Discussion
After two years of TVR ownership I am now 17 hours into 350Z ownership and in that time it's started first time every time, no warning lights have come on, no smoke or steam has come from under the bonnet, it hasn't leaked, I can hear the stereo, small boys have been impressed, it hasn't needed a service nor anything gluing back on, neither headlight has steamed up, I've thrown away the marine grade silicon and my car cover, I haven't had to gain entry through the passenger door, the key fob has worked every time, I've had a £500 insurance refund, I'm going to wait 9,000 miles for a service and travel 5 miles to the garage.
Okay, it only does 0 - 60 in 5.9 seconds but it looks like it will do it repeatedly ... so far things are looking good.
If anything does fall off/breakdown/give up the ghost I'll report back!!
Damn ... I miss the TVR!
Okay, it only does 0 - 60 in 5.9 seconds but it looks like it will do it repeatedly ... so far things are looking good.
If anything does fall off/breakdown/give up the ghost I'll report back!!
Damn ... I miss the TVR!
HI Nige, I made the same move myself about 3 months ago (got rid of the T350C) I know that the nissan is not in the same league .....but in 3 months I have never had one problem, starts every time, nothing falls off, and still looks great. I do miss the TVR soundtrack though. Ah well good to know that in this hot weather at least I can keep cool in the cabin
Hi snazza ... I see from one of your earlier posts you're considering the supercharger route. Have you made any progress because it's certainly something I was considering? £3,200 looks a reasonable price particularly when I checked and found a set of 19" Nismo alloys comes in at £2,700 without tyres!
Sorry for hijacking a TVR forum with this!!
zumbruck ... rhymes with ... anyway, I see you owned a Sierra Cosworth so I'll value your comments on asthetics!
>> Edited by NIGEW on Tuesday 8th June 12:34
Sorry for hijacking a TVR forum with this!!
zumbruck ... rhymes with ... anyway, I see you owned a Sierra Cosworth so I'll value your comments on asthetics!
>> Edited by NIGEW on Tuesday 8th June 12:34
al bell500 said:
Projectile vomitting 
Don`t get that with a tiveven if they do go wrong "occasionally".
Al
It is a fine car and a very sensible single car choice. Must admit to briefly having thought about one myself, but ultimately I don't like to compromise.
Something ultra cheap and something that generates a feeling of childhood Christmas excitement is the way for me...
The savings account won't be renamed away from "TVR Fund" just jet....
If TVRs didn't exist I'd have a 350Z - they great cars. I understand the comments about build and reliability and cannot really defend TVR after looking at a few shoddy bits on my new car. On average the Nissan will be more reliable. BUT it could still go bang ...
Mind you my taste in cars has gone strange lately - I love the C3 Pluriel and the Megane Convertible.
Mind you my taste in cars has gone strange lately - I love the C3 Pluriel and the Megane Convertible.
I am enjoying having the extra boot space in the T350 though! 
blueyes ... how about being locked out in the rain after a day in a field, or having to climb in through the passenger door in front of shed loads of people or never being able to start the 
ing thing without going through the whole immobiliser cycle every time or wondering how to stop the ing water getting in and making the door trims all wet or having to wait 7 weeks for a replacement windscreen ... and let's face it, very rarely have I come across a TVR at full pelt, mostly bimbling along like the rest of us, safeguarding the licence, so an extra second and a bit to 60 really isn't that important, and anyway I have a bike that does it in 3.8 so 4.5 aint that quick is it?
It's horses for courses ... I loved the power, the handling, the kudos but couldn't stand the inexcusably shite build quality and potential for huge expense every time I got in the thing. If it was a second weekend car, as an awful lot seem to be let's face it, I could have lived with it ... just not every day.
Sometimes I think the excess mockery of anything other than 'TVRS are bloody marvellous' hints at the underlying concern that every owner has ... THEY AREN'T.
ing thing without going through the whole immobiliser cycle every time or wondering how to stop the ing water getting in and making the door trims all wet or having to wait 7 weeks for a replacement windscreen ... and let's face it, very rarely have I come across a TVR at full pelt, mostly bimbling along like the rest of us, safeguarding the licence, so an extra second and a bit to 60 really isn't that important, and anyway I have a bike that does it in 3.8 so 4.5 aint that quick is it? It's horses for courses ... I loved the power, the handling, the kudos but couldn't stand the inexcusably shite build quality and potential for huge expense every time I got in the thing. If it was a second weekend car, as an awful lot seem to be let's face it, I could have lived with it ... just not every day.
Sometimes I think the excess mockery of anything other than 'TVRS are bloody marvellous' hints at the underlying concern that every owner has ... THEY AREN'T.
NIGEW said:
blueyes ... how about being locked out in the rain after a day in a field, or having to climb in through the passenger door in front of shed loads of people or blah blah blah ... and let's face it, very rarely have I come across a TVR at full pelt, mostly bimbling along like the rest of us, safeguarding the licence, so an extra second and a bit to 60 really isn't that important, and anyway I have a bike that does it in 3.8 so 4.5 aint that quick is it?
I'm not saying I wouldn't have changed the tam if it had been as bad as yours... I just wouldn't have bought a Datsun....I mean... you could have bought a 147GTA!!
As for the 0-60 thing.. it's really only part of the story isn't it?
Also, you've only had the bu66er 17 hours.... talk to me in 17 MONTHS and see if it still makes you:
1. smile every time you open the garage
2. giggle when when you start it up
3. laugh your arse off when you floor it
I've had problems with my T350 but I'll forgive it for still making the above 3 points happen EVERY day... even after nearly 17 months... same as all my other TVRs.
Newromancer said:
Big fat wabling, maybe good in the straight line ... but no fun and no heart.
The 350Z can really handle... The UK suspension set up is great. Much more serious ride than you would expect from the size of the car. Mine was a lot of fun to drive. I would take it out to drive it just for fun. Obviously they're not as much fun as the TVR because they're not as loud or as incredible to look at, but they're still fun to drive, esp. through corners. It is very torquey, and INCREDIBLY stable at 100mph+ speeds, it just plants itself down and muscles forward.
Having owned 2 incredibly reliable TVR's and a Z, I can't agree with the cliched remarks about all TVR's being unreliable. Mine have both been spot on. However, if I had to drive to work early every morning or plough up and down a motorway, I would chose a Z. No warm up period, no bother with ground clearence, etc. But the rest of the time, ie: pleasure driving, the TVR is of course going to feel much more special, and that's what I missed and why I came back. They are both GREAT cars for what they do. That they are being compared is an asset to both of them IMO.
NIGEW said:
I loved the power, the handling, the kudos but couldn't stand the inexcusably shite build quality ...Sometimes I think the excess mockery of anything other than 'TVRS are bloody marvellous' hints at the underlying concern that every owner has ... THEY AREN'T.
I do feel I have to defend the build quality, I know you say inexcusable but at the end of the day, when you go to the factory they are hand built...totally hand built. That for me gives room for margin or error on the finish and is what makes them special.
In general, owners are fully aware that they are fragile and costly and you have to go into ownership with your eyes and wallet wide open. Basically TVR's are about bang for your buck and in my mind nothing touches them!
I don't like to enter the "are they good/shite" arena very often but I just wanted to add my P.O.V.
Cheers
Bazza
nubbin said:
Mrs. Nubbin fancied a 350Z until she saw the fields of black plastic and pretend aluminium trim on the iside - and she went off it straight away!
Not one to prevaricate, my missus!
A relative of mine recently purchased a very tasty 350Z and was kind enough to let me take it for a good drive even though it was brand spanking new. I think it looks good, it sounds nice, drives and handles well. The downside was that the boot space was small and like the T350, forces you to have boot contents on display. (Forgive me if I'm wrong and load covers are now available).
But want Duncan says was also, for me, the most disappointing impression - the interior plastics just looked dull and unexciting. If I bought one to replace the Tuscan (and it has crossed my mind), I'd be tempted to investigate what a good trimmer could do with customising the interior to give it a little 'specialness'. I reckon it could be done for not a great deal of money - and it would be a great, and very quick, every day car. I'm looking forward to seeing the convertible when it hits the showrooms.
Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff