What to do, what to do....
Discussion
I've had a 2000 tuscan for 3 years now, I've really not had that much use out of it but boy when I did drive it what a rush 
It's been fairly abandoned and unloved for the past 2 years and actually spent most of last winter parked outside absolutely buried in snow, then when the snow melted I literally had to swim around inside with the VAX to get the water out, there's even the odd bit of grass growing out of the window seals. I know im probably going to take a beating for letting it get into that state but sadly there were other things happening in my life that took priority at that time.
Its time to get life back on track now and I need to do something about the three cars I have parked outside. The old jap drift b*tch has to go and I need to decide what to do with the tuscan. I recently contemplated getting rid and going for a 911 turbo as its just an easier option, I love the tuscan but it can be hassle at times whereas the 911 seems like it would be an easier car to jump into every day. That said, I cant find the 911 turbo I want for the price I want to pay and I just dont think it would be the same thrill to drive, I personally love the fact that the tuscans handling is unpredictable, its a real challenge to drive hard and I love the truly incredible noise it emits when you apply pressure to the loud pedal. Top that lot off with a bit of radical styling and I don't think a 911 can compare.
Anyway, I digress... I started thinking about the tuscan again last week. It's always been tatty bodywork and interior wise so I've been speaking to powers body shop about a complete and rather expensive overhaul. Complete respray to a new colour, full interior refit, a decent sound install, Mk2 grille conversion, wheel refurb etc etc. On top of that it needs a service, a new fusebox thanks to the water ingress last winter, new clutch (possibly flywheel too), slave cylinder, starter motor, new belts, new rear tyres, new rear indicators and some time on the rolling road to find the severe hesitation/missfires at > 5k rpm (which possibly means throttle bodies I guess). Theres a bunch of other stuff too no doubt
I very much doubt there's enough left over from £13k for fish and chips with that lot. I'd also like to go for that powers 4.5 upgrade but I've never mistreated the engine, always driven immediately after starting and never driven past 3k rpm until at the correct temps, it also had an engine rebuild in 2004 (although in true TVR style the details surrounding that rebuild are like rocking horse poo) so *should* be ok? Ultimately the powers warranty would be great peace of mind but I just can't stretch that far.
£13k is an incredible amount of money to spend on a car of that age that already costs a fortune to run and that might (probably) not even be the final figure, I could buy another tuscan for that sort of money and is pretty much what I paid for mine 3 years ago. I know there's a few things I could do to bring the cost down like ditch the Mk2 grille, sound system etc but on the grand scale of things if a jobs worth doing!
I'm really torn because in its current state it's probably not worth much if I sell it but I'll never make that money back on it in the future if I have it done up. In contrast, I would easily spend that kind of money on replacing it so am i better to just bite the bullet and get it sorted or cut my losses and buy another car, perhaps not even a 911 but something that would give a comparable thrill to drive.
Convince me... or not
It's been fairly abandoned and unloved for the past 2 years and actually spent most of last winter parked outside absolutely buried in snow, then when the snow melted I literally had to swim around inside with the VAX to get the water out, there's even the odd bit of grass growing out of the window seals. I know im probably going to take a beating for letting it get into that state but sadly there were other things happening in my life that took priority at that time.
Its time to get life back on track now and I need to do something about the three cars I have parked outside. The old jap drift b*tch has to go and I need to decide what to do with the tuscan. I recently contemplated getting rid and going for a 911 turbo as its just an easier option, I love the tuscan but it can be hassle at times whereas the 911 seems like it would be an easier car to jump into every day. That said, I cant find the 911 turbo I want for the price I want to pay and I just dont think it would be the same thrill to drive, I personally love the fact that the tuscans handling is unpredictable, its a real challenge to drive hard and I love the truly incredible noise it emits when you apply pressure to the loud pedal. Top that lot off with a bit of radical styling and I don't think a 911 can compare.
Anyway, I digress... I started thinking about the tuscan again last week. It's always been tatty bodywork and interior wise so I've been speaking to powers body shop about a complete and rather expensive overhaul. Complete respray to a new colour, full interior refit, a decent sound install, Mk2 grille conversion, wheel refurb etc etc. On top of that it needs a service, a new fusebox thanks to the water ingress last winter, new clutch (possibly flywheel too), slave cylinder, starter motor, new belts, new rear tyres, new rear indicators and some time on the rolling road to find the severe hesitation/missfires at > 5k rpm (which possibly means throttle bodies I guess). Theres a bunch of other stuff too no doubt
I very much doubt there's enough left over from £13k for fish and chips with that lot. I'd also like to go for that powers 4.5 upgrade but I've never mistreated the engine, always driven immediately after starting and never driven past 3k rpm until at the correct temps, it also had an engine rebuild in 2004 (although in true TVR style the details surrounding that rebuild are like rocking horse poo) so *should* be ok? Ultimately the powers warranty would be great peace of mind but I just can't stretch that far.
£13k is an incredible amount of money to spend on a car of that age that already costs a fortune to run and that might (probably) not even be the final figure, I could buy another tuscan for that sort of money and is pretty much what I paid for mine 3 years ago. I know there's a few things I could do to bring the cost down like ditch the Mk2 grille, sound system etc but on the grand scale of things if a jobs worth doing!
I'm really torn because in its current state it's probably not worth much if I sell it but I'll never make that money back on it in the future if I have it done up. In contrast, I would easily spend that kind of money on replacing it so am i better to just bite the bullet and get it sorted or cut my losses and buy another car, perhaps not even a 911 but something that would give a comparable thrill to drive.
Convince me... or not
I am sure there are bits of savings you could make to the cost. EG when a MK2 grille etc?
Spending £13k seems like alot for a car that may be worth about £18k when all done. I would try and get the cost down a bit, maybe shop around especially for the rimming and bodywork, although I can see the sense in a one stop shop.
Mrs B has just told me I am not allowed to make you an offer for it
Spending £13k seems like alot for a car that may be worth about £18k when all done. I would try and get the cost down a bit, maybe shop around especially for the rimming and bodywork, although I can see the sense in a one stop shop.
Mrs B has just told me I am not allowed to make you an offer for it
Edited by blueg33 on Wednesday 23 November 09:03
Do the 'restoration' in stages....that way it won't seem so bad on the wallet!
And.....you don't want to go the Germanic dark side, do you?
Nick
- Address the 'mechanical' issues - guess you'd be talking £2K-£3K there.
- Get the interior sorted - A smart interior will lift the spirits!! Maybe a grand?
- A good bodyshop should be able to sort stone chips and 'blend' colours - rather than a full spray.
- New tyres, check/overhaul brakes. Guess this should be top of list!
And.....you don't want to go the Germanic dark side, do you?
Nick
blueg33 said:
I am sure there are bits of savings you could make to the cost. EG when a MK2 grille etc?
Indeed, as I said before there's a few things I could do to bring that price down a bit but in all honesty if the cars getting done up that grille gives the car a fresh new look. IMO it looks much more modern with the mk2 grille.A huge chunk of that cost is the respray itself, nearly £5k, there's no point cutting corners on that
nawarne said:
Do the 'restoration' in stages....that way it won't seem so bad on the wallet!
Finding the money is not really the issue, the total is still the same. I’d easily be financing more than that to replace it with a 911. I’m also 500 miles away from powers (or anyone in the TVR world with a decent reputation) so running back and forth is out of the question.nawarne said:
Address the 'mechanical' issues - guess you'd be talking £2K-£3K there.
Pretty much spot on I reckon
nawarne said:
Get the interior sorted - A smart interior will lift the spirits!! Maybe a grand?
A grand would do the seats lol. £2400 + that vat suff for a full retrim which it’s really in need of.nawarne said:
A good bodyshop should be able to sort stone chips and 'blend' colours - rather than a full spray.
It’s a little more drastic than a few stone chips unfortunately. She’s almost 12 years old and was not in the best condition when I bought her. Bought from a well known TVR dealer you’d find on here without seeing which, yes, I know was silly as he wasn’t particularly forthcoming on the cosmetic condition of her (although mechanically she’s been flawless really). Also, I bought on price back then and not on what I really wanted so the colour change would be an added benefit of the respray.nawarne said:
I wouldn't go for a grill mod' – IMHO
Out of interest, why?nawarne said:
New tyres, check/overhaul brakes. Guess this should be top of list!
Could squeeze a few more miles out of the tyres given that it would be summer before I get the car back. Brakes should be OK but yeah, this check should be top of the list.
nawarne said:
Which 911 turbo?
996 wide with all the trimmings. Trouble is the look pretty but the interior is really naff.nawarne said:
you don't want to go the Germanic dark side, do you?
Maaaaybe
Of course, repeatedly listening to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSlkKO-ERD0 does not make my decision any easier to make
memfis said:
There are plenty of company's in Blackpool for mechanical repair's, paintwork and trim work. we are a little bit closer to you and are all ex-factory workers and between us all im sure that if you decided you want work doing we could all work together and meet your requirement's.
Well I am certainly interested in getting other prices but there's a certain comfort in using powers i guess. Not sure if you're allowed to pimp your business on here but if so please give me some company names and contact details so I can get in touch.tezza77 said:
memfis said:
There are plenty of company's in Blackpool for mechanical repair's, paintwork and trim work. we are a little bit closer to you and are all ex-factory workers and between us all im sure that if you decided you want work doing we could all work together and meet your requirement's.
Well I am certainly interested in getting other prices but there's a certain comfort in using powers i guess. Not sure if you're allowed to pimp your business on here but if so please give me some company names and contact details so I can get in touch.
V8Grf can probably let you know who all the quality guys are in Blackpool. I certainly would not hesitate to use their services if I were in the vicinity.
The guys up there are the ones working on many of the big Tiv projects that people have in the pipeline and many of the indies send customer cars North for certain work still. What you seem to have in Blackpool is a filtered workforce where all the really good guys from the factory are running their own bespoke operations.
So as instructed by DA.....
Surface and Design will do just about everything to your car re bodywork and paint. All ex TVR staff including the production engineer, painter and master mould makers for your bodywork.
D&C Trim ex TVR trimmers.
Other mechanical work can be done eith by Mike Vernon Automotivewho looked after the Tuscans that went out to Hollywood for Swordfish and Bugs Bunny or Lawfield engineering run by some of the ex race team.
So one trip does it all.
Surface and Design 01253 595800
Surface and Design will do just about everything to your car re bodywork and paint. All ex TVR staff including the production engineer, painter and master mould makers for your bodywork.
D&C Trim ex TVR trimmers.
Other mechanical work can be done eith by Mike Vernon Automotivewho looked after the Tuscans that went out to Hollywood for Swordfish and Bugs Bunny or Lawfield engineering run by some of the ex race team.
So one trip does it all.
Surface and Design 01253 595800
V8 GRF said:
So as instructed by DA.....
Surface and Design will do just about everything to your car re bodywork and paint. All ex TVR staff including the production engineer, painter and master mould makers for your bodywork.
D&C Trim ex TVR trimmers.
Other mechanical work can be done eith by Mike Vernon Automotivewho looked after the Tuscans that went out to Hollywood for Swordfish and Bugs Bunny or Lawfield engineering run by some of the ex race team.
So one trip does it all.
Surface and Design 01253 595800
Perfect, information very much appreciated Surface and Design will do just about everything to your car re bodywork and paint. All ex TVR staff including the production engineer, painter and master mould makers for your bodywork.
D&C Trim ex TVR trimmers.
Other mechanical work can be done eith by Mike Vernon Automotivewho looked after the Tuscans that went out to Hollywood for Swordfish and Bugs Bunny or Lawfield engineering run by some of the ex race team.
So one trip does it all.
Surface and Design 01253 595800
nawarne said:
Your choice of course, but I prefer the Mk.1 grill.
"Germanic dark side".....well, if you like black and silver....and that's just the interior - then OK! Seriously, great respect for the engineering of Stuttgart wheels.
Nick
A marmite thing then, the MK2 makes the car look much more modern IMO "Germanic dark side".....well, if you like black and silver....and that's just the interior - then OK! Seriously, great respect for the engineering of Stuttgart wheels.
Nick
On advice I've just been speaking with S&D, they were a great help. All the people I under the same roof so hopefully I'll be able to sort something out with them and still be able to afford fish and chips
It depends how handy you are as well.
I was quoted the same as you for a full retrim, i just can't stomach that sort of money so i went another route.
Bought carpet from martrim- £90, get it cut myself, get it bound by someone £80. Also bought a load of alcantara, i'm able to do the dash,doors,rear quarter bits,rear speaker panel,roof, basically everything except the roll cage.
I'll get someone to trim the seats and console and luckily the caged bit is ok, so for a full leather and alcantara retrim i'm looking at about £1300.
I dread to imagine the cost of the quotes if i wanted alcantara.....
I am very handy with this sort of thing though and enjoy it, i also know when something is too hard for me to do like the seats and console.
I have also seen some trimmers work and mine is better lol, mind you s&d do a supurb job by the look of it.
I was quoted the same as you for a full retrim, i just can't stomach that sort of money
so i went another route.Bought carpet from martrim- £90, get it cut myself, get it bound by someone £80. Also bought a load of alcantara, i'm able to do the dash,doors,rear quarter bits,rear speaker panel,roof, basically everything except the roll cage.
I'll get someone to trim the seats and console and luckily the caged bit is ok, so for a full leather and alcantara retrim i'm looking at about £1300.
I dread to imagine the cost of the quotes if i wanted alcantara.....
I am very handy with this sort of thing though and enjoy it, i also know when something is too hard for me to do like the seats and console.
I have also seen some trimmers work and mine is better lol, mind you s&d do a supurb job by the look of it.
Gassing Station | Tuscan | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff