Discussion
Hi Guys.
After a year or so of not having my beloved Chimaera 500 I don't think I can cope any more without a TVR.
However, I don't have £10k plus to spend so am looking at a couple of "S"s
I'll check this Deadmans Cross one out.
The one I am most interested in has a 3 litre Ford engine in.
I would appreciate some comments on how these cars drive, how easy they are to service for someone with spanner-phobia, and what running costs are like.
Can anyone help pleas
After a year or so of not having my beloved Chimaera 500 I don't think I can cope any more without a TVR.
However, I don't have £10k plus to spend so am looking at a couple of "S"s
I'll check this Deadmans Cross one out.
The one I am most interested in has a 3 litre Ford engine in.
I would appreciate some comments on how these cars drive, how easy they are to service for someone with spanner-phobia, and what running costs are like.
Can anyone help pleas
Edited by s5tuart on Saturday 29th November 08:15
Edited by s5tuart on Saturday 29th November 09:28
s5tuart said:
Hi Guys.
After a year or so of not having my beloved Chimaera 500 I don't think I can cope any more without a TVR.
However, I don't have £10k plus to spend so am looking at a couple of "S"s
I'll check this Deadmans Cross one out.
The one I am most interested in has a 3 litre Ford engine in.
I would appreciate some comments on how these cars drive, how easy they are to service for someone with spanner-phobia, and what running costs are like.
Can anyone help please
Go for it! After a year or so of not having my beloved Chimaera 500 I don't think I can cope any more without a TVR.
However, I don't have £10k plus to spend so am looking at a couple of "S"s
I'll check this Deadmans Cross one out.
The one I am most interested in has a 3 litre Ford engine in.
I would appreciate some comments on how these cars drive, how easy they are to service for someone with spanner-phobia, and what running costs are like.
Can anyone help please
They're immensely chuckable - a bit like an overgrown MX5 (or is that a bad example?) and the power level of the S3 is very well matched to the chassis. It has enough poke to make things entertaining, but sufficiently little to really stretch it on the B-roads without too much chance of death or prosecution. The steering is a little slow (my only real criticism of the car...) but the feedback from the unassisted rack is truly superb - it's a very tactile experience. It's also a well balanced car with plenty of throttle adjustability. Outright levels of grip are fairly modest though and the performance, although more than quick enough to be fun is 'only' hot hatch territory these days. It may be a little short on bragging rights, but it's big on entertainment.
I took the easy option for the last service and had the local specialist do it. Prices are totally unrepresentative of servicing an S as they charge a flat fee (great if you own a Sagaris I assume, but in hindseight, a mistake for my fifteen year old S3). But in general it's a pretty simple car with mass-market Ford bits and two less cylinders, so I would expect it to be less than the Chimera.
They seem to be pretty tough mechanically, just watch for decaying chassis.
Hi Stuart, as they said, go for it. I loved my S2, it was very loud and great fun. The mechanics are simple (except for me of course) they are also stupidly cheap for what you get .
I have a quick job at Henlow very early tomorrow so if I think I'll try and check the price on the screen (but I may forget as my brain doesn't work well at stupid o'clock)
.I have a quick job at Henlow very early tomorrow so if I think I'll try and check the price on the screen (but I may forget as my brain doesn't work well at stupid o'clock
)Dave_M said:
It's on a G plate, the price was hard to see due to excessive damp, but I think it was 5,999 or similar.
That's pretty much top dollar for a V6, it would have to be a very nice one.What I did find when looking is that the price rarely correlated with the condition - some incredible bargains out there, but also some chancers.
s5tuart said:
Hi Guys.
TVR withdrawal symptoms etc....
Hi Stuart,TVR withdrawal symptoms etc....
it seems I had a similar experience to you having to part company with my beloved Griff 500.
I bought a bargain S1.5 pretty much straight away (£2500), and despite being an utter spanner-numpty I immediately jumped into a water pump change and replacement of the rocker cover gaskets. The S just feels so much less intimidating under the hood than the Griff ever did which I'm sure is due in part to the low cost of parts etc.
Go for it I say! I think I'm definitely getting 80% of the thrills for 20% of the bills and am enjoying the car all the more for it, safe in the knowledge that I'm driving around in an absolute performance bargain.
As far as selecting a car goes, I think chassis condition should be the main factor, closely followed by cosmetic condition ( assuming that bothers you). After that most things can be sorted at comparatively low expense.
Good Luck with the hunt!
Matt.
Morning Stuart.
Can only echo what has been said before. I love my little S3. I've poured more money in than I'm ever going to see again but its been a joy. Everything is so accessible and easy to work on. All you need is a set of axle stands, a jack, a socket set and a bit of logic and there's very little you can't do mechanically on the driveway.
The driving experience is brilliant - OK the V6 has a bit less poke than you're probably used to (though this can be remedied by a V8 if you have the extra notes in hand
) and on a twisty B road blast its more than happy hanging on to the back of the more exotic end of the TVR spectrum. The time I notice the performance difference most is on the drag down a sliproad or from a standing start. Once up to speed though its not a chore to pedal and having driven a couple of other TVRs (Wedges and Chims) I think the S is the most involving to drive. Good feedback, enough but not too much roll and slip and a real feeling of what the car is doing through your hands and feet. Gear change is a little long compared to the Chim but still a good solid feel to it.
Buy on chassis first and everything else second. Mine came with a couple of issues which I knew about and was happy to put the work in to get right as the price reflected it. New outriggers and a couple of trailing arms. Other easier upgrades have included new suspension all round from Gaz, rose jointed drop links, de-cat, exhaust, the list goes on but importantly, all were easy to do, even for someone trying it for the first time.
I fear I'm waffling but in summary, do it. Make sure the underneath is tinworm free and you'll not regret it. Might be worth looking up the TVRCC Herts and Beds meet dates as there's often an S or two down there to have a nose at.
Can only echo what has been said before. I love my little S3. I've poured more money in than I'm ever going to see again but its been a joy. Everything is so accessible and easy to work on. All you need is a set of axle stands, a jack, a socket set and a bit of logic and there's very little you can't do mechanically on the driveway.
The driving experience is brilliant - OK the V6 has a bit less poke than you're probably used to (though this can be remedied by a V8 if you have the extra notes in hand
) and on a twisty B road blast its more than happy hanging on to the back of the more exotic end of the TVR spectrum. The time I notice the performance difference most is on the drag down a sliproad or from a standing start. Once up to speed though its not a chore to pedal and having driven a couple of other TVRs (Wedges and Chims) I think the S is the most involving to drive. Good feedback, enough but not too much roll and slip and a real feeling of what the car is doing through your hands and feet. Gear change is a little long compared to the Chim but still a good solid feel to it.Buy on chassis first and everything else second. Mine came with a couple of issues which I knew about and was happy to put the work in to get right as the price reflected it. New outriggers and a couple of trailing arms. Other easier upgrades have included new suspension all round from Gaz, rose jointed drop links, de-cat, exhaust, the list goes on but importantly, all were easy to do, even for someone trying it for the first time.
I fear I'm waffling but in summary, do it. Make sure the underneath is tinworm free and you'll not regret it. Might be worth looking up the TVRCC Herts and Beds meet dates as there's often an S or two down there to have a nose at.
That is great advice from all. Thank you guys and gals!
I'll let you know how I get on and may be be back to the meets at Tudor Oaks again in the near future if I get lucky with a good car.
Just one final bit of advice.........do the S series leak, and if so is it an easy cure as it would be my daily drive and sit outside all its life. (My Chimaera was nearly bone dry, just a little weep from the drivers window occasionally)
I'll let you know how I get on and may be be back to the meets at Tudor Oaks again in the near future if I get lucky with a good car.
Just one final bit of advice.........do the S series leak, and if so is it an easy cure as it would be my daily drive and sit outside all its life. (My Chimaera was nearly bone dry, just a little weep from the drivers window occasionally)
I was amazed at how water tight mine is actually. It stayed bone dry during heavy rain on TiTT3. As I've moaned before though my local TVR garage did manage to soak it, either by a prolonged stay outside or a pressure washer I guess.
Psssst... Stuart. It's supposed to be good weather on Sunday - ideal conditions for test driving an S.
Psssst... Stuart. It's supposed to be good weather on Sunday - ideal conditions for test driving an S.
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