Thinking of buying an S, what budget do i need?
Discussion
I am not a TVR owner yet......i have a budget of 10k for initial purchase then slowly spending to improve from there. I put a post out on the general TVR page and was advised to write one here as i like the S. Can i afford the V8? If not what is the best alternative? I’m a fairly ok DIY’er but some say don’t mess with the S for mods.....? But i like the idea of supercharging one, can that be done?
Short version:
£10k won't buy you a good V8S. Possibly a running, drivable project. It'd also buy you a decent S3, or anything before it.
Personally I'd advise to buy solely on what you like the look of, and condition. They're all good fun to drive, so don't get too hung up on the engine. None of the V6s are tunable, though forced induction is normally seen as the way to go (though the gearbox then becomes the weak point).
Unless you want a project on your hands in the future, try to find one with a solid or restored chassis, decent bodywork, and tidy interior. That's the best base for a car you can use and improve along the way, and a mint S1 or S2 will be within budget.
If you go for a project, try to get the very cheapest running car you can. You'll spend a fortune on the rest unless you can do the work yourself.
£10k won't buy you a good V8S. Possibly a running, drivable project. It'd also buy you a decent S3, or anything before it.
Personally I'd advise to buy solely on what you like the look of, and condition. They're all good fun to drive, so don't get too hung up on the engine. None of the V6s are tunable, though forced induction is normally seen as the way to go (though the gearbox then becomes the weak point).
Unless you want a project on your hands in the future, try to find one with a solid or restored chassis, decent bodywork, and tidy interior. That's the best base for a car you can use and improve along the way, and a mint S1 or S2 will be within budget.
If you go for a project, try to get the very cheapest running car you can. You'll spend a fortune on the rest unless you can do the work yourself.
mjjryan39 said:
I am not a TVR owner yet......i have a budget of 10k for initial purchase then slowly spending to improve from there....
£10k will get you a superb V6 and a reasonable V8Smjjryan39 said:
.... I’m a fairly ok DIY’er but some say don’t mess with the S for mods.....
"Some" talk out of their collective ar
es. 
mjjryan39 said:
.... But i like the idea of supercharging one, can that be done?
Yes, kits available to super or turbo charge the V8 and probably the V6 as well. Anything can be done with time and money. It wouldn't make much financial sense to spend £10k on a car only to heavily modify it and end up with a car that might be worth less than what you paid for it. Sounds like you need to have a long think abut your priorities.
Edited by v8s4me on Wednesday 23 May 11:00
They're pretty nippy as standard and can be set up to handle well if you are an enthusiastic driver, but there are plenty of modern cars which will keep up with them. If it's something you would want to do as a hobby then don't let me put you off, but if you see the tinkering just as a means to get an inexpensive fast car then I'd advise you to think twice - it's far more cost effective to get a faster standard car. There are plenty of standard TVRs and non-TVRs that will keep up with a well sorted S, even a heavily modified one. The sticker price may be higher, but I think you'll find they may work out cheaper overall. (I say this having spent an absurd amount of time and money on mine.)
Not trying to put you off, just making sure you know what you're getting into.
Not trying to put you off, just making sure you know what you're getting into.
GreenV8S said:
They're pretty nippy as standard and can be set up to handle well if you are an enthusiastic driver, but there are plenty of modern cars which will keep up with them. If it's something you would want to do as a hobby then don't let me put you off, but if you see the tinkering just as a means to get an inexpensive fast car then I'd advise you to think twice - it's far more cost effective to get a faster standard car. There are plenty of standard TVRs and non-TVRs that will keep up with a well sorted S, even a heavily modified one. The sticker price may be higher, but I think you'll find they may work out cheaper overall. (I say this having spent an absurd amount of time and money on mine.)
Not trying to put you off, just making sure you know what you're getting into.
Completely agree.Not trying to put you off, just making sure you know what you're getting into.
The S isn't really that fast-a-car. The 4.3 V8S is pretty fast in a straight line, but around the bends most cars will dispatch an S with ease. The Chimaera is a much more capable tool, too.
Where the S scores highly (all IMO of course) is how it goes fast, not how fast it goes. Lots of fun, lots of smiles and lots of character. I love mine more than I ever did my Chimaera, despite the fact it's pretty much worse in every way.
The best cars are the ones you love driving, despite their inadequacies. The S scores highly here.
Kitchski said:
The best cars are the ones you love driving, despite their inadequacies. The S scores highly here.
+1Just done mayor work on my s3c (well my dad did most of it) and I don't know if I want to look at how much I spent...
The S is insanely fun to drive with all its imperfections, sound and way it communicates to me when I drive it hard.
Our other car, a BMW m235i, is much faster, comfort and handling. Its just well sorted in every way but not even close to as much fun as the S to drive!
So if you want a fast car buy a fast car!
If you want a fun car to drive and like working in the garage buy a S-serie, had mine for 16 years now and not planning to sell it!
Deeman said:
??? How many 4.3 V8s's are out there? I know of 1 genuine factory version, but are there a lot of modified?
Mine is 4.6 rather than 4.3. As standard with a mild cam (and pre supercharger) it was probably comparable to the tuned 4.3s in outright performance but with the power and torque all happening at lower revs. It was dramatically faster than the original 3.9 even though that had been tuned a bit. The cross bolted 4.6 was an obvious replacement since that was the current RR engine when I needed it. I would be surprised if mine was the only one.Both Greenv8s and I have run high power V8 Ss .. have you had yours on the dyno Peter ? Mine made 355hp at its best. People say the chassis won't take it .. maybe I never drove mine hard enough but I can't say I ever felt it particularly lacking anywhere. The internet is full of people who've never driven a high power S but take delight in criticising its chassis. It's not ideal, but it's not a ditch finder either.
The V6 cars may be or may not be tunable, but certainly you can get 250-280hp from the 4 litre engines for not *that* much money so is the one to go for if you see yourself tinkering in that direction in the future.
Mine was a converted 5 litre and I know of another converted car on carbs, there was one factory 5 litre that I know of (early 290hp chimaera spec) and 2 4.3 factory cars that I know of , there may be more who knows. But if you're thinking of an engine change then going for the 4.6 as peter has is probably your best value
PS greenv8s above is a been there seen it done it kind of S owner, if he says something works or doesn't it's going to be from first hand experience, take note
The V6 cars may be or may not be tunable, but certainly you can get 250-280hp from the 4 litre engines for not *that* much money so is the one to go for if you see yourself tinkering in that direction in the future.
Mine was a converted 5 litre and I know of another converted car on carbs, there was one factory 5 litre that I know of (early 290hp chimaera spec) and 2 4.3 factory cars that I know of , there may be more who knows. But if you're thinking of an engine change then going for the 4.6 as peter has is probably your best value
PS greenv8s above is a been there seen it done it kind of S owner, if he says something works or doesn't it's going to be from first hand experience, take note
spitfire4v8 said:
.. only chassis mods were polybushes and adjustable dampers. I put 260mm front discs on and left the rears standard and it was fine.
Do you know what the spring ratings are front/back, and your damper settings ? I believe mine are not quite right (the dampers are refurbed adjustable AVO's). Thanks.Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff