Tamora and therefore T350 longevity..
Discussion
Being an absolute petrolhead, proudly British and a huge admirer of both TVR's products and ethos - I visited the Motorshow on it's last day and put down a deposit on a T350c (apparently 71st order) just before the books closed for the introductory price with the caveats that I wanted to drive the car before finalising my order and that the deposit would be refunded if I didn't want to go through with the purchase.
However I'm very concerned over the suitability / reliability of the car, I fully understand that being a hand built bespoke sports car I can expect it to need more care and attention than a mass produced item. I need this to be an everyday car and I am expecting to cover at least 30K miles per year for probably 2 or 3 years - if it leaves me stranded frequently (or even infrequently) then its going to cost me a lot of money through lost business.
Thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated - is there anyone out there doing this kind of mileage with a Speed 6 / Tamora or Tuscan chassis and running gear car? I really don't want another German car!
However I'm very concerned over the suitability / reliability of the car, I fully understand that being a hand built bespoke sports car I can expect it to need more care and attention than a mass produced item. I need this to be an everyday car and I am expecting to cover at least 30K miles per year for probably 2 or 3 years - if it leaves me stranded frequently (or even infrequently) then its going to cost me a lot of money through lost business.
Thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated - is there anyone out there doing this kind of mileage with a Speed 6 / Tamora or Tuscan chassis and running gear car? I really don't want another German car!
Hi Nick, I've been driving a Tamora daily since the end of January with no mechanical problems at all.
I have had a problem with a door lock and with a window along with loads of niggles which have meant a few trips to the dealer. The niggles should have all been sorted during the 1000 mile service but weren't! Depends on your dealer I guess?
The difference between you and I is that I'll do less than 12,000 miles in a year which is only 2 services. If you're doing 30,000 miles that's 5 services meaning 1 every 2.5 months!
Up to you I guess? The Tamora is an everyday car but that is a lot of miles!
Good luck.... Andrew
I have had a problem with a door lock and with a window along with loads of niggles which have meant a few trips to the dealer. The niggles should have all been sorted during the 1000 mile service but weren't! Depends on your dealer I guess?
The difference between you and I is that I'll do less than 12,000 miles in a year which is only 2 services. If you're doing 30,000 miles that's 5 services meaning 1 every 2.5 months!
Up to you I guess? The Tamora is an everyday car but that is a lot of miles!
Good luck.... Andrew
While TVRs are used as everyday cars by some owners I would say the majority are second or even third cars.While I am sure someone will disagree I don't think a TVR is suitable for repmobile mileages,Most owners get away with one service a year while you will be looking at five,which will work out very expensive!Also bear in mind how saleable the car will be in three years time with 90K on the clock.IMHO it is horses for courses and TVRs are basically fun cars.Personally if I was going to do that kind of mileage I would buy a decent secondhand German car and keep the TVR for High days and Holidays.
Yep I agree.
I was unsure about putting 15K miles on a T350 a year let alone 30K!
That will batter its residual value and will be horribly expensive to maintain. On average, at a main dealer you are looking at about £600 per service so thats £3K a year on servicing, and at least 5 days in some sort of courtesy car. Then on top of that add two full sets of tyres probably, so another £1000 or therabouts and probably a set of brake pads, though I am unsure of costs on them, a few hundred knowing TVR.
Probably looking at £5K a year to do 30K in a TVR. Then when you add in depreciation and if you are balloon financing it wont be too hard to find yourself upside down at the end of the lease.
They are fantastic cars though, and more than worth the money, it just down to whether you can justify all that expense to keep one as a daily driver...
Matt.
I was unsure about putting 15K miles on a T350 a year let alone 30K!
That will batter its residual value and will be horribly expensive to maintain. On average, at a main dealer you are looking at about £600 per service so thats £3K a year on servicing, and at least 5 days in some sort of courtesy car. Then on top of that add two full sets of tyres probably, so another £1000 or therabouts and probably a set of brake pads, though I am unsure of costs on them, a few hundred knowing TVR.
Probably looking at £5K a year to do 30K in a TVR. Then when you add in depreciation and if you are balloon financing it wont be too hard to find yourself upside down at the end of the lease.
They are fantastic cars though, and more than worth the money, it just down to whether you can justify all that expense to keep one as a daily driver...
Matt.
There is no problem having a TVR as a daily driver. We've done it for some years now with our Chimaera.
But that mileage! NO WAY! Its the wrong car for that kind of distance. Get a Merc and accept its job is to keep you comfortable whilst you wait to arrive at your destination. A TVR (any TVR IMHO) would
a) be very expensive and
b) be very tiring
to do that sort of mileage in.
Even better - get a Merc AND a TVR. Problem solved.
But that mileage! NO WAY! Its the wrong car for that kind of distance. Get a Merc and accept its job is to keep you comfortable whilst you wait to arrive at your destination. A TVR (any TVR IMHO) would
a) be very expensive and
b) be very tiring
to do that sort of mileage in.
Even better - get a Merc AND a TVR. Problem solved.
I use mine everyday and do about 12,000 per year. I don't feel tired and find the car very practical (Tuscan). I have an order on a T350c and intend to do about 12,000-15,000 in it. 30,000 will be expensive in services and depreciation parts aren't that bad, discs £125 front tyres £150 corner and that should about cover you.
I've had no real reliability problems just the odd minor niggle.
I've had no real reliability problems just the odd minor niggle.
Being an absolute petrolhead, proudly British and a huge admirer of both TVR's products and ethos - I visited the Motorshow on it's last day and put down a deposit on a T350c (apparently 71st order) just before the books closed for the introductory price with the caveats that I wanted to drive the car before finalising my order and that the deposit would be refunded if I didn't want to go through with the purchase.
However I'm very concerned over the suitability / reliability of the car, I fully understand that being a hand built bespoke sports car I can expect it to need more care and attention than a mass produced item. I need this to be an everyday car and I am expecting to cover at least 30K miles per year for probably 2 or 3 years - if it leaves me stranded frequently (or even infrequently) then its going to cost me a lot of money through lost business.
Thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated - is there anyone out there doing this kind of mileage with a Speed 6 / Tamora or Tuscan chassis and running gear car? I really don't want another German car!
I agree with just about everyone here. Even if you find that the car holds up mechanically (which, if you get a good one and care for it properly, it might well do) over 90k miles, you will take an absolute beating if you try to sell it on. Having a brand-new TVR as your sole vehicle only really makes sense if you're not going to put lots of miles on it or unless you're planning to be the only owner ever.
I understand your desire to keep away from the "me-to" Euro-saloon. With that in mind, here are some suggestions as alternatives:
Jaguar XJR. The I-6 models are getting pretty cheap these days and lag only a fraction behind the V8s in performance. They have a tighter suspension than the equivalent XJ6 and loads of grunt. They're a bit thirsty but someone contemplating a TVR shouldn't be put out. Plus, they're mechanically bulletproof and while servicing isn't cheap it isn't outlandish either.
Maserati Biturbo. A bit smaller than the Jag and they'll want a little more TLC when it comes to service but properly cared for, the post '86 (after they ditched the iffy carbs (replaced with FI) and oil-cooled turbos (replaced with air-cooled units I think) cars are pretty decent. Visually, a lovely but understated alternative to the omnipresent BMW coupe - especially if you can find one in the hand-stained leather and burl walnut interior.
Those are just two options that will let you put hundreds of miles on them during the week in style keeping a properly disdainful distance from the auto-lemmings and save the TVR for weekend fun and occasional business use.
Plus, I think you'll find the interior noise level in Speed-Six cars to be a bit wearying over long distances. I took a Tuscan on a day-trip from Manchester to Lincoln and while I had a blast doing it, I was glad when the trip was over.
You might consider one of the Rover V8-powered cars if you really wanted to do long distances in a TVR. I've only briefly driven a Griff but it seemed to be a much more relaxed cruiser on the motorway than I could ever imagine the Speed-Six cars being.
>> Edited by JonGwynne on Friday 13th December 16:31
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