Tvr's reliability reputation
Discussion
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Always hearing people slaging off Tvr's for breaking down , ' kit car ' comments , etc. Have always wanted a porsche at some time one day , but am not convinced by the ' quality guarranteed ' image. Will have to be more careful than I thought .
Always hearing people slaging off Tvr's for breaking down , ' kit car ' comments , etc. Have always wanted a porsche at some time one day , but am not convinced by the ' quality guarranteed ' image. Will have to be more careful than I thought .
Not that I'm against porkies (well, I don't like them personally), but my girl friend does and she has had two of them.
Both had engine issues within the first year of purchase. They were resolved under warrantee, but it is not a car that I would necessarily call perfect.
That however is just from my experience.
Both had engine issues within the first year of purchase. They were resolved under warrantee, but it is not a car that I would necessarily call perfect.
That however is just from my experience.
Edited by alex_gray255 on Wednesday 28th September 21:23
For the level of performance you get i would not say they are any worse than other brands at the same level out there on my second one now and if they are looked after and maintained like they need to be they will be fine.
Chimaera never really let me down 2 or 3 little things but never left at the road side.
Cerbera has been spot on to date sure it may get 2 or 3 little niggles but i trust it as well.
They will never be like a Volvo but they are not daily hacks
Chimaera never really let me down 2 or 3 little things but never left at the road side.
Cerbera has been spot on to date sure it may get 2 or 3 little niggles but i trust it as well.
They will never be like a Volvo but they are not daily hacks
Ive no experience of later TVR's but Ive had 2 Chimaera's and loads of kit cars and I'd say they are posh kitcars
but I still love them! People say kitcars also have a bad reputation for reliability but its just down to how well you look after them. Again no real experience of newer Porsche's but Ive got a friend with a 1985 944 which has done over 170k miles, must admit I was impressed how well it has lasted and how well it drives!
Look after a TVR, use it regularly and they are reliable, but there will probably always be something to tinker with
but I still love them! People say kitcars also have a bad reputation for reliability but its just down to how well you look after them. Again no real experience of newer Porsche's but Ive got a friend with a 1985 944 which has done over 170k miles, must admit I was impressed how well it has lasted and how well it drives!Look after a TVR, use it regularly and they are reliable, but there will probably always be something to tinker with
My Tuscan has cost me a LOT more to run than my 996TT. A hell of a lot more. Annually, several times as much. Maybe even 10 times as much some years.
It isn't about reliability per se, but the running costs. My Tuscan has just had another "typical" service - north of £1000. £1800 this time, but it is rarely less than a grand. I need a rebuild too, so that will be £12k (because I want a 4.3/4.5 - my choice).
No plans to sell though
It isn't about reliability per se, but the running costs. My Tuscan has just had another "typical" service - north of £1000. £1800 this time, but it is rarely less than a grand. I need a rebuild too, so that will be £12k (because I want a 4.3/4.5 - my choice).
No plans to sell though
They will never be like a Volvo but they are not daily hacks
[/quote]
Just facing a €1400 plus labour bill for a CEM and DDM on my Volvo,can't even go to the scrappie as the parts are programmed to individual cars.sneaky or what ! i have spent approx €2500 over an above service items this year alone.i always use main dealers etc,if i used the TVR for the daily drive i'd save myself a fortune !
Edited to add,on my 5th TVR !
I bought myself a Boxster S a few years ago, it was just over 3 years old with about 30k on it I think. Went for it as I went back to 1 car as opposed to a daily and the TVR. Other than the Porsche being a bit dull and not much of an event to drive it was generally a good car. Went in for a service and they said that the RMS hadn't been done as part of a recall so offered to do it for free.
Car went in, I got a new 4S convertible as a courtesy car picked mine up the following day all nice and clean without a penny to pay - brilliant.
About 300 miles later a funny noise reared it's head then straight after the engine made some horrendous noise and died.
Car went to the dealer and they said it was the intermediate shaft had snapped. I was gutted and was expecting the worse. Luckily Porsche GB stumped up for a new (recon) engine and I think I paid 25% of the labour for fitting so I was made up with that. They told me it was an unusual occurence and the engine was going to Germany to find out what had caused it etc. Only after doing a search on the net later on did I discover it was a very common problem!
Whilst the dealer and Porsche GB were great I was pretty annoyed at the fact my everyday reliable car died so went back to TVR's again!
Car went in, I got a new 4S convertible as a courtesy car
picked mine up the following day all nice and clean without a penny to pay - brilliant. About 300 miles later a funny noise reared it's head then straight after the engine made some horrendous noise and died.
Car went to the dealer and they said it was the intermediate shaft had snapped. I was gutted and was expecting the worse. Luckily Porsche GB stumped up for a new (recon) engine and I think I paid 25% of the labour for fitting so I was made up with that. They told me it was an unusual occurence and the engine was going to Germany to find out what had caused it etc. Only after doing a search on the net later on did I discover it was a very common problem!
Whilst the dealer and Porsche GB were great I was pretty annoyed at the fact my everyday reliable car died so went back to TVR's again!
Very interesting reading these replys , the reason I put this post on is that I am thinking medium term of getting a 996 turbo but am aware that there are ' issues ' regarding reliability of the engine especially. Looks like the only way forward is to get some sort of warranty which will reduce costs of failures . Not suprisingly the warrantys aren't cheap and they don't cover the cost.
combine said:
Very interesting reading these replys , the reason I put this post on is that I am thinking medium term of getting a 996 turbo but am aware that there are ' issues ' regarding reliability of the engine especially. Looks like the only way forward is to get some sort of warranty which will reduce costs of failures . Not suprisingly the warrantys aren't cheap and they don't cover the cost.
....no pork expert but arent the turbo engines different? Dont know how or why but for some reason i think they are less prone to issues...maybe the porsche guys will know better.peteA said:
combine said:
Very interesting reading these replys , the reason I put this post on is that I am thinking medium term of getting a 996 turbo but am aware that there are ' issues ' regarding reliability of the engine especially. Looks like the only way forward is to get some sort of warranty which will reduce costs of failures . Not suprisingly the warrantys aren't cheap and they don't cover the cost.
....no pork expert but arent the turbo engines different? Dont know how or why but for some reason i think they are less prone to issues...maybe the porsche guys will know better.Had my Tuscan for just under 2 years and done 10000 miles. Few niggles, PS fuse, boot solenoid, some ongoing (indicators and dash) but other than that been fault free- more I use it the better it gets. Just been to Italy and back, 2700 miles in 15 days without any concerns. Preventative maintenance is key I believe, the team at Str8six ensure this is kept on top of.
I've had both TVR and Porsche. Ownership and running costs went something like this.
Mk1 Tuscan 4L Cost new £44k, sold 5yrs old £19k
996 Carrera 3.6L Cost used £44k, sold 5 yrs on £19k
Both had engine rebuilds under warranty and both cost £2-£2.5k annually to run. Both perfectly usable as everyday drivers.
The real issue is ENJOYMENT - and the Tuscan wins hands down.
I'll be getting my recently acquired mk1 Tuscan S back from TVR Power tomorrow with a lovely new engine complete with a 3yr warranty. So put my money where my mouth is again!
I really do think reliability nowadays is a given provided it is looked after and driven every now and again.
Oh - reminder to self - get some RAC/AA cover before tomorrow. Dont tempt the Gods too much with all this reliability stuff.
Cheers All
Keep smiling
Brian
Mk1 Tuscan 4L Cost new £44k, sold 5yrs old £19k
996 Carrera 3.6L Cost used £44k, sold 5 yrs on £19k
Both had engine rebuilds under warranty and both cost £2-£2.5k annually to run. Both perfectly usable as everyday drivers.
The real issue is ENJOYMENT - and the Tuscan wins hands down.
I'll be getting my recently acquired mk1 Tuscan S back from TVR Power tomorrow with a lovely new engine complete with a 3yr warranty. So put my money where my mouth is again!
I really do think reliability nowadays is a given provided it is looked after and driven every now and again.
Oh - reminder to self - get some RAC/AA cover before tomorrow. Dont tempt the Gods too much with all this reliability stuff.
Cheers All
Keep smiling
Brian
Zippee said:
peteA said:
combine said:
Very interesting reading these replys , the reason I put this post on is that I am thinking medium term of getting a 996 turbo but am aware that there are ' issues ' regarding reliability of the engine especially. Looks like the only way forward is to get some sort of warranty which will reduce costs of failures . Not suprisingly the warrantys aren't cheap and they don't cover the cost.
....no pork expert but arent the turbo engines different? Dont know how or why but for some reason i think they are less prone to issues...maybe the porsche guys will know better.
.. 
Over six years with a Chimaera and I've just had my first mechanical failure, the handbrake mechanism on a calliper. The only other item I've bought was a boot strut as mine wouldn't hold the lid against a strong wind. Nor does the replacement.
Next door but one bought a Honda S2000 in the same month as I got my Chim. It was sold two years (about) later due to costs. The owner asked me how I could afford to run my Chim with all the costs of repairs.
From what I can gather the problem with TVRs, or at least the 4.0 Sp6 engined ones, was the time the repairs took. That was the main area of complaint.
Next door but one bought a Honda S2000 in the same month as I got my Chim. It was sold two years (about) later due to costs. The owner asked me how I could afford to run my Chim with all the costs of repairs.
From what I can gather the problem with TVRs, or at least the 4.0 Sp6 engined ones, was the time the repairs took. That was the main area of complaint.
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