Vixen Resources
Discussion
Last year I toyed with the idea of getting a classic, Vixen, Taimar, then focussed on the S. I ended up getting something completely different, but now I am certain I want a classic, probably a good Vixen 2/3.
I've looked a few owner's web sites, seen one at a TVR club meet. But any tips on buying or books/ resources available on the car? Shame Mr Heath doesn't do a bible.
There's no hurry as I have to sell my Alpine GTA first. ;)
Make sure you have deep pockets and a desire to read through old parts catalogues because the bit that's supposed to be there isn't the one that is and 3 of the numbers have worn off.
And a multimeter.
Seriously, the TVRCC parts manual is pretty good. A
And you won't regret buying one.
And a multimeter.
Seriously, the TVRCC parts manual is pretty good. A
And you won't regret buying one.
I laugh in the face of the need for deep pockets and investigative talents of Woodward and Bernstien. I have a dream.
Joking aside the Alpine's been a bit of a pleasure pain thing, so I'm used to it, and hopefully I can tinker more myself with an old Tiv. When you say deep pockets though, would you say more expensive to run than an S?
I was thinking £1.5-2k a year just on maintenence, breakdowns and improvements. Is this reasonable for a Vixen 2/3? AND what would a, not show condition, but one of the better ones actual sell for?
If new to the old TVR ownership game would an M or Taimar be more 'sensible' for now?
Sorry for all the questions.
Be in touch re catalogue.
Cheers
Joking aside the Alpine's been a bit of a pleasure pain thing, so I'm used to it, and hopefully I can tinker more myself with an old Tiv. When you say deep pockets though, would you say more expensive to run than an S?
I was thinking £1.5-2k a year just on maintenence, breakdowns and improvements. Is this reasonable for a Vixen 2/3? AND what would a, not show condition, but one of the better ones actual sell for?
If new to the old TVR ownership game would an M or Taimar be more 'sensible' for now?
Sorry for all the questions.
Be in touch re catalogue.
Cheers
hobson said:
Would you say more expensive to run than an S?
From the people that I know I would say that Vixens are cheaper to run than either the M or the S and depreciate less. Not cheap to buy though.
hobson said:
I was thinking £1.5-2k a year just on maintenence, breakdowns and improvements. Is this reasonable for a Vixen 2/3?
IMHO 500+500+1000 should cover it very nicely, unless you race...
hobson said:
If new to the old TVR ownership game would an M or Taimar be more 'sensible' for now?
Just buy the one that you like. Good luck, J
hobson said:
If new to the old TVR ownership game would an M or Taimar be more 'sensible' for now?
It all depends on the price you want to pay for the car and how much work you want to put into it.
An older car is bonded to the chassis and the 3000m/Taimar is a bolt on job so guess which one I have got!
£1000/£1500 a year
I would be able to cover the car in gold leaf for that, insurance £130.40 fully comp, running costs + upgrades about £800 over last 2 years, not including petrol as I do like to use the car well 
If you want an easy way into TVR ownership a 3000m/Taimar could not be better. (Not biased at all)
Drifting
Later Vixens & Tuscans are bolt on bodies. I think they changed from bonded to bolt on when the wheel base was lengthened (S2?) - this can be seen in the longer doors. I've found the majority of parts reasonably easy to get but, as previously said in this thread, you need to know whose parts bin they came out of!
vixen1700 said:
the Vixen shape is awesome to my mind.
(Oh, and sorry I was a bit downbeat above - bad week with the engine playing up again, which isn't really a vixen issue, and being stuck inside the car in my garage because the door release catch had been held on with string)
Mind you, it says something that my first thought was
"Not even wire?"
(off to rolling road to get new distributor fitted)
Been researching Vixens (S2) for weeks. Have you looked at the yellow Vixen in 'classics?' Beautiful looking car but what put me off was the mileage - being a lady I an unfit to do my own maintenance, and I believe from owner, that regular greasing etc is the norm. There is also a Vixen S2 to be re-built at cottageclassics.co.uk. It will cost £10K plus on the standard 1599cc Ford, and a further £2k plus if you fancied a V8! There is a 'but' - Vixen entrants at my local hillclimb last week pointed up that it has 'square' tubular, which collectors would not like, and you would never sell it to USA! I am of the firm opinion that the value of these cars is very much on the up - and to watch them in the TVR Class at the hillclimb was an absolute joy! They left the Sag and the Cerb standing! Hope that was helpful. Pam
Don't worry about the maintenance - it's all fairly basic stuff, and even if you don't do it yourself, there's bound to be a suitable bloke in a back-street garage who'll do it for a few quid.
Is the yellow vixen the hillclimber/sprinter? - the spec list looked fairly high and strangely familiar (I've now gone completely blank with the owner's name - apologies).
Is the yellow vixen the hillclimber/sprinter? - the spec list looked fairly high and strangely familiar (I've now gone completely blank with the owner's name - apologies).
Hello all.
My advice to anyone reading is that if you can find a vixen of any age, in any condition at a good price then you should buy it.
As an owner of a Series 1 and the ex owner of 2 series 2's including the square chassi'd one that my good mate Spadge has for sale at cottage classics i would comment as follows.
1. a series 1 will always command the highest price regardless of its condition and you will struggle to find one or an owner willing to sell it. this is because they make excellent Griff 400's either bent or replicas like mine. (see my profile)
2. series 2 on vixens are next best. especially early ones since they can make very good tuscan SE replcas or bent ones?
3. series 2 later (with servo brakes) Like the one spadge has for sale make a very good road car or a good racing car because of the longer wheelbase and excellent handling.
4. series 3 are also nice cars and virtually identical to series 2 late cars, but the styling cues are less pretty than the series 2.
5. series 4 are more akin to the M chassis and somehow the boxed bottom of the body just doesn't look right. they also seem to sit a little higher on the wheels.
to the people that are thinking of Vixens, but have never owned one then consider your reasons for buying:
The griff replica builder, if you are going to do it for any other reason than racing, are you sure you have the £25k it will cost you.
bear in mind that Not many vixens are around. all of the owners know each other and where they are and which ones are available and we all talk. we also usually buy and sell amongst ourselves.
to the person worried about my old square chassid version i would just state that the cost is very good for a vixen. the chassis is in very good condition and actually has a little history, since the car was crashed and repaired with the said fabricated chassis in the late 70's when new chassis weren't available. as such this car would make a great racer using the non original chassis. or if the person wanted to build an original car then consider a brand new chassis which are available at between £1200 - £2500 depending upon who you know.
in short you will Not find a Vixen for cheaper than £2300 I know, i look for them every day.
One of the best available at the moment for someone who wants a top finished car with all the right bits is a snip on this website. it is yellow and would cost significantly more to build.
the last ones i have loved and lost (due to funding the racer) all went abroad.
If you can find one then buy one. they will only appreciate the older they get.
neil.
My advice to anyone reading is that if you can find a vixen of any age, in any condition at a good price then you should buy it.
As an owner of a Series 1 and the ex owner of 2 series 2's including the square chassi'd one that my good mate Spadge has for sale at cottage classics i would comment as follows.
1. a series 1 will always command the highest price regardless of its condition and you will struggle to find one or an owner willing to sell it. this is because they make excellent Griff 400's either bent or replicas like mine. (see my profile)
2. series 2 on vixens are next best. especially early ones since they can make very good tuscan SE replcas or bent ones?
3. series 2 later (with servo brakes) Like the one spadge has for sale make a very good road car or a good racing car because of the longer wheelbase and excellent handling.
4. series 3 are also nice cars and virtually identical to series 2 late cars, but the styling cues are less pretty than the series 2.
5. series 4 are more akin to the M chassis and somehow the boxed bottom of the body just doesn't look right. they also seem to sit a little higher on the wheels.
to the people that are thinking of Vixens, but have never owned one then consider your reasons for buying:
The griff replica builder, if you are going to do it for any other reason than racing, are you sure you have the £25k it will cost you.
bear in mind that Not many vixens are around. all of the owners know each other and where they are and which ones are available and we all talk. we also usually buy and sell amongst ourselves.
to the person worried about my old square chassid version i would just state that the cost is very good for a vixen. the chassis is in very good condition and actually has a little history, since the car was crashed and repaired with the said fabricated chassis in the late 70's when new chassis weren't available. as such this car would make a great racer using the non original chassis. or if the person wanted to build an original car then consider a brand new chassis which are available at between £1200 - £2500 depending upon who you know.
in short you will Not find a Vixen for cheaper than £2300 I know, i look for them every day.
One of the best available at the moment for someone who wants a top finished car with all the right bits is a snip on this website. it is yellow and would cost significantly more to build.
the last ones i have loved and lost (due to funding the racer) all went abroad.
If you can find one then buy one. they will only appreciate the older they get.
neil.
heightswitch said:
in short you will Not find a Vixen for cheaper than £2300 I know, i look for them every day.
Well, I've recently seen three project Vixens for sale at less than £2000. One 2500 was sold on ebay for around £1800. They are out there, be patient, look hard and you will be surprised at what you find.
I don't know anybody else who has a Vixen. 
Met Sarah (I think) briefly who was from the Bristol region many years ago at Back Home and that's about it.
Only ever seen one other Vixen on the road and that was near Chessington a couple of years ago.
There really aren't many around at all.
BTW if you are knowlegable about any histories etc, my car is the bottom red one on the Vixen S3 model guide on the TVR Files site. The picture was taken in Blackpool in about 1998. It would be nice if you knew anything before 1997. Ta.
>> Edited by vixen1700 on Saturday 3rd September 11:14
Met Sarah (I think) briefly who was from the Bristol region many years ago at Back Home and that's about it.
Only ever seen one other Vixen on the road and that was near Chessington a couple of years ago.
There really aren't many around at all.
BTW if you are knowlegable about any histories etc, my car is the bottom red one on the Vixen S3 model guide on the TVR Files site. The picture was taken in Blackpool in about 1998. It would be nice if you knew anything before 1997. Ta.
>> Edited by vixen1700 on Saturday 3rd September 11:14
[quote=mawds]Don't worry about the maintenance - it's all fairly basic stuff, and even if you don't do it yourself, there's bound to be a suitable bloke in a back-street garage who'll do it for a few quid.
If it is the same one, and it must be, it belongs to Allan Preston and it is in 'Classics'
To heightswitch, it was a Vixen 'sprinter' at a hillclimb who pointed that out - it didn't worry me though. I'm just saying the car wasn't for me, for various reasons, and pointing our friend who wants a Vixen in that direction. I have a friend in USA who gets 385bhp from his Vixen, via a V8 and as you know Spadge, you might know him too! This friend is desperate for me to buy that Vixen and put a V8 in, and I've had to disappoint him! Friend in USA says that car will make a fantastic car, it will work really well as a car, and Spadge will do just the best job. I was really really tempted, but at the end of the day, I'd like a drophead of some TVR sort. I am therefore passing on highest recommendation to get that car bought, since it is not going to go down in price, it will go up, and everybody here will be sorry! Worse, it could go abroad, as so many classic TVR's do.
If it is the same one, and it must be, it belongs to Allan Preston and it is in 'Classics'
To heightswitch, it was a Vixen 'sprinter' at a hillclimb who pointed that out - it didn't worry me though. I'm just saying the car wasn't for me, for various reasons, and pointing our friend who wants a Vixen in that direction. I have a friend in USA who gets 385bhp from his Vixen, via a V8 and as you know Spadge, you might know him too! This friend is desperate for me to buy that Vixen and put a V8 in, and I've had to disappoint him! Friend in USA says that car will make a fantastic car, it will work really well as a car, and Spadge will do just the best job. I was really really tempted, but at the end of the day, I'd like a drophead of some TVR sort. I am therefore passing on highest recommendation to get that car bought, since it is not going to go down in price, it will go up, and everybody here will be sorry! Worse, it could go abroad, as so many classic TVR's do.
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