Low maintenance sports/luxury cars?

[jmo21]

Ok so I have my eye on one of those cheap second hand Porsche Boxters... Or even an Aston Martin Vantage...

Are any 5-10 year old sports cars known to be cheaper to maintain than others? Or am I just submitting myself to a world of pain?

Ok so, I don't know.

[gingerjedi]

You will find 350Z owners tend to love their cars rather than you average one which just gets you from A to B. Service is 9k miles not the normal 10K and it will have been much better looked after than most other cars that age. You get a 305HP monster for 8K. Bargain that... although personally I would add 2-4k and get a slightly newer one. I have 75k miles on mine and not a sniff of a problem.

I'd say 12,500 or even 20,000 is more common these days.

[Lockhouse]

You have to get used to the 'idiosyncracies' of a TVR when you own one from my experience. I had a 2003 Tuscan a few years back and looking back at all of the issues I had with it ... like the battery went flat. OK, you start to look for the battery...where is it... in the engine compartment, in the boot perhaps? Ohhh nooo, you have to take the front wheel off, remove the arch liner and there it is. It's like it was an after thought. Again, driving down the motorway on many occasions after giving it some beans, the dash flases "ECU Fault Code xx" - Then you phone the dealer and they say, "yeah, it's usual to do that". Another time, I went down to Silverstone for an event, realised I was low on fuel so pulled into the fuel station. The fuel filler is in the boot but the electronic release for the boot had stopped working. What do you do, stuck with no fuel and you can't get into the boot. Fortunately, I was close to a TVR specialist at Silverstone and crawled there on vapours of fuel, who then told me you can remove the number plate lights and use the 'manual' release.

They sound amazing though.

All I can say, is be prepared for these 'idiosyncracies' if you get a TVR, but Jap all the way for me...

I had a TVR, brilliant it was, as long as you remembered to tighten everything up every two weeks before it fell off. Huge, huge fun though.

[hyperD]

I had a TVR, brilliant it was, as long as you remembered to tighten everything up every two weeks before it fell off. Huge, huge fun though.

They are brilliant fun, Lockhouse.

It is a bit annoying when you put the a/c on and the button flies off and you spend the next 2 hours up the M1 encrusted in permafrost. Or you're doing 90 mph and it rains and the only wiper blade that appears to be actually making contact with the windscreen is the passenger's.

It's times like that you wish you had Nicky Grist sitting next to you.

I went on one of those Merc days where you drive on their special track to assess their new models. Taking the traction control off and going around the special wet circular track balancing the SLK on the throttle, we went round and round and round with the back end right out.

He turned around to me and said: "TVR owner?"

[DimPrawn]

I'll stick with my Aygo thanks.

Cretin.

[hyperD]

I'll stick with my Aygo thanks.

Cretin.

Was that at me DP?

[administrator]

Was that at me DP?

sasguru joke - known for having an aygo and calling people cretin.

[hyperD]

sasguru joke - known for having an aygo and calling people cretin.

Thanks Mr administrator - I can now drink my lovely bottle of Barbaresco with my home made salami and garlic pizza knowing that I haven't upset the delightful, affluent Mr Prawn.

A good and prosperous evening to all you contractors out there.

[Clever Hans]

Another vote for the huge fun of a TVR.

Griffs and Chims are reliable enough if you take care of them. The early model later cars had terrible rebuild issues which contributed to the demise of the company.

Thing is though, there are plenty of cars that are superior mechanically and are faster A - B, but nobody looks twice at things like a Boxster or a 350Z, they are really, really nice but so ordinary and ten a penny - part of the fun of a TVR is the 'thumbs up' response.

Noise, acceleration, driving buzz aside, it does put a smile on other peoples' faces, and that feels good when you are driving one.

[gingerjedi]

Another vote for the huge fun of a TVR.

Griffs and Chims are reliable enough if you take care of them. The early model later cars had terrible rebuild issues which contributed to the demise of the company.

Thing is though, there are plenty of cars that are superior mechanically and are faster A - B, but nobody looks twice at things like a Boxster or a 350Z, they are really, really nice but so ordinary and ten a penny - part of the fun of a TVR is the 'thumbs up' response.

Noise, acceleration, driving buzz aside, it does put a smile on other peoples' faces, and that feels good when you are driving one.

If ever I pull up next to or behind a TVR I turn the music off and drop the window just to hear it pull away... always hoping they floor it.

Only a Spitfire sounds better.

Kudos to the 'enthusiasts' who are prepared to put up with the foibles.