TVR Tamora

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Joined
19 Oct 2002
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1,622
Location
oxfordshire
Does anybody here own one ?

I'm looking at changing cars next year from my clio 182. I'm 31 so insurance won't be an issue.

What's it like to drive day to day ?, how are the servicing costs etc ?

cheers
 
TVR and day to day, not least with a Speed 6 engine, is not something I would suggest if you have little or no experience of running a high performance car, there are better routes to start with. Running and rebuild costs on Speed 6 TVR's are expensive and my advice with TVR's is if you can't afford two then don't buy one.
 
I've not owned one but know people who have. I personally wouldn't consider one as a daily driver, they are more of a weekend toy. Make sure you get a very comprehensive warranty, as things will go wrong on a more frequent basis than most cars.
 
Yes I have heard they can be unreliable. Average daily milage would be 12 miles ( work and back ).......I have been reading reviews and the tamora, seems a more reliable drive.

Can anyone recommend something similar for around 15-18k ?
 
The problem is day to day means different things to different people but it's also a fact that if day to day is 10 miles to the office and back per day, or 1000 miles a month on business a Speed 6 TVR is a risky and likely problem prone way forward, I was considering it with a Sagaris and even the TVR dealers told me I'd be mad, read into that what you wish.

TVR's are great weekend cars but you MUST go into ownership with your eyes open. There are many who use them day to day, but many TVR owners (I was one once by the way) often form a hard shell that removes any form of objectiveness. They talk about how reliable they are and how they have no problems at all, well accept the engine rebuild and stalling issues, but "that's just TVR ownership for you". Speed 6 is poory designed engine and I think most will confirm they will need a rebuild or 2 on their way to 20K miles, many will need a few as the rebuilds have evolved.

When they run right they are epic cars, real special events but as a day to day car they are VERY hard work. Having sat in traffic in my Griffith watching the temp gauage rise, hear the thing start to rough idle and bits drop off (mostly small bits) virtually every month, I can confirm it's not something I would consider day to day and mine didn't have a Speed 6 time bomb. I am not negative about TVR's, I still have a soft spot for them but really as a day to day car you MUST be comitted and prepared for pain. You might be lucky of course, but that is a rare thing on a high mileage Tiv.
 
corvette_z06_01.jpg
 
Yes I have heard they can be unreliable. Average daily milage would be 12 miles ( work and back ).......I have been reading reviews and the tamora, seems a more reliable drive.

Can anyone recommend something similar for around 15-18k ?

Lotus Exige?
 
Porsche 986 Boxster S, plenty of nice ones for around £18K and much better bet if you want a day to day car and something to enjoy at the weekend. Not as quick or as visceral as a Trev, but beautiful to drive or you could get a Z4M if you stretch the budget a little. Pretty close the the Tamora in performance and much more reliable.
 
Yes I have heard they can be unreliable. Average daily milage would be 12 miles ( work and back ).......I have been reading reviews and the tamora, seems a more reliable drive.

Can anyone recommend something similar for around 15-18k ?

M3? or is that a bit boring?

could get a CL55 AMG, or a maserati 4200 if you're a fan of unreliable cars :p
 
I did a lot of research on the T350, but work commitments make it hard for me to justify until I change jobs.

Problem with the Tamora, so I hear, is that the Speed6 engine was still suffering issues, of which a lot were ironed out in the T350 generation. The general rule of thumb is to get the latest/newest one possible, as it was continually being revised.

Just remember than the engines are seen as being awesome, but a little unpredictable. You can buy the best, most cared for example, and it can still go *pop*. Luckily, people like TVR Power will do a recon engine with 3yr warranty for about £5k, which isn't bad really.
Alternatively, play the waiting game and try and get one thats had it done - although these are rare - obviously once people have had the work done, they tend to hold on to them!

And last, and most important point - Just buy the TVR. Don't get sidetracked by boring BMW's or Merc's. Part of the fun of TVR ownership is owning something special, different and a little crazy. Just go in with your eyes open and research all possible problems you might face.
 
Housey has said everything there is to say. Epic epic cars when they work. But they will break and leave you broken hearted.

The S6 engine was designed "well" supposedly and then TVR bodged it for cost reasons, which is why Al Melling is now offering rebuilds to "original spec" and also claiming some stupid power figures, that much like the AJP8 and anything else he does, should be taken with a big pinch of salt.

Rebuilds from good builders such as TVR Power or the like have massive guarrentees but they cost an absolute fortune, it's something you need to budget for if the car you buy has not had a recent rebuild; the factory recall ones were never all that great and certainly didn't resolve the issues perminantly. There's a suprising amount of development still ongoing, with new varients such as the FFF still appearing on the market.

A Sagaris or a Tuscan is a dream car for me, but I wouldn't commit to having one as a daily unless I was either very, very rich, or had 'Vette engine dropped in.

10 miles probably isn't enough for the engine to even get warmed up properly so you wouldn't get to have any fun on your commute, it'd be nannying it there and then nannying it home each day.

18k will get you an early Tuscan and enough cash left over for a rebuild when it dies, to play devils advocate.
 
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Buy a TVR and a pushbike. Driving 6 miles to work is just lazy, that's a twenty minute cycle.

Buy a bike and you're saving the planet enough during the week to be able to drive your TVR and club some baby seals at the weekend. Also if it's getting used only at the weekend it might not break as often.
 
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