TVR Tuscan, take 2!
Discussion
With some terrible timing, I have just collected my new TVR Tuscan (2 days before lock-down!). This car replaces the Tuscan I had briefly last year, which was returned to the dealer (that is a long story).
This one is a 2002 3.6 Mk1. I looked at quite a few before deciding on this one, mainly due to a recent Powers rebuild, mapped by Joolz, lots of preventative maintenance, a great chassis, up-rated suspension, and aircon (which I really wanted as I'd like to take the car around Europe). I also really liked the colour scheme, which was a total contrast to my last Tuscan (see below)
[url]
Powers rebuilt engine.
|https://thumbsnap.com/LBIMN5Wn[/url]
This time it was a private purchase; the vendor is on pistonheads and was selling to buy an Aston. Due to the recent events I've barely driven the car. It obviously feels quite similar to my old Tuscan, but will say the 3.6 feels slightly less torquey at low revs but then goes ballistic at about 4k revs.It span the wheels in 3rd gear, which I can't say my old car did. The engine is definitely making the power and sounds good as the car is decatted. I may look for a noisier exhaust as my last car had carbon cans and they made the pops and bangs sound like fireworks happening inside your house.
Plans for the moment are just to look after the car and sort out some bits (and drive it at some point in the future...) The paint isn't in as good a condition as my last car; one of the owners added PPF which has left a mark where it was removed. So I will look to get the car painted (potentially a full respray to make it immaculate, but not decided yet. As soon as I can I want to take the car to Powers for a 12k service, but also to extend the warranty on the engine for piece of mind. Then, just enjoy the car and hope it doesn't cause me the same problems the last one did!
This one is a 2002 3.6 Mk1. I looked at quite a few before deciding on this one, mainly due to a recent Powers rebuild, mapped by Joolz, lots of preventative maintenance, a great chassis, up-rated suspension, and aircon (which I really wanted as I'd like to take the car around Europe). I also really liked the colour scheme, which was a total contrast to my last Tuscan (see below)
[url]Powers rebuilt engine.
|https://thumbsnap.com/LBIMN5Wn[/url]This time it was a private purchase; the vendor is on pistonheads and was selling to buy an Aston. Due to the recent events I've barely driven the car. It obviously feels quite similar to my old Tuscan, but will say the 3.6 feels slightly less torquey at low revs but then goes ballistic at about 4k revs.It span the wheels in 3rd gear, which I can't say my old car did. The engine is definitely making the power and sounds good as the car is decatted. I may look for a noisier exhaust as my last car had carbon cans and they made the pops and bangs sound like fireworks happening inside your house.
Plans for the moment are just to look after the car and sort out some bits (and drive it at some point in the future...) The paint isn't in as good a condition as my last car; one of the owners added PPF which has left a mark where it was removed. So I will look to get the car painted (potentially a full respray to make it immaculate, but not decided yet. As soon as I can I want to take the car to Powers for a 12k service, but also to extend the warranty on the engine for piece of mind. Then, just enjoy the car and hope it doesn't cause me the same problems the last one did!
Lovely.
I looked at your previous one when it was for sale and something yet did not feel right about it - seems like it had "issues"
Mines being delivered today, owned since last December and not driven it yet, it went straight to TrackvRoad for a rebuild (More precautionary than anything else)
I looked at your previous one when it was for sale and something yet did not feel right about it - seems like it had "issues"
Mines being delivered today, owned since last December and not driven it yet, it went straight to TrackvRoad for a rebuild (More precautionary than anything else)
Andy665 said:
Lovely.
I looked at your previous one when it was for sale and something yet did not feel right about it - seems like it had "issues"
Mines being delivered today, owned since last December and not driven it yet, it went straight to TrackvRoad for a rebuild (More precautionary than anything else)
You escaped a lot of hassle not buying that green one. Wasn’t right from day one and spent more time back trying to be fixed than it did with me. I looked at your previous one when it was for sale and something yet did not feel right about it - seems like it had "issues"
Mines being delivered today, owned since last December and not driven it yet, it went straight to TrackvRoad for a rebuild (More precautionary than anything else)
Good luck with yours today, I know you’ve been waiting ages for it. Terrible timing as well because we can’t use them as intended!
TR4man said:
You are obviously a glutton for punishment!
Seriously I am looking forward to reading your updates.
Owned mine for nearly two years.
Only update is the car is tucked away in the garage. Broke my extension cable so not currently on battery charge until I can find another extension lead.Seriously I am looking forward to reading your updates.
Owned mine for nearly two years.
Not a massive fan of TVRs in the crazy colours or the really somber colours, but absolutely love that red as a middle ground - what an incentive to make it through the lockdown just to be able to go for a long blast in such an exciting car. Congrats!
On the plus side... just think of all the polishing and tinkering you can do in the meantime....
On the plus side... just think of all the polishing and tinkering you can do in the meantime....
So tempted to get rid of my kitcar for one of these but worried it might feel a bit tame in comparison.I think TVRs can handle most colours. The only one I didn’t really fancy (but would have still had if the car was in excellent condition) was black, as I think it hides the mad lines of the car.
My favourite TVR colour is Halcyon Midas, which I had on my Chimaera. One day I’d love a Tuscan or Cerbera in this shade .
My favourite TVR colour is Halcyon Midas, which I had on my Chimaera. One day I’d love a Tuscan or Cerbera in this shade .
Tuscan update:
Not many miles covered since purchase; I've only used the car on the rare occasion to take into work when the weather has been so good. For the remainder of the time it lives in my garage on trickle charge. The car drives fantastically and feels so much more planted than my last Tuscan. I can actually drive this one without needing both hands on the wheel at all times, ready for the car to go off course the second it hits a bump. This one has been set-up really well and it is a much less 'edgy' drive. The 3.6 engine feels surprisingly different to the old 4.0 I had previously - it doesn't have quite the same torque low down but seems to rev much more freely and have a more manic top end, which I think suits the nature of this car.
It hasn't been all perfect 'though...
Driving down the road, all of a sudden the normal pops and bangs from the car sounded like artillery fire and explosions. I pulled into the lay-by thinking the engine must be destroying itself but thankfully found it was just the exhaust that had detached. It hadn't just come loose or been knocked by something on the road, but seems to have just failed and split apart. It was held on by a few mm of material and I had to remove it so I could get home (luckily not too far away, but with only one exhaust on everyone heard the car coming). No damage caused, apart from the loss of that exhaust. I've taken this chance to order a slightly different (louder) exhaust, so will see how that sounds on the car. I'm not sure my neighbours will be looking forward to it as much as I am.
Only other minor issue is the speedo needle sometimes not working. The private seller very kindly refunded me some money to fix this.
The car is booked into Powers for a service soon and to have their engine warranty extended (as long as it passes the checks).
I can forgive the car for these minor issues when it drives and looks this good!
Not many miles covered since purchase; I've only used the car on the rare occasion to take into work when the weather has been so good. For the remainder of the time it lives in my garage on trickle charge. The car drives fantastically and feels so much more planted than my last Tuscan. I can actually drive this one without needing both hands on the wheel at all times, ready for the car to go off course the second it hits a bump. This one has been set-up really well and it is a much less 'edgy' drive. The 3.6 engine feels surprisingly different to the old 4.0 I had previously - it doesn't have quite the same torque low down but seems to rev much more freely and have a more manic top end, which I think suits the nature of this car.
It hasn't been all perfect 'though...
Driving down the road, all of a sudden the normal pops and bangs from the car sounded like artillery fire and explosions. I pulled into the lay-by thinking the engine must be destroying itself but thankfully found it was just the exhaust that had detached. It hadn't just come loose or been knocked by something on the road, but seems to have just failed and split apart. It was held on by a few mm of material and I had to remove it so I could get home (luckily not too far away, but with only one exhaust on everyone heard the car coming). No damage caused, apart from the loss of that exhaust. I've taken this chance to order a slightly different (louder) exhaust, so will see how that sounds on the car. I'm not sure my neighbours will be looking forward to it as much as I am.
Only other minor issue is the speedo needle sometimes not working. The private seller very kindly refunded me some money to fix this.
The car is booked into Powers for a service soon and to have their engine warranty extended (as long as it passes the checks).
I can forgive the car for these minor issues when it drives and looks this good!
robsco said:
Lovely car. I remember a forum member on here having it some time ago. What were the problems with the old Tuscan? I do recall seeing it on James' website at the time and having a nosey at it.
Thanks. Yes was a forum member’s car, always good to be able to see old posts about these cars before buying.The green one let me down a number of times - a deeply frustrating buying and ownership experience from the day I drove that one away.
Re the green one, was it bought from a TVR specialist and, if so, I'm wondering why they couldn't get the car set up and running properly? I've read of another owner returning their Tuscan to the specialist as they couldn't get it to handle well. Is it something to do with early cars having a different front suspension or steering setup?
I guess I'm asking how do you know if you are buying a good car if you can't rely on a specialist to have sorted it before sale?
I guess I'm asking how do you know if you are buying a good car if you can't rely on a specialist to have sorted it before sale?
SFTWend said:
Re the green one, was it bought from a TVR specialist and, if so, I'm wondering why they couldn't get the car set up and running properly? I've read of another owner returning their Tuscan to the specialist as they couldn't get it to handle well. Is it something to do with early cars having a different front suspension or steering setup?
I guess I'm asking how do you know if you are buying a good car if you can't rely on a specialist to have sorted it before sale?
Hi there - it was nothing to do with the handling of the car but the engine which was causing problems. I guess I'm asking how do you know if you are buying a good car if you can't rely on a specialist to have sorted it before sale?
Early Tuscans can have some trickier handling and are affected by road surfaces and bumps. The steering is very quick so any minor correction in the input can have a bigger effect to how the car actually steers. Many owners upgrade to after-market suspension (which both of these cars have). I don’t see the ‘edgy’ handling as an issue, just part of the car’s character. They aren’t cars to jump in and drive quickly straight away. In my opinion, something like a Porsche Boxster would be far better down a tight and twisting road, but nowhere near as fun.
I haven’t driven a Mk2 Tuscan but believe these were quite different in terms of handling.
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