Running costs ('80s/90s cars)
Discussion
Hi,
I quite fancy the idea of sampling TVR ownership when a space next appears in the garage. I haven't got any immediate plans (it's not a what car thread!) but I was curious as to the difference in running costs between the slightly older cars - say a 400SE wedge, V8S, basic Chimera/Griffith 400 and all-singing-all-dancing Chimffith 500?
If I ever went ahead it'd be a second car for playing around so fuel and insurance costs aren't massively important, I'm more concerned about servicing, repairs and so on. Are any of the cars of that era notably more expensive to maintain than others? Are any particularly easy/difficult to work on yourself if you go down that route?
I know starting at running costs is a bit odd and I'd obviously look into the whole ownership experience if it looked like becoming a reality, but what sparked it was a bit of window shopping in the classifieds: It looks like you can get a perfectly decent wedge for £4k or so and you're looking at about twice that and upwards for a Chim/Griff, presumably that difference isn't reflected in the costs though?
NdP
PS Posted something along these lines a second ago and it seems to have dissapeared, so apologies if I've double-posted.
I quite fancy the idea of sampling TVR ownership when a space next appears in the garage. I haven't got any immediate plans (it's not a what car thread!) but I was curious as to the difference in running costs between the slightly older cars - say a 400SE wedge, V8S, basic Chimera/Griffith 400 and all-singing-all-dancing Chimffith 500?
If I ever went ahead it'd be a second car for playing around so fuel and insurance costs aren't massively important, I'm more concerned about servicing, repairs and so on. Are any of the cars of that era notably more expensive to maintain than others? Are any particularly easy/difficult to work on yourself if you go down that route?
I know starting at running costs is a bit odd and I'd obviously look into the whole ownership experience if it looked like becoming a reality, but what sparked it was a bit of window shopping in the classifieds: It looks like you can get a perfectly decent wedge for £4k or so and you're looking at about twice that and upwards for a Chim/Griff, presumably that difference isn't reflected in the costs though?
NdP
PS Posted something along these lines a second ago and it seems to have dissapeared, so apologies if I've double-posted.
I've had Wedges, a Griff 500 & now a Chimp 430 & I would say all the Rover V8 cars are about the same for parts, i.e. very cheap, being a mixture of Ford & Rover. The only difference being some places will tear your arse out because it's a TVR. The mechanicals are very simple & most garages worth anything will be able to do virtually any job. 
As said, condition and whether it has been regularly serviced are important. But the older they are the more problems they will have with bits needing replacing. The big thing to look out for with the older cars is chassis rot. With that in mind i would say the younger chim/griffs are the cheaper to run.
Chimjunkie said:
As said, condition and whether it has been regularly serviced are important. But the older they are the more problems they will have with bits needing replacing. The big thing to look out for with the older cars is chassis rot. With that in mind i would say the younger chim/griffs are the cheaper to run.
With my experience of scraping & treating the chassis of every TVR I've owned. I can tell you that the coating on the Wedges is FFFAAARRRRR superior to the coating on the CHims & Griffs. To the point where I would say that every Chim & Griff will need chassis work sooner than all the Wedge chassis. In other words, the Wedge chassis lasts ten years or more longer than the Chims & Griffs easily. The coating on the 90's cars is quite frankly 
C R A P !!!Yep. My last Wedge chassis lasted 16 years before needing any attention, the one before that had never been touched as far as I am aware (and still hasn't after 21 years), and my first one lasted at least 20+ years.
- Most other cars on the road having already been returned to iron oxide or re-cycled
Check the chassis first though when buying, especially on the 90's and later more 'mass-produced' cars.
Cost of new outriggers and mounting plates fitting...£600 to £1500, or the price of a proper Ferrari service.
My last service bill for the 400SE at a TVR specialist (intermediate service and oil change) cost £207 inc. VAT, around a month ago.
- Most other cars on the road having already been returned to iron oxide or re-cycled
Check the chassis first though when buying, especially on the 90's and later more 'mass-produced' cars.
Cost of new outriggers and mounting plates fitting...£600 to £1500, or the price of a proper Ferrari service.
My last service bill for the 400SE at a TVR specialist (intermediate service and oil change) cost £207 inc. VAT, around a month ago.
Edited by grahamw48 on Saturday 22 August 23:07
I'd suggest that 4k is a little optimistic for a good Wedge. If you are happy to do a lot of the work yourself then by all means give it a go, but restoration can cost. If you think it is expensive to replace the corners of a chassis, just wait until you want to recover the leather seats.
But owning and running an older car is remarkably cheap. If you buy a 10-year-old Eurobox then the costs can be phenominal and, I'd suggest, the risk of rust damage is just as likely. As has been pointed out earlier in the thread, parts are very cheap for the cars you are looking at and self-servicing is easy enough. Even those bits that most of us can't do ourselves are still remarkably cheap.
Just take care in what you buy. It is so easy to get carried away by the first car you see. And it is also very easy to be put off a car because it has a problem that is reasonably cheap and easy to repair. Whilst condition is everything, a peeling dash need not be a reason to move onto the next car if everything else is fine. Just work out costs of repair first.
Most parts are easy enough to find so spares is less of a problem than for some cars 10 years old or so.
Don't think you can make money. The word 'investment' is often used but it is a myth. All cars will cost you and for TVR the standing costs, such as insurance, will be high. There's twice as many plugs to buy as a normal car and it's six litres of oil. But once you are over that hurdle, you are in the clear if it is used as a second car. Because of various domenstic committments I've driven less than 1500 miles since April but the costs have been well worth it. Each drive a gem.
Apart from consumables, I've not had to buy a thing for my Chim. This will change, no doubt, and sooner than I want, but I've got to say it has been remarkably reliable.
Buy with care. That said, I bought the first Chim I saw, although it was the 15th TVR I'd looked at, and it was remarkably sound, with a new chassis some two years previously. But the advice I would give is look at quite a few before deciding which to buy. There are some very tired ones out there.
A search can be so very depressing. The vendors lie in their blurb and it is enfuriating to turn up to the 'immaculate' car only to find the seat has a tear and there's an oil leak. And that's even after you ask them on the phone if it is a good as they say. You can't trust them after that so it is self defeating.
Give it a go.
But owning and running an older car is remarkably cheap. If you buy a 10-year-old Eurobox then the costs can be phenominal and, I'd suggest, the risk of rust damage is just as likely. As has been pointed out earlier in the thread, parts are very cheap for the cars you are looking at and self-servicing is easy enough. Even those bits that most of us can't do ourselves are still remarkably cheap.
Just take care in what you buy. It is so easy to get carried away by the first car you see. And it is also very easy to be put off a car because it has a problem that is reasonably cheap and easy to repair. Whilst condition is everything, a peeling dash need not be a reason to move onto the next car if everything else is fine. Just work out costs of repair first.
Most parts are easy enough to find so spares is less of a problem than for some cars 10 years old or so.
Don't think you can make money. The word 'investment' is often used but it is a myth. All cars will cost you and for TVR the standing costs, such as insurance, will be high. There's twice as many plugs to buy as a normal car and it's six litres of oil. But once you are over that hurdle, you are in the clear if it is used as a second car. Because of various domenstic committments I've driven less than 1500 miles since April but the costs have been well worth it. Each drive a gem.
Apart from consumables, I've not had to buy a thing for my Chim. This will change, no doubt, and sooner than I want, but I've got to say it has been remarkably reliable.
Buy with care. That said, I bought the first Chim I saw, although it was the 15th TVR I'd looked at, and it was remarkably sound, with a new chassis some two years previously. But the advice I would give is look at quite a few before deciding which to buy. There are some very tired ones out there.
A search can be so very depressing. The vendors lie in their blurb and it is enfuriating to turn up to the 'immaculate' car only to find the seat has a tear and there's an oil leak. And that's even after you ask them on the phone if it is a good as they say. You can't trust them after that so it is self defeating.
Give it a go.
Derek Smith said:
I'd suggest that 4k is a little optimistic for a good Wedge.
Fair enough, wasn't worried about specifics just wondered if there was any correlation between the price of the cars and the servicing. I assumed there wouldn't be (given it's more or less the same engine I think I'm right in saying?) but curious. So there's nothing really to choose between, say, the most basic 350i and a last of the line Griff 500 in terms of costs or reliability, assuming they've both been well maintained?NdPlume said:
So there's nothing really to choose between, say, the most basic 350i and a last of the line Griff 500 in terms of costs or reliability, assuming they've both been well maintained?
Hmm, sounds enticing! Unfortunately the garage is full at the moment and I've promised the missus I won't buy anything else until the new year. But a spot of window-shopping can't hurt... anyone care to describe the differences between the 400, 430, 450 and 500 in factory trim? If reliability/maintenance isn't affected do you just go for the most powerful by default? 
I presume there are other trade-offs involved?
In terms of naming, how do the wedge engine specifications fit in with the Chimffitth ones? Presumably a 400 wedge is a different spec to a 400 Chimera/Griff?
I'm never going to last 'till the new year...
I presume there are other trade-offs involved?In terms of naming, how do the wedge engine specifications fit in with the Chimffitth ones? Presumably a 400 wedge is a different spec to a 400 Chimera/Griff?
I'm never going to last 'till the new year...
NdPlume said:
In terms of naming, how do the wedge engine specifications fit in with the Chimffitth ones? Presumably a 400 wedge is a different spec to a 400 Chimera/Griff?
Just buy what you want.These threads come up time and again.
To save you searching if you want a Wedge you will know this from within you. They passed the US crash tests and are stronger and heavier than the Griff/Chim. The Griff/Chim is lighter and more recent which makes it better performing and more expensive. Griffs cost more than Chims so if you cannot decide between these two buy the Chim.
They are all great cars so good luck, Jonathan
NdPlume said:
Just took a look at the figures. I never realised the 5.0-litre was that much more powerful than, say, the 4.5 - 340bhp plays 285? That's some jump.
Don't pay too much attention to the figures. The performance stats for TVRs are reliable but the power outputs for the RV8 cars were bearly worth studying when the cars were new. Today a nominal 240bhp 400 could easily have a tuned 280bhp 4.5 lump. Judge each car individually.Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff