most reliable tvr?

[speedfreak]

hi im thinking about changing my elise for a tvr, dont know whick one yet as to be honest they are all so nice, i have posted some questions on the tuscan board, but having reads lots of posts on reliablity im really concered about the runnings costs and maybe having the engine blow up on me and being without a car for weeks while to goes back to blackpool for a rebuild. but having looked at some of your back posts it seems to me that the tamora has had no poblems so far and is very reliable. is this true? i REALLY REALLY hope this is the case as if it is i have just found my next car. so please guys and girls is it thumbs up or down for the reliabity? im sitting here praying right now for the thumbs up sign.

[nubbin]

Oh, no not this old chestnut again!! Speedfreak, you will get 50 different opinions on this subject, but I will say this - get a 3.6l S6 engine or a Rover V8, and the mechanics should be sound. Minor electrical glitches still occur, but the later cars seem better sorted. Coming from Lotus, you will probably have experienced irritating faults from time to time - it is no different to TVR - but your girlfriend will love you even more, for getting a car that is comfortable and practical, and one you can get in and out of, without showing the world your knickers every time!

BTW, I have a Tamora, and barring minor trim niggles, and a few electrical gremlins, it has been totally reliable, and well screwed together for an early production car. The Elise is a great driver's car, but you will find the mid-range acceleration in a Tamora absolutely blistering in comparison, as in the 30-70 overtaking power band - it has so much grin factor, you'll be hooked for life, like the rest of us. Go for it!!

>> Edited by nubbin on Monday 24th March 09:29

[alt]

Speedfreak, just speaking from personal experience I can say that after 12000 miles my Tamora has been totally reliable.
I have been without the car for a few weeks throughout the past year (car in bodyshop for warranty work, car returned to factory for reto fitting some mods, etc.) but each time I've had a courtesy car from either my dealer or even the factory.
If you're worried about being carless then maybe have it agreed with your dealer beforehand that they'll always provide a car for you if unforseen problems arise?
Cheers..... Andrew

[speedfreak]

is there a certain year i should try and avoid? or is the spec the same throughout the range? i belive with regards to the tuscan always try and go for the later model, when did the tamora first come out, nd have there been any bad parts used for the tamora like the finger followers in the tuscan? as you can guess by now i dont know much about engines and just dont want to get out of my depth. cheers guys?

[alt]

I had one of the first 2 customer Tamoras on Jan 25th 2002. Therefore if you're looking at a car before this date then it'll will have been a dealer demo. There'll probably be about 15 of these around. It's not necessarily a bad thing but just be aware of it.

The cars have been modified throughout the year but as far as I know just cosmetically. In the middle of 2002 they offered colour coding on the rear diffuser and bonnet scoops. They also added an alloy handbrake surround.

At the 2002 Motor Show TVR first showed a changed front end with the small low fog lights replaced with larger driving lights.

I've had some of the mods retro fitted so simply looking at the cars will not guarantee when they were built.

Cheers.... Andrew

[speedfreak]

how easy is it to take the top down? is it a simple 10 sec job, the only trouble with my elsie is you wake up in the morning and its a beautiful day but by the time you get the roof off and put the roll bar cover on the shy has clouded over and its just starting to rain, ok well maybe not that bad but you guys get the idea. my nearest dealer is mole valley, anyone had any good or bad experiences with these guys? are there cars a reasonable price or should i avoild buying from a main dealer?

[nubbin]

The roof is simple - loosen the two alloy tension bars, drop the fabric rear section, take the roof panel off and slot into into the boot (bit of huffing and puffing to squeeze it in). All in all, about 30secs once you're slick with it. The arrangement, whilst a little cumbersome, is almost like a hard top, and makes all year round use possible.

[simwimjim]

I've been lucky enough to own three TVRs Chimaera, Griffith and my most recent TVR is a Cerbera and they all reliable. It will depend on how you treat the car, or if it is second hand how it was treated before you. As for which car is the best it is purely a personal choice thing, in-fact I love them all and hope to have owned them all at one point or another in my life.