Perfect time to buy a Tuscan?
Discussion
I've just been trawling through the classifieds, and noticed how many Tuscans there are for around £17-19k.
These seem like an absolute bargain to me, as they're all around 30k miles (ish), most have had an engine rebuild, all are serviced, most have the Nitro shocks, carbon cans etc put on them as aftermarket stuff.
So these seem like the bargain of the moment - a truly mental car, beautiful, fast, and most of the issues ironed out. There's even a couple with TVR Power warranties until 2007.
I'm not looking to buy one, i'm happy with my e25 membership this year, but do others agree that they're a prime buy right now?
These seem like an absolute bargain to me, as they're all around 30k miles (ish), most have had an engine rebuild, all are serviced, most have the Nitro shocks, carbon cans etc put on them as aftermarket stuff.
So these seem like the bargain of the moment - a truly mental car, beautiful, fast, and most of the issues ironed out. There's even a couple with TVR Power warranties until 2007.
I'm not looking to buy one, i'm happy with my e25 membership this year, but do others agree that they're a prime buy right now?
I think they look great value but a pal of mine has just sold his (01) on it's 3rd engine, he's over 20k down for the experience and got out only by the skin of his teeth via a lucky P/X deal. It's not to say they are all bad, it's the only car to recreate the buzz of having my first 3.0 Capri at 18 ( I know it's not the same but the passage of time, and all that and a 3.0 litre was really quick after my 1.3 Cortina).
He thought that the problem was solved after the first time, so just a cautionary tale!
If I thought that I could risk the potential costs of owning one I'd love one tomorrow, I wouldn't say it's the best car I've ever driven, but it certainly provided the best driving experience and most entertainment.
He thought that the problem was solved after the first time, so just a cautionary tale!
If I thought that I could risk the potential costs of owning one I'd love one tomorrow, I wouldn't say it's the best car I've ever driven, but it certainly provided the best driving experience and most entertainment.
I'm more amazed by late Griff 500 values next to things like early Tams which are ridiculously good value for their age, or Cerb's which seem to be cheaper than the Griff's now!?
I think the last Tiv I'd be going for would be an early Tuscan or a late Griff simply on price. Tam's and Cerb's (6 pot) seems to be where the biggest bang per buck is now...
Ie, £20k Tam 52 plate, 17k miles, Mystic black, warranty till September... fully serviced... complete and utter bargain and the nicest looking Tiv of recent times pre-Saggy imho.
Dave
I think the last Tiv I'd be going for would be an early Tuscan or a late Griff simply on price. Tam's and Cerb's (6 pot) seems to be where the biggest bang per buck is now...
Ie, £20k Tam 52 plate, 17k miles, Mystic black, warranty till September... fully serviced... complete and utter bargain and the nicest looking Tiv of recent times pre-Saggy imho.
Dave
Edited by Mr Whippy on Monday 12th June 14:24
Beefmeister said:
I've just been trawling through the classifieds, and noticed how many Tuscans there are for around £17-19k.
Its not just Tuscans - I think all TVRs have been hit by the bad press about the factory.( i reckon a lot have people have suffered a lot more depreciation as a result)
There is also the sp6 issue, which most people associate with the Tuscan, but its also in all the others - T350s, Tam,s Saggy etc.
Its a great time to Buy a TVR, not so great to have just bought one and be suffering higher than normal depreciation.
I bought mine cos I love it, not to bothered about the deprecation as I intend to keep it for a long time. But those short term owners are likely to feel a bit hit.
PS Tuscan
VX220 - Tuscan has it for me well I have whopped the VX on the straight and a few twists Nick
Edited by tuscnick on Monday 12th June 15:24
Plotloss said:
Muncher said:
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Stock the Tuscan is far quicker in a straight line.
S2 tightens things up but you would need the cooler to beat it.
Twisties obviously a different matter.
If you've got a turbo, getting it highly tuned is a bit of a no brainer though
Mr Whippy said:
I'm more amazed by late Griff 500 values next to things like early Tams which are ridiculously good value for their age, or Cerb's which seem to be cheaper than the Griff's now!?
I think the last Tiv I'd be going for would be an early Tuscan or a late Griff simply on price. Tam's and Cerb's (6 pot) seems to be where the biggest bang per buck is now...
Ie, £20k Tam 52 plate, 17k miles, Mystic black, warranty till September... fully serviced... complete and utter bargain and the nicest looking Tiv of recent times pre-Saggy imho.
Dave
I think the last Tiv I'd be going for would be an early Tuscan or a late Griff simply on price. Tam's and Cerb's (6 pot) seems to be where the biggest bang per buck is now...
Ie, £20k Tam 52 plate, 17k miles, Mystic black, warranty till September... fully serviced... complete and utter bargain and the nicest looking Tiv of recent times pre-Saggy imho.
Dave
Edited by Mr Whippy on Monday 12th June 14:24
Try finding a decent late Griff with good history and low mileage!! - its taken me over six months and even then I had to take one with a couple of minor interior cosmetic niggles - fixed thanks to www.trim-tech.co.uk, so now she's perfect
They are snapped up in minutes of going on sale! James Aggers Griff SE didn't even get to have a photo posted on his site before it went! Edited by puffsorted2 on Monday 12th June 16:12
Muncher said:
Plotloss said:
Muncher said:
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Stock the Tuscan is far quicker in a straight line.
S2 tightens things up but you would need the cooler to beat it.
Twisties obviously a different matter.
If you've got a turbo, getting it highly tuned is a bit of a no brainer though
Certaintly to stage 2, stage 3 is a bit more offputting...
Gazboy said:
Beefmeister said:
I've just been trawling through the classifieds, and noticed how many Tuscans there are for around £17-19k.
These seem like an absolute bargain to me, as they're all around 30k miles (ish)
These seem like an absolute bargain to me, as they're all around 30k miles (ish)
Isn't a new clutch needed around then?
By the teens (give or take), you should know if it's going to need a rebuild for the 'followers.
Clutch slave cylinder likely to go in the low 20s, depending on how long it's left sitting around.
By high mid/high 20s, you'll probably know if it needs a rebuild for the valve guides
By the 30s, you'll probably start to strip the synchro off the weakest/heaviest used gears in the box... 2nd and 5th.
Depending on its history, you could easily be in new shocks and discs territory by then, too.
Not seen/heard of enough beyond mid 30s to know of any common bills at that age.
If you're buying second hand/out of warranty, I think you're going to have to budget for a minimum of £3k per year, and be able to suffer the sting of £7k if it ever comes along, regardless of the age/mileage of the car. My take on it is that it's this that's pushed second hand values down a bit - there's only so many people able to afford those (potential) running costs as a percentage of the car's value.
If you can afford the bills and any associated time off the road, it's crazy not to.
If i could raise the cash, for the amount I'd drive it, I'd havce one. And as much as I love the VX, especially the Turbo, there is no way I would have a VX over a Tuscan (money not withstanding). Yes it may out handle in the twisties and give it a good run in a straight line, but the Tuscan is just soooo much better looking IMHO, and soooo cool.
Muncher said:
Plotloss said:
Muncher said:
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Stock the Tuscan is far quicker in a straight line.
S2 tightens things up but you would need the cooler to beat it.
Twisties obviously a different matter.
If you've got a turbo, getting it highly tuned is a bit of a no brainer though
friend of mine gets 270bhp from his, that's a hell of a power to weight ratio
Muncher said:
Not bad cars, but wouldn't touch one with a bargepole at the moment.
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
You are having a laugh unless you're talking about the Tuscan driver looking in the rear view mirror! Competent driver in a Tuscan will thrash anyone in a VX220T in twisties as well as on the straight.
Beefmeister said:
I've just been trawling through the classifieds, and noticed how many Tuscans there are for around £17-19k.
These seem like an absolute bargain to me, as they're all around 30k miles (ish), most have had an engine rebuild, all are serviced, most have the Nitro shocks, carbon cans etc put on them as aftermarket stuff.
So these seem like the bargain of the moment - a truly mental car, beautiful, fast, and most of the issues ironed out. There's even a couple with TVR Power warranties until 2007.
I'm not looking to buy one, i'm happy with my e25 membership this year, but do others agree that they're a prime buy right now?
These seem like an absolute bargain to me, as they're all around 30k miles (ish), most have had an engine rebuild, all are serviced, most have the Nitro shocks, carbon cans etc put on them as aftermarket stuff.
So these seem like the bargain of the moment - a truly mental car, beautiful, fast, and most of the issues ironed out. There's even a couple with TVR Power warranties until 2007.
I'm not looking to buy one, i'm happy with my e25 membership this year, but do others agree that they're a prime buy right now?
Yes.
All-time performance bargain. A stylish, newish Ferrari-eater for less than £20k that other drivers don't flick you off in? Great buy for the prepared.
apache said:
Muncher said:
Plotloss said:
Muncher said:
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Stock the Tuscan is far quicker in a straight line.
S2 tightens things up but you would need the cooler to beat it.
Twisties obviously a different matter.
If you've got a turbo, getting it highly tuned is a bit of a no brainer though
friend of mine gets 270bhp from his, that's a hell of a power to weight ratio
Yeh but jusy look at a VX 220
plus I bet I can get far more more wine in the Tuscan when touring around Europe and carry it faster!!! 
J_S_G said:
[quote=Gazboy]
Not seen/heard of enough beyond mid 30s to know of any common bills at that age.
If you're buying second hand/out of warranty, I think you're going to have to budget for a minimum of £3k per year, and be able to suffer the sting of £7k if it ever comes along, regardless of the age/mileage of the car. My take on it is that it's this that's pushed second hand values down a bit - there's only so many people able to afford those (potential) running costs as a percentage of the car's value.
If you can afford the bills and any associated time off the road, it's crazy not to.
Not seen/heard of enough beyond mid 30s to know of any common bills at that age.
If you're buying second hand/out of warranty, I think you're going to have to budget for a minimum of £3k per year, and be able to suffer the sting of £7k if it ever comes along, regardless of the age/mileage of the car. My take on it is that it's this that's pushed second hand values down a bit - there's only so many people able to afford those (potential) running costs as a percentage of the car's value.
If you can afford the bills and any associated time off the road, it's crazy not to.
It all just starts over I think.
If you look at the alternatives with similar performance then it's pretty good really. F348/355, Porsche 965, Lotus Esprit V8 etc are all going to cost similar money to run, and you're not paying as much up front. Bargain.
Cerbyt said:
apache said:
Muncher said:
Plotloss said:
Muncher said:
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Stock the Tuscan is far quicker in a straight line.
S2 tightens things up but you would need the cooler to beat it.
Twisties obviously a different matter.
If you've got a turbo, getting it highly tuned is a bit of a no brainer though
friend of mine gets 270bhp from his, that's a hell of a power to weight ratio
Yeh but jusy look at a VX 220
plus I bet I can get far more more wine in the Tuscan when touring around Europe and carry it faster!!! no argument there
cheeky said:
Muncher said:
Not bad cars, but wouldn't touch one with a bargepole at the moment.
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
Even less money buys a VX220 Turbo, the Tuscan wouldn't even see which way it went!
You are having a laugh unless you're talking about the Tuscan driver looking in the rear view mirror! Competent driver in a Tuscan will thrash anyone in a VX220T in twisties as well as on the straight.
I beg to differ, the VXT even being more lardy than mine would be quicker through the twisties.
VX owner said:
I have a very good friend with a Tuscan who I went over to the Ring with in the middle of last month (along with 7 other TVR's, including a T350 and a Sagaris). Like to think we are both reasonably competent drivers (both managed 9 min 30 sec ish laps) and there was nothing between the two cars. On the straights he obviously had the legs on my lowly NA, but through the bends i was munching on his rear bumper. Possibly in more capable hands there would have been a more noticable difference, but nothing in it for us average Joes! The Sagaris was a different kettle of fish entirely though, I didn't see which way it went....
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