Fuel consumption -how good/bad ? & a few other questions
Discussion
Sorry for the newbie question,had a search but couldnt come up with much info.
Im thinking about getting a wedge as a weekend fun car ,ive got an elise at the mo and have owned a couple of old 911`s in the past.
Have seen a nice 350i at David gerald waht sort of mpg would i expect ? cruising/spirited driving.
Also can you run a wedge on a budget ? again weekend driving probably 2K miles a year.
Are they that unreliable and need several grand in the bank if something goes wrong ?
Cheers stu.
Im thinking about getting a wedge as a weekend fun car ,ive got an elise at the mo and have owned a couple of old 911`s in the past.
Have seen a nice 350i at David gerald waht sort of mpg would i expect ? cruising/spirited driving.
Also can you run a wedge on a budget ? again weekend driving probably 2K miles a year.
Are they that unreliable and need several grand in the bank if something goes wrong ?
Cheers stu.
The 350i will give you about 20 - 25mpg. The are very easy cars to fix using mainly old Ford & Rover parts, any repair garage worth their salt will be able to fix a wedge with ease. They're as reliable as anything. The three I've had have been more reliable & as cheap to service as the eurobox stuff we've got. Just make sure the chassis & the basics are in good order & enjoy. 
Hi There, i only use my car on weekends aprox 3k a year, the fuel consumption is terrible but the enjoyment gets top marks, i have owned mine for just under 2 years its only cost me a minimal amount on things that had to be done but you always find things to spend your money on if you wanted 
, from a reliable point of view mine has always started 1st go and ran perfect (exept when i ran out of fuel in wales 
)
, from a reliable point of view mine has always started 1st go and ran perfect (exept when i ran out of fuel in wales )I get about 16mpg average out of my '88 350i, when giving it the beans.
I have has as high as 25mpg though, roof on
windows up, driving like s speed 6 owner 
I've owned it for 2 years, servicing costs are pretty low (2 oil changes, 2 filters, 1 set plugs / leads / new cap / coil / rotor arm)
Plus I've spent odds and sods on it like 4 new springs, new bushes / TRE's, driveshaft shims and the best improvement, a new steering column bearing.
Need to put 2 new tyres on for the MOT later this month though, not bad at around £60 per corner for decent rubber. (Avon)
I have has as high as 25mpg though, roof on
windows up, driving like s speed 6 owner I've owned it for 2 years, servicing costs are pretty low (2 oil changes, 2 filters, 1 set plugs / leads / new cap / coil / rotor arm)
Plus I've spent odds and sods on it like 4 new springs, new bushes / TRE's, driveshaft shims and the best improvement, a new steering column bearing.
Need to put 2 new tyres on for the MOT later this month though, not bad at around £60 per corner for decent rubber. (Avon)
Been using mine ('84 350i) as a daily driver for the past few weeks whilst the Focus has been off the road... My commute is a mix of sitting in traffic and then blasting down the lanes. Am averaging 19.6mpg
Will be giving it an annual service and MOT shortly, but in the past year it has cost me nothing but tax, insurance and petrol!
Will be giving it an annual service and MOT shortly, but in the past year it has cost me nothing but tax, insurance and petrol!
Hi Stuart and welcome
The 350i will certainly be cheaper to look after than what you have had previously
and in the 2+ years I had mine averaged 25mpg (not hanging about!!!!)
Mine was totally reliable and never let me down
but you must change the oil frequently (approx every 6 months)
The Wedges are also the best sounding car around IMHO
and the most fun you can have with your trousers on!!!!!!!
If you are looking for fuel economy then don't get tempted into a 400 instead
IMHO they are the best looking Wedge (and therefore the best looking classic car)
but do require frequent visits to the Govt Tax Collectors Office (read Petrol Station)
Buying both of mine was the best thing I ever did and even
resolve the craving for speed I had with Motorbikes previously
Go for it - and enjoy it - they are built for driving
Rich
The 350i will certainly be cheaper to look after than what you have had previously
and in the 2+ years I had mine averaged 25mpg (not hanging about!!!!)
Mine was totally reliable and never let me down
but you must change the oil frequently (approx every 6 months)
The Wedges are also the best sounding car around IMHO
and the most fun you can have with your trousers on!!!!!!!
If you are looking for fuel economy then don't get tempted into a 400 instead
IMHO they are the best looking Wedge (and therefore the best looking classic car)
but do require frequent visits to the Govt Tax Collectors Office (read Petrol Station)
Buying both of mine was the best thing I ever did and even
resolve the craving for speed I had with Motorbikes previously
Go for it - and enjoy it - they are built for driving
Rich
Trickie Dickie said:
Hi Stuart and welcome
The 350i will certainly be cheaper to look after than what you have had previously
and in the 2+ years I had mine averaged 25mpg (not hanging about!!!!)
Mine was totally reliable and never let me down
but you must change the oil frequently (approx every 6 months)
The Wedges are also the best sounding car around IMHO
and the most fun you can have with your trousers on!!!!!!!
If you are looking for fuel economy then don't get tempted into a 400 instead
IMHO they are the best looking Wedge (and therefore the best looking classic car)
but do require frequent visits to the Govt Tax Collectors Office (read Petrol Station)
Buying both of mine was the best thing I ever did and even
resolve the craving for speed I had with Motorbikes previously
Go for it - and enjoy it - they are built for driving
Rich
Well if you drive a 400SE like a old man you can still get 24-26 MPGThe 350i will certainly be cheaper to look after than what you have had previously
and in the 2+ years I had mine averaged 25mpg (not hanging about!!!!)
Mine was totally reliable and never let me down
but you must change the oil frequently (approx every 6 months)
The Wedges are also the best sounding car around IMHO
and the most fun you can have with your trousers on!!!!!!!
If you are looking for fuel economy then don't get tempted into a 400 instead
IMHO they are the best looking Wedge (and therefore the best looking classic car)
but do require frequent visits to the Govt Tax Collectors Office (read Petrol Station)
Buying both of mine was the best thing I ever did and even
resolve the craving for speed I had with Motorbikes previously
Go for it - and enjoy it - they are built for driving
Rich
But also got it down to about 6MPG when pushing it hard.
Don't worry about mpg....put petrol in and measure the pleasure in smiles per mile instead. 
Can you run a Wedge on tight budget ?.......Yes 'cause I do but to be fair mine hasn't cost a lot in the years I've had it and I only did circa 800 miles between MOT's from last year and this year.
Enjoy and don't forget to get across to BBWF.
Can you run a Wedge on tight budget ?.......Yes 'cause I do but to be fair mine hasn't cost a lot in the years I've had it and I only did circa 800 miles between MOT's from last year and this year.
Enjoy and don't forget to get across to BBWF.
At 2000 miles per annum the extra cost of high consumption will be negligable.
2K miles @ 25 mpg = 80 gal around £400
2k miles @ 20 mpg = 100 gal around £500
So that is about £100 pa.
By the way I once had a 3.5 litre VDP EFi (same engine as the 350i) which was around 120k miles, three speed auto box, quite a heavy car (2* a TVR) with two up going up a hill - the trip computer showed 0.7 mpg - thirsty!
Russ
2K miles @ 25 mpg = 80 gal around £400
2k miles @ 20 mpg = 100 gal around £500
So that is about £100 pa.
By the way I once had a 3.5 litre VDP EFi (same engine as the 350i) which was around 120k miles, three speed auto box, quite a heavy car (2* a TVR) with two up going up a hill - the trip computer showed 0.7 mpg - thirsty!
Russ
If you buy a TVR petrol consumption shouldn't enter the equation. Wedge owners are fairly frugal so they must be cheap to run as most of the owners are as tight as a nats chuff.
I reckon 20-25 is reasonable, used to get mid 20's out the Taimar (3.0 V6) and approx 15-20 out the Griff (5.0 V8).
Buy and have fun. Cheapest fun per pound around and a great bunch of hepful people in Tiv circles. Its not just about the car it becomes more of a lifestyle choice.
FFG
I reckon 20-25 is reasonable, used to get mid 20's out the Taimar (3.0 V6) and approx 15-20 out the Griff (5.0 V8).
Buy and have fun. Cheapest fun per pound around and a great bunch of hepful people in Tiv circles. Its not just about the car it becomes more of a lifestyle choice.
FFG
Well if you get it in double figures your not driving it hard enough
I think when I had the 350 on 1 day going from south of france to Lemans I got ave 26 mpg poodling along with roof down. Next day at Lemans was averaging about 12 mpg
Don't even check with the 450 as it will just upset me
I think when I had the 350 on 1 day going from south of france to Lemans I got ave 26 mpg poodling along with roof down. Next day at Lemans was averaging about 12 mpg
Don't even check with the 450 as it will just upset me
Cheers for all the replies !
Just got to introduce the subject of changing my car to the missus
If i can get 7-8K for my s1 elise i plan on spending 5-6K on a wedge which gives me a bit in reserve to cover bits and bobs + insurance.
Are there any wedge owners in or around the telford/shropshire area ?
What do you reckon to this car ?
http://www.davidgeraldtvr.com/
TVR 350i 3.5Ltr
1988(F) Pale Green Metallic with Forest interior, 66,000 miles, PAS, full service history , very clean example , Great Value
£4,995.00
Just got to introduce the subject of changing my car to the missus
If i can get 7-8K for my s1 elise i plan on spending 5-6K on a wedge which gives me a bit in reserve to cover bits and bobs + insurance.
Are there any wedge owners in or around the telford/shropshire area ?
What do you reckon to this car ?
http://www.davidgeraldtvr.com/
TVR 350i 3.5Ltr
1988(F) Pale Green Metallic with Forest interior, 66,000 miles, PAS, full service history , very clean example , Great Value
£4,995.00
You will never regret owning a Wedge. Just do it!
Don't fall in love with the first one you hear. Make sure you get a well looked after one.
Make sure that when you pick the car up from DG that there is enough fuel to get you to the first petrol station unlike what happened to me!
On a serious note double check the outriggers. DG have a workshop with ramps and will be only too pleased to let you see the underneath. Check the outrigger tubes are intact and also the plates which locate to the body. It's not a show stopper if they need work but it is one hell of a price negotiation point.
Once again find one and enjoy.
Amusing tale...
A friend recently got stopped and offered a bit of advice, something about not speeding away from a certain roundabout. With a boyish grin the officer said "sounded good though!" Made my day ahem I mean made my friends day.
Don't fall in love with the first one you hear. Make sure you get a well looked after one.
Make sure that when you pick the car up from DG that there is enough fuel to get you to the first petrol station unlike what happened to me!
On a serious note double check the outriggers. DG have a workshop with ramps and will be only too pleased to let you see the underneath. Check the outrigger tubes are intact and also the plates which locate to the body. It's not a show stopper if they need work but it is one hell of a price negotiation point.
Once again find one and enjoy.
Amusing tale...
A friend recently got stopped and offered a bit of advice, something about not speeding away from a certain roundabout. With a boyish grin the officer said "sounded good though!" Made my day ahem I mean made my friends day.
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