S1 for sale on ebay, low start
Discussion
Yes it's a lot like yours TT, I notice it has the desirable alloy rocket covers fitted 
but I would want to inspect that chassis it's looks origional.
TT yours looked tidier but I guess it's been indoors... Looking at this reminds me that I asked about your dash totally forgetting you had an S1... So no silver bits.. Mine is an s3 wi the inserts.
Damian S3
but I would want to inspect that chassis it's looks origional.TT yours looked tidier but I guess it's been indoors... Looking at this reminds me that I asked about your dash totally forgetting you had an S1... So no silver bits.. Mine is an s3 wi the inserts.
Damian S3
Be good if we could find out more. Late S1 judging by dash details. Haven't seen that gear lever gate before? Body looks pretty good, although it is still wet from washing so hard to be sure. Interior looks a hell of a lot better than mine was when I got it! Chassis and under bonnet look like neglect consistent with standing for years. Chassis wasnt well protected, no waxing evident, so would need close inspection. Is swirl pot brown from rust or water loss?
Cat C cosmetic, wouldnt necessarily worry me but check with your insurers and of course find out what for and when. It might have had a special DVLA roadworthiness ticket after accident repair.
Cat C can affect the price, but if you buy it for less is it really an issue?
Cat C cosmetic, wouldnt necessarily worry me but check with your insurers and of course find out what for and when. It might have had a special DVLA roadworthiness ticket after accident repair.
Cat C can affect the price, but if you buy it for less is it really an issue?
What sort of price would you expect to pay for a tvr s with the cat c attached.
I know how long is a piece of string, but as the forum have the The passion for the tvr range at heart and have traveled this path, I. Respect your opinion.
Many thanks for your comments so far it all helps
I know how long is a piece of string, but as the forum have the The passion for the tvr range at heart and have traveled this path, I. Respect your opinion.
Many thanks for your comments so far it all helps
Tarmac Tickler said:
I know it doesn't always mean a lot but mine had 12 months MOT which was a starter for 10 and did mean I could drive it from the off and try and work on things as I go along.
I like the dash layout of these S1's but that's just down to personal choice.
Lols so did mine... Once I got the body off I wished I hadn't been driving it I like the dash layout of these S1's but that's just down to personal choice.
but mine was very bad.. D
Another late S1! They've all started coming out of the woodwork!
It needs the chassis doing, but then most of them that haven't already been done, do need the chassis doing. Lots of people just drive them around every year, take pictures, polish the life out of the paint etc, and keep telling themselves "It's been Waxoyled, the chassis is sound." That car is 27 years old, and had a powdercoated chassis - if you touch it with a grit-blaster, you WILL find a hole.
Is it a good buy though? Depending on the money it goes for, probably, yes. If you can do the work yourself, almost certainly! If you can't, you need to factor in the costs to refurbish everything that needs doing, if you want it to be mint, and then consider what it would be worth when its finished. A totally, totally mint S1 (chassis, interior, body and less than 80k miles) is probably an £8k-£10k car. If you found a car with decent bodywork and interior, and threw £7k at the chassis/mechanical restoration (it's easier to lose that kind of money than you might think) then you've got a case if you can buy it for £2.5k - £3k.
If you paid for £4.5k and upwards, I'd expect the chassis to be solid, but ugly. And if you paid £6k - £7k and upwards, I'd expect the chassis to have already been refurbished (and refurbished to a high standard).
Plus points of that car:
Later S1 (almost S2 spec). Nice colour scheme, would be desirable restored. Looks original, except the rocker covers which most would consider an upgrade (and they're not straightforward to fit either). It's a white chassis S, which contrary to what you read about Chimaeras and Griffiths is a GOOD thing in my opinion, and all the white chassis S cars I've done refurbs on had chassis in much, much better condition than any of the black (most S2s) or browny/red chassis cars (S3/V8S).
Also, being the 2.8, you get a soundtrack you don't get on any of the other models. All S' sound lovely, but the 2.8 is a bit more unique as the V8 sounds like a nice V8, and the 2.9 sounds like an offbeat V8 (which in many ways is even better). The 2.8 sounds like a raspy 60's Le Man racer at certain points in the rev range, especially through the Hindhead tunnel
It's also a tough old lump, and the injection system isn't likely to leave you stranded anywhere as it might with the issues you could have on an EFi car.
Mileage is good (same as my identically spec'd car) and with history it makes a case for a mini-resto to turn it into a nice S. The Cat C marker means absolutely dick-all, in the real world. It's VERY easy to total loss a TVR for an insurance assessor, and because they're such an arse to work on, 95% of insurance assessors TRY to write them off. They know the bodyshops will end up spending more time on it than the estimate, and they know the owners are usually fussy b
ds who will nit pick and keep bringing it back, despite the fact it might have been a lack of their talent that damaged it in the first place If I binned my S1 tomorrow, it'd be a write-off if it got to £3k worth of damage, possibly even £2.5k, and that's even if I valued it at £7k.
Negative points:
Cat C marker is still a marker, and like mileage it plays a bearing on the value of the car (whether it should or not is up for debate). The 2.8 might sound unique, but it is the least powerful of all the S engines - none of the S' make their book power figures, though the 2.9 is the closest out of the box. The 2.8 is more a car for having fun making noise in the countryside in, rather than racing (but then if you want to scare yourself, the V8 is the only one to have anyway as none of the V6s are speed demons IMO - they're about fun, rather than speed).
The chassis WILL need some work doing, regardless of how good it seems. The doors on an S1/S2 are smaller than the later cars, and can be a bit of an arse to get in and out of if you're taller. Luckily I'm short! The build quality of S1/S2 models isn't up on the level of the later S3/V8S cars.
Along with the chassis, consider stuff like the door hinges, which probably need work. The interior's probably tired (no idea what's going on with that gear gaitor, or whether I like it or not!) The fuel tank will be in need of treatment, and the dampers/bushes are probably shot - all the usual stuff. It's not unique to that car, it's any S at that price point.
Overall, buying an S1 down on its luck is probably the cheapest way into S ownership, and speaking as someone who spends their daily work driving all the various versions of these cars, the S1 can be a lot of fun in the right conditions. In the wrong conditions they're bloody awful!
Best bet is to take someone along with you who knows them if you're unsure, and view it first, or pay for an inspection on your behalf. I'm going to be doing them soon, but haven't sorted that yet sadly. Hopefully someone else could do it.
All the above is written based on my experiences with them. Hope it helps
It needs the chassis doing, but then most of them that haven't already been done, do need the chassis doing. Lots of people just drive them around every year, take pictures, polish the life out of the paint etc, and keep telling themselves "It's been Waxoyled, the chassis is sound." That car is 27 years old, and had a powdercoated chassis - if you touch it with a grit-blaster, you WILL find a hole.
Is it a good buy though? Depending on the money it goes for, probably, yes. If you can do the work yourself, almost certainly! If you can't, you need to factor in the costs to refurbish everything that needs doing, if you want it to be mint, and then consider what it would be worth when its finished. A totally, totally mint S1 (chassis, interior, body and less than 80k miles) is probably an £8k-£10k car. If you found a car with decent bodywork and interior, and threw £7k at the chassis/mechanical restoration (it's easier to lose that kind of money than you might think) then you've got a case if you can buy it for £2.5k - £3k.
If you paid for £4.5k and upwards, I'd expect the chassis to be solid, but ugly. And if you paid £6k - £7k and upwards, I'd expect the chassis to have already been refurbished (and refurbished to a high standard).
Plus points of that car:
Later S1 (almost S2 spec). Nice colour scheme, would be desirable restored. Looks original, except the rocker covers which most would consider an upgrade (and they're not straightforward to fit either). It's a white chassis S, which contrary to what you read about Chimaeras and Griffiths is a GOOD thing in my opinion, and all the white chassis S cars I've done refurbs on had chassis in much, much better condition than any of the black (most S2s) or browny/red chassis cars (S3/V8S).
Also, being the 2.8, you get a soundtrack you don't get on any of the other models. All S' sound lovely, but the 2.8 is a bit more unique as the V8 sounds like a nice V8, and the 2.9 sounds like an offbeat V8 (which in many ways is even better). The 2.8 sounds like a raspy 60's Le Man racer at certain points in the rev range, especially through the Hindhead tunnel
It's also a tough old lump, and the injection system isn't likely to leave you stranded anywhere as it might with the issues you could have on an EFi car.Mileage is good (same as my identically spec'd car) and with history it makes a case for a mini-resto to turn it into a nice S. The Cat C marker means absolutely dick-all, in the real world. It's VERY easy to total loss a TVR for an insurance assessor, and because they're such an arse to work on, 95% of insurance assessors TRY to write them off. They know the bodyshops will end up spending more time on it than the estimate, and they know the owners are usually fussy b
ds who will nit pick and keep bringing it back, despite the fact it might have been a lack of their talent that damaged it in the first place If I binned my S1 tomorrow, it'd be a write-off if it got to £3k worth of damage, possibly even £2.5k, and that's even if I valued it at £7k.Negative points:
Cat C marker is still a marker, and like mileage it plays a bearing on the value of the car (whether it should or not is up for debate). The 2.8 might sound unique, but it is the least powerful of all the S engines - none of the S' make their book power figures, though the 2.9 is the closest out of the box. The 2.8 is more a car for having fun making noise in the countryside in, rather than racing (but then if you want to scare yourself, the V8 is the only one to have anyway as none of the V6s are speed demons IMO - they're about fun, rather than speed).
The chassis WILL need some work doing, regardless of how good it seems. The doors on an S1/S2 are smaller than the later cars, and can be a bit of an arse to get in and out of if you're taller. Luckily I'm short! The build quality of S1/S2 models isn't up on the level of the later S3/V8S cars.
Along with the chassis, consider stuff like the door hinges, which probably need work. The interior's probably tired (no idea what's going on with that gear gaitor, or whether I like it or not!) The fuel tank will be in need of treatment, and the dampers/bushes are probably shot - all the usual stuff. It's not unique to that car, it's any S at that price point.
Overall, buying an S1 down on its luck is probably the cheapest way into S ownership, and speaking as someone who spends their daily work driving all the various versions of these cars, the S1 can be a lot of fun in the right conditions. In the wrong conditions they're bloody awful!
Best bet is to take someone along with you who knows them if you're unsure, and view it first, or pay for an inspection on your behalf. I'm going to be doing them soon, but haven't sorted that yet sadly. Hopefully someone else could do it.
All the above is written based on my experiences with them. Hope it helps
Garv is Cat C, insurance was fine, didn't make any difference,
My S1 was cheap and I spent a lot of money on it over
7 years and sold it cheap because of the chassis, I paid
more for Garv and is a better car but there will always be
something to do and spend money on, but they are brilliant
fun to drive, and yes the S1s sound better and are louder too.
My S1 was cheap and I spent a lot of money on it over
7 years and sold it cheap because of the chassis, I paid
more for Garv and is a better car but there will always be
something to do and spend money on, but they are brilliant
fun to drive, and yes the S1s sound better and are louder too.
magpies said:
Tarmac Tickler said:
Nice work, all your own handywork?
almost all - local garage (just!) wired and started the engine and also painted the car after I prepared itWould hate to cost the time put into it
Did you replace the engine bay carpet? The original was looking a bit dated.
Alan W's stripey barcode carpet is much more trendy!
Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff