Newbie : Sagaris Query
Discussion
Firstly greetings each and all......
I currently own a '54 E46 M3 Cab, which will shortly be given back to the dealer because of an 8 month battle with defects that they cannot resolve.
In the meantime I have looked at several cars, including the Sagaris which was a lot of fun and a helluva lot of car for the money. Very very tempted. However, one of the things I mentioned to the dealer was my concern over the security of the bonnett. The questn I asked was about the opening of the centre section of the bonnett and how secure tht was. The dealer demonstrated how easy it was to open and close, but I was concerned over how easy it was for anyone to open and mess about with the engine. Does anybody have any comments about ths.
The other thing I am concerned about is the potential cost of repairing a stone chip or scrape. I know it is entirely dependent on the type of paint work ordered, but does anybody have any experience of actually having this done by a dealer?
I would also value any other comments by onwers in terms of initial ownership experience, servicing costs, grin-factor etc etc.
The car was a lot of fun and I am extremely tempd. I did feel that the Bilstein suspension was a lot harsher that I thought it was going to be.
Cheers
MOSE!!
I currently own a '54 E46 M3 Cab, which will shortly be given back to the dealer because of an 8 month battle with defects that they cannot resolve.
In the meantime I have looked at several cars, including the Sagaris which was a lot of fun and a helluva lot of car for the money. Very very tempted. However, one of the things I mentioned to the dealer was my concern over the security of the bonnett. The questn I asked was about the opening of the centre section of the bonnett and how secure tht was. The dealer demonstrated how easy it was to open and close, but I was concerned over how easy it was for anyone to open and mess about with the engine. Does anybody have any comments about ths.
The other thing I am concerned about is the potential cost of repairing a stone chip or scrape. I know it is entirely dependent on the type of paint work ordered, but does anybody have any experience of actually having this done by a dealer?
I would also value any other comments by onwers in terms of initial ownership experience, servicing costs, grin-factor etc etc.
The car was a lot of fun and I am extremely tempd. I did feel that the Bilstein suspension was a lot harsher that I thought it was going to be.
Cheers
MOSE!!
A rally champ and he's commenting on the flimsy-looking glove-box? Come on man, glue it shut and forget about it. The indicator sound is adjustable, and the window switches are *absolutely* obvious.
Quick steering and precise gear change...is that all he has to say about the driving experience? Bit disappointing as he could have really given us some insights about how it handles and goes and balances and brakes, etc., etc.
Quick steering and precise gear change...is that all he has to say about the driving experience? Bit disappointing as he could have really given us some insights about how it handles and goes and balances and brakes, etc., etc.
Well Mose....Hi and welcome to the forum.....
It would seem that the ever helpful L.A. has answered all your questions for you.....
Just go and buy 'a delicious low mileage Carrera 2S in dark blue, and tan hide'
If, however, you are still wondering about the Sagaris ...have a quick flick back on the forum to the Month 1 and 2 reports and that may give you a better idea of the intial months of ownership so far.
YP
It would seem that the ever helpful L.A. has answered all your questions for you.....
Just go and buy 'a delicious low mileage Carrera 2S in dark blue, and tan hide'
If, however, you are still wondering about the Sagaris ...have a quick flick back on the forum to the Month 1 and 2 reports and that may give you a better idea of the intial months of ownership so far.
YP
MOSE - security on the bonnet is non-issue. People don't mess with it like that. You have a bigger concern about it flying off while driving. TVR has addressed that by bolting it down, I believe. Check those bolts regularly, and don't worry about someone opening it up and messing with the engine. It just doesn't happen, unless someone has a personal vendetta against you, and then they would get into your engine if they wanted to, regardless of how well you secured it.
Paint chips - get armourfend. Or plan on respraying it every 3 years. It is not that expensive to get done, but the special-order paints are expensive.
Grin factor - on a scale of 1 to 100, it's 1000!
Reliability - uhhh, cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Servicing costs - bit early, but they sound a bit high...as TVRs always do unless you go to independents after the warranty expires.
Paint chips - get armourfend. Or plan on respraying it every 3 years. It is not that expensive to get done, but the special-order paints are expensive.
Grin factor - on a scale of 1 to 100, it's 1000!
Reliability - uhhh, cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Servicing costs - bit early, but they sound a bit high...as TVRs always do unless you go to independents after the warranty expires.
A Carreara 2?? No chance, I dont like Porsche cars at all, so even something like a GT2 isnt on the wish list.
I have also considered a Noble M400 and am currently looking into Ultima GTRs as well.
The TVR dealership is within a mile from me, so that favours well. Also, Mole Valley isnt that far away, but its the 12 month warranty on the Nobles that bothers me.
I have to say for sheer grin factor, the Noble left me speechless, but knowing somebody who has a 400 and with many many teething problems, I dont want a car that is going to give me the level of grief I have had with owning the M3. BMW have had that car more than I have had it.
Of course there is the Gumpert Apollo, which I saw at Goodwood, and was also very tempting, but there isnt even a projected price on it as yet. I only want the car mainly for weekend driving and occassional track events.
I have also considered a Noble M400 and am currently looking into Ultima GTRs as well.
The TVR dealership is within a mile from me, so that favours well. Also, Mole Valley isnt that far away, but its the 12 month warranty on the Nobles that bothers me.
I have to say for sheer grin factor, the Noble left me speechless, but knowing somebody who has a 400 and with many many teething problems, I dont want a car that is going to give me the level of grief I have had with owning the M3. BMW have had that car more than I have had it.
Of course there is the Gumpert Apollo, which I saw at Goodwood, and was also very tempting, but there isnt even a projected price on it as yet. I only want the car mainly for weekend driving and occassional track events.
Its interesting cos I do know of a few ppl who have M12s as well, and they have had all sorts of teething problems with them.
I think if Noble were to offer an extended warranty option then I might well be interested. Then of course if the already noticeable depreciation factor of Nobles.
Its a tough choice wondering whether or not to take the plunge into something like that, or take a worse gamble by buying a car, say 18/24 months old that might present even more problems outside of the warranty period.
I did like the Sagaris very much though!!
I think if Noble were to offer an extended warranty option then I might well be interested. Then of course if the already noticeable depreciation factor of Nobles.
Its a tough choice wondering whether or not to take the plunge into something like that, or take a worse gamble by buying a car, say 18/24 months old that might present even more problems outside of the warranty period.
I did like the Sagaris very much though!!
los angeles said:
It would seem that the ever helpful L.A. has answered all your questions for you.YP
WARNING! WARNING! TVR POLICE ALERT.
Any expression, even the slightest quibble, about any TVR, or part thereof, whether made as a contribution with no prejudice, negates the right of that individual to make said statement, or to express an opinion either in full or in part, or to do so by way of recounting another's opinion, whether or not the majority of that statement is in favour of the TVR. Anyone doing so will be condemned as a heretic and burned at the PH stake.
I understand counselling for paranoia is widely available in the USA - why not use it.
Stone chipping is inevitable on fibreglass cars and that so-low bonnet compounds the problem. I reckon I must get at least ten chips every time I take my car out. They take the form of white specks all over the front of the bonnet, They are more noticeable if your car has a dark colour. There is one redeeming feature though, they wont bubble up as on metal cars. It would be a complete waste of time trying to repair them individually. Periodical front end resprays is the norm with TVR`s. I do think TVR should dye their fibreglass to match the colour of our cars as some other manufacturers do.
te, but thought it was impolite.yellow peril said:
Well Mose....Hi and welcome to the forum.....
It would seem that the ever helpful L.A. has answered all your questions for you.....
Just go and buy 'a delicious low mileage Carrera 2S in dark blue, and tan hide'
If, however, you are still wondering about the Sagaris ...have a quick flick back on the forum to the Month 1 and 2 reports and that may give you a better idea of the intial months of ownership so far.
YP
Well I dunno. Im confused. A Carrera 2S as in the new 997? Low miles at £50-55k ?? I dont bloody think so! They are still commanding premiums. In fact the cheapest I can find on topmarques is £69k. The only other Carrera 2S is the 993 which even low milage mint ones only cost mid to high £30k and are universally derided by all 911-istas as the worst 993 model of the lot.
Anyway, ignoring that bit, a lot of what the guy said was correct. I remember the indicator noise driving me nuts and I was told I could turn it off/down. Didnt pay any attention to the glove box to be honest!
los angeles said:
I did like the Sagaris very much though!!
Wisely, you mentioned the now infamous flying bonnet; if you can get it verified there is a permanent fix on Sagaris coming out of the factory the only question left to ask is, how often will you use the car and for what purpose?
If it seems to you it will meet all your driving needs, and you don't mind the stares at it from pedestrians or drivers, and you have somewhere to garage it, buy it knowing that if niggles irritate beyond endurance the car will resell quickly.
Why? Good Lord I already had a permanent fix sorted with DM before TVR even had one car back at the factory. In fact it was exactly the same fix that the owner of the car had come up and spoken to DM about also.
los angeles said:
Hey, thanks, DJC. I thought his report very fair. The fact that he is a traditionalist when it comes to choice of sports cars in no manner nullified his effulsive praise for the Sagaris. I mean, the guy took the trouble to go test one and then type out his thoughts, after listening to my guarded enthuisiasm. Pretty civil of him, I thought. It's aspects of the exterior design that iritate me, but he thought it looked great. I didn't mind the bleep, bleep of the turn signals, but it drove him mad. Fair comment.
Dont thank me too quickly, I still think you are a complete tool and your chap was talking bollox about the Carrera.
Well I use my Sagaris as my everyday car without any issues, it is comfortable, reasonably quiet on the motorway, amazingly refined for the type of car and performance it offers, very sure footed but still allows you to play around with it whenever you like.
I also have a 911GT2 as a toy car (too harsh and impractical to use everyday and costs far too much in tyres etc to do the 500 miles a week I normally manage).
The one thing I would say (and after 5 TVR's that have all been used as primary cars) the one thing I would say is if you have managed to get to the point with a BMW that you are giving it back due to faults, don't buy a TVR, the Sagaris is a fantastic car and it is a dramatically improved quality, but it is still very much a hand built car and will have the odd issue. These can take time to fix as with a limited build some of them need lots of investigation to resolve.
You buy a TVR for the passion, how it feels when you are on track or a country road on a summers evening (or to put a smile on your face after a long painful day at work). If small problems and niggles would stop you enjoying that sort of experience then sadly a TVR is not for you really, getting to know the dealer and having to pop back a couple of times a month if you do reasonable mileage is part of the ownership experience, and something I enjoy about the cars, they have personality.
Compared to a Noble or an Ultima though it is a refined, practical little hatchback that will go to tesco's and get over the ramps in the car park....
I also have a 911GT2 as a toy car (too harsh and impractical to use everyday and costs far too much in tyres etc to do the 500 miles a week I normally manage).
The one thing I would say (and after 5 TVR's that have all been used as primary cars) the one thing I would say is if you have managed to get to the point with a BMW that you are giving it back due to faults, don't buy a TVR, the Sagaris is a fantastic car and it is a dramatically improved quality, but it is still very much a hand built car and will have the odd issue. These can take time to fix as with a limited build some of them need lots of investigation to resolve.
You buy a TVR for the passion, how it feels when you are on track or a country road on a summers evening (or to put a smile on your face after a long painful day at work). If small problems and niggles would stop you enjoying that sort of experience then sadly a TVR is not for you really, getting to know the dealer and having to pop back a couple of times a month if you do reasonable mileage is part of the ownership experience, and something I enjoy about the cars, they have personality.
Compared to a Noble or an Ultima though it is a refined, practical little hatchback that will go to tesco's and get over the ramps in the car park....
Thanks for that Yellow,
The issue with defects on a car isnt really the issue, I think every car I have ever owned has had some teething problem or another. What does ultimately P1ss me off though is the dealer's attitude towards putting the car right if there is a problem, and ths is exactly why BMW are getting my car back.
For example, the car was delivered with surface scratches to the bonnett and boot, and they did a P1ss poor job at trying to rectify it. After fitting two new hoods they badly scratched the two rear quarters and in the process of correcting it, burnt through the clear coat with the machine. And that is how the car has been left, becasue they wont acknowledge that there is anything wron with it.
Anyway, that is the sort of thing that has forced me into quite happily givnig the keys and the car back in exchange for every penny I put into the car.
I have had a ride in a GT2, lovely car, a little harsh, and very suprised at the way the car handles when breaking at high speeds, I wasnt sure whether or not it was going to come off the road, but there may have been legitimate reasons why it handled the way it did.
I am very tempted by the Ultima GTR and will be going to the opening day desperate for a test drive and of course to meet other owners and find out more about ownership!
But the TVR was a lovely car and is currently top of the shortlist!
The issue with defects on a car isnt really the issue, I think every car I have ever owned has had some teething problem or another. What does ultimately P1ss me off though is the dealer's attitude towards putting the car right if there is a problem, and ths is exactly why BMW are getting my car back.
For example, the car was delivered with surface scratches to the bonnett and boot, and they did a P1ss poor job at trying to rectify it. After fitting two new hoods they badly scratched the two rear quarters and in the process of correcting it, burnt through the clear coat with the machine. And that is how the car has been left, becasue they wont acknowledge that there is anything wron with it.
Anyway, that is the sort of thing that has forced me into quite happily givnig the keys and the car back in exchange for every penny I put into the car.
I have had a ride in a GT2, lovely car, a little harsh, and very suprised at the way the car handles when breaking at high speeds, I wasnt sure whether or not it was going to come off the road, but there may have been legitimate reasons why it handled the way it did.
I am very tempted by the Ultima GTR and will be going to the opening day desperate for a test drive and of course to meet other owners and find out more about ownership!
But the TVR was a lovely car and is currently top of the shortlist!
mose said:
But the TVR was a lovely car and is currently top of the shortlist!
Well mose...I can highly recommend the Sagaris cos I just LOVE it...
Having said that ....it is back in to our dealer Castle TVR (who are really helpful ) at the mo for a starter motor repair....which,ironically...is a BMW 7 series starter motor...
I can't wait to get it back............
YP
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