Some Sagaris questions before I buy!!
Discussion
Hi!
I`m doing a little research into the TVR Sagaris, and I`m trying to convince myself its worth the buy. I live in Northern Ireland, and have only one dealer (parkgate) who handles TVR.
My only real worry is the reliability and costs (in terms of fixing things) - unlike possibly a few people here I aint got tons of cash but I can afford to buy a £35k sag and pay around £1500 for bills a year
I`m going to test drive one tomorrow, I feel that my heart will be screaming "Buy it!!!" whilst my head will be going "what about your lack of any 'real' warranty? what about that clutch is is fubar?"
I absolutely love the car
and (if loaded) would buy this car...
Anyway the questions..
1) What about engine rebuilds? Is this something the Sag suffers from? and if so at what mileage and price?
2) The sag clutch seems to go around 10k to 15k - is this like some sort of guaranteed thing to happen every 10k?
3) What should I expect for £35k?
4) Am I wise in the head?
Many thanks!!
J.
I`m doing a little research into the TVR Sagaris, and I`m trying to convince myself its worth the buy. I live in Northern Ireland, and have only one dealer (parkgate) who handles TVR.
My only real worry is the reliability and costs (in terms of fixing things) - unlike possibly a few people here I aint got tons of cash but I can afford to buy a £35k sag and pay around £1500 for bills a year
I`m going to test drive one tomorrow, I feel that my heart will be screaming "Buy it!!!" whilst my head will be going "what about your lack of any 'real' warranty? what about that clutch is is fubar?"
I absolutely love the car
and (if loaded) would buy this car...Anyway the questions..
1) What about engine rebuilds? Is this something the Sag suffers from? and if so at what mileage and price?
2) The sag clutch seems to go around 10k to 15k - is this like some sort of guaranteed thing to happen every 10k?
3) What should I expect for £35k?
4) Am I wise in the head?
Many thanks!!
J.
I would not suggest anyone buy a modern TVR without a decent warranty. IMO you need to allocate £3,000 a year for running costs, not counting fuel and depreciation (and new front/rear splitters due to the less-than-smooth Irish roads).
There is another owner on this forum from Southern Ireland with a Sagaris (is it PHer 'Parke'?) and a recent one from Northern Ireland. I'm sure they'll be along to give a locals view
There is another owner on this forum from Southern Ireland with a Sagaris (is it PHer 'Parke'?) and a recent one from Northern Ireland. I'm sure they'll be along to give a locals view
Call me lucky but I dont believe in warranties. Ive had an esprit, elise, boxster, tamora and now a sag. Never had a warranty and never had any major problems at all.
I think the Sag is pretty much sorted in terms of engine reliability anyway. Just buy one and enjoy it. Of course a contigency fund is smart tho.
I think the Sag is pretty much sorted in terms of engine reliability anyway. Just buy one and enjoy it. Of course a contigency fund is smart tho.
KillerJim (unfortunate name for a NI PHer)
Have a word with the TVRCC in Northern Ireland, ColinL on here is the RO, they will be able to give you some invaluable info that can't really be posted on here.
There are a few Sagaris owners in NI so if you make contact with ColinL he will be able to put you in touch for some first hand info. Maybe even some info on the one you're looking at - save you buying a wrong 'un!
Jay
Have a word with the TVRCC in Northern Ireland, ColinL on here is the RO, they will be able to give you some invaluable info that can't really be posted on here.
There are a few Sagaris owners in NI so if you make contact with ColinL he will be able to put you in touch for some first hand info. Maybe even some info on the one you're looking at - save you buying a wrong 'un!
Jay
I too have been considering a Sagaris and from having looked around for a few weeks I reckon £35k should get a 2005 car with under 10k miles from a dealer with a 12 month wear and tear warranty. The W&T is something I would definately want on a Sagaris as I have heard that the original clutches start to drag and are replaced with an upgraded unit. Front splitter has also been a concern of mine because if you give it a good whack on a B road depression and it smashes I reckon you could kiss goodbye to £1k to fix. The car does look fantastic though and the appeal is obvious! I am probably leaning towards a late T350 for about £8-£10k less as I feel it may suit road use a bit better. Saying that, I could still be tempted to get a Sag!
TGJR said:
Front splitter has also been a concern of mine because if you give it a good whack on a B road depression and it smashes I reckon you could kiss goodbye to £1k to fix.
The front splitters will be fine. In 19,000 miles I have never has any problems. Very occasionally you might scrape the underside of one side of the splitter coming down a car park ramp.Surprisingly the bit that normally hits the floor first is the black painted area below the number plate. And the only times I’ve caught that on the road have been at no more than 30mph in residential streets with loads of undulations and poor tarmac repairs.
Personally speaking I would go for a car that has 15,000+ miles on it. The clutch will have been changed and upgraded (you will soon feel if it hasnt!), it should have new boots all round, all the niggles will be sorted...yes they all have niggles...and you should be able to view the service history and what has been done to the car. I would also advocate buying one with the service history at the same dealer, they will know the car and you can ask them about what work was done under warranty (when it existed).
Running costs? Well £2k/yr in service costs and er that should be it really. Nothing much outside of warranty items is worth spending money on for normal running over a 2yr period. I spent money on mine when selling it, but if I had kept her, then apart from the clutch change (mine lasted 19,000 miles, as did all 4 of my tyres) I dont think I would have spent much on her anyway.
I never had a problem really with the front splitter apart from scraping the underside, but the covering takes the worst of it really, but I do know others have had problems with knocking the splitters. The other poster with a £1k repair estimate isnt far off the mark.
Running costs? Well £2k/yr in service costs and er that should be it really. Nothing much outside of warranty items is worth spending money on for normal running over a 2yr period. I spent money on mine when selling it, but if I had kept her, then apart from the clutch change (mine lasted 19,000 miles, as did all 4 of my tyres) I dont think I would have spent much on her anyway.
I never had a problem really with the front splitter apart from scraping the underside, but the covering takes the worst of it really, but I do know others have had problems with knocking the splitters. The other poster with a £1k repair estimate isnt far off the mark.
DJC said:
Personally speaking I would go for a car that has 15,000+ miles on it. The clutch will have been changed and upgraded (you will soon feel if it hasnt!), it should have new boots all round, all the niggles will be sorted...yes they all have niggles...and you should be able to view the service history and what has been done to the car. I would also advocate buying one with the service history at the same dealer, they will know the car and you can ask them about what work was done under warranty (when it existed).
Running costs? Well £2k/yr in service costs and er that should be it really. Nothing much outside of warranty items is worth spending money on for normal running over a 2yr period. I spent money on mine when selling it, but if I had kept her, then apart from the clutch change (mine lasted 19,000 miles, as did all 4 of my tyres) I dont think I would have spent much on her anyway.
I never had a problem really with the front splitter apart from scraping the underside, but the covering takes the worst of it really, but I do know others have had problems with knocking the splitters. The other poster with a £1k repair estimate isnt far off the mark.
i agree with most of this which is why i bought your car!Running costs? Well £2k/yr in service costs and er that should be it really. Nothing much outside of warranty items is worth spending money on for normal running over a 2yr period. I spent money on mine when selling it, but if I had kept her, then apart from the clutch change (mine lasted 19,000 miles, as did all 4 of my tyres) I dont think I would have spent much on her anyway.
I never had a problem really with the front splitter apart from scraping the underside, but the covering takes the worst of it really, but I do know others have had problems with knocking the splitters. The other poster with a £1k repair estimate isnt far off the mark.
only problem is that i took it to racing green for a pre le mans check and they said the clutch needs replacing (amongst other niggly things - like a nail in one of the brand new rear tyres!)... i was surprised, as the clutch was changed at 19k odd and there is now 22.5k on the clock. the gear change is very bad though... any ideas why this should be the case? did dream machines charge you for the clutch and then not put one in??? !!!!
Rob_T said:
only problem is that i took it to racing green for a pre le mans check and they said the clutch needs replacing (amongst other niggly things - like a nail in one of the brand new rear tyres!)... i was surprised, as the clutch was changed at 19k odd and there is now 22.5k on the clock. the gear change is very bad though... any ideas why this should be the case? did dream machines charge you for the clutch and then not put one in??? !!!!
im amazed at this, im pretty sure that Deej even sourced the clutch himself. I can tell you that when it came back the gear shift was hugely improved, so i think we both just assumed it had been done, and im sure the bill shows that it has been charged for (not that that means anything). the gear shift is always sticky when cold (thats a tvr thing), but is it not improving now when the car warms up? are you sure its the clutch and not the master cylinder? (though i would guess that was done when the clutch went in)
sorry to hear of your troubles rob, i feel terrible now.
nervous said:
Rob_T said:
only problem is that i took it to racing green for a pre le mans check and they said the clutch needs replacing (amongst other niggly things - like a nail in one of the brand new rear tyres!)... i was surprised, as the clutch was changed at 19k odd and there is now 22.5k on the clock. the gear change is very bad though... any ideas why this should be the case? did dream machines charge you for the clutch and then not put one in??? !!!!
im amazed at this, im pretty sure that Deej even sourced the clutch himself. I can tell you that when it came back the gear shift was hugely improved, so i think we both just assumed it had been done, and im sure the bill shows that it has been charged for (not that that means anything). the gear shift is always sticky when cold (thats a tvr thing), but is it not improving now when the car warms up? are you sure its the clutch and not the master cylinder? (though i would guess that was done when the clutch went in)
sorry to hear of your troubles rob, i feel terrible now.
no seriously, it's clearly not your fault and i not sending the heavies round this time. i rechecked the paperwork last night and the clutch was done mid feb of this year. strangely, the gears work better when the engine is cold. when it is properly warmed up it really is difficult to get it into gear, and reverse crunches like a crunching thing that's been eating too many crunchies.
what i am annoyed about though with the last service was that the steering rack gaitors were not replaced - this should have been picked up, at the very least because on the previous service it said it needed to be done at the next service. shame on that dealer - you know who you are!!!
it's also misfiring under load - apparently needs new ht leads (not a big job).
strangely though i don't mind any of this (except for the nail in the tyre) because i love the car sooooooooooo much.
Er the new clutch I think is an TVRcraft clutch. Its meant to be uprated! It went in mid Feb...I know, I paid for it!
For enquires on any work on the car, you want to talk to Peter at Dream Machines. He is the service manager, he knows the car intimately and will tell you anything you need to know. Just tell him its my old car.
Contact me off line Rob.
For enquires on any work on the car, you want to talk to Peter at Dream Machines. He is the service manager, he knows the car intimately and will tell you anything you need to know. Just tell him its my old car.
Contact me off line Rob.
Rob_T said:
do you feel terrible enough to pay for the work???? thought not...!
no seriously, it's clearly not your fault and i not sending the heavies round this time. i rechecked the paperwork last night and the clutch was done mid feb of this year. strangely, the gears work better when the engine is cold. when it is properly warmed up it really is difficult to get it into gear, and reverse crunches like a crunching thing that's been eating too many crunchies.
what i am annoyed about though with the last service was that the steering rack gaitors were not replaced - this should have been picked up, at the very least because on the previous service it said it needed to be done at the next service. shame on that dealer - you know who you are!!!
it's also misfiring under load - apparently needs new ht leads (not a big job).
strangely though i don't mind any of this (except for the nail in the tyre) because i love the car sooooooooooo much.
It had none of these problems when the car was with me, I do hope you know that.no seriously, it's clearly not your fault and i not sending the heavies round this time. i rechecked the paperwork last night and the clutch was done mid feb of this year. strangely, the gears work better when the engine is cold. when it is properly warmed up it really is difficult to get it into gear, and reverse crunches like a crunching thing that's been eating too many crunchies.
what i am annoyed about though with the last service was that the steering rack gaitors were not replaced - this should have been picked up, at the very least because on the previous service it said it needed to be done at the next service. shame on that dealer - you know who you are!!!
it's also misfiring under load - apparently needs new ht leads (not a big job).
strangely though i don't mind any of this (except for the nail in the tyre) because i love the car sooooooooooo much.
sorry again mate, irrespective of whether your blaming me. I know these things happen, but thats still rotten luck.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
This thread suggests that the Super Clucth abused the word super and has since been deemed not fit for purpose.
Not sure if thats the clutch that was fitted.
This thread suggests that the Super Clucth abused the word super and has since been deemed not fit for purpose.
Not sure if thats the clutch that was fitted.
Rob_T said:
DJC said:
Personally speaking I would go for a car that has 15,000+ miles on it. The clutch will have been changed and upgraded (you will soon feel if it hasnt!), it should have new boots all round, all the niggles will be sorted...yes they all have niggles...and you should be able to view the service history and what has been done to the car. I would also advocate buying one with the service history at the same dealer, they will know the car and you can ask them about what work was done under warranty (when it existed).
Running costs? Well £2k/yr in service costs and er that should be it really. Nothing much outside of warranty items is worth spending money on for normal running over a 2yr period. I spent money on mine when selling it, but if I had kept her, then apart from the clutch change (mine lasted 19,000 miles, as did all 4 of my tyres) I dont think I would have spent much on her anyway.
I never had a problem really with the front splitter apart from scraping the underside, but the covering takes the worst of it really, but I do know others have had problems with knocking the splitters. The other poster with a £1k repair estimate isnt far off the mark.
i agree with most of this which is why i bought your car!Running costs? Well £2k/yr in service costs and er that should be it really. Nothing much outside of warranty items is worth spending money on for normal running over a 2yr period. I spent money on mine when selling it, but if I had kept her, then apart from the clutch change (mine lasted 19,000 miles, as did all 4 of my tyres) I dont think I would have spent much on her anyway.
I never had a problem really with the front splitter apart from scraping the underside, but the covering takes the worst of it really, but I do know others have had problems with knocking the splitters. The other poster with a £1k repair estimate isnt far off the mark.
only problem is that i took it to racing green for a pre le mans check and they said the clutch needs replacing (amongst other niggly things - like a nail in one of the brand new rear tyres!)... i was surprised, as the clutch was changed at 19k odd and there is now 22.5k on the clock. the gear change is very bad though... any ideas why this should be the case? did dream machines charge you for the clutch and then not put one in??? !!!!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Hi targarama. Just noticed my name being mentioned earlier on with regard to my whereabouts! I actually live in Gloucestershire, but strangely enough did spend some considerable time in N.Ireland ( Belfast/Lisburn ) during the 60's and 70,s. I sold my Sagaris last year via Mole Valley, it's no.64 on the sagaris register. You now all know that i'm not 23! Can't remember seeing any tvr's during my stint over there, but saw the first Jag xjs in a showroom in Donegal Square for £9575. Didn't even have the £75 at the time, never mind the rest. I'm probably the wrong person to reply to this post as, even one year on should never ever have sold this car, hence my continual visits to the site to catch up on events.
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