T350 or Sagaris

[Nige W]

Hi All

Can someone out there please help, I currently drive a Lotus Exige and am in need for more power, the car would be for trackday use including ring trips and weekends, I am considering a T350 or a Sagaris, some T350 owners are suggesting that it is a better car than the Sagaris, clearly at circa £25K as opposed to £40k it is attractive. Can someone explain why a Sagaris would command an extra £20k and would a T350 still be a capable track car?

Also anyone able to say how it would compare to a GT3?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Nige

[JonRB]

Nige W said:

some T350 owners are suggesting that it is a better car than the Sagaris

Clear, unbiased advice there then.

[TVRMARKUB]

JonRB said:

Nige W said:

some T350 owners are suggesting that it is a better car than the Sagaris

Clear, unbiased advice there then.

The 3.6 T350 is the quicker car also and has been known to hit 188mph

I wish I had bought one instead of my Sagaris.

[T350 Al]

The Sag is undoubtedly the better car as standard; as much as I love the 350 I have to admit it! I'm sure if you spent enough cash on the engine, suspension and brakes you could make a T350 as good/better than a Sag, but I'm sure it would cost a fair bit.

In my humble opinion, they are two quite different cars in terms of styling and what they offer as a package. The T350, to me, is a bit more of a GT whereas the Sag is far lairier to look at and seems more track-focused. I'm sure plenty will disagree with me though!

As a slight sidenote, I'd never get rid of the T350 for a Sag; but that's only because I'm too attached to it...........I'd have both in a heartbeat!

[IainMac]

As a T350 owner the Sag represents the last best effort of the factory with the latest in chassis geo /settings. That said it is also considered by some to be compromised but this would depend on what use you had planned. The T350 is also compromised from the factory too imho as it has too soft springs for anything other than billiard smooth roads as stock. There are lots of options out there for a T350/Sag to have thier factory defaults altered but if a track car is your primary aim the stock Sag is probably further down that road than a stock T350. But both probably require upgrading to Nitrons or similar if your after a GT3 RS like track capable tool.

So that +15k could go a long way to converting a T350 into a suitable track tool, ie Powers 4.5 and Nitrons/geo etc.
Tyre wise the T350 is more limited than the sag for size upgrades due to less room in the wheel wells front and back and it wont have the wider track/last(best) chassis wishbone locations of the Sag but if your not the stig/ayton senna/etc you might not notice.
PS if your tall you may struggle with head room in a T350 whilst wearing a helmet.
All just my opinion obviously and if you bring looks into it?
aggressive = Sag
timeless classic=T350 ...

[Don1]

Can I just add that a pair of modified Exiges went by me in the straight at Odiham? OK, I was giving a passenger ride, and was a track day virgin (their exit speed was superior at that time on to the straight), but they still put a good few meters on me.

What I'm saying is if you want a TVR, get one. Sagaris is better, rarer, and more likely to hold it's value (if you're into that kind of thing), than anything else you've mentioned.

But modify the Lotus....

Enjoy, what-ever you do.

[TVRMARKUB]

Nige W said:

Also anyone able to say how it would compare to a GT3?

Driver input would have far more influence, though I would guess standard cars, same driver, track tyres it would be

GT3 RS
Sagaris
Exige S
T350

[jrb43]

Nige W said:

Also anyone able to say how it would compare to a GT3?

Thanks Nige

People would actually notice you and engage you in conversation at every opportunity. Everybody has a squashed Beetle with some variant of drying rack glued to the bootlid

[Targarama]

As has been said, the Sagaris and T350 actually drive quite differently. The Sagaris is probably the better car for outright track work, but only you can decide whether you prefer the styling over a T350's cleaner lines. Drive them both and 'feel' their personalities, the T350 is more nervous and feeling more 'on it' intially, but that is because the Sagaris is slightly better honed. You can spend a few bob on enhancing a T350's suspension and get a very good handling car. Neither will handle like an Exige though.

BTW. If you test drive a Sagaris make sure it has the right gearbox/diff combination. Search on here for info (this seems more apparent/important with the 4.0L engine). People have driven a Sagaris and come away feeling a little deflated - and its usually down to this (for an example of this do a search for the Evo article from a few years ago - new Marcos vs Sagaris in Northern France).

[JonRB]

Targarama said:

Drive them both and 'feel' their personalities, the T350 is more nervous and feeling more 'on it' intially, but that is because the Sagaris is slightly better honed.

That's exactly how I felt when I test drove a T350 and Sagaris back-to-back. I didn't gel with the T350 at all but had instant rapport with the Sagaris and felt immediately comfortable with it. So despite the cost to change being double the budget I'd set myself, I bought it.

[jpp]

I've been accused of many things. Biased? Guilty as charged.

You shouldn't really compare.handling with an Exige though Nige - that's loking for excuses not to have a change after all this time!

Oh and no issues on the headroom - just tilt the seat. Now that's a move the Exige can't pull off!

[KillerJim]

My experience is much the same as the other guys who test drove both the T350 and Sagaris. The T350 whilst a excellent car just didn't feel as sorted as the Sagaris (out of the box anyway)

The only downside was the extra few months counting the pennies..

The other aspect is the Sagaris is a rare breed and guaranteed to have people looking, kids pointing and get randomers chatting to you in garage forecourts

[smithyl23]

Nige W said:

Hi All

Can someone out there please help, I currently drive a Lotus Exige and am in need for more power, the car would be for trackday use including ring trips and weekends, I am considering a T350 or a Sagaris, some T350 owners are suggesting that it is a better car than the Sagaris, clearly at circa £25K as opposed to £40k it is attractive. Can someone explain why a Sagaris would command an extra £20k and would a T350 still be a capable track car?

Also anyone able to say how it would compare to a GT3?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Nige

Surely the best option would be a T350 with a sagaris engine and brakes. Hint Hint. Sag performance, T350 looks and price.

My T350 did a 1/4 mile time 12.4s on road tyres and a standard sag did it in Autocar in 12.9s

Smithy

[LeeT350c]

KillerJim said:

The other aspect is the Sagaris is a rare breed and guaranteed to have people looking, kids pointing and get randomers chatting to you in garage forecourts

This also goes for the T350!

[Diablos-666]

LeeT350c said:

KillerJim said:

The other aspect is the Sagaris is a rare breed and guaranteed to have people looking, kids pointing and get randomers chatting to you in garage forecourts

This also goes for the T350!

Yep! i get it all the time!

Had a kid come up to me and say...

Kid - "Whoooaaa, how much was that?"
me - "Quite a lot"
Kid - "What like 3 grand"
me - after much laughter "a little more than that"

Also, i often get a thumbs up from our biker friends

The Sagaris is the better machine (stock ve stock) no question - however is it worth £15k above and beyond the T350, i'm not quite so sure.

The Sag's seem to be holding their value well so if you have the money then i'd say go for it. If the budget is a bit tight then get the latest T350 you can find and spend a bit on improving her.

Sag - In your face styling, very aggressive and was built to track

T350 - Subtle looks but beautiful with it, timeless classic for sure, very capable on track.

Both will cost pretty much the same to run.

Edited by Diablos-666 on Wednesday 4th August 13:06

[Englishman]

I test drove a T350 after a period away from TVR's and didn't buy it. Must have been about 6 years ago. Then the Sagaris came along. I drove it and bought it on the spot. Seemed to be totally sorted handling wise and looked so good. It was, and is, just 'right' out of the box. The T350 is a good car but not quite in the same league. Styling wise, it has a good front but always looked odd to me from the doors back. All IMHO!

[fredd1e]

Each car can have its own foibles /traits so the OP should really try to drive a few to get a picture of what they are like. My old T350 was awful to drive when I had it but my current one seems smiles better and is even nicer now it has "proper" springs and billies fitted.

[LeeT350c]

Plus its common knowledge that all the hot ladies love T350 drivers!!

Oh and blue cars are the fastest!

[FactoryPilot]

I've had one T350 and I'm now on my third Sag, and I would honestly say that if you can afford the extra, go for the Sag. If you are at all like me, you'd get the T350 and within a month be thinking I should've spent a bit more and gone for the Sag.

Both are fantastic cars, the Sag is just a bit better IMO.

[JonRB]

FactoryPilot said:

Both are fantastic cars, the Sag is just a bit better IMO.

I agree. Mind you, in fairness, for the price premium it would have to be.

TBH, if you're thinking with your head the T350 is probably the better value.

But you'd always want the Sag.