S series as a first TVR for a young 'un?
Discussion
Hi.
My younger brother is toying with the idea of moving into TVRdom (sensible lad). In the next 12 months time he's looking to spend around £7k on an S series.
Any guestimates on what the insurance would be? (23yrs old, 6 points (little brothers eh!), Full NCB). Could he insure an S as a classic?
Logic tells me that the newer the car/model (S2/S3 etc.) the better built/slightly more reliable - but are there any particular models to avoid? (not wanting to upset anyone here though!). He's not very mechanically minded so I've told him I'll help fix it as long as he goes for evening classes so he knows which way bolts tighten
Suggestions please.
Trefor/.
My younger brother is toying with the idea of moving into TVRdom (sensible lad). In the next 12 months time he's looking to spend around £7k on an S series.
Any guestimates on what the insurance would be? (23yrs old, 6 points (little brothers eh!), Full NCB). Could he insure an S as a classic?
Logic tells me that the newer the car/model (S2/S3 etc.) the better built/slightly more reliable - but are there any particular models to avoid? (not wanting to upset anyone here though!). He's not very mechanically minded so I've told him I'll help fix it as long as he goes for evening classes so he knows which way bolts tighten
Suggestions please.
Trefor/.
An S is a good car to start with they are reliable (for a TVR) and they were the first TVR you could live with every day (hopefully not too many Wedge M etc owners will read this thread). If something goes wrong they are relatively cheap and easy to repair as most parts are from the Ford parts bin.
As for Insurance it might sound strange but it makes very little differance if you drive an S or a Tuscan they are all group 20. About a year ago I asked for a quote on a year old Griff, it was about £150 extra and the broker told me that was because it was newer and worth more.
Although it might have a greater effect on your brother due to his age and driving experiance.
Mark
As for Insurance it might sound strange but it makes very little differance if you drive an S or a Tuscan they are all group 20. About a year ago I asked for a quote on a year old Griff, it was about £150 extra and the broker told me that was because it was newer and worth more.
Although it might have a greater effect on your brother due to his age and driving experiance.
Mark
I’m 24 with 3 points living in London my best quote so far for my renewal is £1076, has he ever owned a performance car before? Some won’t insure inexperienced drivers, I put mine on a classic policy the first year, which helped, but he’ll need another car. Get some prices he may have to allow for that when setting his price range.
Sorry about this, but im going to put my sensible head on.
Everyone is going on about how much money it will cost to insure a TVR as a younge driver but there is a much more important issue here.
I have an S3 which i havn't even driven yet due to a nut and bolt rebuild which i should complete April - May time, but before i take it out on the road i am going to learn how to drive it properly.
I am 38 with 21 years driving experience and consider myself to be a safe driver, but driving a high performance car at 23 years of age could be a recipy for disaster. At 23 i was into fast cars and didn't have the common sense or driving skills to complement the car i had, namely a MK3 RS2000 with a stage 3 lump and all that jazz.
Before your Bro gets one, make sure he does what i shall be doing, finding out what the car can and cant do a track, this way he wont feel the need to try it on the road.
I hope that this doesn't sound negative, and i really hope that he gets what he wants, but make sure he respects whats under his right foot.
Help him enjoy it safely.
Best regards
Dean
Everyone is going on about how much money it will cost to insure a TVR as a younge driver but there is a much more important issue here.
I have an S3 which i havn't even driven yet due to a nut and bolt rebuild which i should complete April - May time, but before i take it out on the road i am going to learn how to drive it properly.
I am 38 with 21 years driving experience and consider myself to be a safe driver, but driving a high performance car at 23 years of age could be a recipy for disaster. At 23 i was into fast cars and didn't have the common sense or driving skills to complement the car i had, namely a MK3 RS2000 with a stage 3 lump and all that jazz.
Before your Bro gets one, make sure he does what i shall be doing, finding out what the car can and cant do a track, this way he wont feel the need to try it on the road.
I hope that this doesn't sound negative, and i really hope that he gets what he wants, but make sure he respects whats under his right foot.
Help him enjoy it safely.
Best regards
Dean
I agree with you 100% Dean. He does have a few things going for him though:
- Used to ride a motorbike (teaches you and makes you more aware of other road users than anything else)
- Has owned a RWD car (quite unusual these days for young 'uns)
- Has been caught by the police and gained a few points, hence now drives like a complete wuss (IMO).
- Has recently been on a high performance driving course and they agreed he's not bad (now, after the course).
He currently drives a Corolla GTI. Bit of a Q car as they have the MR2 engine and handles very well. Not exactly a TVR, but I bet it'd keep up with an S along anything other than a straight road. Of course the TVR is superior in all other ways before anyone gets on my case about that last sentence.
T/.
- Used to ride a motorbike (teaches you and makes you more aware of other road users than anything else)
- Has owned a RWD car (quite unusual these days for young 'uns)
- Has been caught by the police and gained a few points, hence now drives like a complete wuss (IMO).
- Has recently been on a high performance driving course and they agreed he's not bad (now, after the course).
He currently drives a Corolla GTI. Bit of a Q car as they have the MR2 engine and handles very well. Not exactly a TVR, but I bet it'd keep up with an S along anything other than a straight road. Of course the TVR is superior in all other ways before anyone gets on my case about that last sentence.
T/.
Can I ask what performance course he went on ? i'm thinking about taking one at the moment.
Corolla Gti .......My S !!! dont even go there..
As long as he's sensible (& sounds it) he'll love it, i'd say spend £6k on the car & keep some cash for tidying the car up and covering the insurance. That way he'll learn a bit aswell!
Best bet would be to have a classic policy with limited miles as the age isnt such a big consideration, they may ask for a second car policy tho. I'm 30 and pay £450 for 6000 miles.
Corolla Gti .......My S !!! dont even go there..
As long as he's sensible (& sounds it) he'll love it, i'd say spend £6k on the car & keep some cash for tidying the car up and covering the insurance. That way he'll learn a bit aswell!
Best bet would be to have a classic policy with limited miles as the age isnt such a big consideration, they may ask for a second car policy tho. I'm 30 and pay £450 for 6000 miles.
My S is my second car.. I paying under £250 for 3000 miles on a classic car policy.. (at 26)
I'd agree with all stuff below, although I'd spend even less than 6k on the car and save the rest for the insurance etc.. and I'll bet £5 he spins it anyway and needs some cash for some fiberglass and paint work
, especially if it doesn't STOP RAINING 
Cheers,
Matt.
I'd agree with all stuff below, although I'd spend even less than 6k on the car and save the rest for the insurance etc.. and I'll bet £5 he spins it anyway and needs some cash for some fiberglass and paint work
, especially if it doesn't STOP RAINING Cheers,
Matt.
The driving course was an 'on road' course where you learn to drive properly, while making quick progress IYKWIM. It was with a company called DriveTrain, based in Oxfordshire. I don't have their details to hand, but the main man is called 'Big Jon' and hangs out on the Audi TT list (www.tt-forum.co.uk).
Trefor,
Just out of (rude) interest, can you elaborate how your brother got on in front of the magistrate (back in June). I read your other thread 'Court Etiquette..' and am dying to know how things went. Obviously if he is interested in an S then things went relatively well.
Regarding what he can handle: I have escalated the performance car ladder quickly. Started with Max-Power souped up Astra type things, progressed to middle of the road Italian machinery (Alfa, Fiat Coupe) and now here I am with the Chimaera. Perhaps the only thing I have learned is that:
a) Take it VERY slow in a new car until you understand it...
and
b) new cars always seem much slower until you learn when to change gear, apply throttle out of corners etc.
As a result of the above, all of the local Nova drivers laugh at me in the TVR, although I can utterly demolish them in the Coupe. I guess it depends how sensible little bruv is?!
Just out of (rude) interest, can you elaborate how your brother got on in front of the magistrate (back in June). I read your other thread 'Court Etiquette..' and am dying to know how things went. Obviously if he is interested in an S then things went relatively well.
Regarding what he can handle: I have escalated the performance car ladder quickly. Started with Max-Power souped up Astra type things, progressed to middle of the road Italian machinery (Alfa, Fiat Coupe) and now here I am with the Chimaera. Perhaps the only thing I have learned is that:
a) Take it VERY slow in a new car until you understand it...
and
b) new cars always seem much slower until you learn when to change gear, apply throttle out of corners etc.
As a result of the above, all of the local Nova drivers laugh at me in the TVR, although I can utterly demolish them in the Coupe. I guess it depends how sensible little bruv is?!
With regards to driving when young, I had an MR2 at 19, a 325i at 20, an s1 at 21, a 350i at 22, and a chimaera at 23 - and have owned for the last 3 years.
As long as people do take it easy for a while when they up the performance stakes there is no reason why they cannot drive safely - I lost the MR2 more than I ever lost the S or the 350i - I probably had a respect (read fear) of the cars.. A rally day, performance drive day, skid pan day etc all help the learning experience...
At 21 I insured my S on a classic policy for about £600. The 350i was also on a classic for about £650 or so, the first year of Chimaera ownership was £1500 insurance.. Bear in mind that NCB is not built up on a Classic Policy as a rule..
As long as people do take it easy for a while when they up the performance stakes there is no reason why they cannot drive safely - I lost the MR2 more than I ever lost the S or the 350i - I probably had a respect (read fear) of the cars.. A rally day, performance drive day, skid pan day etc all help the learning experience...
At 21 I insured my S on a classic policy for about £600. The 350i was also on a classic for about £650 or so, the first year of Chimaera ownership was £1500 insurance.. Bear in mind that NCB is not built up on a Classic Policy as a rule..
quote:
Trefor,
Just out of (rude) interest, can you elaborate how your brother got on in front of the magistrate (back in June). I read your other thread 'Court Etiquette..' and am dying to know how things went. Obviously if he is interested in an S then things went relatively well.
He got caught on an empty M3 on a sunny day at around 1pm doing 106. Not too bad, but over 100 so it's off to court. They gave him 6 points and a fine. I think they do this because it means he has 3 years with the penalty - if he gets caught again he'll be in trouble license/insurance wise. A 30 day ban (or whatever) isn't always the best punishment. He now drives like there is a speed trap around every corner!
I'm not cross with him for speeding on an empty motorway, just for getting caught!! He 'watches' the road ahead much more now.
T/.
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