When buying a Tuscan..
Discussion
hi everyone,
currently looking for a Tuscan and some professional advice/tips would be much apriciated from TVR owners out there.. i have arouond £15k to spend and i wana do my research before i jump on one without knowing what it is, and what to look out for..
firstly, i saw a number tuscans which stated that they had engine rebuilds after only 20-30k miles.. what i couldnt understand is how a Naturally Aspired (N/A) engine go wrong in such short usage..? obviously the first reason is misusage, warming up/oil levels and etc but whats the weakest point..? bottom end.. big ends, conrods??
what should i look out for when i go to view one, other than the basics? (such as common faults?)
and finally which model would u lot recommend, Mk1 or mk2..? i know Mk2's start from around £25k but if the Mk1 (X, W, Y, 01, 02) not worth getting then i'd rather wait a bit more and get a Tuscan S, Mk2.. what are the difference between the two? reliability/spares/performance wise? also, what are the performance difference between the Cerbera and the Tuscan?
sorry, i've asked a lot of questions but i dont know who else to ask other than the TVR owners themselves..
Many thanks..
Neil
currently looking for a Tuscan and some professional advice/tips would be much apriciated from TVR owners out there.. i have arouond £15k to spend and i wana do my research before i jump on one without knowing what it is, and what to look out for..
firstly, i saw a number tuscans which stated that they had engine rebuilds after only 20-30k miles.. what i couldnt understand is how a Naturally Aspired (N/A) engine go wrong in such short usage..? obviously the first reason is misusage, warming up/oil levels and etc but whats the weakest point..? bottom end.. big ends, conrods??
what should i look out for when i go to view one, other than the basics? (such as common faults?)
and finally which model would u lot recommend, Mk1 or mk2..? i know Mk2's start from around £25k but if the Mk1 (X, W, Y, 01, 02) not worth getting then i'd rather wait a bit more and get a Tuscan S, Mk2.. what are the difference between the two? reliability/spares/performance wise? also, what are the performance difference between the Cerbera and the Tuscan?
sorry, i've asked a lot of questions but i dont know who else to ask other than the TVR owners themselves..
Many thanks..
Neil
Hi Neil,
You are going to take this the wrong way but it is not meant in a bad way. Your profile lists fast cars, clubbing and girls. And you are a student. A Tuscan isnt a lifestyle accessory, it is a very serious car.
£15,000 is entry level and a Tusc at that price could end up very expensive to run. Yes early engines did have some failures, but that aside they are still imho an enthusiasts car. They are ridiculously quick, Quirky beyond belief and can bite at any minute.
Please get to talk to owners and drive one at a dealer before letting your heart rule your head.
Then if you decide to take the plunge then good luck.
Di x
You are going to take this the wrong way but it is not meant in a bad way. Your profile lists fast cars, clubbing and girls. And you are a student. A Tuscan isnt a lifestyle accessory, it is a very serious car.
£15,000 is entry level and a Tusc at that price could end up very expensive to run. Yes early engines did have some failures, but that aside they are still imho an enthusiasts car. They are ridiculously quick, Quirky beyond belief and can bite at any minute.
Please get to talk to owners and drive one at a dealer before letting your heart rule your head.
Then if you decide to take the plunge then good luck.
Di x
Lady topaz, thanks for your advice, and no, im not offended by it, its totally understandable.
im 22 and about to graduate from uni. always had passion for cars and had few reasonably quick sports cars.. my last one was a punto GT (180bhp, 190ft/lb) which i didnt let anyone work on it other than me.. (before anyone says, i know its totally different than a Tuscan)
my heart is truely set on a Tuscan right now, the shape, design, performance is absolutely amazing.. £15k is the amount that i can spend after investing in a house, i can probably push it up bit more if necessary.. as u mentioned, if the earlier models have common engine faults/reliability issues then i will consider getting a newer model... just broke up with the girlfriend anyway, won't have problems with the maintenance costs
im 22 and about to graduate from uni. always had passion for cars and had few reasonably quick sports cars.. my last one was a punto GT (180bhp, 190ft/lb) which i didnt let anyone work on it other than me.. (before anyone says, i know its totally different than a Tuscan)
my heart is truely set on a Tuscan right now, the shape, design, performance is absolutely amazing.. £15k is the amount that i can spend after investing in a house, i can probably push it up bit more if necessary.. as u mentioned, if the earlier models have common engine faults/reliability issues then i will consider getting a newer model... just broke up with the girlfriend anyway, won't have problems with the maintenance costs
Personally if 15k is all you have I'd leave it a while and save up some more.
The early S6 engines were quite fragile, especially if mated with an owner who didn't warm it up properly. Rebuilds are around 4-5k and a recently rebuilt engine is a good selling point.
What sort of budget do you have for running the car each year? I drive a 97 400 Chimaera, deemed to be a lot more reliable than a Tusc if a lot slower, that has cost me about 3k a year since buying. The cost is more in preventative maintenance rather than actual repairs but a Tusc I reckon (especially one of THE cheapest at 15k) will cost at least that to run and maintain. Also at 22 your insurance is likely to be costly especially if you have little or no RWD experience.
They are stunning cars but the Tusc does have a reputation for biting without warning - please don't think they are a get in and drive car such as a Porsche, they require a lot of concentration and skill to drive properly.
Have you though about maybe looking at a Griffith or Chimaera as an entry into TVR? A 500 Griff or Chim can easily give a Tusc a run for it's money on the road and will cost a lot less to run (many parts are Ford based rather than TVR specific). For 15k you'll also be looking at the best of whats available rather than the cheapest (and possible costliest) examples for sale.
Obviously at the end of the day it's your choice but please research costs and ownership problems/niggles properly before jumping in.
The early S6 engines were quite fragile, especially if mated with an owner who didn't warm it up properly. Rebuilds are around 4-5k and a recently rebuilt engine is a good selling point.
What sort of budget do you have for running the car each year? I drive a 97 400 Chimaera, deemed to be a lot more reliable than a Tusc if a lot slower, that has cost me about 3k a year since buying. The cost is more in preventative maintenance rather than actual repairs but a Tusc I reckon (especially one of THE cheapest at 15k) will cost at least that to run and maintain. Also at 22 your insurance is likely to be costly especially if you have little or no RWD experience.
They are stunning cars but the Tusc does have a reputation for biting without warning - please don't think they are a get in and drive car such as a Porsche, they require a lot of concentration and skill to drive properly.
Have you though about maybe looking at a Griffith or Chimaera as an entry into TVR? A 500 Griff or Chim can easily give a Tusc a run for it's money on the road and will cost a lot less to run (many parts are Ford based rather than TVR specific). For 15k you'll also be looking at the best of whats available rather than the cheapest (and possible costliest) examples for sale.
Obviously at the end of the day it's your choice but please research costs and ownership problems/niggles properly before jumping in.
yea, im trying to find out as much as i can before buying one.. looks like im gona wait a bit longer and buy a Tuscan S.
sorry but i dont like the models you have mentioned there zippee, other than those, Cerbera is cool but a bit too big and bulky for me, Tamora is also very sexy but i dont want a soft top, plus they're in the same price range as Tuscan's.. for once i know what i want, its definitaly a Tuscan.. obviously im aware of high running costs and i dont expect it to be any lower than £3k a year, if worse comes to worse i'll use the spare car until i sort something out..
to be honest i cant say i have much experience with RWD, my old man had a Jaguar XJS V12 coupe and i used to drive it now and then but i guess u cant really compare a big heavy luxury cruiser with a Tuscan.. not being big headed or any thing but i trust my driving skills, hopefully wont take me too long to get the hang of it
another question, i believe none of these have power steering, so how heavy is the steering wheel? parking it must be a nightmare?
sorry but i dont like the models you have mentioned there zippee, other than those, Cerbera is cool but a bit too big and bulky for me, Tamora is also very sexy but i dont want a soft top, plus they're in the same price range as Tuscan's.. for once i know what i want, its definitaly a Tuscan.. obviously im aware of high running costs and i dont expect it to be any lower than £3k a year, if worse comes to worse i'll use the spare car until i sort something out..
to be honest i cant say i have much experience with RWD, my old man had a Jaguar XJS V12 coupe and i used to drive it now and then but i guess u cant really compare a big heavy luxury cruiser with a Tuscan.. not being big headed or any thing but i trust my driving skills, hopefully wont take me too long to get the hang of it
another question, i believe none of these have power steering, so how heavy is the steering wheel? parking it must be a nightmare?
Survivor said:
another question, i believe none of these have power steering, so how heavy is the steering wheel? parking it must be a nightmare?
All Tuscans have power steering, MK1's had engine driven hydraulic pump, although this was changed on the MK2 to an electric driven pump which also slowed the steering response slightly.
I was in the same situation around Feb this year (25 yrs old). In the end I stretched my budget from 16k to 18k and got a 2000 tuscan with a rebuild in Dec 06 for the money. Mechanically its had everything sorted that normally goes i.e nitrons, 5th gear, diff seals, clutch, slave cylinder, recent pads/disks. And the assurance of the TVR Power rebuild.
There were still issues like the front end stone chips, so when I sold my old car I had a front end respray at further cost of £1250. I know it was not essential but I wanted the car to look its best. Few little niggles that you get with most Tuscans also like window playing its own games when wet and heater ecu wires were loose. Nothing major but still things I had to sort. There may well have been other cars out there but I was constantly stretching my budget and it had to stop somewhere! Not quite sure where I'm going with this but look at my costs to date and its a few K so far and a service this month now with 6k on the engine now.
But its all worth it and love the car totally. Still keep looking at the forsale and seeing if I paid the right price or not... I think so as have put 5k on the car without so much as a hitch. But they have seemed to drop in price a little in the few months which I cannot explain, or maybe they are not as good examples now on there??
As for previous rwd experience, thats a personal matter of what you beleive your skill to be and driving within your limits I feel. I came from a 290 bhp rwd 200sx and the tuscan was a new level again, although it is more planted and less tail happy. It can still bite your ass and thats always in my head. The bump steer is terrible on the early cars due to the angle of the steering arms and parking them is a slow time job as the lock is poor and you just have to take your time, esp as people WILL be watching. And you dont want to be that Ferrari drivier that cannot park syndrome!
Anyway keep looking test drive some and get one with as many of those major things sorted or budget for them.
Oh and insurance was £900 for me fully comp with Admiral to give you an idea, clean licence 4 yrs NCB
There were still issues like the front end stone chips, so when I sold my old car I had a front end respray at further cost of £1250. I know it was not essential but I wanted the car to look its best. Few little niggles that you get with most Tuscans also like window playing its own games when wet and heater ecu wires were loose. Nothing major but still things I had to sort. There may well have been other cars out there but I was constantly stretching my budget and it had to stop somewhere! Not quite sure where I'm going with this but look at my costs to date and its a few K so far and a service this month now with 6k on the engine now.
But its all worth it and love the car totally. Still keep looking at the forsale and seeing if I paid the right price or not... I think so as have put 5k on the car without so much as a hitch. But they have seemed to drop in price a little in the few months which I cannot explain, or maybe they are not as good examples now on there??
As for previous rwd experience, thats a personal matter of what you beleive your skill to be and driving within your limits I feel. I came from a 290 bhp rwd 200sx and the tuscan was a new level again, although it is more planted and less tail happy. It can still bite your ass and thats always in my head. The bump steer is terrible on the early cars due to the angle of the steering arms and parking them is a slow time job as the lock is poor and you just have to take your time, esp as people WILL be watching. And you dont want to be that Ferrari drivier that cannot park syndrome!
Anyway keep looking test drive some and get one with as many of those major things sorted or budget for them.
Oh and insurance was £900 for me fully comp with Admiral to give you an idea, clean licence 4 yrs NCB
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