[Damo M]

.......... after countless weeks spent off the road since I got it at the end of December last year.

Apparantly one of the (new)lamdas has failed again within weeks of being fitted, the pod has been to the factory and has been repaired fixed, the brand new £500+ cats have both cooked and the manufacturer says that it is not their fault.

Racing Green are investigating the ecu as the source of the problem of the engine (recently rebuilt) cooking the cats.

I do feel sorry for them as they do their best within the constraints of the factory and the vehicle.

I'm beginning to think that Tuscan ownership is just not worth the hassle.

So what are the alternatives? Can any owners out there tell me whether buying a 355 is just jumping straight from the frying pan into the fire? (apologies to anyone offended of course)

 

[Andrew]

A little off your topic. In which countries are TVRs available? Aproximately how many are made a year.

On topic. The F355 is as you will note in a message below, reliable. Of course it needs to be maintained but I don't think you are going from a burner into a fire by getting one.

 

[Pete04222]

Andrew,
I think the post is on topic in a roundabout way.

Damo,
Don't buy a 355 just because your TVR sucks (my apologies if you are offended). A 355 is a Ferrari, it is not an "alternative" to a TVR. Buy a Ferrari if you want to be a Ferrari owner.

 

[Dj Dirk]

Damo

I LOVE Tuscan's, probably one of my fav TVR's
do you have a speed six? and what color?
i was unther the impression that the tuscans where very reliable

 

[Bazil]

i was unther the impression that the tuscans where very reliable

Dirk,

Spend some time surfing a TVR forum. The Tuscan was on my original list. I was horrified at how often they seem to go "bang" - and that's not just information gleaned from the web.

In fact - the only thing worse than the rate they go bang, is the length of time it can take TVR to fix it - which for the new engine treatment (frighteningly, a not uncommon experience) can be months.

Damo,

I sympathise - I really do. It's an absolutely gorgeous car, with performance to die for, but if you're looking for something that's going to have performance aplenty, and is going to be reliable enough that you don't even have to worry about it - buy yourself a 911. Reliability means different things to different people, but if you're talking about a car that's your daily driver - a 911 is a sensible choice.

Apologies to anyone that thinks I'm off the mark here by using the "P" word!!

Bazil

 

[Stradale]

I like Pete's reply. :lol: Sorry Damo, I can't help it.

If you buy a Ferrari and expect it to be bullet-proof then you'll be disappointed. But I have owned 3 Ferraris, a 328GTS, an F355B and currently a 360 Modena and though they may not be like a BMW, it is not as troublesome as a lot of people think. Perhaps they have bought a car that had been trashed by the previous owner and who sold because the car was due for majo repairs. I also have a Porsche GT3, Porsche being the benchmark for sportscars but I can tell you that my Modena runs as well as the Porsche - without problems.

Yes you have to send the car to specific workshops and they charge more than the ordinary workshops but otherwise the Ferraris are great to live with.

 

['75 308 GT4 (Peter)]

Damo, are you adding lead substitute in your fuel, or using five-star (which I doubt its still available, but maybe at a few select stations)?

That'll damage the cats in no time...

 

[Damo M]

Many thanks for the input. I do realy appreciate what you say and I am not looking for a car to replace the TVR. I understand that owning a Ferrari is a unique experience.

I will probably be driving the car daily (I have a choice but I can never resist the temptation!) so this is why the weaknesses of the TVR have come to light.

It is true to say that everyone that I know who has a Tuscan has had issues with reliability and build quality. Most of these have had also suffered serious engine maladies to the point that it is rare that you will find a Tuscan that hasn't had at least one engine rebuild (back to factory and 2 months+). Regardless of manufacturer and reputation this is unacceptable.

At the end of the day the car cost £55000 and I was persuaded to buy it because it looked beautiful. I looked into the history of the cars and sought advice before buying. 2 engine rebuilds later and with the car in the dealer for the latest maladies I have had enough. Better to spend a bit extra, get another one of my 'dream' cars and have significantly better (if not perfect) reliability without wondering whether the engine is going to go bank every time I drive it!

Anyway thanks again.