Vital TVR question.

[AZSpeed6]

Hi everyone,

First time poster here and in search of some meaningful answers.

I am shopping for a car here in Tokyo ( I am currently a university lecturer ) and have stumbled across the TVR as a possible purchase for a car i can enjoy here and then export back to Australia as an investment.

I have come across the TVR T350c and the Tuscan speed 6 both in RHD with very low kilometres for under 7 million yen. The T350 is under 5 million.

Here is a link of the T350 i am interested in.

http://www.sanc-auto.com/car/index.php?act=Public_...

This is a link for the Speed 6

http://www.sanc-auto.com/car/index.php?act=Public_...

I am deeply troubled because i very much like TVR's but have never owned one and this car, should i purchase it, would be primarily for investment and secondarily for enjoyment. The rules under the personal import scheme in Australia facilitate this an easy transition of the car after a year of ownership here and i intend to take advantage of them.

I have read in another thread here about the saga of a young man looking to export his Chimaera to Australia from Britain and doing so successfully and while my situation is similar i have a different set of concerns.

For one, I have no idea of market pricing in Australia. The customs and import costs i am aware of but the servicing, sourcing of parts, and the general support sides of things have me at a crossroad. Add to this the fact that i don't really have an accurate gauge of the value of the car and you can begin to see my trepidation in this matter.

I have been advised to buy something exotic, something desirable that hasnt been registered with SEVS in the past and the TVR fits in this category.

The last thing i want is to have the car sitting for extended periods of time in Australia while i wait for it to sell.

To tell the truth, i have been in the habit of changing cars every year so that i can enjoy the quantity and the quality hence my decision to take a TVR into account.

If there is anyone here, anyone from anywhere that knows anything about the situation i describe please let me know your thoughts. The last thing i want to do is purchase a car i regret owning and up until this point that hasn't happened, and so with your help this trend will continue!

Regards,

Adam

[DonnyMac]

Hi,

I know nothing about exporting a car, but you may find you buy a TVR as an investment first and for enjoyment second, but that will change once you have it

Best,
Donny

[Bensonv8]

You could try posting this on the Australian forum !!??
apart from that, i can't help.

[Pasco]

I would think twice about exporting any speed six powered motor to any destination until it has had a proper rebuild imho.

IIRC When i looked into taking my Griff to Perth OZ it would have cost me around 4k including transport insurance complying with Oz rulls inspections and taxes etc but as the chap above said post your questions on the Australia forum.

As for investment i have to concur with our resident Welding Expert Quinny

[Bensonv8]

A TVR as an investment ???
Is there a demand for TVR's in Aus ?? Maybe !!
Could you sell it for a price that would cover all your costs ?? I doubt it

Is there an Australian section in Auto Trader

So you can see, i'm still no help

[fatjon]

Anything with a Speed 6 engine could prove to be bad news as an investement in a country with few or no TVR dealers or independents. A new engine will cost you a fortune, especially if it has to be shipped from the UK. The life expectancy on the S6 engine can be anywhere from 20,000 miles upwards but often lot a long way upwards. If you can live with this go for it, you only live once. As an investment, forget it.

Jon

[Pasco]

Quinny said:

Pasco said:

As for investment i have to concur with our resident Welding Expert Quinny

Tomorrow I shall mostly be welding up a camera mount in the Griff so I can put some stuff on't web




Today I was mostly blowing dirty great holes into some extremly thin sheet material wot I was welding

It wasn't pretty but I did manage to join it together in the end

I could sense the frustration from here Quinny

[Ozzie Dave]

The first question is where in Aus as all states differ. The next may seem crazy but if its good use it, if the engine goes wrong- how about replacing it with an LS1/2 or 3,or even a Lexus unit cheap and easily obtainable here from a breaker and the conversion would probably work out the same as a re-build with rebuilds later being far easier. Until then use it as it is.

[cloggy]

Quinny said:

A TVR as an investment


I've heard em all now

Shhhh don't let the cat out of the bag or I am in big ste.
Thats what I told Mrs Cloggy when I bought mine.

[anonymous-user]

The TVRs I can find at the moment on sale in Oz are these. As you can see they command a considerable premium above the UK price, with even the cheapest one being some 50% above UK price. So there "may" be some possibility to do well on the deal. However, bringing an S6 engined car over will definitely be more expensive to service and difficult to sell, imho. Best idea would be to contact the TVR club in Oz for a more informed opinion.

[v8sag]

TVR's are always for sale in Japan,there seem to be always a fair share of Cerbs too.There's one at the momement with 8000kms and looks like it left the factory yesterday.
Agree with Aussie Dave,thrash the crap out of it,when she goes tits up,the engine should be good for mooring your boat,then repower with a chev,lexus or gtr twin turbo.
Same would apply for speed six's landing in NZ.

[KillerJim]

Its funny all the people saying 'TVR as an investment is a joke'

Personally I bought my Sagaris as both to enjoy and an investment. If anyone has been watching the TVR market (and I would say that none of the replier's so far have) then you will have seen the drop in price after TVR closed has been reversed and good examples are still changing hands at extremely good prices.

Infact no car have I ever owned has droped so little in value...

Exporting to somewhere without an experienced engine rebuilder would be a problem tho.

James