Discussion
Hi Craig
I got my Red Rose Tuscan in October last year, so far I have done 5,400 miles.
Petrol is similar or better to the Chimaera 4.0 I had before, i.e. between 20 and 25 mpg or about 220 miles per tank (the guage in the Tuscan is a LOT more acurate).
Insurance is the same, I told them about changing the 1998 Chimaera for my 2000 Tuscan and they have not added anything - I am due for renewal at the end of March so I will see just how much it goes up then.
I have had a few minor nigles, seat belts refusing to roll out, leaks around the doors, bits needing adjusting to suit me, but nothing serious, so just like most other TVRs.
The expensive bit seems to be the rear tyres at £230 EACH, and TVR say that 6,500 miles per set is not excessive wear...not looking forward to that, but I am hoping that as more people use that size then the price will drop due to economies of scale (well I can dream).
The car you are looking at is a very early car, it is the ex Portfields demonstrator, so make sure you find out from TVR what has and hasn't been updated in it, and if they are prepared to do anything that hasn't been done - things like suspension and brake mods, moving the door openers inside from the window button to the radio pod, insulation to stop the handbrake becoming as hot as the sun, updated software for the instrument pod
Hope this helps, please ask if there is anything specific you want to know
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Graham and Rosie
Try Sunninghill insurance for a quote.
Expect 20-25mpg (once run in)
Running costs should be comparable to a Griff however i have heard it said that the Tuscan eats rear tyres (a bit more power than the griff though so....). I think on avergae a set of rears would last 6-8,000 miles.
Be aware that the AB Tuscan is (I believe) a pre-customer car and may not have had all the upgrades (although it does appear to have the spider wheels). For instance I can see from the pictures that it doesn't have the new door releases - a must if you don't relish the idea of the doors (occassionally) openning whilst on the move (your knee can easily tap the button).
I think a lot of the dealers sent their original demo models back to the factory for the full set of upgrades before selling on. This example was owned by portfield who are no longer a TVR dealer - so did it ever get its holiday back in Blackpool?
The general concensus is that the build quality is now very good having improved month on month since last March.
Hope this helps
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T11SCN
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I get much better mileage from the Tuscan than from my former griff 500 - I reckon 23mpg+, even round town is possible.
My insurance did go up fair bit - c30%, but then there's a bit of a threshold for some insurance co's at £40k, and I also had to fit a tracker. I suspect, however, that the price hike was more due to the relative ages of the car than it being a tuscan
I've done 4k mile & the rear tyres don't look too bad at the moment, particularly given the amount of time they seem to spend spinning in comparison with the griff.
I believe the alarm is a Meta 99T2 with M36T2 immobiliser, I called Kirsty at the factory on 01253 509012 today about this as the letter I have about the alarms is from the Chimaera (it may well be from my old Chimaera) and she is going to fax me the letter for the Tuscan - probably best to call her for the full details as you will probably need a similar letter for your insurance companies (that is whay I need a copy, my policy id sue at the end of March)
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Graham and Rosie
I'm in luuuurve!
Not really possible to give a valid comparison until it's run-in, but.....whoah!!!
Although the dampers are still on factory (medium) settings, it feels so much more planted over uneven ground, and goes around corners like it's on rails. No shortage of torque (only allowed up to 3.5k rpm at the moment) and the new box is very slick (pedals take some getting used to though). It doesn't actually feel any different around town when you're in 1st, but jump straight into the Griff and you feel as if you have to change-up virtually as soon as you've pulled away. And the brakes (322mm with 4 pot calipers) - out of this world. No problems or niggles so far (only 170 miles done to date though!)
The thing that really surprised me was the road presence - I'm used to driving the Griff and sometimes notice polite interest. However, the pointing from pedestrians, looks of astonishment/disbelief from other motorists, and thumbs-up from bikers is staggering.
Cheers,
Robin
Ruby Mica Red Griff 500
Reflex Purple Tuscan RR
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