2003 Tamora 30,000 miles - good idea?

[jamesgareth]

Well - like the subject title says - there's one on ebay - beautiful looking thing - blue with white/blue interior. 30,000 miles. £30K.

What should I look out for?

And btw - what is the road tax on these things I can't find that info anywhere.

Any responses would be great.

Thanks.

[jamesgareth]

This one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TVR-TAMORA-2003-32000-m...

[jamesgareth]

Pursyluv said:

Can’t remember exactly what it is, but it’s about £260 per year, incidentally my blue 03 Tamora is also for sale, cheaper than the one on eBay

Where's your car advertised?

[jamesgareth]

brownspeed said:

At that mileage ; is it still on the original clutch? has engine had any previous work? Radiators are prone to leak; is it original with plastic return heads? do the doors shut ok or are they dropping?
What condition is the interior & hood (both look to be original; may be showing signs of fatigue; is rear screen cracked?)
Underneath; the powder coat tends to flake off any leading edges and sharp edged brackets; get underneath and see it they've been addressed or its been left rotting.
while you're under there; have a look for any chassis damage.
4 hours left on the auction; better get moving- good luck

Great - thanks for the info.

[jamesgareth]

jamesgareth said:

Where's your car advertised?

No worries - I found it.

[jamesgareth]

PPPMAT said:

James Agger has a mint lazer blue one in at the moment. It’s more money but There is some piece of mind that it has been looked at properly by a specialist.

Yes - I've seen that one. It's a 2005 too. But I am already at the top end of my budget and the one on ebay they've just sent through a tonne of info on it and it looks pretty straight up. Had a new clutch 5000 miles ago and lots of upgrading work as mentioned here and in other places. We shall see. Thanks for the response.

[jamesgareth]

mk1fan said:

Great idea.

Cars that give you the 'fizz'. Buy on condition not spec, age or mileage.

Truth is the most I ever spent on a car before was £18K in 1994 for a twin turbo RX7 which just blew me away on the test drive and I didn't think twice about shelving out for it. Loved that car. WOuld be worth way more now than when I sold it but that's easy to say in retrospect huh? This TVR is a whole other level. Of course once you get to £30K and see what else is possible at that price - the Porsches and the Astons - makes you think. But right now I am sold on that colour combination and the obvious expectation that it will drive possibly even better than the RX7 did. But gas milage - consumption - it's going to be horrible me thinks. I'd get as low as 10mpg with the Mazda if I was feeling in like letting a little loose that day. I think one day it even went as low as 8. But heck - it's only money right?

[jamesgareth]

PPPMAT said:

No probs good luck with it - they are great cars you will love it ??

Yup. I think I'd love it too. The fear is of course that within a few hundred miles it'll need a rebuild and I'm out £8K. And the moment I drive it away I've probably lost £3-4K because that's just how it seems to be. But. What a car. Sure you could get a brand new MX5 and not saying anything bad about them I think they're a great car - but - everybody and their Aunt has one right? And the Porsches - well those too - Astons? No sunroof/open-top and for me that's just GOT to be part of the experience. Gotta have the wind.

btw - I've heard the doors rattle - there seems to be a simple fix - anybody done that job to fix it?

[jamesgareth]

ray von said:

https://www.tvr-car-club.co.uk/classifieds.html

There you go, put Tamora in then search, it's on there knew I'd seen it somewhere

Right OK - so you're saying that's the same car yes?

[jamesgareth]

ray von said:

https://www.tvr-car-club.co.uk/classifieds.html

There you go, put Tamora in then search, it's on there knew I'd seen it somewhere

Well done excellent stuff I just talked to the guy who owned it last. Turns out he ended up selling it for just under £25K - told me all about the car which was all good. Said he didn't think it was worth anymore than £26-£27 max. Explained its history etc. So thanks for that info - very useful as I go to negotiate.

[jamesgareth]

ray von said:

Can't say 100% but description matches exactly, Union Jacks below indicators, yellow brakes. Must be ?? IIRC it was up for £32 then gradually came down

You were right Ray - its the same car.

[jamesgareth]

brownspeed said:

James, MPG is surprisingly good, it'll drop into teens when thrashed but mine will return 30+ when on a leisurely run.
Performance? not driven an RX7, but i'd imagine it to be quicker and handle better, there will be no comparison with an MX-5, an order of magnitude faster, i'd say it is on a par with a 911 (I have a 997.1) but more of a sense of occasion whenever you go out; I can't drive mine without big grin on my face. Get used to lots of attention whenever pootling through towns or parking up; (you don't get that with a 911 !)
if you're handy with the spanners, they're quite user friendly AND theres a lot of help and advice available here on PH (more than TVRCC I'd say)
worth £30k now? wish i'd bought more than one!

Excellent - thanks for the info.

[jamesgareth]

ray von said:

No problem. Still think the private Tam mentioned on here is the better car, and no I don't know the owner

It might be but I am sold on that colour combination. It has to be that blue. And that interior matches it perfectly.

[jamesgareth]

ray von said:

if that's the case then you've done very well (been lucky) to find a car matching exactly what you want. If you strike a deal on it I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

I grey up near a race-track. Goodwood in the 1960s. I'd walk down there with my dog and watch the cars from just outside the outer perimeter fence (if you got between the mounds you could see them momentarily appear and then dissapear as quickly - but it was worth it even for that moment). I was about 10-12 years old - it was about a one and a half mile walk from where we lived. And the noise was amazing. If the wind was in the right direction you could even hear the cars from my bedroom if the window was open. They tested F1 cars there back in those times down there too.

So my car history so far highlights I suppose are that twin turbo RX7 and a Jaguar XJR (yr 2000 model). Both amazing cars.

I am thinking this would be an interesting next step. And so far I hear good things. This whole 'engine's only last 50K and you need a rebuild' from what I can hear is just scar-mongering. Like its just not true. Just don't thrash them from cold and service them as you're supposed to and they should be fine. Thats the sense I've gotten so far.

[jamesgareth]

Pursyluv said:

The guy in York (I think) with the blue one said exactly the same to a prospective buyer of mine who offered me £25k, but then backed out before I had chance to politely decline his not so generous offer

What do you think its worth (the blue one I'm looking at)? What do you think my top limit should be on it?