Dispelling TVR myths - Educate a Noob

[f00f1ght0r]

Still debating between Lotus Elise or {any} TVR. My train of thought comes to running costs.

I would appreciate rough figures of what costs may be incurred on a typical non-Sagaris (too expensive ) TVR doing around 8k mileage pa ALL weather, kept outside on driveway.
- MPG?
- Tyre wear?
- Reliable?
- How long between engine rebuilds?
- Thirsty on Oil?
- Poor grip in wet?
- Fires that common?
- Do they really 'smell of glue' a la Clarkson?
- Average range on full tank of fuel?
- Pedal spacing better than Lotus?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom and experiences

Edited by f00f1ght0r on Sunday 26th July 19:44

[deeen]

if you want a seroius answer, you will have to give us a clue about which tvr... they are different, you know? at least 3 very different engines, to start with... much more different than the elise and the vauxhall, for example...

[sidewayz]

f00f1ght0r said:

Still debating between Lotus Elise or {any} TVR. My train of thought comes to running costs.

I would appreciate rough figures of what costs may be incurred on a typical non-Sagaris (too expensive ) TVR doing around 8k mileage pa ALL weather, kept outside on driveway.
- MPG? 24 for a 3.6L, 18-ish for a 4.3L
- Tyre wear? depends on your right foot
- Reliable? Yup.You get a few niggles every now and again on sensors or fuses ( I got through four in one year until I realised that there was a loose connection)
- How long between engine rebuilds? Never had a rebuild.My stock 3.6 ( 04) build) was fine at 30k when TVR Power stroked it to 4.3
- Thirsty on Oil? Not inmy experience
- Poor grip in wet? Not really-but it's a lot more powerful than an Elise and so it will break away if you are stupid.
- Fires that common?Nope
- Do they really 'smell of glue' a la Clarkson? myth.I had it once one very hot day after a right canning on the track.Tells you more about how they treat them.
- Average range on full tank of fuel? see above
- Pedal spacing better than Lotus? had an Elise before, and I think the Elise is marginally ahead but frankly you adapt very quickly

Thanks in advance for your wisdom and experiences

Edited by f00f1ght0r on Sunday 26th July 19:44

[f00f1ght0r]

Certainly - was thinking along the lines of a T350 - http://www.hhctvr.com/vehicle-details.asp?new=&amp...

Do they leak in the wet?

[sparkesp]

As others have posted, it all depends on what TVR you are looking for.

Best way to answer most of these would be to get along to a regional meet. Loads of friendly helpful people there.

2 clubs in Sussex below.

http://www.tvrcc-east-sussex.co.uk/index.asp

http://www.tvrcc-westsussex.co.uk/

Hope this helps.

Peter.

[UpTheIron]

- MPG? 20-odd both my Chims, low-20's - Tuscan
- Tyre wear? Completely dependent on driving style and journeys, but no worse than my Audi S3
- Reliable? Yup.
- How long between engine rebuilds? Never had a rebuild, but my S6 is getting close
- Thirsty on Oil? Not especially...certainly no more than 0.5L / 1000 miles normally. Tuscan is worse now but still manageable
- Poor grip in wet? Surprisingly good actually, but I have nearly come unstuck - requires respect
- Fires that common? No
- Do they really 'smell of glue' a la Clarkson? No
- Average range on full tank of fuel? 200+ miles
- Pedal spacing better than Lotus? not a lot in it, however floor mounted pedals are great

Edited by f00f1ght0r on Sunday 26th July 19:44

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[f00f1ght0r]

As stated above, the T350 I find appealling - however would it prove to be the best car for daily drive ~30mile round trip (although in sports cars I sometimes take the scenic route... about 60mile round trip ).

[da_murphster]

I came from a VX220 (great, great car)

TVR is very very different - VX220 was a real go kart, see an easy 38mpg, cheap to run and good fun. Bad things were crappy heater, limited space (really pushing it to take it on holiday).

I wanted to try something completely different and a TVR was the only thing I could find that ticked the boxes. By comparison the TVR is a real event to drive, people openly gawp, noise is great fun, tonnes of room, great for taking away –

bad things are - rubbish for short journeys (15 mins to warm up properly), roof is a pain in that you cannot access the boot when its off (my roof is a particularly tight fit in the boot, more expensive to run (although mine has been pretty cheap and reliable) and I do miss the go-kart factor of the Elise chassis.

I will consider going back to an elise (probably and exige) but I will really miss the boot of the TVR.

You need to drive both – very different cars.

I suggest you buy both!!

[pete]

Some more data points from 5 years and 30k miles of R-plate Griffith ownership and 4 years and 17k miles in a 53-plate Tuscan 3.6:

- MPG?

Up to 30mpg in the Tuscan on long motorway trips, although low 20s is more typical. The Griff was always low 20s.

- Tyre wear?

Depends how you drive. You should get 6k out of a set of rears and twice that from fronts even if you drive like a man possessed.

- Reliable?

Very reliable, at least for me. Badly built, so some niggly trim and electrical faults, but they decrease the longer you own the car (it gradually gets rebuilt to your own standards ) The only problem I've had that left me stranded was a duff starter motor on the Griff.

- How long between engine rebuilds?

My late 2003 3.6 is on 37k now with no rebuild and no major signs of wear. It may need a rebuild at some point, but not likely in the short term unless something catastrophic happens. Keep some cash to one side for a rebuild, or pay the hefty premium for one with a 2008-on rebuild from somewhere reputable.

- Thirsty on Oil?

My 3.6 doesn't use a drop, literally zero. I hear this is unusual! The Griff used about 0.5l every 100 miles when you were "pressing on", otherwise it was also pretty low.

- Poor grip in wet?

So-so. Less to do with mechanical grip, much more to do with low weight and lots of torque. Long throttle travel helps with the manual traction control Decent geometry setup and upgraded suspension has transformed my Tuscan.

- Fires that common?

Not as far as I know. There are some common faults with perishing fuel lines and poor routing of battery cables on the Speed 6 cars, but as long as they are sorted out, then I think this is no more likely than for any other car.

- Do they really 'smell of glue' a la Clarkson?

The Griff used to smell of glue and hot oil on really hot days, but not the Tuscan. They all smell a little of fibreglass, leather and wool carpet, but that's part of the character.

- Average range on full tank of fuel?

A bit over 200 miles for me in the Tuscan on 3/4 of a tank.

- Pedal spacing better than Lotus?

Depends on the model. The Tuscan and Tamora/T350 family have lovely floor hinged pedals which are spaced very well for my size 9 feet, but I've heard complaints about the floor hinging being uncomfortable from some people. Not for me, it's personal taste.

If you're planning to keep on outside, be prepared to put some work in sorting out minor leaks, unless the previous owner also kept it outside and did this for you. The Tuscans and T350s tend to leak at the A pillars (look for damp footwell carpet) but this can be sorted with a bit of dilligence. Also keep a close eye on chassis corrosion. The powder coating wasn't the best from the factory, and all the older cars are at risk of wishbone and outrigger corrosion. Treatment with waxoil every year or two should keep this at bay, although it does make the chassis look filthy, so not for the concourse crowd! Lastly, I recommend investing in a good car cover - something breathable with a soft backing to protect the paint.

Look at a *lot* of cars, and you should be able to spot the ones where the owner has focused on the right things.

Good luck!
Pete

[earlyriser]

f00f1ght0r said:

Do they leak in the wet?

Is the pope a Catholic? Yes, but not as much as an Elise and usually easily solvable

[abarhs]

I have owned three TVR's two Chims and I still have my T350t. On an 04 plate I bought it four years ago it has covered 50K miles and gets thrashed within an inch of its life every time I take it out (after warming it up).
MPG is anything between 18 and 32 depending on how you drive it, fine in the wet as long as you respect the 350 horses under the bonnet. It tours France on an annual basis and apart from sounding like a sewing machine until it warms up it has been basically fault free. It lives on the drive and yes it lets in water after standing in heavy rain, a good outdoor cover cured that one.

I have just got rid of my last Chim (16 years old with 90k on the clock) it was getting difficult to justify keeping two Tivs, that one gave me no trouble in the two ears I had it and had done 2K around France and a trip round the ring.

Do they smell of glue NO pedal set up is fine on the T although a little wide on the Chim.

All in all the best fun you can have with your clothes on!!!

They are a bit of a marmite car and I will always own one.

Abar

[the jollyrodger]

i think i can offer advice as i own both.
they are completly different cars and to draw comparisons is not fair on either.
the elise is more solid and not as comfortable as the t350c.
i love in the elise for the sheer fun but the t350c offers almost as much but with far greater speed and quality,yes,quality.
an engine re-build,no-one knows when this will happen or indeed if it will be required.the tvr is harder on petrol but no-where as bad as i thought it would be.i use mine almost every day the lotus is not as good an allrounder.
i dont think you would buy a t350c for the money you can buy an elise for,its important to buy a good,well looked after tvr,plenty of threads telling you what to look for.as for leaks,the elise leaks in heavy rain,none in the tvr yet.
i hope ive helped in some way and will do my best to answer any other questions you have.

if i had to sell either tomorrow,it would be the elise,no questions asked.....

david.

Edited by the jollyrodger on Monday 27th July 14:42

Edited by the jollyrodger on Monday 27th July 14:43