What are the common suggestions to follow in order to find the best car? Here are some very useful advices we found in Pistonheads forum:
1) An enthusiast points out that the engine has to be checked very well: “The Tuscan is a fantastic car but you need to go into ownership with your eyes wide open. In a nutshell, the Tuscan has an engine known as the ‘speed 6’ it came in 3.6 litre and 4.0 from the factory. The 4.3 is an upgrade offered by TVR Power. There are 2 versions of the 4.0 the ‘S’ and the non ‘S’. The ‘S’ puts out a bit more BHP and has other mods to the car itself (upgraded brakes etc). The early speed 6 engines were prone to engine failure (and some of the later ones as well!). You should look for one which has had a recent rebuild to latest spec.”
2) Another fellow says that there are many TVRs with strong engines: “There are plenty of speed 6 engines (not just Tuscans) that are running strong with lots of miles on the clock. As with any purchase, be sure to have the car properly inspected. You are about to ‘invest’ in a handbuilt, high performance, sports car. Each one is as individual as you are. As you have no doubt picked up from the various threads on the speed 6 forum, buying one with an engine rebuild is no guarantee of future longevity – there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that the longevity of the engine comes down to how it has been treated. If buying privately, see how the seller of the car drives the car during the test drive. Any car, particularly speed 6’s, need to be properly warmed up before pressing the loud pedal”
3) Obviously, you need to be helped by an EXPERT: “I am not exactly a Mclaren mechanics, so if I saw a Tuscan with a clunking engine, don’t laugh if someone told me that it was supposed to be like that, I would believe in it at the beginning. A simple example with all respect, I wonder how many Tuscan owners thought they have air conditioning in their cars. I tell you why i said that. I asked Rob Ingleby (a well regard TVR hunter) to look for a Tuscan for me. He saved me lots of time and leg work. He negoitated hard for me and the money he had saved for me was a lot more than the fee i paid him. Anyway, while he was sourcing a few cars with advertised air conditioning, Rob opened the bonnet and ask “so where is the condensor then?”… it turned out those cars have no air con at all but the owners were told the cars have air conditioning when they were sold. so…”
