help. buying my first tuscan
Discussion
Not all SP6 engines have required a rebuild but If I was buying another one I would look for one that had it done. It would have had to be done by TVR Power or Str8six though as they have a proven record.
MPG on the motorway at 70-80 will return 24mpg, boot it around town or in the twisties and you will see low teens.
A TVR Tuscan will frighten many supercars of the same era and this kind of performance doesnt come cheap so I think £2-£3k a year would be about right as you will probably want to upgrade a few items and a service will be around £600 for a 6,000mile and double for a 12,000mile.
But TVR Tuscans are not going down in value, they are steadily going up so I dont think you need to worry about depreciation so this should offset some of the running costs.
MPG on the motorway at 70-80 will return 24mpg, boot it around town or in the twisties and you will see low teens.
A TVR Tuscan will frighten many supercars of the same era and this kind of performance doesnt come cheap so I think £2-£3k a year would be about right as you will probably want to upgrade a few items and a service will be around £600 for a 6,000mile and double for a 12,000mile.
But TVR Tuscans are not going down in value, they are steadily going up so I dont think you need to worry about depreciation so this should offset some of the running costs.
Edited by natben on Monday 17th March 21:11
I'd advise going private that has a good service history, engine rebuild and some upgrades over a dealer car - dealers seem to generally advertise for far above the cost of going private (a good 5k more) - and for a 1 year warranty that's just not worth it imo. Better to pay a few hundred for someone like Rob to check it out for peace of mind then buy it! Sometimes you'll see people selling one still in warranty from the rebuild so they are a nice safe bet too.
Tuscan S will have a bit better resale value but usually will cost you a few thousand more so you'll probably just make back what you initially spend - performance wise I doubt you'd notice the difference between them. Aircon practically speaking is just added complexity/something else that could go wrong but equally it will cost a ton to get it fitted to a non S model - though if it's sunny, why you'd have the roof on I don't know! Spoiler and splitter or not is up to you - standard is more curvy - S is more sporty looking.
Oh and never accelerate much when turning. It's not really worth taking out in the rain as you can't have much fun driving it in that weather and you'll just end up in a situation like me, waiting for it to be repaired!
Running costs - tax is about 220 - insurance about 400 so that side of the equation is pretty good. Estimate about 1500 in servicing per year (sometimes less sometimes more so on average).
Main thing is you will end up spending a ton on optional upgrades or little things for it because it's such a beautiful car you will just want to give it everything
Tuscan S will have a bit better resale value but usually will cost you a few thousand more so you'll probably just make back what you initially spend - performance wise I doubt you'd notice the difference between them. Aircon practically speaking is just added complexity/something else that could go wrong but equally it will cost a ton to get it fitted to a non S model - though if it's sunny, why you'd have the roof on I don't know! Spoiler and splitter or not is up to you - standard is more curvy - S is more sporty looking.
Oh and never accelerate much when turning. It's not really worth taking out in the rain as you can't have much fun driving it in that weather and you'll just end up in a situation like me, waiting for it to be repaired!
Running costs - tax is about 220 - insurance about 400 so that side of the equation is pretty good. Estimate about 1500 in servicing per year (sometimes less sometimes more so on average).
Main thing is you will end up spending a ton on optional upgrades or little things for it because it's such a beautiful car you will just want to give it everything
Edited by Dischordant on Monday 17th March 21:47
Hi Harvey - having spent a few months looking for the right Tuscan - my only advice would be to buy from a reputable source or a car that has an unbelievable bloody good history.
Model wise - the 'S' is the most desirable - don't get too hung up the number of previous owners.
Be prepared to travel to find a good car - it really is worth it - You only have to look at the diminishing numbers for sale in the adds - rocking horse s
t comes to mind!
If patience is your virtue - then give your details to 'those in the know' and they will eventually come up with the goods - but you will pay the price -worth it? ABSOLUTELY
Model wise - the 'S' is the most desirable - don't get too hung up the number of previous owners.
Be prepared to travel to find a good car - it really is worth it - You only have to look at the diminishing numbers for sale in the adds - rocking horse s
t comes to mind!If patience is your virtue - then give your details to 'those in the know' and they will eventually come up with the goods - but you will pay the price -worth it? ABSOLUTELY
Edited by Ironman on Monday 17th March 22:15
Hi Harvey and good luck in your search as a new owner i hoped i could give you some sound advice. I was budgeting about the same area for a Mk1 'S' model as Mk2 S was out of budget.. but if you can afford, aim for a 2004ish Tuscan as their reportedly a little more reliable but i wanted an early Mk1 because im a fool lol also later models have a little more toned down handling, not toned down as in 'no feel' but toned down as in 'less twitchy' haha but depends what you wanted.. i wanted the raw, frankly insane performance of an S with the small sensible part of my brain thinking, so long as i dont wrap it - it will hold or likely raise in value too..
Big 3 i was advised to check
Engine - speed 6 is prone to going bang if not treated right, so as afore mentioned - ensure the history is there and i went for one that had a top and bottom end rebuild 15k miles ago and was assured by a reputable TVR man that should last alot more miles yet and most rebuilds are done with post 2007 spec parts which are alot more durable, or so i read somewhere !
Gearbox - again look for a recent clutch replacement otherwise you could end up paying out well over a grand before you have started to enjoy the car. Mine was done with the rebuild and i cannot say how long a clutch will last, although thats down to the driver i suppose..
Chassis - outriggers are prone to rust and are expensive to do but from comments on my 'buying a tuscan s' thread it seems the chassis in general is sound. As nobody could report a chassis that had completely gone.. my favourite trick is to run a smart phone with light/record on right down the sills under the car. I went to see 2 cars and seeing the second, made me realise how good the first was !! And so i went back and bought it..
It cost me a mere 13k for a genuine Tuscan S with 50k miles and alot of work done. Again id prefer a well used car with 'fair' milage than a lower one that may have spent half its life needing repairs etc but most niggles would have already been sorted due to the age of the car but that doesnt mean it wont go wrong!! Mine was of course needing some work but even with that, comes well in under what you might expect to pay for one atm.. id even go as far as to say i could likely shift mine for near 20k after 1 or 2 bits to tend to !! I took the risk and bought private but after viewing the car and walking away, the seller took it to a well known TVR specialist to have it checked out - he rung me with full list of things needing doing and i bought it within a couple of days..
A couple of weeks later and its developed a bit of a misfire, i took the airbox off Sunday to find it has a couple of splits/cracks etc and still has a few things to do (which add up as parts are not cheap.. £100 just for a geunine badge lol) but i have time and will slowly but surely make her into 'my' ultimate car.. try and go look at a few, you will learn what to look for.. get a couple of drives, even as passenger and just listen and see what their supposed to sound like etc but when you take the plunge.. there will be no looking back as they really are quite something !!! Words cannot describe the performance and if you try to, you cant without swearing at least once !!
Pic attached just because i cant believe what 13k can buy you in terms of perfomance !! Matched with looks..
as a new owner i hoped i could give you some sound advice. I was budgeting about the same area for a Mk1 'S' model as Mk2 S was out of budget.. but if you can afford, aim for a 2004ish Tuscan as their reportedly a little more reliable but i wanted an early Mk1 because im a fool lol also later models have a little more toned down handling, not toned down as in 'no feel' but toned down as in 'less twitchy' haha but depends what you wanted.. i wanted the raw, frankly insane performance of an S with the small sensible part of my brain thinking, so long as i dont wrap it - it will hold or likely raise in value too..Big 3 i was advised to check
Engine - speed 6 is prone to going bang if not treated right, so as afore mentioned - ensure the history is there and i went for one that had a top and bottom end rebuild 15k miles ago and was assured by a reputable TVR man that should last alot more miles yet and most rebuilds are done with post 2007 spec parts which are alot more durable, or so i read somewhere !
Gearbox - again look for a recent clutch replacement otherwise you could end up paying out well over a grand before you have started to enjoy the car. Mine was done with the rebuild and i cannot say how long a clutch will last, although thats down to the driver i suppose..
Chassis - outriggers are prone to rust and are expensive to do but from comments on my 'buying a tuscan s' thread it seems the chassis in general is sound. As nobody could report a chassis that had completely gone.. my favourite trick is to run a smart phone with light/record on right down the sills under the car. I went to see 2 cars and seeing the second, made me realise how good the first was !! And so i went back and bought it..
It cost me a mere 13k for a genuine Tuscan S with 50k miles and alot of work done. Again id prefer a well used car with 'fair' milage than a lower one that may have spent half its life needing repairs etc but most niggles would have already been sorted due to the age of the car but that doesnt mean it wont go wrong!! Mine was of course needing some work but even with that, comes well in under what you might expect to pay for one atm.. id even go as far as to say i could likely shift mine for near 20k after 1 or 2 bits to tend to !! I took the risk and bought private but after viewing the car and walking away, the seller took it to a well known TVR specialist to have it checked out - he rung me with full list of things needing doing and i bought it within a couple of days..
A couple of weeks later and its developed a bit of a misfire, i took the airbox off Sunday to find it has a couple of splits/cracks etc and still has a few things to do (which add up as parts are not cheap.. £100 just for a geunine badge lol) but i have time and will slowly but surely make her into 'my' ultimate car.. try and go look at a few, you will learn what to look for.. get a couple of drives, even as passenger and just listen and see what their supposed to sound like etc but when you take the plunge.. there will be no looking back as they really are quite something !!! Words cannot describe the performance and if you try to, you cant without swearing at least once !!
Pic attached just because i cant believe what 13k can buy you in terms of perfomance !! Matched with looks..
Considering a Tuscan myself. Had to sell the Chimaera about a year ago and miss it...
love the V8 Rumble, but always wanted a Tuscan. Not alot about at the moment and prices seem very high.
i was lucky with the chimaera, i had 4-5 years nearly faultless driving from it, but after having a sprint down the A428 with a tuscan it kind of made my mind up...
looking forward to the months ahead of searching
love the V8 Rumble, but always wanted a Tuscan. Not alot about at the moment and prices seem very high.
i was lucky with the chimaera, i had 4-5 years nearly faultless driving from it, but after having a sprint down the A428 with a tuscan it kind of made my mind up...
looking forward to the months ahead of searching
Hi Harvey,
£20k should get you a decent example of this fine motor. I echo the advice given in previous posts;
1. Be patient - the right car is out there.
2. Do your research - there are plenty of opportunities to look at the various Tuscan iterations sitting in dealer showrooms. Check them out and get a clear fix in your mind what version you want; Mk1, Mk2, S, etc... as they're quite different in performance and aesthetics.
3. Go along to a TVR event (Burghley House coming up soon) and speak to owners - they'll be glad to tell you why their model is the one to go for!
4. Be realistic - TVR was a low volume manufacturer based in Blackpool, their cars aren't as fully resolved as a mass market BMW, Audi, etc. Expect the car to display a few idiosyncrasies (like water leaks) - which are part of the joy of owning a TVR!
5. Buy from the trade if you want a warranty. Buy private as long as the car comes with credible history and perhaps consider having it professionally checked over.
6. Make sure to budget for something unexpected cropping up at service time - that way you won't be caught out.
7. Have fun
£20k should get you a decent example of this fine motor. I echo the advice given in previous posts;
1. Be patient - the right car is out there.
2. Do your research - there are plenty of opportunities to look at the various Tuscan iterations sitting in dealer showrooms. Check them out and get a clear fix in your mind what version you want; Mk1, Mk2, S, etc... as they're quite different in performance and aesthetics.
3. Go along to a TVR event (Burghley House coming up soon) and speak to owners - they'll be glad to tell you why their model is the one to go for!
4. Be realistic - TVR was a low volume manufacturer based in Blackpool, their cars aren't as fully resolved as a mass market BMW, Audi, etc. Expect the car to display a few idiosyncrasies (like water leaks) - which are part of the joy of owning a TVR!
5. Buy from the trade if you want a warranty. Buy private as long as the car comes with credible history and perhaps consider having it professionally checked over.
6. Make sure to budget for something unexpected cropping up at service time - that way you won't be caught out.
7. Have fun
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