Thinking About a TVR

[Ryder35]

Hi all,

Selling my Elise and looking to buy a TVR. I will have about £28-30K to spend and am trying to decide what my options are. Here is my thinking (based on some reading and what I have leant about TVR over the years)

Sagaris:

Would have to look at private sale or wait for prices to drop a bit
Worried that I would be buying the cheapest, therefore most troublesome Sags on the market
Most driver focussed which I want.
Most presence IMHO

Tuscan MK2

Should be able to get a good one for that price
Should be able to get a dealer car
Removable roof
Slightly softer than a Sag?

T350

Should be able to get a better one than the equivalent aged Sag
Not as good to drive

Please enlighten me! Are my assumptions correct. Which way would you go if you had that money to spend?

What should I be looking for? engine rebuilds etc?
Finally can you get warranties on the car like say porsche centres do for 911s, if so how much and what do they cover.

Thanks in advance

Regards
John

[Targarama]

Drive some of each and you will decide which you prefer. T350 and Tuscan mk2 very similar to punt along. Sagaris feels softer and less urgent, although proceeds very well. All are about the same in a straight line depending on gearing being the same.

Buy on history and condition. Warrantys are available, but like most there are things they may not cover.

Enjoy.

[timmybob]

I agree with the above - go and drive a few, to see which you prefer. And if possible, try more than one of each model. It's quite easy to drive a duff one and be put off...

[Ryder35]

Targarama said:

Drive some of each and you will decide which you prefer. T350 and Tuscan mk2 very similar to punt along. Sagaris feels softer and less urgent, although proceeds very well. All are about the same in a straight line depending on gearing being the same.

Buy on history and condition. Warrantys are available, but like most there are things they may not cover.

Enjoy.

Sagaris is softer? Interesting, I was assuming it would be the more focussed and more urgent ride.

[KillerJim]

Ryder35 said:

Targarama said:

Drive some of each and you will decide which you prefer. T350 and Tuscan mk2 very similar to punt along. Sagaris feels softer and less urgent, although proceeds very well. All are about the same in a straight line depending on gearing being the same.

Buy on history and condition. Warrantys are available, but like most there are things they may not cover.

Enjoy.

Sagaris is softer? Interesting, I was assuming it would be the more focussed and more urgent ride.

First time I`ve ever heard anyone call the Sagaris "softer" than any other TVR. Certainly mine didn`t compared to the T350's and Tuscan's I test drove before picking it!

J

[97octane]

By "softer", I think you mean better handling, more forgiving, better sorted, less likely to throw you suddenly & unexpectedly into a ditch?

[anonymous-user]

Having had two Tuscans and a Sag I would definitely not describe the Sag as softer. It is certainly more planted but soft is not a word I would use.

[TVR_owner]

The Sagaris is more compliant and certainly feels less harsh than a T350.

[T450t]

TVR_owner said:

The Sagaris is more compliant and certainly feels less harsh than a T350.

If they are both standard that is John. A well set up T is very compliant.

Edited by T450t on Thursday 27th November 12:03

[Ryder35]

So, back to the original questions! Is buying a "low" priced Sagaris a big risk vs a top en tuscan?

Eg. 2 private sales of Sags are under £30K in the classifieds but am I asking for big bills?

Regards
John

[Chadders]

Mate, as a fellow Elise owner, I would say go for the Sag. It's a much more sorted car. AND I think its the ONLY TVR that will not dissapoint you in the handling department... From what i've been told, all the others will be a big dissapointment.

[KillerJim]

Ryder35 said:

So, back to the original questions! Is buying a "low" priced Sagaris a big risk vs a top en tuscan?

I beleive its always going to be more of a risk as a low-end Sagaris is going to have more miles on it than a top-end Tuscan. But it depends on the car, the previous owner and so many things...

However, it depends on so many things its hard to know what the true pick is.. Personally I loved the look of the Sagaris and there no question once I had test drove a few T350's / Tuscan's that I was saving some extra pennies for a good Sagaris.

J

[Targarama]

TVR_owner said:

The Sagaris is more compliant and certainly feels less harsh than a T350.

This is what I mean. I wasn't calling Sagaris owners a bunch of girls ...

By what you wrote it sounds like you may prefer the more urgent feel of one of the other two models in your list.

[Targarama]

Chadders said:

Mate, as a fellow Elise owner, I would say go for the Sag. It's a much more sorted car. AND I think its the ONLY TVR that will not dissapoint you in the handling department... From what i've been told, all the others will be a big dissapointment.

"from what I've been told" see that's just the problem - third hand info. Try them and you will know which you prefer rather than taking advice from a bunch of Internet warriors. I think you'll find all of your chosen list handle very well. A decent driver in a Chimaera would run rings around me in a T350 or Sagaris. Its all relative.

[Chadders]

Targarama said:

Chadders said:

Mate, as a fellow Elise owner, I would say go for the Sag. It's a much more sorted car. AND I think its the ONLY TVR that will not dissapoint you in the handling department... From what i've been told, all the others will be a big dissapointment.

"from what I've been told" see that's just the problem - third hand info. Try them and you will know which you prefer rather than taking advice from a bunch of Internet warriors. I think you'll find all of your chosen list handle very well. A decent driver in a Chimaera would run rings around me in a T350 or Sagaris. Its all relative.

I think you will find that these "internet warriors" are actually real people with TVR Including a well known specialist specialising in TVR AND Lotus.

And smell the phcuking coffee mate,there is no way on earth that a Chimaera is going to handle as well as an Elise, even with a lot of modification!

[KillerJim]

Targarama said:

Chadders said:

Mate, as a fellow Elise owner, I would say go for the Sag. It's a much more sorted car. AND I think its the ONLY TVR that will not dissapoint you in the handling department... From what i've been told, all the others will be a big dissapointment.

"from what I've been told" see that's just the problem - third hand info. Try them and you will know which you prefer rather than taking advice from a bunch of Internet warriors. I think you'll find all of your chosen list handle very well. A decent driver in a Chimaera would run rings around me in a T350 or Sagaris. Its all relative.

I`m not sure many Chim owners will have driven T350's or Sagaris' that much (i.e. to see how much more stable they are) but I`ve know a few TVR drivers who ended up facing the wrong way in a Chim and found it extremely alarming.

I`ve lost (or put out on purpose) the back-end on the Sagaris a few times and she will catch immediately you correct or take the foot off the accelerator.

I`ve no real world experience of Chim's, etc. but I know the Sagaris holds like no other car I`ve driven.

As Clarkson said on the Sagaris "..owning a TVR in the past was like owning a Bear, yea.. it was great, until it pulled your head off.. which it would.. one day.. it would pull your head off! this one .. this one.. ahh.. its just excellent"

http://tunertrader.vidiac.com/category/Top+Gear/0/...

Go to 3:30 minutes and view from there..

J

Edited by KillerJim on Thursday 27th November 13:39

[thainy77]

Chadders said:

Targarama said:

Chadders said:

Mate, as a fellow Elise owner, I would say go for the Sag. It's a much more sorted car. AND I think its the ONLY TVR that will not dissapoint you in the handling department... From what i've been told, all the others will be a big dissapointment.

"from what I've been told" see that's just the problem - third hand info. Try them and you will know which you prefer rather than taking advice from a bunch of Internet warriors. I think you'll find all of your chosen list handle very well. A decent driver in a Chimaera would run rings around me in a T350 or Sagaris. Its all relative.

I think you will find that these "internet warriors" are actually real people with TVR Including a well known specialist specialising in TVR AND Lotus.

And smell the phcuking coffee mate,there is no way on earth that a Chimaera is going to handle as well as an Elise, even with a lot of modification!

I'm just trying to find the part where he actually said it would handle aswell as an Elise???

[Chadders]

well I know he didnt actually say that, but the origional point I was making to the poster, is that no TVR, except a Sag, is gonna handle anything like as well as an Elise.

It was this statement that seemed to upset my friend above.

[thainy77]

Chadders said:

well I know he didnt actually say that, but the origional point I was making to the poster, is that no TVR, except a Sag, is gonna handle anything like as well as an Elise.

It was this statement that seemed to upset my friend above.

Perhaps no standard TVR would handle aswell as an Elise but a very large proportion of TVR's have had suspension and other mods to improve this. Everyone knows a standard TVR is not the best handling car in the world but this can all be improved, it's all part of the fun!

[T450t]

Chaders said:

smell the phcuking coffee mate

I can see why some call this place penisheads now.