Tuscan as a daily driver.....
Discussion
I've recently sold my Chimaera with the intention of buying something 'more sensible' - currently have an Alfa 147 as a runabout, but once I buy my next car I'll be selling it. Was thinking Golf GTI/R32, 350z, Alfa GT etc. However, sensible isn't really appealing to me much at the moment....am I crazy to think of a Tuscan as my daily driver? Daily driver is perhaps a bit misleading....I walk to work, so my typical car use is weekend trips plus the odd supermarket etc trip during the week. Max 5k miles pa.
Sounds dull, but the sort of questions I was wondering are:
1) Cabin noise in general use (wind and exhaust/engine). Any comparison with Chimaera welcomed.
2) General issues - battery drain, leaks etc.
3) How easy to drive round town - tendancy for lumpiness etc?
4) Is there an onerous warmup procedure or is it just a case of being very gentle until warmed up, like I did in the Chim.
Anyone else wholly reliant on a Tuscan?! The only other thing that is putting me off (no way round this really)... is that sometimes it's nice not to be noticed, especially when driving round a city. There wasnt much chance of this in the Chim, and I guess the Tuscan would get even more attention!
Sounds dull, but the sort of questions I was wondering are:
1) Cabin noise in general use (wind and exhaust/engine). Any comparison with Chimaera welcomed.
2) General issues - battery drain, leaks etc.
3) How easy to drive round town - tendancy for lumpiness etc?
4) Is there an onerous warmup procedure or is it just a case of being very gentle until warmed up, like I did in the Chim.
Anyone else wholly reliant on a Tuscan?! The only other thing that is putting me off (no way round this really)... is that sometimes it's nice not to be noticed, especially when driving round a city. There wasnt much chance of this in the Chim, and I guess the Tuscan would get even more attention!
I´ve run my Tuscan as my only car for about 5 years now, although my GF has a Ford Ka if we need something with more than 2 seats. No problem at all using in traffic for my daily c.5 mile each way commute. The clutch is light and the engine is happy crawling in traffic at around tick over. Warming up is just a case of keeping the revs down below 2.5k or so until the oil temp is above 50 degrees. As mine is used every day I can´t really comment on the charging question.
Noise doesn´t bother me, although it´s not exactly quiet, and you get used to the S6 rattle. I suppose it depends on what you are used to as I had a Merc as a courtesy car once and couldn´t get used to not knowing whether the engine was running or not.
Mine has had the odd water ingress issue around the doors but have been able to resolve them by adjusting the door alignment or re-sealing the rubber on the body. It does drip in sometimes at the front top corner of the driver´s window but nothing major. It does live outside all year round.
It´s let me down fully twice in the time I´ve had it, both times being clutch failure.
HTH.
Marcus
Noise doesn´t bother me, although it´s not exactly quiet, and you get used to the S6 rattle. I suppose it depends on what you are used to as I had a Merc as a courtesy car once and couldn´t get used to not knowing whether the engine was running or not.
Mine has had the odd water ingress issue around the doors but have been able to resolve them by adjusting the door alignment or re-sealing the rubber on the body. It does drip in sometimes at the front top corner of the driver´s window but nothing major. It does live outside all year round.
It´s let me down fully twice in the time I´ve had it, both times being clutch failure.
HTH.
Marcus
Edited by Basil Brush on Saturday 27th December 20:40
Hi nig gtv,
My Tuscan is my daily drive as was my Chimaera before. Agree with Marcus regarding noise and similar water ingress.
Cant realy say its more noisey than my Chimaera was. Mine also lives outside all the time.
I travel often to the US and so leave mine at airports for two to four weeks at a time. A flat battery is always waiting for me and is a real pain but I would think that you should be OK with your more regular use. If your keeping her in a garage then a trickle charger should keep you fine.
Ha ha going un-noticed in a Tuscan......no chance so you might as well get a decent colour like mine......see profile.
My Tuscan is my daily drive as was my Chimaera before. Agree with Marcus regarding noise and similar water ingress.
Cant realy say its more noisey than my Chimaera was. Mine also lives outside all the time.
I travel often to the US and so leave mine at airports for two to four weeks at a time. A flat battery is always waiting for me and is a real pain but I would think that you should be OK with your more regular use. If your keeping her in a garage then a trickle charger should keep you fine.
Ha ha going un-noticed in a Tuscan......no chance so you might as well get a decent colour like mine......see profile.
fraxton said:
hi Tony what a lovely colour, i was looking for somthing similar to repaint my mk1 tuscan, could you please tell me the colour code? many thanks
Hi Fraxton,Its Purple Paradise. If you use the link below you can get the colour code.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Thanks for the compliment,
Tony.
I went from Chim to Tuscan, Best move I ever did, The car for me is far superior and easier to drive, Don't get get me wrong I also loved, cherished and spent a fortune on the Chim and used as a daily driver.
My Tuscan stands for the 5 week days and then used at weekends, I have not any starting problems as yet.
About to start using as my daily driver and have no concerns about noise as the Chim had no pre cats and i would say possibly noisier internally than the Tuscan which has standard exhaust with CCC's.
Wherever I park the car somebody always cooments on the make noise or what power has it got
Love it to bits
My Tuscan stands for the 5 week days and then used at weekends, I have not any starting problems as yet.
About to start using as my daily driver and have no concerns about noise as the Chim had no pre cats and i would say possibly noisier internally than the Tuscan which has standard exhaust with CCC's.
Wherever I park the car somebody always cooments on the make noise or what power has it got
Love it to bits
I use my very early Tuscan as and when required and also have a Chimaera. The Tuscan is the much better car.
The Tuscan is used regularly through the week, to go to the shops and to work.
I have had no real issues, except with the heater fan (inherited with the car), which I fixed myself for a couple of quid and a slight misfire, which was sorted with Magnecor leads. I have had a puncture, which cost £185 and I left the lights on and the battery went flat, which was sorted by the RAC.
The car is generally quiet and comfortable inside, but rattles and squeaks, which you get used to. It is heavy on fuel and the running costs can be high, as mentioned here, shocks, bushes, uprights etc,etc can all need replacing.
If you buy a Tuscan you will become an "Automotive God" overnight in the eyes of a large slice of the populace. You most certainly will get noticed! You don't get that in a Chimeara.
The Tuscan will eventually become very collectable!
The Tuscan is used regularly through the week, to go to the shops and to work.
I have had no real issues, except with the heater fan (inherited with the car), which I fixed myself for a couple of quid and a slight misfire, which was sorted with Magnecor leads. I have had a puncture, which cost £185 and I left the lights on and the battery went flat, which was sorted by the RAC.
The car is generally quiet and comfortable inside, but rattles and squeaks, which you get used to. It is heavy on fuel and the running costs can be high, as mentioned here, shocks, bushes, uprights etc,etc can all need replacing.
If you buy a Tuscan you will become an "Automotive God" overnight in the eyes of a large slice of the populace. You most certainly will get noticed! You don't get that in a Chimeara.
The Tuscan will eventually become very collectable!
Great, guys. Just what I needed to hear. Bringing my back up/runabout car off the road at the end of month and treating my Tuscan to a new clutch and battery to get it back on the road next weekend. Can't wait. Actually getting cravings. It'll be my sole roadgoing car so it's good to know I'm not alone.
Not getting noticed in a Tuscan ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Hopefully see ya'll at Chatsworth!
Not getting noticed in a Tuscan ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Hopefully see ya'll at Chatsworth!
Andy_350z said:
looking at buying a tuscan myself.
how do you get on with no abs? is there an option to upgrade the breaks, and if so what have people done/ who used?
regards
andy
To be honest, I would'nt want abs on my Tuscan. it would take the fun out of driving it hard, now if your talking Chimaera thats a differant story as I nearly lost mine a few times on standard wheels tyres and brakes. On the Tuscan when all goes wobbley just let off the loud peddle and it seems to straighten itself up. Mines an S so has bigger disks,wheels and also has Hydra track diff. Aint had no probs stopping it yet.how do you get on with no abs? is there an option to upgrade the breaks, and if so what have people done/ who used?
regards
andy
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU for this topic.....this is exactly what I am doing for my tuscan 
.
A few things to note (my first tuscan so if you're also a "TVR Virgin" it might help).
1 - Watch where you park.....not just from green-eyed monsters but also high kerbs (don't want those doors getting damaged)
2 - Be prepared to spend your first day at work with it NOT focusing on what you're doing, but fretting and worrying about what state the paintwork will be in when you get back
.
3 - Be prepared for the boot to keep closing when you go to fill'er up (mildly embarrassing when you park next to the pump, open the boot, unscrew the cap and then the boot hits you on the head
).
4 - Stuck in traffic, you're aware you're in a bit of an animal and spend more time yearning for that tiny stretch of dead straight road (not even to go that fast......just to hear the sound).
5 - The drive to & fro work is now "an occasion" as opposed to just "a drive to work" - and I strictly stick to the speed limit at all times (track days are for going fast imo, not public roads)
6 - BEWARE cold tires and cold road. I woke up at 06:30 and was out of the house at 7am. There is a roundabout almost opposite that you have to negotiate to go to work. So I pull out into it and SLOW-MODERATE speed (I swear, no higher than 25ish at exit road). Tail wags to the right. Reduce accelerator & opposite lock to left. Mind in slomo thinking "damn, I've only had it a day and this is my first accident". Tails wags a bit to the left. Now I'm thinking "Oh goody, now I'm fishtailing". As I had earlier eased my foot partially OFF the gas, car now straightens out. I breath out a sigh of relief....and wonder what my laundry did to deserve that . All of this happened at slow speed and took me by surprise......so it's not just hooning around that can cause you wrap yourself around a tree (in my previous car I had to be REALLY pushing it for it to do that). Now I not only love my car, I'm slightly scared of it too (which I suppose is quite a healthy attitude in a trevor ).
7 - Have LOTS of fun inviting work colleagues into the passenger seat and then turn on the ignition without telling them......most of them have heart attacks
8 - I think my neighbours hate me as I start the car at 7am and leave it on for 10min first (windows to demist after car cover is off). I didn't realise it inside the car, but outside it's like someone harnessed a thundercloud and moulded it into the shape of a car
.
9 - The increased road tax, insurance, worry, fuel and upkeep costs ALL makes sense when you hear that popping on the overrun
10 - ^^^ Ditto the road noise.....yes it's noisy, but you won't mind as you'll probably have an insane grin on your face anyway.
11 - I personally think it's REALLY easy to drive around town. Potholes are more noticeable but the cabin is SOOO comfy that even on my initial 2.5ish hr drive when I collected the car had me getting out feeling refreshed. The only thing is, I also like Q-Cars.....but this is no Q-Car (prepare to be noticed........a lot.........)
12 - I turn mine on and leave for 5-10min until fully demisted (I have it under a car cover overnight, but upon removal, the windows still mist a bit when I get in). Then I'm very gentle until warmed up.
.A few things to note (my first tuscan so if you're also a "TVR Virgin" it might help).
1 - Watch where you park.....not just from green-eyed monsters but also high kerbs (don't want those doors getting damaged)
2 - Be prepared to spend your first day at work with it NOT focusing on what you're doing, but fretting and worrying about what state the paintwork will be in when you get back
.3 - Be prepared for the boot to keep closing when you go to fill'er up (mildly embarrassing when you park next to the pump, open the boot, unscrew the cap and then the boot hits you on the head
).4 - Stuck in traffic, you're aware you're in a bit of an animal and spend more time yearning for that tiny stretch of dead straight road (not even to go that fast......just to hear the sound
).5 - The drive to & fro work is now "an occasion" as opposed to just "a drive to work" - and I strictly stick to the speed limit at all times (track days are for going fast imo, not public roads)
6 - BEWARE cold tires and cold road. I woke up at 06:30 and was out of the house at 7am. There is a roundabout almost opposite that you have to negotiate to go to work. So I pull out into it and SLOW-MODERATE speed (I swear, no higher than 25ish at exit road). Tail wags to the right. Reduce accelerator & opposite lock to left. Mind in slomo thinking "damn, I've only had it a day and this is my first accident". Tails wags a bit to the left. Now I'm thinking "Oh goody
, now I'm fishtailing". As I had earlier eased my foot partially OFF the gas, car now straightens out. I breath out a sigh of relief....and wonder what my laundry did to deserve that . All of this happened at slow speed and took me by surprise......so it's not just hooning around that can cause you wrap yourself around a tree (in my previous car I had to be REALLY pushing it for it to do that). Now I not only love my car, I'm slightly scared of it too (which I suppose is quite a healthy attitude in a trevor ).7 - Have LOTS of fun inviting work colleagues into the passenger seat and then turn on the ignition without telling them......most of them have heart attacks
8 - I think my neighbours hate me as I start the car at 7am and leave it on for 10min first (windows to demist after car cover is off). I didn't realise it inside the car, but outside it's like someone harnessed a thundercloud and moulded it into the shape of a car
.9 - The increased road tax, insurance, worry, fuel and upkeep costs ALL makes sense when you hear that popping on the overrun
10 - ^^^ Ditto the road noise.....yes it's noisy, but you won't mind as you'll probably have an insane grin on your face anyway
.11 - I personally think it's REALLY easy to drive around town. Potholes are more noticeable but the cabin is SOOO comfy that even on my initial 2.5ish hr drive when I collected the car had me getting out feeling refreshed
. The only thing is, I also like Q-Cars.....but this is no Q-Car (prepare to be noticed........a lot.........)12 - I turn mine on and leave for 5-10min until fully demisted (I have it under a car cover overnight, but upon removal, the windows still mist a bit when I get in). Then I'm very gentle until warmed up.
Edited by Gafferlicious on Monday 2nd March 18:26
Edited by Gafferlicious on Tuesday 3rd March 22:08
Bought mine as a second car. Turned out I just couldnt wait til perfect weather so drive it just as much as the beemer. If i know its gonna rain then I wont bother with Trevor, but first glimpse of sun, roof off and away i go.
BTW Gafferlicious, you might want to check this before leaving it running from cold again.
http://www.mytuscan.co.uk/howdo_main.php#warmpup
BTW Gafferlicious, you might want to check this before leaving it running from cold again.
http://www.mytuscan.co.uk/howdo_main.php#warmpup
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