Sell or Refurb, that is the question.
Discussion
Hi All,
Having reached a certain age and potentially able to buy my dream car, I’m toying with selling my TVR S3 and buying an Aston Martin Vantage. I’ve had the TVR 16 years so it would be a wrench and after driving it into work this morning I’m having second thoughts. During my ownership the chassis has had a body off refurb and pretty much all the mechanicals have been replaced or overhauled. The car lives in a dehumidified garage. However, it’s never been a garage queen and although in excellent mechanical condition, cosmetically it is not perfect. So I’m thinking that instead of a Vantage I could throw some money towards the TVR and sort the cosmetic details. Then I would have a very rare car in a condition to be proud of. So, has anyone had any of the following work done recently and can give me a rough idea of cost.
New Carpets – I can DIY using Lakewell at 380 euros – what would a trimmer charge for the full job?
Seat refurb – Has anyone had their seats refurbed – I don’t mean new leather – I’m thinking more along the lines of refurbing the existing covers using the Furniture Clinic Method
Complete respray with the same colour – The car does have some crazing on the bonnet and quite a few stone chips so it will need some prep.
Any help gratefully received. Thanks
Ralph
Having reached a certain age and potentially able to buy my dream car, I’m toying with selling my TVR S3 and buying an Aston Martin Vantage. I’ve had the TVR 16 years so it would be a wrench and after driving it into work this morning I’m having second thoughts. During my ownership the chassis has had a body off refurb and pretty much all the mechanicals have been replaced or overhauled. The car lives in a dehumidified garage. However, it’s never been a garage queen and although in excellent mechanical condition, cosmetically it is not perfect. So I’m thinking that instead of a Vantage I could throw some money towards the TVR and sort the cosmetic details. Then I would have a very rare car in a condition to be proud of. So, has anyone had any of the following work done recently and can give me a rough idea of cost.
New Carpets – I can DIY using Lakewell at 380 euros – what would a trimmer charge for the full job?
Seat refurb – Has anyone had their seats refurbed – I don’t mean new leather – I’m thinking more along the lines of refurbing the existing covers using the Furniture Clinic Method
Complete respray with the same colour – The car does have some crazing on the bonnet and quite a few stone chips so it will need some prep.
Any help gratefully received. Thanks
Ralph
The biggest part of what you're thinking about will be the paint job. If you're factoring in a top-notch job then you'll be looking at around £10K when you've added everything else in. Have a look on Surface & design's website for current prices.
Given what you've already invested in the car you'll know you'll never get your money back so it's not going to be a head based decision. But there again, nor is buying an Aston.
Good luck which ever way you go.
Given what you've already invested in the car you'll know you'll never get your money back so it's not going to be a head based decision. But there again, nor is buying an Aston.
Good luck which ever way you go.
I think ultimately only you can really decide what you should do, but for what it's worth I'll give you my take on it!
Time and again on this forum people post that they wish they hadn't parted with their S after going off to by other cars (even other TVR's). You clearly have an attachment based on your gut feeling from your drive this morning and the fact you have owned the car for sixteen years. I can quite understand the allure of a different car, particularly an Aston Martin Vantage but based on the current value of your S would it throw up so much money if you sold it that only then the Aston purchase is possible? Why not hold on to it, leave it in it's current condition or even store it and then buy the Aston. That way you can give yourself the experience of Aston Martin ownership and if/when you have had your fill you can jump back in the S and with the enormous profit you make on the Aston sale restore it to your hearts content
This of course depends on your financial situation but I imagine you could spend the value of an S pretty quickly should something major go wrong with an Aston Martin and if that happens to many times the TVR will look even more like the tremendous value little fun car it is.
Best of luck with what ever you decide.
Time and again on this forum people post that they wish they hadn't parted with their S after going off to by other cars (even other TVR's). You clearly have an attachment based on your gut feeling from your drive this morning and the fact you have owned the car for sixteen years. I can quite understand the allure of a different car, particularly an Aston Martin Vantage but based on the current value of your S would it throw up so much money if you sold it that only then the Aston purchase is possible? Why not hold on to it, leave it in it's current condition or even store it and then buy the Aston. That way you can give yourself the experience of Aston Martin ownership and if/when you have had your fill you can jump back in the S and with the enormous profit you make on the Aston sale restore it to your hearts content
This of course depends on your financial situation but I imagine you could spend the value of an S pretty quickly should something major go wrong with an Aston Martin and if that happens to many times the TVR will look even more like the tremendous value little fun car it is.
Best of luck with what ever you decide.
I love how loyal this forum is to our little cars..!! I was asking for some refurb price estimates and everyone says 'don't sell it'.
I know the two cars are chalk n cheese but my requirements are changing somewhat. The TVR has never been out in the rain and spends winter tucked up in the garage. I have only used it over the last 16 years to drive to work in the summer and the odd weekend trip. It hasn't really been used for any long trips as my wife hates it which was never a problem as we mostly went out as a family of 4. Now the kids are independent and the wife and I have more time I'm eyeing up some road trips to Switzerland, Norway and the Sth of France. There is zero chance that my wife will make those trips in the S3. The Aston is something we could use 12 months a year and would be a great road trip steed.
However, you all make a good point. As the S isn't that valuable maybe the best plan is to store it and try the Aston for size. If a decent paint job really is £8k+ then it's not something I'm going to do anyway. The current paint isn't that bad and the only thing the S really needs is new carpets which I can do this winter. What I need to do now is find somewhere to hide it (out of site, out of wife's mind) for a year or two.
Ralph
I know the two cars are chalk n cheese but my requirements are changing somewhat. The TVR has never been out in the rain and spends winter tucked up in the garage. I have only used it over the last 16 years to drive to work in the summer and the odd weekend trip. It hasn't really been used for any long trips as my wife hates it which was never a problem as we mostly went out as a family of 4. Now the kids are independent and the wife and I have more time I'm eyeing up some road trips to Switzerland, Norway and the Sth of France. There is zero chance that my wife will make those trips in the S3. The Aston is something we could use 12 months a year and would be a great road trip steed.
However, you all make a good point. As the S isn't that valuable maybe the best plan is to store it and try the Aston for size. If a decent paint job really is £8k+ then it's not something I'm going to do anyway. The current paint isn't that bad and the only thing the S really needs is new carpets which I can do this winter. What I need to do now is find somewhere to hide it (out of site, out of wife's mind) for a year or two.
Ralph
My S3 is a 'rolling restoration': I replace/improve things as they fail.
I'm just back from 7 nights in Asturias (Northern Spain) with Mrs M: our first trip longer than a day. (Ferry to & from Santander; didn't fancy a long drive on French motorways).
The car behaved perfectly, including runs on Spanish motorways in very heavy rain (and outdoor parking!), and climbs to 1400m on mountain passes. The engine never missed a beat, the handbrake held well. Several young Spanish petrolheads wanted to know what the car was, and to hear the engine. We had the roof off for four or five spells in the mountains between the rain, and with it on we didn't get (very) wet.
BUT five days in, the passenger door top hinge pin fell out into the door, lending a whole new meaning to 'holding the door for a lady' for the rest of the trip.
AND the immobiliser decided to do its thing at random times (but never while travelling; the worst was in the ferry queue at Santander).
AND the OSF wheel bearing developed a regular 'click' which I ignored, and there's also a fierce vibration at the front on hard braking.
All things we can fix, and Mrs M was very understanding and supportive: even says she'd do it again.
So who needs an Aston?
But my bodywork is atrocious (I mean the car!). Scratches, scuffs and crazing everywhere. I'm going to repair bits, and aerosol them in, one panel at a time, and it may even end up looking better than it does now.
I'm just back from 7 nights in Asturias (Northern Spain) with Mrs M: our first trip longer than a day. (Ferry to & from Santander; didn't fancy a long drive on French motorways).
The car behaved perfectly, including runs on Spanish motorways in very heavy rain (and outdoor parking!), and climbs to 1400m on mountain passes. The engine never missed a beat, the handbrake held well. Several young Spanish petrolheads wanted to know what the car was, and to hear the engine. We had the roof off for four or five spells in the mountains between the rain, and with it on we didn't get (very) wet.
BUT five days in, the passenger door top hinge pin fell out into the door, lending a whole new meaning to 'holding the door for a lady' for the rest of the trip.
AND the immobiliser decided to do its thing at random times (but never while travelling; the worst was in the ferry queue at Santander).
AND the OSF wheel bearing developed a regular 'click' which I ignored, and there's also a fierce vibration at the front on hard braking.
All things we can fix, and Mrs M was very understanding and supportive: even says she'd do it again.
So who needs an Aston?
But my bodywork is atrocious (I mean the car!). Scratches, scuffs and crazing everywhere. I'm going to repair bits, and aerosol them in, one panel at a time, and it may even end up looking better than it does now.
Im getting mine sprayed next year and have had a handful of quotes from some of TVR specialists as well as some recommendations on here with prices ranging from £4 - 7k which includes them doing all the work. You should be able to get a top job for £5kish from what i can see. Savings can also be had if i strip all the bits off as well.
Edited by joe-motion on Tuesday 29th October 17:25
Im getting mine sprayed next year and have had a handful of quotes from a number of TVR specialists as well as some recommendations on here with prices ranging from £4 - 7k which includes them doing all the work. You should be able to get a top job for £5kish from what i can see. Savings can also be had if i strip all the bits off as well.
Edited by joe-motion on Tuesday 29th October 19:19
I'm not planning to have my car resprayed (it doesn't need it), but I'm just curious: when you speak of a full respray (and especially if there's a colour change involved), how do you cope with the engine bay ? Engine out or is there an alternative ? I write as one who repainted the bodywork of another fibreglass sportscar - a Fairthorpe Electron Minor - in 1969. I used royal blue coach paint and a paint roller, in the street outside my digs, and the result was surprisingly good.
lordofthewings said:
I'm not planning to have my car resprayed (it doesn't need it), but I'm just curious: when you speak of a full respray (and especially if there's a colour change involved), how do you cope with the engine bay ? Engine out or is there an alternative ? I write as one who repainted the bodywork of another fibreglass sportscar - a Fairthorpe Electron Minor - in 1969. I used royal blue coach paint and a paint roller, in the street outside my digs, and the result was surprisingly good.
I painted a mini on the driveway in 1975 using Tekaloid brushing gloss and also managed a good enough finish. Just google and they are still in business and still selling brushing paint.I replaced my seats with a pair from a Griff that had done 30k miles. They cost me £100 (Gumtree) and £10 for a bottle of leather dye to tidy them up after a deep clean.
I have only ever had one car professionally painted and sold it shortly after as I could not bring myself to drive it for fear of stone chips or other damage. It cost me £800 with all the welding and prep done by the painter (MG Midget specialist) but that was 22 years ago.
If you do paint the car you could save a huge amount by doing some of the basic prep yourself, and it would be relatively simple with the body removed and carpets stripped out it if you are going that way anyhow.
The thing that would put me off an Aston is cost of parts and servicing, plus damage to that delicate bodywork. Couldn't you go for the Jag equivalent at a quarter of the price and keep the S for when you want to drive rather than waft?
Whichever way you go enjoy!
I have only ever had one car professionally painted and sold it shortly after as I could not bring myself to drive it for fear of stone chips or other damage. It cost me £800 with all the welding and prep done by the painter (MG Midget specialist) but that was 22 years ago.
If you do paint the car you could save a huge amount by doing some of the basic prep yourself, and it would be relatively simple with the body removed and carpets stripped out it if you are going that way anyhow.
The thing that would put me off an Aston is cost of parts and servicing, plus damage to that delicate bodywork. Couldn't you go for the Jag equivalent at a quarter of the price and keep the S for when you want to drive rather than waft?
Whichever way you go enjoy!
I’ve had my car for almost 17 years, and have already carried out a couple of the jobs mentioned by the OP.
First the seats;
http://www.andrewc.org.uk/tvrgit/seatrestore.html
And the carpets;
http://www.andrewc.org.uk/tvrgit/carpets.html
More recently, I have been lamenting its deterioration underneath, so I’ve had exactly the same dilemma as the OP. The head says to sell, and buy a car that’s in better nick, rather than splash out on a proper refurb, knowing that the cost will be more than the car is worth (in money terms).
I’ve done over 50,000 miles in my wee car, I’ve enjoyed every one of them, if I gave it away for nothing, I would still think I’ve had my money’s worth out of it. So the heart wins!
It’s currently undergoing a full chassis refurb, new dampers and springs (and various other bits), at a cost of more than I paid for it in the first place. Worth it? Damn right!
http://www.andrewc.org.uk/tvrgit/sep19.html
First the seats;
http://www.andrewc.org.uk/tvrgit/seatrestore.html
And the carpets;
http://www.andrewc.org.uk/tvrgit/carpets.html
More recently, I have been lamenting its deterioration underneath, so I’ve had exactly the same dilemma as the OP. The head says to sell, and buy a car that’s in better nick, rather than splash out on a proper refurb, knowing that the cost will be more than the car is worth (in money terms).
I’ve done over 50,000 miles in my wee car, I’ve enjoyed every one of them, if I gave it away for nothing, I would still think I’ve had my money’s worth out of it. So the heart wins!
It’s currently undergoing a full chassis refurb, new dampers and springs (and various other bits), at a cost of more than I paid for it in the first place. Worth it? Damn right!
http://www.andrewc.org.uk/tvrgit/sep19.html
Edited by tvrgit on Wednesday 30th October 11:31
tvrgit said:
Worth it? Damn right!
Warning....Contains the F Word https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3mldSL6z2I&fe...Reminded me of the above film
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