Thinking of coming back to the fold
Discussion
After owning a Griffiths then Aston then AMG and Porsche I am considering returning to a TVR via a Tuscan
Looking at a little bit of advice on buying a Tuscan Mk1 or Tuscan S and whether there is a remarkable difference.
What are the recommendations from you Guys in the know?
It looks like there are only around 75 Tuscan S on the road so a bit of a rarity value maybe?
Looking to spend from £27k (seems to be where the decent Mk1`s ones start) up to around £32K for a 2003 S.
Am aware for the need of a good history provenance...is engine rebuild a necessity?
Thanks for any advice
Looking at a little bit of advice on buying a Tuscan Mk1 or Tuscan S and whether there is a remarkable difference.
What are the recommendations from you Guys in the know?
It looks like there are only around 75 Tuscan S on the road so a bit of a rarity value maybe?
Looking to spend from £27k (seems to be where the decent Mk1`s ones start) up to around £32K for a 2003 S.
Am aware for the need of a good history provenance...is engine rebuild a necessity?
Thanks for any advice
I’ve got a Mk1 Tuscan S.
The differences between an S and standard Tuscan amounted to about £10k in retail price.
I believe it was bigger brakes, a larger bore exhaust, and possibly a bit more power, possibly diff and gear ratios etc, etc. And the obvious cosmetic changes.
Basically the bits you’d expect to upgrade on a performance variant.
Personally I would not touch one without evidence of a full rebuild from a proven rebuilder like Powers Performance or Str8Six.
Would you notice a difference between an S and a standard car? I really wouldn’t think so in day to day use.
More important I would say would be condition. As a previous TVR owner you will know that cars can vary in condition enormously.
Edited to add: gas discharge headlights and aircon. Aircon is quite a biggy on a TVR.
The differences between an S and standard Tuscan amounted to about £10k in retail price.
I believe it was bigger brakes, a larger bore exhaust, and possibly a bit more power, possibly diff and gear ratios etc, etc. And the obvious cosmetic changes.
Basically the bits you’d expect to upgrade on a performance variant.
Personally I would not touch one without evidence of a full rebuild from a proven rebuilder like Powers Performance or Str8Six.
Would you notice a difference between an S and a standard car? I really wouldn’t think so in day to day use.
More important I would say would be condition. As a previous TVR owner you will know that cars can vary in condition enormously.
Edited to add: gas discharge headlights and aircon. Aircon is quite a biggy on a TVR.
Edited by swisstoni on Saturday 26th December 18:26
I can't comment on owning/driving an S against other models (I own a 2001 Mk1 4.0 - previously a Chimaera and an S3) but your budget should allow you to buy a good tidy example - just buy with your eyes wide open.
Everyone who owns a car with a specialist engine rebuild will tell you not to buy one without a rebuild. There are known issues with the earlier Speed SIx engines ('chocolate components' will be a phrase that you see crop up from time to time) but to condemn any car that hasn't had a rebuild is unnecessary. In my opinion, a car with a recent specialist engine rebuild would demand an increase in price over whatever the 'general' market price might be, but there are plenty of well-maintained cars out there with original engines, lots of miles on and no known issues.
Personally, I would consider buying from a reputable specialist dealer who will probably know something of the previous owner and the car's history and will also offer some sort of warranty - alway worth having. However, there are also plenty of enthusiasts out there who carefully and competently maintain their own cars to a high standard and should be able to provide documented evidence of all maintenance and mods they've carried out.
What I would be wary of are cars that are hardly driven as there's no proof of reliability. Cars that are used regularly (not abused!) are also more likely to have had any other gremlins fettled - and again, this should be evidenced.
Buying a car with a recent specialist rebuild certainly should be a guarantee of a trouble-free engine, but when you do choose a car, take a balanced view based on condition, prior use, service history and price. If the car you like hasn't had an engine rebuild, then like any other car, at some point in its life, it will probably need some intervention in that department - the question is, when?
Currently, I believe an engine rebuild can cost between £7k-£10k. Some owners who have had this work done seem to think that immediately adds the same to the value of the car whereas in reality an uplift of 50-60% of that cost is probably more realistic. At the end of the day, its what you feel it's worth to you and what you're happy paying. Just take your time and talk to dealers and owners alike. Oh - and just do it anyway!
Everyone who owns a car with a specialist engine rebuild will tell you not to buy one without a rebuild. There are known issues with the earlier Speed SIx engines ('chocolate components' will be a phrase that you see crop up from time to time) but to condemn any car that hasn't had a rebuild is unnecessary. In my opinion, a car with a recent specialist engine rebuild would demand an increase in price over whatever the 'general' market price might be, but there are plenty of well-maintained cars out there with original engines, lots of miles on and no known issues.
Personally, I would consider buying from a reputable specialist dealer who will probably know something of the previous owner and the car's history and will also offer some sort of warranty - alway worth having. However, there are also plenty of enthusiasts out there who carefully and competently maintain their own cars to a high standard and should be able to provide documented evidence of all maintenance and mods they've carried out.
What I would be wary of are cars that are hardly driven as there's no proof of reliability. Cars that are used regularly (not abused!) are also more likely to have had any other gremlins fettled - and again, this should be evidenced.
Buying a car with a recent specialist rebuild certainly should be a guarantee of a trouble-free engine, but when you do choose a car, take a balanced view based on condition, prior use, service history and price. If the car you like hasn't had an engine rebuild, then like any other car, at some point in its life, it will probably need some intervention in that department - the question is, when?
Currently, I believe an engine rebuild can cost between £7k-£10k. Some owners who have had this work done seem to think that immediately adds the same to the value of the car whereas in reality an uplift of 50-60% of that cost is probably more realistic. At the end of the day, its what you feel it's worth to you and what you're happy paying. Just take your time and talk to dealers and owners alike. Oh - and just do it anyway!
Hi Tarks, I am about to put my car up for sale in the new year. Just had a rebuild done by Dom at TVR Power, spent just over 12k on it getting everything done to it. Perfect now.
Std Tuscan with a Red Rose rebuild as they all are now. About 40k miles. Pm me if you are interested. After around 27k.
Karl@juraise.com.
Loved it to bits but must sell it as I have a new Atom coming just after Easter. Owned for around 9 yrs.
Std Tuscan with a Red Rose rebuild as they all are now. About 40k miles. Pm me if you are interested. After around 27k.
Karl@juraise.com.
Loved it to bits but must sell it as I have a new Atom coming just after Easter. Owned for around 9 yrs.
Edited by Corkys on Monday 28th December 07:42
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