350 reliability
Discussion
Hi
am currently an owner of an elise S2 - and have fallen in love with the the 350c and want to get one.
BUT I hear all sorts of things about TVR reliability...
I use the Elise daily (i enjoy driving it) and put about 10K miles a year on it, and would expect to do similar mile in a 350.
when i was at the M/show discussing this with one of the reps on the stand. He says 'sure they are reliabile, service every 6K, check oil/water weekly...but expect the car to be in for minor problems between services'
not very reassuring...
so how realibale is the 350? can i expect 20K trouble free miles or so in 2 years. Or is it a w/end only toy?
Ross
am currently an owner of an elise S2 - and have fallen in love with the the 350c and want to get one.
BUT I hear all sorts of things about TVR reliability...
I use the Elise daily (i enjoy driving it) and put about 10K miles a year on it, and would expect to do similar mile in a 350.
when i was at the M/show discussing this with one of the reps on the stand. He says 'sure they are reliabile, service every 6K, check oil/water weekly...but expect the car to be in for minor problems between services'
not very reassuring...
so how realibale is the 350? can i expect 20K trouble free miles or so in 2 years. Or is it a w/end only toy?
Ross
6k in less than 3 months, doing the cannonball run in september, 3.5k in one week, and 1.k to get there and 1k to get back (I live in italy at the moment) treat them well and they are fine, sure you have little problems but 90% can be fixed by you if you have the know how (basic stuff) or can be bothered!
Ross - I'd say it's less a case of 'not very reassuring' and more a case of 'refreshingly honest'. In my experience of 54,000 miles in TVR's I've never not made it where I wanted to go in a TVR i.e. never been towed home. Yes things will need sorting from time to time but they should be niggles not show stoppers. If you want a perfect niggle free car then I think TVR is not for you. But as you drive a Lotus I imagine you're not of the absolute niggle free mind set anyway.
Try it, you can always sell it if it's not for you.
Washy
Try it, you can always sell it if it's not for you.
Washy
thanks for the infor - agree i have no problems with niggles - i had a few with the lotus. its the show stoppers and unexpected big bills i'm concerend about.
i only have to mention i'm after the TVR and i get the doom and gloom stories on engines, gearboxes etc and poor resales.
i had the new exige out last week - and that has a few niggles as the dealers test car! - have booked a test drive with HCC next week and really looking fwd to it.
just got to convince the other half...
i only have to mention i'm after the TVR and i get the doom and gloom stories on engines, gearboxes etc and poor resales.
i had the new exige out last week - and that has a few niggles as the dealers test car! - have booked a test drive with HCC next week and really looking fwd to it.
just got to convince the other half...
Ross, do these doom and gloom stories come from owners first-hand or are they passed on (and exagerated)?
My Tamora's now past 19,000 miles without an engine problem but I'm sorry to say that I have had 2 breakdowns! One was the fuel pump relay and the other the fuseable link between the battery and alternator.
Like the others say, treat the car well and it will be reliable. Expect some niggles but I guarantee they won't diminsh your enjoyment of the car.
Cheers..... Andrew
My Tamora's now past 19,000 miles without an engine problem but I'm sorry to say that I have had 2 breakdowns! One was the fuel pump relay and the other the fuseable link between the battery and alternator.
Like the others say, treat the car well and it will be reliable. Expect some niggles but I guarantee they won't diminsh your enjoyment of the car.
Cheers..... Andrew
mainly the i've a mate with one...doom and gloom style exaggered (i'm sure) stories.
the lotus dealer here refuses to take a TVR in as an exchange - they say due to poor reliability.
but then i was told by many LOTUS stands for Loads O Trouble Usually Serious when i got the elise
my mates who do have TVRs report problems- but they have/had a griffith and/or older models, none have the latest range, which i understand have the major bugs sorted.
little things like fuel relay etc i agree are niggles.
Heck, i used to run a full on rally mini (lightweight everything, 5 speed box, split webbers - the lot) in the late 70's (and used it day-to-day) and it was known to regularly blow up the clutch - to the extent i would do a clutch change at the side of the road in 20-30mins, intersteing if you out on date.
Ok so i'm older now.. not so sure about the wiser.
the lotus dealer here refuses to take a TVR in as an exchange - they say due to poor reliability.
but then i was told by many LOTUS stands for Loads O Trouble Usually Serious when i got the elise
my mates who do have TVRs report problems- but they have/had a griffith and/or older models, none have the latest range, which i understand have the major bugs sorted.
little things like fuel relay etc i agree are niggles.
Heck, i used to run a full on rally mini (lightweight everything, 5 speed box, split webbers - the lot) in the late 70's (and used it day-to-day) and it was known to regularly blow up the clutch - to the extent i would do a clutch change at the side of the road in 20-30mins, intersteing if you out on date.
Ok so i'm older now.. not so sure about the wiser.
A lot of this stuff is in the mind. My mum's had quite a few problems with her brand new audi and my girlfriends always got something wrong with her VW polo. Her brother in law's golf is even worse always breaking down! Yet somehow people still think of them as reliable. OK german cars are on average more reliable but they are also mostly dull to drive IMO. And niggles are common to all new cars
The most unreliable car I ever had was a Lotus Esprit V8. There was always something wrong with it, although it never actually broke down.
The most unreliable car I ever had was a Lotus Esprit V8. There was always something wrong with it, although it never actually broke down.
30000 miles in 3 TVRs, including 17000 in Tamoras, and apart from a fan relay failure leading to overheating, no major problems. Treat them well, and they will respond in kind.
Do not be afraid of the scaremongering and Chinese whispers - there are actually quite a large number of TVR owners who are very happy with the reliabiltiy of their cars - they are the ones you never hear from!
Do not be afraid of the scaremongering and Chinese whispers - there are actually quite a large number of TVR owners who are very happy with the reliabiltiy of their cars - they are the ones you never hear from!
Yep, agree with Nubbin, I have done about 20K in 2 TVRs without abything going amiss, just had them serviced and well looked after, as you should with such cars.
It has been said many times before that, due to the nature of these excellent forums, a lot of people only post when they have a problem, and a lot of the time, the problem is diagnosed on here, and recommendations given for the best place to get the car sorted!
Chris
It has been said many times before that, due to the nature of these excellent forums, a lot of people only post when they have a problem, and a lot of the time, the problem is diagnosed on here, and recommendations given for the best place to get the car sorted!
Chris
Ive been running a supercharged Elise S2 for 2 years (up to 48K miles now) and weve recently got a Tuscan.
My other half had a Volvo C70T5 for 3 years and during the simultaneous time we had that and the Elise the Volvo had more problems...but it was still a 'reliable' car.
since weve had the Tuscan (2001) weve had a headlight fall in (rebonded within 2 hours of phoning dealer and taking it in) and a speedo sensor problem..they are just niggles that you get with a hand built small volume car IMO.
Theres 3 factors with the reliability thing that you have to take into consideration:
1)these forums, just the same as any other car enthusiast forum (or computer, hi-fi, camera etc) is where people come to share their experiences and look for answers...problem is you only get a small percentage of owners that have access/time etc/knowledge of said forums so you do get a skewed view of things....like theres 15000 Elises been made, yet the most owners you can find in one place is probably less than 2000..can they be taken as representative seeing as most of them track their cars every weekend (by nature of belonging to a club that does a lot of trackdays etc)
2)Define 'reliability' - is it (most extreme) that the car fails to start/breaks down and leaves you stranded i.e cant perform its function of transporting you from a to b when needed...or is it how many defects you can spot in the perceived build quality
3) which leads to the fact that over the last 10 years or so manufacturers have tried to push the boundaries of what can be expected in material quality, handling, longetivity etc further and further, so that now you expect to pay £15K for a family saloon, that has the build/materials of a luxury car would have 10 years ago, that only needs an oil change every 20K miles or so and as many electrical gadgets as Inspector Gadget..........
so when you buy a car of this type that needs regular maintenance, has a few niggles, and breaks down from time to time its completely alien to what is to be expected from car ownership in todays market...10-15 years ago it would have been the norm...but then consider what you are getting for your dosh:
engine power output in excess of anything in its class
handling in the top 20% of production cars
hand made interior to your specification
more exclusive than a Ferrari
....at less than half the price of an Aston Martin
youve got to be willing to give up something for all of that...if not then buy a Porsche like the rest of the masses......
My other half had a Volvo C70T5 for 3 years and during the simultaneous time we had that and the Elise the Volvo had more problems...but it was still a 'reliable' car.
since weve had the Tuscan (2001) weve had a headlight fall in (rebonded within 2 hours of phoning dealer and taking it in) and a speedo sensor problem..they are just niggles that you get with a hand built small volume car IMO.
Theres 3 factors with the reliability thing that you have to take into consideration:
1)these forums, just the same as any other car enthusiast forum (or computer, hi-fi, camera etc) is where people come to share their experiences and look for answers...problem is you only get a small percentage of owners that have access/time etc/knowledge of said forums so you do get a skewed view of things....like theres 15000 Elises been made, yet the most owners you can find in one place is probably less than 2000..can they be taken as representative seeing as most of them track their cars every weekend (by nature of belonging to a club that does a lot of trackdays etc)
2)Define 'reliability' - is it (most extreme) that the car fails to start/breaks down and leaves you stranded i.e cant perform its function of transporting you from a to b when needed...or is it how many defects you can spot in the perceived build quality
3) which leads to the fact that over the last 10 years or so manufacturers have tried to push the boundaries of what can be expected in material quality, handling, longetivity etc further and further, so that now you expect to pay £15K for a family saloon, that has the build/materials of a luxury car would have 10 years ago, that only needs an oil change every 20K miles or so and as many electrical gadgets as Inspector Gadget..........
so when you buy a car of this type that needs regular maintenance, has a few niggles, and breaks down from time to time its completely alien to what is to be expected from car ownership in todays market...10-15 years ago it would have been the norm...but then consider what you are getting for your dosh:
engine power output in excess of anything in its class
handling in the top 20% of production cars
hand made interior to your specification
more exclusive than a Ferrari
....at less than half the price of an Aston Martin
youve got to be willing to give up something for all of that...if not then buy a Porsche like the rest of the masses......
bogie said:
so when you buy a car of this type that needs regular maintenance, has a few niggles, and breaks down from time to time its completely alien to what is to be expected from car ownership in todays market...10-15 years ago it would have been the norm...but then consider what you are getting for your dosh:
engine power output in excess of anything in its class
handling in the top 20% of production cars
hand made interior to your specification
more exclusive than a Ferrari
....at less than half the price of an Aston Martin
youve got to be willing to give up something for all of that...if not then buy a Porsche like the rest of the masses......
Extremely well said, I could not agree more.
I had a MB C32AMG for 18 months.
Constant warning faults re ABS/BAS - new wiring harness and Main ECU reprogrammed.
Hunting up and down gears when it ws'nt sure what gear it should be in. (Automatic) - New gearbox ECU
New Steering Rack after 15k
Never actually broke down tho.
Despite this I loved the car and the stealth performance it gave. Just decided it was about time I tried a TVR. I ignored the 'doom' and 'gloom' of TVR reliability. I've got 2yrs warranty and I expect that all niggles and any serious problems will be sorted during that period. This is now my everyday car and expect to do 20k pa. The driving experience and just being in it and taking the admiring stares is worth it.
Obviously breaking down is a pain. But, if you really want to be sure and have piece of mind, you should buy a Honda or a Toyota!!!
Constant warning faults re ABS/BAS - new wiring harness and Main ECU reprogrammed.
Hunting up and down gears when it ws'nt sure what gear it should be in. (Automatic) - New gearbox ECU
New Steering Rack after 15k
Never actually broke down tho.
Despite this I loved the car and the stealth performance it gave. Just decided it was about time I tried a TVR. I ignored the 'doom' and 'gloom' of TVR reliability. I've got 2yrs warranty and I expect that all niggles and any serious problems will be sorted during that period. This is now my everyday car and expect to do 20k pa. The driving experience and just being in it and taking the admiring stares is worth it.
Obviously breaking down is a pain. But, if you really want to be sure and have piece of mind, you should buy a Honda or a Toyota!!!
Woah - must be some kind of record. Absolutely sure you like them yet then? Gassing Station | Tamora, T350 & Sagaris | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff