Your favourite "non-TVR" TVR's?
Discussion
How about a classic with less bhp, controllable without lots of electronic trickery?
Possibles:
MGB GT V8
Interceptor
Any decent mechanic could look after one for you.
Or if you want newer with electronic trickery I don't think you could go far wrong with the suggestion of a Jaguar XK8.
What would I be buying with £15-25K? My dream, dreamy car - an E-type of course
Yes you can find them for this sort of money.
Possibles:
MGB GT V8
Interceptor
Any decent mechanic could look after one for you.
Or if you want newer with electronic trickery I don't think you could go far wrong with the suggestion of a Jaguar XK8.
What would I be buying with £15-25K? My dream, dreamy car - an E-type of course
Yes you can find them for this sort of money. seopher said:
Haha, excellent.
"If you rely on Air Conditioning you should be set on fire for all to see".
I don't need TCS or ABS, I'll get on fine without them. The number of times I've actually *needed* either is countable on one hand, but they're things I want.
My comfort zone when edging in the 300-400bhp territory means I'd rather have them than not. I've had nothing messy in the 350Z which is what, 275bhp? I'm 26 and don't wish my first foray into the higher echelons to be without safety net.
Sorry that my satirical tone has triggered something though...
lol "If you rely on Air Conditioning you should be set on fire for all to see".
I don't need TCS or ABS, I'll get on fine without them. The number of times I've actually *needed* either is countable on one hand, but they're things I want.
My comfort zone when edging in the 300-400bhp territory means I'd rather have them than not. I've had nothing messy in the 350Z which is what, 275bhp? I'm 26 and don't wish my first foray into the higher echelons to be without safety net.
Sorry that my satirical tone has triggered something though...
I've got ASR, which is GM's TCS system on my Camaro (same engine/transmission as a C5 Corvette). I wouldn't say this is a great form of TCS. It has no stability control and at times I feel is a liability.
Firstly the engine can easily over power the TCS, so despite the fact the light on the dash is flashing away telling me it's low traction and you can feel the throttle pedal modulating under your right foot, it'll still happily spin the wheels.
Worse, if you forget to switch the ASR off and you get the vehicle sideways it tries to kill the power. So car at fairly decent yaw angle and all it wants to do is transfer more weight to the front wheels, which IMO = potential spin. Luckily as the engine can easily over power the TCS, on the odd occasion this has happened to me using WOT seems to keep the car going in the intended direction.
In the wet it's ok on kickdowns to limit wheelspin but it's not really any better.
In short, if you want more safety features, simple TCS isn't going to cut it and will offer nothing over not having it and maybe worse in some situations.
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Monday 16th May 15:06
Chris71 said:
Have you tried a TVR?
Really, you have to be doing something pretty silly to upset the '90s era (i.e. Chim/Griff/S-Series) cars. On trailing throttle they tend to understeer and with decent tyres the traction is pretty considerable in the dry. Okay, you wouldn't floor it out of a slow corner, but you wouldn't in a mk1 MX5 or a 350Z either. The lack of ABS is less excusable - given you don't choose when you use that - but a risk worth taking.
As for maintenance. Well, you can pay someone else to do it for you (which isn't as pricey as you might fear) or you might be pleasantly surprised how simple they are to work on. A few weeks back I did first ever engine removal outside in a farm yard on a Chimaera 500...
I would say Z3M, but one of those will probably cost about the same as a decent Chimaera or Griffith to run. And the other car that struck me as somewhat TVR-like in its manners you've already got, I gather: the 350Z.
I haven't tried a TVR, and will own one, but that's a job for the next house. For years I've lusted after a T350, but when I've got a good sized garage I'll entertain it further. In the same way that I no longer own a motorbike - as much as I love them, I don't have a good home for it at the moment.Really, you have to be doing something pretty silly to upset the '90s era (i.e. Chim/Griff/S-Series) cars. On trailing throttle they tend to understeer and with decent tyres the traction is pretty considerable in the dry. Okay, you wouldn't floor it out of a slow corner, but you wouldn't in a mk1 MX5 or a 350Z either. The lack of ABS is less excusable - given you don't choose when you use that - but a risk worth taking.
As for maintenance. Well, you can pay someone else to do it for you (which isn't as pricey as you might fear) or you might be pleasantly surprised how simple they are to work on. A few weeks back I did first ever engine removal outside in a farm yard on a Chimaera 500...
I would say Z3M, but one of those will probably cost about the same as a decent Chimaera or Griffith to run. And the other car that struck me as somewhat TVR-like in its manners you've already got, I gather: the 350Z.
And because I know what I'm like, I'm not even test driving TVR's until I'm in a position to buy one. I'm a *complete* sucker for the noise, my wallet would fall open and I'd go home with it, irrespective of whether I should or not.
I don't actually like the look of the Z3M too much, whereas I do like the Z4MC quite a lot.
I love my 350Z, I really do, and haven't ruled out a 370z. But the 350 is getting old now (2005 with 60k on it) and if I can spare the funds, I wouldn't mind something a little newer.
seopher said:
I haven't tried a TVR, and will own one, but that's a job for the next house. For years I've lusted after a T350 and will be buying one, but when I've got a good sized garage. In the same way that I no longer own a motorbike - as much as I love them, I don't have a good home for it at the moment.
And because I know what I'm like, I'm not even test driving TVR's until I'm in a position to buy one. I'm a *complete* sucker for the noise, my wallet would fall open and I'd go home with it, irrespective of whether I should or not.
I don't actually like the look of the Z3M too much, whereas I do like the Z4MC quite a lot.
I love my 350Z, I really do, and haven't ruled out a 370z. But the 350 is getting old now (2005 with 60k on it) and if I can spare the funds, I wouldn't mind something a little newer.
Not sure how much newer you'll get and still beat the performance.And because I know what I'm like, I'm not even test driving TVR's until I'm in a position to buy one. I'm a *complete* sucker for the noise, my wallet would fall open and I'd go home with it, irrespective of whether I should or not.
I don't actually like the look of the Z3M too much, whereas I do like the Z4MC quite a lot.
I love my 350Z, I really do, and haven't ruled out a 370z. But the 350 is getting old now (2005 with 60k on it) and if I can spare the funds, I wouldn't mind something a little newer.
s197 Mustang GT with either a few n/a mods or a supercharger might be worth a look. Remember the Mustang GT is exactly the car and market Nissan was targeting with the 350z, so its a direct competitor and alternative.
C5 Corvette's are probably worth a look too and I'd say a Porsche 996 911 should be on the cards too.
Jags are nice, but only auto and more GT than sports car. I suspect you might find one a little refined compared to a 350z.
Not quite the same looker and somewhat less special. But a BMW 135i Coupe might be a sensible option.
300bhp/ton said:
lol
I've got ASR, which is GM's TCS system on my Camaro (same engine/transmission as a C5 Corvette). I wouldn't say this is a great for of TCS. It has no stability control and at times I feel is a liability.
Firstly the engine can easily over power the TCS, so despite the fact the light on the dash is flashing away telling me it's low traction and you can feel the throttle pedal modulating under your right foot, it'll still happily spin the wheels.
Worse, if you forget to switch the ASR off and you get the vehicle sideways it tries to kill the power. So car at fairly decent yaw angle and all it wants to do is transfer more weight to the front wheels, which IMO = potential spin. Luckily as the engine can easily over power the TCS, on the odd occasion this has happened to me using WOT seems to keep the car going in the intended direction.
In the wet it's ok on kickdowns to limit wheelspin but it's not really any better.
In short, if you want more safety features, simple TCS isn't going to cut it and will offer nothing over not having it and maybe worse in some situations.
I agree about the TCS being a token gesture in some places. ABS I've only needed when some prat has pulled out of a side-road without looking, or when I've stupidly attempted to move the car on snow and found that any form of movement (starting, stopping) is void.I've got ASR, which is GM's TCS system on my Camaro (same engine/transmission as a C5 Corvette). I wouldn't say this is a great for of TCS. It has no stability control and at times I feel is a liability.
Firstly the engine can easily over power the TCS, so despite the fact the light on the dash is flashing away telling me it's low traction and you can feel the throttle pedal modulating under your right foot, it'll still happily spin the wheels.
Worse, if you forget to switch the ASR off and you get the vehicle sideways it tries to kill the power. So car at fairly decent yaw angle and all it wants to do is transfer more weight to the front wheels, which IMO = potential spin. Luckily as the engine can easily over power the TCS, on the odd occasion this has happened to me using WOT seems to keep the car going in the intended direction.
In the wet it's ok on kickdowns to limit wheelspin but it's not really any better.
In short, if you want more safety features, simple TCS isn't going to cut it and will offer nothing over not having it and maybe worse in some situations.
I've had the rear of the 350Z hang out at 15mph, having hit a patch of *something* on a well-lit village road. It went off as if it were on ice - not dramatic given the speed involved, but the TCS was obviously out of the loop.
It's only been useful to me once in anger, on a poorly surfaced slip-road that I took quicker than I should - I debate whether traction was lost, but the TCS believes it was. It kept everything nice and tidy with zero drama.
So while TCS is one of those things that you actually don't need, I happily hold my hand up as a junior to performance cars (in the grand scheme of things) and it's a criteria I wish to fulfill. I'm not Ari Vatanen, not yet anyway. As such I'm more comfortable knowing that there is a limited system backing me up should my expertise/experience/judgement ever fall short.
Edited by seopher on Monday 16th May 15:20
ewenm said:
I've heard walking is a common occurrence for TVR owners 
It is going that way in this day and age getting around 14mpg from the Cerb and £80 for 175 is getting a little sore but still worth every penny.Yeah as the late Mr Wheeler said buying a 2 seater convertible is just warming you up for a real sports car
Coming from a 350z i think you will be disappointed with a Z3M, sure its faster but not by much. Same with TVR's, you're probably going to want a 5.0 V8 or a speed six model to make it worth upgrading.
Funnily enough i would say the closest thing you can get to a TVR from a mainstream manufacturer is an S2000. Its similarly lairy, relatively lightweight with a work of art under the bonnet. Also its a Honda so you should have little trouble with them.
But again they fall into the category i mentioned above.
Funnily enough i would say the closest thing you can get to a TVR from a mainstream manufacturer is an S2000. Its similarly lairy, relatively lightweight with a work of art under the bonnet. Also its a Honda so you should have little trouble with them.
But again they fall into the category i mentioned above.
300bhp/ton said:
Not sure how much newer you'll get and still beat the performance.
s197 Mustang GT with either a few n/a mods or a supercharger might be worth a look. Remember the Mustang GT is exactly the car and market Nissan was targeting with the 350z, so its a direct competitor and alternative.
I'd disagree that its a direct competitor. The mustang is way bigger than a 350z, with an extra pair of seats and 40cm length. They're aiming at the same market, but they're different. I'd say the 350 is probably closer to the vette, albeit on a lower cost\junior level. if you looked at the bmw range, I'd say the mustang is close to a 3 series coupe, and the 350z is close to a z4s197 Mustang GT with either a few n/a mods or a supercharger might be worth a look. Remember the Mustang GT is exactly the car and market Nissan was targeting with the 350z, so its a direct competitor and alternative.
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