Which one for about £20k?
Discussion
Ok, so after my single purchase has fallen through (lack of residuals on the ML 
), I'm after a two car solution and relatively modest budget.
Been through the various options, and have come to the conclusion that a TVR is a good way forward - bang for buck etc.
Having already owned several varying levels of 'exotica' - read Hyundai Coupe right through to F355, I'm well acquainted with service and repair costs on this type of car.
I'm planning on visiting TVR centre on Saturday, but am looking for some help beforehand.
With a budget of roughly £20k, which is best model/year for the money, with most niggles already sorted?
Options:
Chim: old, but must be sorted - heavy and old tech?
Cerb: old, sorted, fast - nimble at all?
T350: nimble, quick - SP6, too new?
Tam: nimble again, quick enough - SP6, does the conv aspect take away from the chassis? (bearing in mind, i've previously owned an E46 M3 conv)
Any steer will be much appreciated from previous owners!!
), I'm after a two car solution and relatively modest budget. Been through the various options, and have come to the conclusion that a TVR is a good way forward - bang for buck etc.
Having already owned several varying levels of 'exotica' - read Hyundai Coupe right through to F355, I'm well acquainted with service and repair costs on this type of car.
I'm planning on visiting TVR centre on Saturday, but am looking for some help beforehand.
With a budget of roughly £20k, which is best model/year for the money, with most niggles already sorted?
Options:
Chim: old, but must be sorted - heavy and old tech?
Cerb: old, sorted, fast - nimble at all?
T350: nimble, quick - SP6, too new?
Tam: nimble again, quick enough - SP6, does the conv aspect take away from the chassis? (bearing in mind, i've previously owned an E46 M3 conv)
Any steer will be much appreciated from previous owners!!
Burba said:
Ok, so after my single purchase has fallen through (lack of residuals on the ML ), I'm after a two car solution and relatively modest budget.
Been through the various options, and have come to the conclusion that a TVR is a good way forward - bang for buck etc.
Having already owned several varying levels of 'exotica' - read Hyundai Coupe right through to F355, I'm well acquainted with service and repair costs on this type of car.
I'm planning on visiting TVR centre on Saturday, but am looking for some help beforehand.
With a budget of roughly £20k, which is best model/year for the money, with most niggles already sorted?
Options:
Chim: old, but must be sorted - heavy and old tech?
Cerb: old, sorted, fast - nimble at all?
T350: nimble, quick - SP6, too new?
Tam: nimble again, quick enough - SP6, does the conv aspect take away from the chassis? (bearing in mind, i've previously owned an E46 M3 conv)
Any steer will be much appreciated from previous owners!!
chims/griff are not heavy... ), I'm after a two car solution and relatively modest budget. Been through the various options, and have come to the conclusion that a TVR is a good way forward - bang for buck etc.
Having already owned several varying levels of 'exotica' - read Hyundai Coupe right through to F355, I'm well acquainted with service and repair costs on this type of car.
I'm planning on visiting TVR centre on Saturday, but am looking for some help beforehand.
With a budget of roughly £20k, which is best model/year for the money, with most niggles already sorted?
Options:
Chim: old, but must be sorted - heavy and old tech?
Cerb: old, sorted, fast - nimble at all?
T350: nimble, quick - SP6, too new?
Tam: nimble again, quick enough - SP6, does the conv aspect take away from the chassis? (bearing in mind, i've previously owned an E46 M3 conv)
Any steer will be much appreciated from previous owners!!
a tamora/t350 tusc is ve similar weight to a grif/chim
You could get the BEST griff/chim for a similar money 'newer car'
if the suspension has been updated - ie dampers replaced, bushes replaced, geometry setup, decent tyres, there is no reason that a griff or chim will not handle as well on a public road for the majority of drivers, the newer cars may edge it on a track, but they also might suffer from dodgy dampers, geometry etc..
Just go and DRIVE a few good examples of all models. The dealers don't exactly appear that busy at the moment, I'm sure they would like to try and tempt you to buy from them.
Dealers of course tend to advise you on the best car to buy, which surprisingly, by a huge coincidence tends to be what they have in stock
the ajp v8, ajp s6 and Rv8 have different engine characteristics, you may on paper find that the more powerful car/engine is not the right car for you or vice versa... ie i prefer the low down torque of a griff 500, over a non S s6 engine.
B
Edited by BJWoods on Thursday 12th July 10:25
Edited by BJWoods on Thursday 12th July 10:31
Thanks B;
I hope they do feel accomodating and let me out in a few different versions - to date, only driven a Cerb 450 lightweight and it just didn't feel like it 'shrunk' around me once i was comfortable with it. Only a 30min drive though admittedly.
On the note of old vs new, i can understand an old car which has been 'overhauled' would prove reliable and able to keep up with the newers ones - i do however prefer razor sharp looks of the new stuff! sorry!
I hope they do feel accomodating and let me out in a few different versions - to date, only driven a Cerb 450 lightweight and it just didn't feel like it 'shrunk' around me once i was comfortable with it. Only a 30min drive though admittedly.
On the note of old vs new, i can understand an old car which has been 'overhauled' would prove reliable and able to keep up with the newers ones - i do however prefer razor sharp looks of the new stuff! sorry!
Burba said:
Thanks B;
I hope they do feel accomodating and let me out in a few different versions - to date, only driven a Cerb 450 lightweight and it just didn't feel like it 'shrunk' around me once i was comfortable with it. Only a 30min drive though admittedly.
On the note of old vs new, i can understand an old car which has been 'overhauled' would prove reliable and able to keep up with the newers ones - i do however prefer razor sharp looks of the new stuff! sorry!
no need to be sorry!!I hope they do feel accomodating and let me out in a few different versions - to date, only driven a Cerb 450 lightweight and it just didn't feel like it 'shrunk' around me once i was comfortable with it. Only a 30min drive though admittedly.
On the note of old vs new, i can understand an old car which has been 'overhauled' would prove reliable and able to keep up with the newers ones - i do however prefer razor sharp looks of the new stuff! sorry!
looks depend a lot on colour...
lots of older chim/griff have 'old colour schemes'
Have a try in a Griff/Chim 500 in a good mettalic colour/interior.
You may find that also find that it FEELS a lot quicker, as they have a lot of torque at low revs, vs an s6 car.
ie in gear times in a griff 500 are QUICKER than a Sagaris, ie how you may experience it on a public road, of course if you like to rev, and are always in the right gear at the right revs, a tusc/t350/sag will be quicker...
B
You really have to drive them to understand the differences in character. The Chim's and Griff's both use Rover V8 which is pretty strong and reliable but theoretically less power than the new stuff - an old school delivery, revs lower and propelled more by low down torque of which there is plenty. The Cerbera is the only car to run the AJP8 which was the inhouse V8 which is a flat plane cranks and far more of a screamer, is at it's heart a strong engine yet the Cerb as a whole is often sited as one of the most expensive Tvr's to run. Then all the new stuff has the Speed Six (also went into one model of the Cerb) which is a can of worms, great engine when working but has a whole forum where people argue about it's variously considered states of reliability, if you don't know about it do your research on here (there is plenty of opinion to wade through). Don't worry about convertibles and handling, nothing like the M3 where the original roof was part of the structure, these are all based on tube chassis underneath so no real benefit to a roof although some have integral roll cages which might help - at the end of the day the Tamora is meant to be one of the sweetest handling TVR's they built.
For my money £20k puts you into a very nice Cerbera but then I am more than a little biased.
Edited to add: Gosh the thread moved on
there weren't any replies when I started this. 
For my money £20k puts you into a very nice Cerbera but then I am more than a little biased.
Edited to add: Gosh the thread moved on
there weren't any replies when I started this. Edited by touching cloth on Thursday 12th July 10:39
Thanks Cloth and BJ,
Can understand the torque vs power idea with the more conventional Chim and Griff and later Tam and T350.
I think from my experiences, I'd prefer something that starts with a throb and moves on to a scream (hence why i loved the tubi'd 355
).
I think most of my concern is down to how much reading i have done! too much negativity is spouted about these cars without much experience. I guess what I'm after is an educated opinion that for my money, which one will be 'most' reliable and I get the biggest thrills from: handling, braking, acceleration, noise and looks (not necessarily in any order!)
ps. Did i happen to mention 'er indoors has to like it too?
pps. interesting note about the handling and tube chassis - which out of them has an integral roll cage?
Can understand the torque vs power idea with the more conventional Chim and Griff and later Tam and T350.
I think from my experiences, I'd prefer something that starts with a throb and moves on to a scream (hence why i loved the tubi'd 355
).I think most of my concern is down to how much reading i have done! too much negativity is spouted about these cars without much experience. I guess what I'm after is an educated opinion that for my money, which one will be 'most' reliable and I get the biggest thrills from: handling, braking, acceleration, noise and looks (not necessarily in any order!)
ps. Did i happen to mention 'er indoors has to like it too?
pps. interesting note about the handling and tube chassis - which out of them has an integral roll cage?
Edited by Burba on Thursday 12th July 10:48
Burba said:
pps. interesting note about the handling and tube chassis - which out of them has an integral roll cage?
Integral roll cage in T350 and Sagaris and later Tuscans (huge rollbars on Tuscan 2 convertibles)I'd agree, go for a drive in a Griff, you'll get a very sorted car for that money, and the grin starts from the moment you turn the key
I have neighbours who love the sound and actually hang around to hear it start.... what more can I say?(I'm biased as you can see in my profile)
PS griffs tend to hold they're value a bit better as they are rarer than Chims. I don't think they lose all that much power. They never had as much as they said in the first place and any 'tired, well used car' will suffer from power loss over the years.
Edited by V8 GRF on Thursday 12th July 11:22
After a 355 you would find a Griff or a Chim very old fashioned and somewhat crude - it makes no difference how much has been spent on it.
In all walks of life the advice you get on here will be peolpe to an extent justifying to themselves what they have chosen. A Griff maybe quicker in gear times than a Sagaris BJ, but who buys a sports car to accelerate hard from 50-70 in 5th. Rediculous comparison IMHO.
Truth is a well sorted (not race prepped)Griff, wouldn't see which way a T350 or a Tamora had gone in terms of pure perofrmance and they are a sight more usable.
Trouble you have is the 20K budget. 25K would be a different world with a 2005 Tamora or a T350 being a very very good choice of car.
In all walks of life the advice you get on here will be peolpe to an extent justifying to themselves what they have chosen. A Griff maybe quicker in gear times than a Sagaris BJ, but who buys a sports car to accelerate hard from 50-70 in 5th. Rediculous comparison IMHO.
Truth is a well sorted (not race prepped)Griff, wouldn't see which way a T350 or a Tamora had gone in terms of pure perofrmance and they are a sight more usable.
Trouble you have is the 20K budget. 25K would be a different world with a 2005 Tamora or a T350 being a very very good choice of car.
Daftlad said:
Trouble you have is the 20K budget. 25K would be a different world with a 2005 Tamora or a T350 being a very very good choice of car.
Why do you say that about the 2005 tam/T350? I am in a position to spend more, but then where does it stop? I thought £20k was a good benchmark number to begin with and had various options to consider.
For 20k i'd think you'd could get a very nice Cerb or extremely nice Chim or Grif. BTW, Chim/Grif are not heavy - about 1080kg.
Personally, i'd go for a Grif (a matter of taste). I'd suggest looking for a late model with good upgraded brakes (factory Tuscan type or after market Brembo, Willwood, HiSpec, whatever), upgraded suspension (Nitron or whatever), and sorted engine (Mark Adams chip or similar, with maybe upgraded injectors, cam and induction).
Alternatively, get a clean, structurally sound standard model for about 12k and get the mods done yourself (or hand it over to someone like Austec with the 8k you have left).
Personally, i'd go for a Grif (a matter of taste). I'd suggest looking for a late model with good upgraded brakes (factory Tuscan type or after market Brembo, Willwood, HiSpec, whatever), upgraded suspension (Nitron or whatever), and sorted engine (Mark Adams chip or similar, with maybe upgraded injectors, cam and induction).
Alternatively, get a clean, structurally sound standard model for about 12k and get the mods done yourself (or hand it over to someone like Austec with the 8k you have left).
I know everyone has their own opinions on each car, but has there only been so much development in TVR, in that a well sorted Griff could apparently offer the same tangible accessibility (ie. poise, handling and feel) that a Tam could?
Would have thought the Tam would be grippier and the Griff mainly drive through oversteer?!
All IMO, i would find that a little more difficult to swallow. Any facts to follow it up?
Would have thought the Tam would be grippier and the Griff mainly drive through oversteer?!
All IMO, i would find that a little more difficult to swallow. Any facts to follow it up?
Daftlad said:
Truth is a well sorted (not race prepped)Griff, wouldn't see which way a T350 or a Tamora had gone in terms of pure perofrmance and they are a sight more usable.
You what ? Overall, a Tam or a T350 may be quicker than a Griff but to suggest it would leave a Griffith looking which way it went is untrue IMO. There might be some distance between them on a spirited blast but they aint that far apart.Edited by lazyitus on Thursday 12th July 12:04
IF it's down to looks between The Tam and the Griffith there's no comparison IMO.
The Tam looks like it's been squashed and should be a couple of feet longer the Griff however is spot on. Remember that's not just my opinion, the motorshow of 1991 had Peter Wheeler coming away with over 1000 orders for the Griffith on looks alone.
The Tam looks like it's been squashed and should be a couple of feet longer the Griff however is spot on. Remember that's not just my opinion, the motorshow of 1991 had Peter Wheeler coming away with over 1000 orders for the Griffith on looks alone.
Cerb 4.5.
Integral roll cage, the most power out of them all (or at least achievable easily if the factory standard proves limiting), easily achievable decent handling (just get it geo'd - they left the factory with all 4 wheels pointing in 4 different directions) and a steel crank (engine's strong).
The flat plane crank is similar in concept to the F355 but delivery is very different owing to the unique angle between the banks of the V8.
Stylewise is too subjective to offer an opinion on.
Integral roll cage, the most power out of them all (or at least achievable easily if the factory standard proves limiting), easily achievable decent handling (just get it geo'd - they left the factory with all 4 wheels pointing in 4 different directions) and a steel crank (engine's strong).
The flat plane crank is similar in concept to the F355 but delivery is very different owing to the unique angle between the banks of the V8.
Stylewise is too subjective to offer an opinion on.
Burba said:
Daftlad said:
Trouble you have is the 20K budget. 25K would be a different world with a 2005 Tamora or a T350 being a very very good choice of car.
Why do you say that about the 2005 tam/T350? I am in a position to spend more, but then where does it stop? I thought £20k was a good benchmark number to begin with and had various options to consider.
lazyitus said:
Daftlad said:
Truth is a well sorted (not race prepped)Griff, wouldn't see which way a T350 or a Tamora had gone in terms of pure perofrmance and they are a sight more usable.
You what ? Overall, a Tam or a T350 may be quicker than a Griff but to suggest it would leave a Griffith looking which way it went is untrue IMO. There might be some distance between them on a spirited blast but they aint that far apart.Edited by lazyitus on Thursday 12th July 12:04
All that said, they should do, the newer cars are next generation.
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