Newbie questions.....

[bogie]

Hi all

I usually hang out on the Elise board, but this weekend Im test driving a Tuscan. We do about 30K miles a year in the Elise and intend on splitting the mileage between the 2.

Anyways - are there any high mileage Tuscan drivers here? whats the longest anyones heard of a Speed 6 going between rebuilds (followers or other issues)?

Obviously I will have a warranty on the car (dealer purchase) but Im a little worried that after doing 15K in it and it needing a rebuild they wont pay up due to it being 'wear and tear' rather than a fault.

Do TVR state that their engine is in that high a state of tune that it requires a rebuild at any particular mileage?

I know with the K series VHPD and PTP sourced K series in high states of tune you can only expect 40-50K of mixed use miles before a refresh...but getting a £4K bill once a year from TVR is not an option ! Surely if the engine 'wears out' after 30K miles its a warranty issue - particularly if its road only use rather than beinge thrashed around a track at weekends!

thanks

bogie

just thought Id add - the dealer did look a little shocked when I mentioned 15K miles per year "nearing the limit of the product" I think he said !...just wondering if he was worried about a warranty claim for a rebuild in the 1st 12 months !

>>> Edited by bogie on Friday 18th June 11:10

[andyvdg]

What would worry me more is the fact you will be having it serviced three times a year = £3k + brakes,tyres etc and then depreciation with owning a high mileage car.

Try this :

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=5&h=&t=31752

Cheers,

Andy.

[bogie]

Thanks.

We have already taken that into account - I wouldnt be buying it if I couldnt afford to use as much as I liked ! (my GF and I get quite generous car allowances and fuel card etc )...not too worried about the depreciation thing ... every car I buy is worthless after 3-4 years...my Elise will have done 100K miles by the time its 4 years old

We are looking at a low mileage 2001 car - 5K miles...so hopefully we could maybe run it for a year or 2 without the mileage getting too outrageous for the age.

[bogie]

just read the other thread - seems positive I guess itss just a case of get a good un and look after it.

[jamster]

agreed but they are way way way overpriced!

[bogie]

The one we are test driving is a 2001 Y with 5K on the clock, one owner £29995 with 12 months warranty etc from a dealer - seems like a fair price given the mileage?...it is in mint condition

[TSS]

I do about 14,000 miles per year in mine. It had a rebuild in January 2003 at 4,000 miles. It’s now done 24,000 miles, has just been thrashed to Le Mans and back, and the engine is still going strong.

They enjoy being used, so buy one and don’t worry about racking up the miles as long as you can afford the servicing.

[_DJ_]

bogie said:

The one we are test driving is a 2001 Y with 5K on the clock, one owner £29995 with 12 months warranty etc from a dealer - seems like a fair price given the mileage?...it is in mint condition

Could I suggest you consider this one (no connection to me, just looks like a bargain); 8,600 mile 2002 t350c from a dealer for 29,990 - www.tvr-mads.co.uk/usedcars.asp. The owner of that garage posts on here and I've heard good things about him...
I know it's not a Tuscan, so may not be suitable.


Darren.

[bogie]

Thanks guys - that T350 does look tempting...but I really like the roof arrangement on the Tuscan.

[dvpeace]

I'm intending to do 15k+ miles in mine. I belive that if you look after it then there should not be any major issues. The Waranty is a must and if you have problems in the 1st 12 months then you can kick the dealer too if the waranty wibble.
Should be fun ...... when I get it back.

Good luck

David

>> Edited by dvpeace on Friday 18th June 16:37

[Naith]

Is it just me, or does 5K on a 3 year old car sound worryingly low?

For a car with so few miles, it suggests a lot of parked time or a lot of garage time. I hope you can get hold of a comprehensive history.

[bogie]

The story with the car from the dealer is that its been a 'trouble free car' but the owner works abroad and only drove it for a few months total a year...the owner is now emigrating permanently - seems fair enough.

[internetheaven]

I was fed a similar line when buying my first Tuscan, 'the guy is a collector so only drives it on the occasional weekend but he took great care of it'.

My opinion of Tuscans (I'm on my third) is that if it's done less than 5K a year you could get engine stutter (lack of use/sedement/long service intervals) and electrical problems (damp garages).

[bogie]

thanks chaps - test drove a different car today - 51 plate in Prussian blue with 10K on the clock - mint nick...placed deposit and should be picking it up next weekend