t350 what to look for??
Discussion
im quite liking the look of t350c, just wondering what are the good and bad points to these cars?
main issues to look for, expensive repairs, just a general heads up about the cars really. i am very local to fernhurst tvr, and had a look at a couple of t350 they have in stock yesterday.
also what are these cars like on track, good out the box, or do they need any work to suspension/brakes etc. i love the fact they have no driver aids so its pure driving, and the noise is pretty special as well. does any1 have any issues getting through noise tests on track??
with tvr having dissappered now, what is parts availability and prices like? and how reliable (or unreliable!) are they lol.
it would be a track day and weekend hoon car, so wont be used every day
many thanks for all info
cheers
nick
main issues to look for, expensive repairs, just a general heads up about the cars really. i am very local to fernhurst tvr, and had a look at a couple of t350 they have in stock yesterday.
also what are these cars like on track, good out the box, or do they need any work to suspension/brakes etc. i love the fact they have no driver aids so its pure driving, and the noise is pretty special as well. does any1 have any issues getting through noise tests on track??
with tvr having dissappered now, what is parts availability and prices like? and how reliable (or unreliable!) are they lol.
it would be a track day and weekend hoon car, so wont be used every day
many thanks for all info
cheers
nick
Your topic is so broad that it could take pages to answer. Browsing this forum will give you everything you need, starting with the Buying Guide/FAQ.
Just briefly touching your questions: Yes they are good cars, maintenance is sometimes expensive, but this is (partly) countered by the lack of depreciation.
A suspension upgrade is desirable if you want to track it often. Still, I don't have upgraded suspension, I track the car maybe 2 or 3 times a year and it is fine for me. Yet could be better. Aftermarket silencers are available that you put of the endpipe of your exhaust if you have noise issues.
Parts availability is not an issue. There are still original TVR parts about, and a lot of aftermarket parts. Sometimes the aftermaket parts are of better quality than the original so I would not worry about that.
My car has never let me down, but if you browse these forums you will see that sometimes they do break down, but which car doesn't. Mostly the same (relatively easy to fix) issues.
In general I would say that these cars are great if properly serviced and driven in accordance with your driving abilities. They will give you a blast that no other make can offer. It is pure driving, great noise, and to me these cars are utter beauty. Speaking for myself, I will not trade my car for anything else.
Just briefly touching your questions: Yes they are good cars, maintenance is sometimes expensive, but this is (partly) countered by the lack of depreciation.
A suspension upgrade is desirable if you want to track it often. Still, I don't have upgraded suspension, I track the car maybe 2 or 3 times a year and it is fine for me. Yet could be better. Aftermarket silencers are available that you put of the endpipe of your exhaust if you have noise issues.
Parts availability is not an issue. There are still original TVR parts about, and a lot of aftermarket parts. Sometimes the aftermaket parts are of better quality than the original so I would not worry about that.
My car has never let me down, but if you browse these forums you will see that sometimes they do break down, but which car doesn't. Mostly the same (relatively easy to fix) issues.
In general I would say that these cars are great if properly serviced and driven in accordance with your driving abilities. They will give you a blast that no other make can offer. It is pure driving, great noise, and to me these cars are utter beauty. Speaking for myself, I will not trade my car for anything else.
sanquin said:
Your topic is so broad that it could take pages to answer. Browsing this forum will give you everything you need, starting with the Buying Guide/FAQ.
Just briefly touching your questions: Yes they are good cars, maintenance is sometimes expensive, but this is (partly) countered by the lack of depreciation.
A suspension upgrade is desirable if you want to track it often. Still, I don't have upgraded suspension, I track the car maybe 2 or 3 times a year and it is fine for me. Yet could be better. Aftermarket silencers are available that you put of the endpipe of your exhaust if you have noise issues.
Parts availability is not an issue. There are still original TVR parts about, and a lot of aftermarket parts. Sometimes the aftermaket parts are of better quality than the original so I would not worry about that.
My car has never let me down, but if you browse these forums you will see that sometimes they do break down, but which car doesn't. Mostly the same (relatively easy to fix) issues.
In general I would say that these cars are great if properly serviced and driven in accordance with your driving abilities. They will give you a blast that no other make can offer. It is pure driving, great noise, and to me these cars are utter beauty. Speaking for myself, I will not trade my car for anything else.
+1Just briefly touching your questions: Yes they are good cars, maintenance is sometimes expensive, but this is (partly) countered by the lack of depreciation.
A suspension upgrade is desirable if you want to track it often. Still, I don't have upgraded suspension, I track the car maybe 2 or 3 times a year and it is fine for me. Yet could be better. Aftermarket silencers are available that you put of the endpipe of your exhaust if you have noise issues.
Parts availability is not an issue. There are still original TVR parts about, and a lot of aftermarket parts. Sometimes the aftermaket parts are of better quality than the original so I would not worry about that.
My car has never let me down, but if you browse these forums you will see that sometimes they do break down, but which car doesn't. Mostly the same (relatively easy to fix) issues.
In general I would say that these cars are great if properly serviced and driven in accordance with your driving abilities. They will give you a blast that no other make can offer. It is pure driving, great noise, and to me these cars are utter beauty. Speaking for myself, I will not trade my car for anything else.
Btw, I'm happy to have a chat if you want to talk to an owner. (PM me for my number) I'll give you the full ownership story, warts and all.
One other thing, its a good time of year to buy the car. With this beautiful weather we're having no-one in their right mind is thinking of buying a TVR at the moment, so prices seem a little lower than normal.
There are a couple of nice looking ones on here at the moment in fact.
If so far you have only 'looked', the first thing you should do is get a test drive.
In 99% of cases a test drive will ensure you are completely hooked. However, it is possible that the raw pleasures of the T350 will not suit you.
If you end up hooked you have to consider budget.
If you are looking at the lower price bracket you will be looking at older and/or higher mileage examples. I would argue that age is not a problem but high mileage can be (depending on how well the car has been looked after). There are known worries about the engine (particularly the top end) but only due to abuse or poor servicing. However, if the SpeedSix engine has had a rebuild (particularly by one of the names you will see all over the Forum - Racing Green, TVR Power, etc.) you have no real worries.
Other than this buying a T350 is no different to any other car - if the car is clean and tidy it has probably been looked after. You can always get an idependant inspection to check the chassis, suspension, steering, etc.
If it is fair to generalise about any particular weakness on TVR reliability it would be electrics. Again, a few searches through the forum will show the problems are generally few and minor.
I have had a Chimaera 450 which I loved and now I have a T350T which I love even more.
I do 4000 to 6000 miles every year, so a reasonable user. Services are more frequent than most production cars but each service is similar to what I used to pay for my day to day Mercedes.
The T350 is sorted, comfortable, reliable and very fast. It has great road holding and handling but will easily take you into speeds and circumstances well in excess of most peoples driving talent so caution is advised!
In 99% of cases a test drive will ensure you are completely hooked. However, it is possible that the raw pleasures of the T350 will not suit you.
If you end up hooked you have to consider budget.
If you are looking at the lower price bracket you will be looking at older and/or higher mileage examples. I would argue that age is not a problem but high mileage can be (depending on how well the car has been looked after). There are known worries about the engine (particularly the top end) but only due to abuse or poor servicing. However, if the SpeedSix engine has had a rebuild (particularly by one of the names you will see all over the Forum - Racing Green, TVR Power, etc.) you have no real worries.
Other than this buying a T350 is no different to any other car - if the car is clean and tidy it has probably been looked after. You can always get an idependant inspection to check the chassis, suspension, steering, etc.
If it is fair to generalise about any particular weakness on TVR reliability it would be electrics. Again, a few searches through the forum will show the problems are generally few and minor.
I have had a Chimaera 450 which I loved and now I have a T350T which I love even more.
I do 4000 to 6000 miles every year, so a reasonable user. Services are more frequent than most production cars but each service is similar to what I used to pay for my day to day Mercedes.
The T350 is sorted, comfortable, reliable and very fast. It has great road holding and handling but will easily take you into speeds and circumstances well in excess of most peoples driving talent so caution is advised!
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