Newbie help please

[djb666]

Hi all. I have very much lusted after a TVR from childhood, it being the ultimate car for me! Finally I am in a financial position to buy a good one (hopefully) and I just wondered if the collective brains of PH brethren knew this car?
http://www.tvr-webmart.co.uk/tvr_full_advert.asp?a...
My only concern is that it's been advertised on webmart since Feb? Any reason why? The price might be why (it's a bit high) but is there any another reason? Hopefully, people cleverer than I can shed some light? At least if it's kosha then I can go into bat on a level playing field. Thank you to anyone who helps

[shep1001]

Castle Sports Cars are now called Hilton&Moss. Can't see that car on their current website.

[Pursyluv]

Seems to be priced about right:-

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3634605.htm

although with a budget of this size i'd be looking at a T350T

[alex_gray255]

shep1001 said:

Castle Sports Cars are now called Hilton&Moss. Can't see that car on their current website.

No, they are now back to Castle Sports cars. They do the sports cars, Hilton do the classics and the car for sale on the castle site.

I have seen it and heard it drive. Looks a nice car. More than that I don't know. Speak with Ben Speak at Castle and fine out more details.

[djb666]

Thanks alex_gray225. If you've seen it and it looks ok then I'll make the effort to go see it. I dont fancy T350T really. Nothing wrong with them, it's just that I'd be worried they might leak...

[Zippee]

djb666 said:

Thanks alex_gray225. If you've seen it and it looks ok then I'll make the effort to go see it. I dont fancy T350T really. Nothing wrong with them, it's just that I'd be worried they might leak...

Get a late (2004 on) Targa and they should be fully watertight, I know mine is.
Castle are a good bunch of guys and that T350 is in fantastic condition though IMHO a couple of k overpriced. Have a chat with Ben Speak whos tha main sales chap there. Very helpful and a PHer to boot. Are you localish to Stansted?

[Targarama]

djb666 said:

Thanks alex_gray225. If you've seen it and it looks ok then I'll make the effort to go see it. I dont fancy T350T really. Nothing wrong with them, it's just that I'd be worried they might leak...

I have never ever heard of a Targa leaking through the roof panels. Take one off and you see it is hard to imagine it happening. This isn't a 1980s Pontiac Transam !

[alex_gray255]

I think it is a bit overpriced as well, but IMHO. You are probably paying the extra for the fact that it was one of the last ones produced, but I'm
just guessing.

I'm popping over to Castle tomorrow to drop my Lotus off for a service. If Ben is around I could ask him about the car for you if you want...

[djb666]

Yes I can see there is a bit of a premium being added because its one of the last. I'll reserve judgement until I see it obviously! I would never associate these beautiful cars (T350T included) with a trans am?! I wasn't insulting the Targas (or any of their owners), it's just that apart from the irrational fear of leaks, I prefer the lines of the coupe. Thanks alex_gray225, if you could have a peek at it that would be great as Stansted is not local to me at all (I live/work between Wimbledon/Oxford). I have been in touch with Ben already who has been very helpful with my questions. Unfortunately I can't get to see the car until later this month when I'm back in the UK and in the meantime I thought I'd ask the experts on here what they thought of the car

[sanquin]

djb666 said:

Thanks alex_gray225. If you've seen it and it looks ok then I'll make the effort to go see it. I dont fancy T350T really. Nothing wrong with them, it's just that I'd be worried they might leak...

Never had any leks either. And I have the 2003 model without the front clip.

[djb666]

sanquin said:

Never had any leks either. And I have the 2003 model without the front clip.

That's reassuring to know. I wouldn't rule out a targa. Perhaps I should go see one of those too

[sanquin]

View as many as you can. For me the Targa was not a must when I sought a T350, but now I am very very happy that I ended up owning a T. I have the panels off 80% of the time.

And off-topic: what airline do you pilot for?

[djb666]

sanquin said:

View as many as you can. For me the Targa was not a must when I sought a T350, but now I am very very happy that I ended up owning a T. I have the panels off 80% of the time.

And off-topic: what airline do you pilot for?

Thanks for the advice I do plan to see a few so that I can get a good feel for the car before commiting. Sorry, not an airline (RAF) although I have moved on to larger jets now that I'm getting on a bit

[DonkeyApple]

djb666 said:

Yes I can see there is a bit of a premium being added because its one of the last. I'll reserve judgement until I see it obviously! I would never associate these beautiful cars (T350T included) with a trans am?! I wasn't insulting the Targas (or any of their owners), it's just that apart from the irrational fear of leaks, I prefer the lines of the coupe. Thanks alex_gray225, if you could have a peek at it that would be great as Stansted is not local to me at all (I live/work between Wimbledon/Oxford). I have been in touch with Ben already who has been very helpful with my questions. Unfortunately I can't get to see the car until later this month when I'm back in the UK and in the meantime I thought I'd ask the experts on here what they thought of the car

I had a T350T and it was a great car. It never leaked and it was nice to be able to take the panels out on a sunny day.

But, the C does definitely look cleaner and you won't have that panic at 120 worrying that the panels sound like they are going to come out.

[DonkeyApple]

Also, the colour looks great for this model and the service history looks very reputable.

Might not be enough use to have ironed out the factory niggles though which is worth thinking about.

I wonder if a slightly older car with a few more miles but more regular use would be noteably cheaper and an easier car to own?

[djb666]

Thanks DA. Yes, I am a bit concerned about those things but I still think its worth a look when I get back. I was just a bit worried that it had been on webmart since feb though. I'll go see it (and others) and report back at a later date

[DonkeyApple]

djb666 said:

Thanks DA. Yes, I am a bit concerned about those things but I still think its worth a look when I get back. I was just a bit worried that it had been on webmart since feb though. I'll go see it (and others) and report back at a later date

If anything it is the perfect benchmark to reference everything else against.

One word of warning about T350, the type of seat they used on most of them was a little too big and snagged at the top against the side roll cage.

To alleviate this they bunged in spacers in the bolts on one side to tilt the seats inwards to create the clearance.

The net result of this is that without you realising it your back is twisted at all times which will seriously aggravate any underlying issues. It was the only flaw of what I've always felt was the best looking TVR with the best engine.

[djb666]

Thanks again for that DA I would have wondered about that if I'd noticed it. I don't suffer any health/medical issues (thank god) so I'm sure it's something I could live with...

[alex_gray255]

Ok, as promised, I had a quick look around the car this morning with Ben and listened to the engine/exhaust (for all that is worth 0.o)

The interior looks in very good condition. There is no sign of any colour fading on the carpet or any sign of damage on the interior that I could see.
The colour combination also looks very nice.

The bodywork is in good condition - no obvious scuffs, paintmarks or scuffing on the wheels. The only visible sign of wear was on the t350 badge on the boot
which was just some chipped enamual. Could not see any stone chips, but the light was not the best.

Started the engine and listened to it. Acceleration was smooth and engine sounded good, no obvious tappy or such sounds. Quieter than some t350s I've heard.

Exhaust is a sports one - JP I think, but not sure.

Had a quick chat with Ben about the history
- 2007
- 13k miles
- Done 2k with last owner
- New clutch 2k ago
- New accelerator (or clutch) cable done recently.
- No issues on history Ben aware of
- Car has AC

Think thats about it.

From a quick inspection and chat car looks to be in excellent condition, but that's just my opinion, but certainly worth a look in you are after a nice t350.

Hope that helps!

A

[djb666]

Thanks Alex. Will definitely go and take a look when I get back to the UK (amongst others of course). It's still a bit overpriced I think (compared to similar for sale at present), but obviously I'll reserve judgement until I see it. Thank you for taking the time to do that