[tuscanboy]

Does one of your hobbies include a bull and a red rag

[craigw]

I thought exactly the same. Was changing the Griff and looked at 35k tuscans, drove loads inc a red rose. Was also looking at 993 cabrios, a 911 speedster and lots of Ferrari 348's. Decided against the Tuscan (which I loved, both to look at & drive) because I had gone through all the initial teething problems when I first had the Griff and could see from the Tuscan egroup that people were getting a lot of problems. Some minor, some less minor (back to factory for a few months) 911 was a bit dull, I eventually bought a LHD 348 GTS, which I love. Its not quite as fast as the Griff, 0-60 or 0-100, above that its pretty ferocious. But it handles 100 times better, doesn't bake me in the summer and I get allowed to park seemingly anywhere I want. I will get a Tuscan but not until all the problems have been ironed out.

[deanb]

Interesting. I replaced my Griff with a Tuscan after trying both a 348 and a V8 Esprit. I found neither particularly inspiring and the Rarri in particular felt very "fragile" & hideously expensive to mend if anything went wrong. The Lotus just felt uninvolving. The 348 also felt slower than both the Griff & prior V8S, let alone the Tuscan. I felt the handling was pretty suspect too. I tried a couple of times to get a test drive in a 911 (inc. a used Turbo) but eventually gave up as the dealers seem to think they're doing you a favour rather than a service. Apart from the fact there's millions of the around, I decided I wasn't interested in the attitude, no matter how bullet-proof they might be. I certainly wouldn't call them more stylish than the Tuscan either. I wouldn't change my mind now, given a 2nd chance, despite the fact that mine has been one of the unfortunate ones to go back to Blackpool to have the engine sorted. The only other cars I can think of with the same measure of speed, practicality, exclusivity, looks would be the Noble M12 or a 2nd-hand Viper. Dean

[tuscanboy]

I don't actually think in the case of Ferrari, you necessarily get any better build quality. In respect of more class and style; well I guess it depends who you're trying to impress. The first reaction many people have when seeing a Ferrari is - W****r, not what a fantastic car. OK I agree in the knicker-elastic-snapping stakes, the Ferrari is the ultimate car in the average bimbos eyes, and if that's your main objective then your choice is made. Not having ever seriously looked at buying a second hand ferrari, I'm not sure what 40K would buy you, but I think that TVR would out do many of the models in the styling department. I'm sure that some people who have been unlucky with their Tuscans (especially if it is their 1st TVR) would rather never own another TVR again, but having had 2 fairly reliable TVRs, I wouldn't want to own anything else. The problem with waiting 5 years before buying is that by then Tuscans may be almost as common as Griffs and Chims and you will have missed out on the best part of Tuscan ownership - unparalleled head turning ability. Oh by the way, TVR ownership, like marriage has little to do with rationale. Steve

[craigw]

As with all cars, 348s vary a lot. I drove lots of absolute dogs which indeed did feel very fragile. Mine is the GTS model with 20bhp more and virtually has 355 suspension, the difference is phenomenal. Also, they needn't be unreliable if you use them regularly and needn't be too expensive provided you find a good specialist and make sure its had a cambelt change before you buy. I didn't buy it to pull bimbos or to impress, as I have a stunning girlfriend and am way past trying to impress with a car! I bought it because I'd had a 911 and a Griffith, both of which i loved. I wanted a change and a wanted a car with good styling, handling, performance and pedigree. I also wanted a bit of luggage space and the roof to be able to come off. The Ferrari does all these extremely well. RE: the Tuscan turning heads, thats not the reason I'd buy one, and I will get one, but in 2 not 5 years. Oh, and yes you're right, Porsche dealers nearly are all tossers!

[graham]

is a dancing Donkey a car that you can use and leave in a car park. i currently have i chimaera and i either work from home or travel some distance and leave it in whatever dodgey car park i can find. Now i reckon you could just about get away with that in a tuscan, but a ferrari?????.. wot you reckon?

[fish]

I did have a Chimaera and used I like any car dodgy car parks included. I've now just got a Tuscan and this is to be used everyday. Picked it up last Thursday I've now done 670 miles. We'll see how people take to it but my brief experience so far is that now seem to have manners they thank you, talk to you and overall I've had no bad feelings at all. Might not be the same in a Ferrai. Anyhow I'll keep everyone informed on it's reliability.

[Don]

Well. I didn't buy a Tuscan. We own a Chimaera 450 and its wonderful. When my sensible car (Pug 406 Coupe) came up for renewal I decided to go for something less sensible as the wife and I only need two seats and what the hell...life's too short to drive a boring car. We test drove a Porsche Boxster S and a Tuscan. They are BOTH GREAT cars. But at the end of the day we already had a Chimaera and I fancied the Porsche. The Tuscan out performs the Boxster by a country mile - but the Boxster's handling in quite unbelievable. The Porsche demo involves roundabouts and a white knuckle ride around them...the Chimaera demo involves flooring it coming out of the corner! Remember - I drive a Chim 450/Boxster S every other day so I have a reasonable basis for TVR/Porsche comparison. We WILL buy another TVR...when the Chim is up for replacement in two year's time. Tuscan? Quite possibly. Oh..I don't know what its like to leave a 'rari in the car park but ... in the Tiv you get yelled at a bit..in the Porsche its a daily occurrence...I imagine in the 'rari its a lot worse.

[tuscanboy]

Hi RRTUSCAN, When were you following Will Hoy around a track, was it Goodwood by any chance??

[tuscanboy]

Yep it was quite a humbling experience being driven round by Mr Hoy. Bearing in mind the track was quite damp in places, his ability in getting round the track really did prove that the Tuscan is a very capable car - in the right hands. I don't know how well insured he is (probably should have checked), but after 5 laps I suggested we should return to the pits (having conjured up images of 4 bald tyres) as despite being great fun my nerves couldn't stand any more. I haven't done a track day since, which is a pain, cause I'd really like to get to know the car a lot better than I do. I'd done 5 or 6 track days in my V8S without incident, but earlier in the morning at Goodwood I managed a 720 degree spin at St Marys?? and although I remained on the black stuff, it knocked the old confidence a bit. Oh and I've also had triplet baby boys 18 weeks ago, so the Volvo estate is my main mode of leisure transport at the moment (Anyone know of a Tuscan triple boot seat conversion) Will try a Don Palmer day next I think. steve

[svtuscan]

going back to the earlier comments of whether a Tuscan is safe to leave in carparks...I agree with the comments that most people seem more fascinated in the car than envious. I had a Boxster before but it has blown my mind how much attention the car gets and its all really positive - but then it is an awesome looking car and relatively rare on the roads.