern TVR on a tight budget.
It is possible though, providing you are willing to turn your hand to pretty much any job, and you have somewhere to work on your car AND you have an everyday/backup car when you don't get jobs finished during the weekend, or the unexpected happens.

Even with doing all/most jobs yourself, certain parts come with their own 'TVR/supercar price tag', things like brake pads/disks, clutch, etc, so you do need some rainy day money.

Skipe

616 posts

224 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
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To the OP - A Civic Type R (I've driven one not owned) is a quick car but everything else is world's apart from a T350. A Honda with lots of modern technology vs a pretty raw race car for the road is a completely different proposition.

My car has generally been good as gold but the guys are right that when things go wrong get them done quickly and get them fixed by the people who know what they are doing. Go in with your eyes open to what the car actually is and you'll never regret it.....

To Thainy77 - I imagine a lot of that 18k was that little visit to Power though eh?! Lucky git! clap

MattyB_

2,332 posts

286 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
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Pat, if you want a bit of an eye-opener, go to the Members Cars section, filter down to the T350 and have a look at what people are paying for parts/servicing. It'll be a fair bit more than your CTR wink

As mentioned, you don't run one on a budget. I've got one on my "To Buy" list, and while I can afford to buy without a loan, I'm not convinced I can afford to run one (yet).

Have you considered an Elise? Far, far cheaper to run. Nowhere near as quick/mad as a T350, but a fantastic drive and you could get an S1 without a loan....

Targarama

14,784 posts

312 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
To give you an example of additional things TVRs may need, my car is due a service/MOT in May. My car is running great at the moment but even so I like to keep it tip top. Here is a list of small things to do - none are critical or have to be done, but they are all part of maintaining a TVR in top condition IMO. Skimping on stuff like this devalues these cars.

- 6k service
- Investigate squealing from aircon belt when it is turned on with car running at over 3,000rpm (so on the motorway for example). Aircon works just fine, squeal only lasts 2 seconds. Probably an overtight belt.
- Fix/replace rear splitter bolt as it has fallen out/
- Change seal on oil tank (no drips, its just oozing a little)
- Replace radiator bottom hose/clips (it dripped a while back, I stopped the drip by tightening but I like belt and braces fixes).
- Check flexible fuel hoses for perishing - I'll probably ask them to replace them anyway (6 years and all that heat).
- Upgrade cooling header tank to 2006 model (makes checking level 1,000 times easier and stops spitting of excess after top up).

I may need new front shocks too.

Plus any things it may need for the MOT or that the garage say need doing.

See how it adds up. Now compare with my other two cars - the Panda is going for a £99 oil/air filter service next week. Nothing else to look at. The Golf is on 2 year services and runs faultlessly, probably just like a Honda.

DonkeyApple

69,788 posts

198 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
typer0612 said:
opinons of them? seen one for sale and with abit of loan is do-able... lol might be dreaming at the moment but why not dream if its within reach pending a bank loan of £8k lol i havent applied to the banks or anything as of yet but by basic financal calucations i suppose i could obtain one

not sure re running costs ?

what are they like to drive compared to a EP3 civic type r?

pat
Not sure that you can compare the two, other than that they are both cars.

My advice is that if you are going to be stretching yourself to buy the car then don't do it. You do need a mental fig of 3k a year to be happy.

If you are on a budget then a Griff or Chimp would be a wiser option as it is much easier to get parts, work on yourself and a normal garage can support you with most general tinkering.

They are a smarter choice as cheaper to buy and cheaper to run on average. Plus, you may not even get depreciation which I suspect is possible with a T, although I'd like to think not wink

Regardless, good luck but do think long and hard before you go stretching yourself financially.


Druid

1,312 posts

210 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
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DonkeyApple said:
think long and hard before you go stretching yourself financially.
Now that is sound advice.

thainy77

3,347 posts

227 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
Skipe said:
To Thainy77 - I imagine a lot of that 18k was that little visit to Power though eh?! Lucky git! clap
I must admit that was a large chunk of the cash! worth every penny though thumbup.

bomb

3,795 posts

313 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
quotequote all
Having owned my T350 from new, I'd agree that £2.5K ~ £3.0K per year is about right for servicing etc.

They are different animals to the hondas, so its not really easy to compare like with like.