I reckon Clarkson's got a lot to answer for...
Discussion
I'll tell you what, Clarkson and his ilk have a lot to answer for...
A couple of chance comments whilst I was at Le Mans:-
i) mates Sagaris door is only half clicked shut, you can do this on any car... Me, "Don't think your doors shut."
Onlooker "Oh it's probably broken, ha ha"...
Me "Why?"
Him (the numpty) "It's a TVR."
Me "yes and...?, the doors not shut, oh forget it..."
ii) second incident, slightly more annoying; sitting outside a restaurant on the way home got chatting to some English people and we both commented that we had just put our roofs up only for it to stop raining.
Her (the irritating blokes wife) "What do you drive?"
Me "A TVR."
Her "Oh, will you get home? he he..."
Me "Of course, why do you ask?"
Her, well Clarkson says they are always braking down."
Me "Well he makes his money from being opinionated and he's an entertainer not a serious car critic."
He climbing down "Well I know nothing about cars."
So why be so bloody rude about a strangers car you stupid gimp!!!
I wouldn't dream of sitting in a restaurant and being downright bloody rude about her husband's car so why do people feel they can be so rude?
Rich...
A couple of chance comments whilst I was at Le Mans:-
i) mates Sagaris door is only half clicked shut, you can do this on any car... Me, "Don't think your doors shut."
Onlooker "Oh it's probably broken, ha ha"...
Me "Why?"
Him (the numpty) "It's a TVR."
Me "yes and...?, the doors not shut, oh forget it..."
ii) second incident, slightly more annoying; sitting outside a restaurant on the way home got chatting to some English people and we both commented that we had just put our roofs up only for it to stop raining.
Her (the irritating blokes wife) "What do you drive?"
Me "A TVR."
Her "Oh, will you get home? he he..."
Me "Of course, why do you ask?"
Her, well Clarkson says they are always braking down."
Me "Well he makes his money from being opinionated and he's an entertainer not a serious car critic."
He climbing down "Well I know nothing about cars."
So why be so bloody rude about a strangers car you stupid gimp!!!
I wouldn't dream of sitting in a restaurant and being downright bloody rude about her husband's car so why do people feel they can be so rude?
Rich... Edited by richb on Tuesday 20th June 22:51
richb said:
I'll tell you what, Clarkson and his ilk have a lot to answer for...
A couple of chance comments whilst I was at Le Mans:-
i) mates Sagaris door is only half clicked shut, you can do this on any car... Me, "Don't think your doors shut."
Onlooker "Oh it's probably broken, ha ha"...
Me "Why?"
Him (the numpty) "It's a TVR."
Me "yes and...?, the doors not shut, oh forget it..."
ii) second incident, slightly more annoying; sitting outside a restaurant on the way home got chatting to some English people and we both commented that we had just put our roofs up only for it to stop raining.
Her (the irritating blokes wife) "What do you drive?"
Me "A TVR."
Her "Oh, will you get home? he he..."
Me "Of course, why do you ask?"
Her, well Clarkson says they are always braking down."
Me "Well he makes his money from being opinionated and he's an entertainer not a serious car critic."
He climbing down "Well I know nothing about cars."
So why be so bloody rude about a strangers car you stupid gimp!!!
I wouldn't dream of sitting in a restaurant and being downright bloody rude about her husband's car so why do people feel they can be so rude? Rich...
A couple of chance comments whilst I was at Le Mans:-
i) mates Sagaris door is only half clicked shut, you can do this on any car... Me, "Don't think your doors shut."
Onlooker "Oh it's probably broken, ha ha"...
Me "Why?"
Him (the numpty) "It's a TVR."
Me "yes and...?, the doors not shut, oh forget it..."
ii) second incident, slightly more annoying; sitting outside a restaurant on the way home got chatting to some English people and we both commented that we had just put our roofs up only for it to stop raining.
Her (the irritating blokes wife) "What do you drive?"
Me "A TVR."
Her "Oh, will you get home? he he..."
Me "Of course, why do you ask?"
Her, well Clarkson says they are always braking down."
Me "Well he makes his money from being opinionated and he's an entertainer not a serious car critic."
He climbing down "Well I know nothing about cars."
So why be so bloody rude about a strangers car you stupid gimp!!!
I wouldn't dream of sitting in a restaurant and being downright bloody rude about her husband's car so why do people feel they can be so rude?
Rich... Edited by richb on Tuesday 20th June 22:51
Get those comments all the time. I invariably agree with them. Asked if Ill get home or that it will probably break down on me, I usually just shrug my shoulders and say Buggered If I Know. I often joke myself about never knowing if the car will start or not when I turn the key. Makes ppl more and more confused and unsure whether or not Im laughing with them or at them but they havent worked it out.
I agree it's annoying for us non-owners aswell 
I always fight my side of the argument if I hear an unreliable comment (To a certain extent we all know they aren't perfect! But nor are other cars with such powerful bits of kit under the bonnet)
Must resist... temptation..
I always fight my side of the argument if I hear an unreliable comment (To a certain extent we all know they aren't perfect! But nor are other cars with such powerful bits of kit under the bonnet)
richb said:
braking down
Must resist... temptation..
Plotloss said:
Nowt to do with Clarkson or TVRs
People just have no concept of manners anymore...
People just have no concept of manners anymore...
It’s not that we’ve particularly lost our manors; it’s just that the TVR reliability problem wears a little thin fairly quickly…
For example, there are far more Italian marques that are far more unreliable that those in the TVR clan, but are our Continental counterparts subject to the same butt of humour???
Just remember that we read these pages because we WANT to know what goes wrong with our colleagues cars so that we are positioned to solve prospective problems quickly.
If we all wanted safe reliable cars, we’d all be driving around in Ford Mondeos…at 30 mph!!!
I don’t think so!!!
richb said:
I'll tell you what, Clarkson and his ilk have a lot to answer for...
Cut to the simple facts guys.... He's just a prick!! Pure and simple!!
Fekkin smart arsed tosser!!!
Sorry PH management.... had to be said.
Don't throw me off will ya?
Edited by Al Up North on Wednesday 21st June 00:34
Seem to remember a while back(early/mid 90's)Clarkson was full of praise for TVR.Remember reading that he borrowed the factory demonstrator Grif which had done around 60,000miles and toured around Europe with it without incident.He also commented that Peter Wheeler was the only person he had ever met who smoked more cigarettes than him!!I live within spitting distance of the factory so have always taken an interest in TVR,although nowardays I have a 911(just putting my flameproof suit on!!)
The comments were perhaps a bit unthinking but you can't blame journos for reporting (and even majoring) on reliability on what is, after all, a premium item. I mean, no-one is seriously going to suggest Tivs are intrinsically reliable are they? They can be made so, but it is nothing short of a labour of love for most.
Anyway, which car did TG use for the excellent James May/Jackie Stewart feature? Think the footage alone did much to say what the cars are really about and why owners endure the downs associated with their purchases.
Take the blinkers off
Anyway, which car did TG use for the excellent James May/Jackie Stewart feature? Think the footage alone did much to say what the cars are really about and why owners endure the downs associated with their purchases.
Take the blinkers off
Some Bloke: "Those TVR's are always braking down"
ME: "Really? What goes wrong with them?"
Amazing how many can't tell you...
The alternative is to ask "Really, what went wrong with yours?" 
In fact, thinking about it, I posted the other week about stopping to help a broken down Porsche 928 (steam coming out the radiator) and no less than four people stopped to laugh about the broken down TVR.. 
Oh, and I still dine out on the fact that I had to jump start the old man's Porsche with the TVR (surprisingly I've had no reliability "jokes" since...)
ME: "Really? What goes wrong with them?"
Amazing how many can't tell you...
The alternative is to ask "Really, what went wrong with yours?" In fact, thinking about it, I posted the other week about stopping to help a broken down Porsche 928 (steam coming out the radiator) and no less than four people stopped to laugh about the broken down TVR..
Oh, and I still dine out on the fact that I had to jump start the old man's Porsche with the TVR
(surprisingly I've had no reliability "jokes" since...) Edited by Podie on Wednesday 21st June 08:23
I was at a wedding a few months ago & one of the guys there was trying to wind me up about the unreliability of TVR.
An excellent night was topped off by this guy driving about 10 metres in his 1 y/o Boxter S before there was a graunching noise & his gearbox lunched itself
I would have offered him a lift to the hotel in my reliable TVR but was a bit lashed at the time
An excellent night was topped off by this guy driving about 10 metres in his 1 y/o Boxter S before there was a graunching noise & his gearbox lunched itself
I would have offered him a lift to the hotel in my reliable TVR but was a bit lashed at the time
nelly1 said:
Far more damaging were his comments about TVR 'closing down' and the T2 being their 'swansong'!!!
How many potential buyers sat on the fence did that put off?
How many potential buyers sat on the fence did that put off?
IMO none. If you're seriously thinking of buying a TVR, is Clarkson going to be your source of information? No, you'll speak to dealers and owners.
Clarkson is an amusing journalist/entertainer. He knows his stuff but will exaggerate for effect or comedy value. Sometimes that's targetted at TVR, sometimes other manufacturers.
Its gonna happen when you have something others would LOVE to own, its a form of jealousy. Although I think Clarkson has a little to do with it, like its been said the reputation has been around longer than him, I was looking to buy an S in 1989 and I was talked out of it by people telling me of the reliability issues...! I had a Porsche Boxster S a couple of years ago 
and one day I had parked in the town and someone had smashed my wing mirror, when I got back to the office fuming, I told the guys and a few of them were laughing, would they have done that if it had been a mundano like they had???? Its pure rudeness yes, but its driven by jealousy, whether they think they are unreliable or not they still wish they could afford one. They just use the 'unreliability' tag to convince themselves thats why they dont have one rather than the fact their lives havent quite turned out as well as they had hoped..................
All IMHO
Mike
and one day I had parked in the town and someone had smashed my wing mirror, when I got back to the office fuming, I told the guys and a few of them were laughing, would they have done that if it had been a mundano like they had???? Its pure rudeness yes, but its driven by jealousy, whether they think they are unreliable or not they still wish they could afford one. They just use the 'unreliability' tag to convince themselves thats why they dont have one rather than the fact their lives havent quite turned out as well as they had hoped.................. All IMHO
Mike
these sort of comments used to wind me up, now I just laugh. I didnt buy my Chimaera for reliability, cheap running costs etc etc etc, I bought it because I could. Many of the TVR jokers couldnt buy one if they wanted to! Ignore them and get 
you know it makes sense,just watch out for the old Bill! 
you know it makes sense,just watch out for the old Bill! Such anti TVR comments made on influential programme do affect sales.
What happens is that the perception of unreliability goes unchecked and owners are then forced to justify their choice of car. This adds to the 'cost' of the car. Put yourself in the place of a chap who is considering test driving a T2. He tells his colleages, all with their S200s or 911s, and the ridicule he generates might well put him off. He might well ask himself if it is worth it.
I get phone calls from potential TVR buyers asking about reliability. One point they often bring up is build quality and the fact that you can pull some of the buttons from the switches. Even when I point out that I can do it on my Mondeo as well, and my last one was ultra reliable, still doesn't convince them. It is almost as if they are looking for reasons to fall in with the herd and not buy their dream car.
My answer is for them to contact their local RO and attend a meeting where they can chat to owners of newer TVRs. But I often ask them to list in order of priority what they are lloking for in a sports car. They answer: performance, handling, looks, power, all that sort of stuff and reliability comes way down the list.
The 3-year warranty has been well received although some are not aware of it. It is often the clincher for them to take a test drive. Then it's up to the sales staff. Mind you, drive a T2 and you will be hooked.
A neighbour sold her 'ultra reliable' sports car because of costs. These were mainly predictable, but a number all came at once. She said that she didn't know how I could afford to run my Chim, and asked what I had bought for it. In my first 9 months - two tyres at just over £200 and a trickle charger from Halfords - which has just broken! She was stunned. I pointed out that I did my own servicing but gave her the published cost of a major service at a local non-franchised TVR specialist and she got a bit confused. After all, it is well known that TVRs cost so much to run.
Once it becomes accepted that sensible, in-the-know, good-egg chaps don't drive TVRs - for whatever reason - then sales will be hit. The scandal of the two Porsches having to be pushed into the studio as both had broken down, and the TVR being driven in after coping with the same demands and it not being mentioned, is just too irritating.
Reliable cars, those Porches. You'd have to be a fool not to buy one. After all, if they did have problems, wouldn't the motoring programme presenters mention it?
I've been told that death's too good for them but I disagree.
What happens is that the perception of unreliability goes unchecked and owners are then forced to justify their choice of car. This adds to the 'cost' of the car. Put yourself in the place of a chap who is considering test driving a T2. He tells his colleages, all with their S200s or 911s, and the ridicule he generates might well put him off. He might well ask himself if it is worth it.
I get phone calls from potential TVR buyers asking about reliability. One point they often bring up is build quality and the fact that you can pull some of the buttons from the switches. Even when I point out that I can do it on my Mondeo as well, and my last one was ultra reliable, still doesn't convince them. It is almost as if they are looking for reasons to fall in with the herd and not buy their dream car.
My answer is for them to contact their local RO and attend a meeting where they can chat to owners of newer TVRs. But I often ask them to list in order of priority what they are lloking for in a sports car. They answer: performance, handling, looks, power, all that sort of stuff and reliability comes way down the list.
The 3-year warranty has been well received although some are not aware of it. It is often the clincher for them to take a test drive. Then it's up to the sales staff. Mind you, drive a T2 and you will be hooked.
A neighbour sold her 'ultra reliable' sports car because of costs. These were mainly predictable, but a number all came at once. She said that she didn't know how I could afford to run my Chim, and asked what I had bought for it. In my first 9 months - two tyres at just over £200 and a trickle charger from Halfords - which has just broken! She was stunned. I pointed out that I did my own servicing but gave her the published cost of a major service at a local non-franchised TVR specialist and she got a bit confused. After all, it is well known that TVRs cost so much to run.
Once it becomes accepted that sensible, in-the-know, good-egg chaps don't drive TVRs - for whatever reason - then sales will be hit. The scandal of the two Porsches having to be pushed into the studio as both had broken down, and the TVR being driven in after coping with the same demands and it not being mentioned, is just too irritating.
Reliable cars, those Porches. You'd have to be a fool not to buy one. After all, if they did have problems, wouldn't the motoring programme presenters mention it?
I've been told that death's too good for them but I disagree.
Well, I have to say that since JC gave a great test drive report on the Sagaris the public's perception of the Sagaris is very positive.........viewers do take note of what he says that's for sure!
However, having it parked outside our business recently ( don't take it to work that often, too many builders lorries, van's and delivery lorries about) virtually every customer coming in comments on it and I spent most of the day fending off questions about TVR closing down and the perceived reliablity of the cars in general cropped up several times........
Did it bother me....nope!....cos I was the one, at the end of the day, who got to drive her home.....the long way round and with a grin as wide as a mile.
People may bitch about TVR but, if and when I take the TVR to work, every time I get in our Sag at the end of the day there is always a group of guys in my rear view mirror that have come out of their various units to watch/hear it drive off the estate.
YP
However, having it parked outside our business recently ( don't take it to work that often, too many builders lorries, van's and delivery lorries about) virtually every customer coming in comments on it and I spent most of the day fending off questions about TVR closing down and the perceived reliablity of the cars in general cropped up several times........
Did it bother me....nope!....cos I was the one, at the end of the day, who got to drive her home.....the long way round and with a grin as wide as a mile.
People may bitch about TVR but, if and when I take the TVR to work, every time I get in our Sag at the end of the day there is always a group of guys in my rear view mirror that have come out of their various units to watch/hear it drive off the estate.
YP
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