Discussion
I took a short trip to Castle TVR today....er yesterday (i should go to sleep!)
WOW. im hooked completly on getting a TVR. TAM Chim T350 Tuscan SaGGY ASS. dont mind which tbh, they all look loverly in the flesh.
I could spend days just looking at the Thought that has gone into the design of the cars.
im now 1/10th of the way towards the magic 20K sum im aiming for in the TVR fund after 2months from setting it up. Its amazing how much you can save when you really want something.
Iv still yet to test each TVR to see which really grabs my fancy. but i feel a bit cheaky being only 19, with no chance of insurance until im 21 at least.
Is there any TVR meets in the East Herts area, which i can go along to...even though i drive a 1.5 civic lol
WOW. im hooked completly on getting a TVR. TAM Chim T350 Tuscan SaGGY ASS. dont mind which tbh, they all look loverly in the flesh.
I could spend days just looking at the Thought that has gone into the design of the cars.
im now 1/10th of the way towards the magic 20K sum im aiming for in the TVR fund after 2months from setting it up. Its amazing how much you can save when you really want something.
Iv still yet to test each TVR to see which really grabs my fancy. but i feel a bit cheaky being only 19, with no chance of insurance until im 21 at least.
Is there any TVR meets in the East Herts area, which i can go along to...even though i drive a 1.5 civic lol
civicboy28 said:
Is there any TVR meets in the East Herts area, which i can go along to...even though i drive a 1.5 civic lol
There are TVR Meets all over your area.
Log on to the TVRcc website www.tvr-car-club.com and look up the number for Angus who runs Herts & Beds or, if you fancy a run out...pop along to the Mid Essex Meet.....we have every model of TVR and will always welcome a TVR fan.
Join the Club, get the monthly magazine and it will add to the savings incentive!!!
Good luck...hope it's not to long before you get your TVR.
YP Mid Essex RO
Thanks people.
I had a look at the website and it seems im almost equal distance from alot of the meets in the area. Looks like i live in an ideal area for TVR viewing.
Im glad you all havent assumed im just a dreaming 19 year old (20 this year). iv done my research about cost of parts insurance etc. and its quite encouraging. a chim actually costs the same to insure at 21 as my modified (Tastefully lol no chav parts here lol) civic coupe.
the only thing im a bit unclear about, is the whole year of tvr experience alot of insurance companys require.
would say a Mr2 count as a high performance RWD car in the insurance companys eyes? or would i be better off getting a S for a year before hitting the newer TVRs.
I had a look at the website and it seems im almost equal distance from alot of the meets in the area. Looks like i live in an ideal area for TVR viewing.
Im glad you all havent assumed im just a dreaming 19 year old (20 this year). iv done my research about cost of parts insurance etc. and its quite encouraging. a chim actually costs the same to insure at 21 as my modified (Tastefully lol no chav parts here lol) civic coupe.
the only thing im a bit unclear about, is the whole year of tvr experience alot of insurance companys require.
would say a Mr2 count as a high performance RWD car in the insurance companys eyes? or would i be better off getting a S for a year before hitting the newer TVRs.
ill have to make some calls and see if that counts. though i have been told saying that you have a race licence etc does load you premium 
Shame To be honest you're still going to be hit with massive insurance premiums. Even at 21 you'll struggle to find people to cover you. I've just been quoted £4000+ per year on my 4.0 Griff, that's Garaged, 24 yrs old with 7 years NCB. On somting like a Tuscan, where the insurance is generally very high anyway, you will get killed if not denied outright. But if you have the funds then there will always be someone to cover you.
From a sensible view I would say that getting into a TVR which requires a lot of maintainence at a young age is probably not so good. Havig some good life experience is better than any car. I would also say that a flat is probably a better thought.
But that's if I was sensible. And I'm not. I bought my S3 at 21 and being 23 I have just bought a modified Griff 4.0. But I do work my arse off for the cars and have done Uni.
Good luck Man!!
But that's if I was sensible. And I'm not. I bought my S3 at 21 and being 23 I have just bought a modified Griff 4.0. But I do work my arse off for the cars and have done Uni.
Good luck Man!!
I'd never driven a RWD car in anger when I bought my first Tiv, but my insurers (Privilege) were happy that I'd been with them a few years, and had worked my up the ranks as it were - 1.0i, 1.9TD, 2.0 turbo, 2.0lpt, 2.3High Output Turbo, and the plus points as ever were that I had (still do touch wood) no points or accidents. As it was, going from a 230bhp Saab 9-5 Aero to a 240bhp Chimaera cost me a total of £38 for the upgrade!
Having said all of that, but the time I did it, I was 26, and had been with them since I was 19.
I do want to add a word of caution to you though, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, please understand it's just a word from those who've done it - BE CAREFUL! Being able to afford a Tiv at 20 is an awesome achievment - good on you. I had to wait a few years longer. However, driving even a "tame" TVR is no easy task, and it'll be a world apart from a Civic, no matter how tuned. Many people make a big thing of the lack of ABS or traction control. However IMHO the biggest thing to keep in mind is the mammoth dichotomy of available power and weight - lots and none at all!
Modestly powerful hot hatches get away with few driver aids thanks to the weight of a gluttonous bull elephant pressing down onto the road. A TVR is more like a Godzilla in a Gerbil's clothing - power regularly overwhelms grip, but the slightest bump or odd camber will lighten the car even further and from then on, things get dicey. On a midly damp road and a moment of inattention I've had 45 degrees of opposite lock after lighting up the rear wheels in FIFTH gear!
So please, be careful, and be ready - you sound like you've got your head screwed on, and that's great.
For once, this is where some insurers are sensible - if they see you've had either specific experience (a previous powerful RWD car) or a sucession of increasingly powerful cars, they'll be more lenient.
On a final note, use confused.com as a guide, not a final figure - the lowest quote they produced for me a couple of months back was £1100 or so, and Privilege came in at £1300ish - however, they actually charge me £640 for my Cerb, so don't believe everything you read! It's worth cherry-picking a few and actually calling and talking it through with them. For TVRs in general, try the likes of Sunninghill, Pearts, Privilege and even Tesco!
Hope thats helps, and that I havn't offended you.
Having said all of that, but the time I did it, I was 26, and had been with them since I was 19.
I do want to add a word of caution to you though, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, please understand it's just a word from those who've done it - BE CAREFUL! Being able to afford a Tiv at 20 is an awesome achievment - good on you. I had to wait a few years longer. However, driving even a "tame" TVR is no easy task, and it'll be a world apart from a Civic, no matter how tuned. Many people make a big thing of the lack of ABS or traction control. However IMHO the biggest thing to keep in mind is the mammoth dichotomy of available power and weight - lots and none at all!
Modestly powerful hot hatches get away with few driver aids thanks to the weight of a gluttonous bull elephant pressing down onto the road. A TVR is more like a Godzilla in a Gerbil's clothing - power regularly overwhelms grip, but the slightest bump or odd camber will lighten the car even further and from then on, things get dicey. On a midly damp road and a moment of inattention I've had 45 degrees of opposite lock after lighting up the rear wheels in FIFTH gear!
So please, be careful, and be ready - you sound like you've got your head screwed on, and that's great.
For once, this is where some insurers are sensible - if they see you've had either specific experience (a previous powerful RWD car) or a sucession of increasingly powerful cars, they'll be more lenient.
On a final note, use confused.com as a guide, not a final figure - the lowest quote they produced for me a couple of months back was £1100 or so, and Privilege came in at £1300ish - however, they actually charge me £640 for my Cerb, so don't believe everything you read! It's worth cherry-picking a few and actually calling and talking it through with them. For TVRs in general, try the likes of Sunninghill, Pearts, Privilege and even Tesco!
Hope thats helps, and that I havn't offended you.
civicboy28 said:If you join the club, Mannings will probably cover you. I hadn't driven anything more powerful than a 1.2 Clio when I got cover from them. (Admittedly I was somewhat older than you are).
the only thing im a bit unclear about, is the whole year of tvr experience alot of insurance companys require.
When we bought Wol, our Griff, Mannings wouldn't touch us as neither of us had any experiance in 200bhp+ cars. But we both have 100bhp+ motorbikes, on maximum NCD. Go figure!
Pearts sorted us out ok, and Mannings will never get the chance to quote us in future. We're 46 and 38, mind, and I still remember what a nightmare insewerance was for both of us when we were getting started.
As has been said before, be careful of the power to weight, and most Tivs get written off in the first year of ownership. Or month if your name's Barreti!
Some training, by the likes of Ride/Drive etc, is well worth it, and you could do that now, and of course this experience IS transferable to all other vehicles.
Good luck with your search, it took us 11 years to have enough money to get our Griff.
Pearts sorted us out ok, and Mannings will never get the chance to quote us in future. We're 46 and 38, mind, and I still remember what a nightmare insewerance was for both of us when we were getting started.
As has been said before, be careful of the power to weight, and most Tivs get written off in the first year of ownership. Or month if your name's Barreti!
Some training, by the likes of Ride/Drive etc, is well worth it, and you could do that now, and of course this experience IS transferable to all other vehicles.
Good luck with your search, it took us 11 years to have enough money to get our Griff.
Gazboy said:
The MR2 turbo's do, but they cost twice as much to insure as a Griffmaera in the first place.
Go for a V6 S, it gets you experiance of the car/marque you want, and you will also get in with the camaraderie of a PH meet with fellow TVR owners (this simply does not happen to a Ricer at a PH meet), they will tell you the quirks and the bad stuff with no hang ups, as well as plenty of the good stuff, interesting 'in the know' bits of information that will help you out when you are in a jam.
I can back that up. The S Club is a very friendly bunch, one of the reasons I still lurk on the Forum. Insurance isn't too bad either. If you can afford it go for a V8S.
But the S Series is a fantastic start into TVRs and a great drive. I've kept up with a lot of the newer and bigger TVRs in the S. Stunning drive and if I could afford to have kept it I would have.
>> Edited by Wildfire on Monday 28th March 17:01
Gazboy said:
Check out this little beast:
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=37803&s=4
Owner loved it so much he's sticking with the marque and wants a Chimaera.
I know you are not buying tomorow, just showing you an idea...
Sorry mate, bought it
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