Discussion
Well this is my first post here but been visiting the site for a couple of months now.
Looking at dipping a toe into TVR ownership and have some advice to ask.
Options are keep my 1 Yamaha R1 and buy a 400se, 2 sell bike and be 'sensible' and by Chim for £13k (ish) or 3 go the whole hog and buy a Power Steering Griff 500 for about £15.5k. Any thoughts you guys?
Wedges.... People tell me they are unreliable, is this true?
I'm short, well quite short and have driven a mates (wrong car right car man, yes the purple Chim in the ads) 450 and he had pedals adjusted as far away as possible, I struggled to floor the clutch. Will I be ok with them adjusted for a Short Lad?
Servicing... What should I expect to pay for a service? Going to do a limited mileage insurance at 5/6k per year. Thinking that I would get it serviced every year by a recognised independent. How much should I budget on spending on an average mileage car? I read some scary figures for running costs!
Reliability... I'll be using the car as a weekend car, will it suffer for not being used every day?
Insurance... I was quoted £425 for a £11k Chimera 4.0 on limited mileage as a second car with no no-claims bonus, does this look ok? £382 for a 450se. Wheres best? That was with Classic Line.
Budget... I think I can get a good 400se for about £8k, a good Chimera 4.0 (with PAS) for £11k and a good Griff 500 (with PAS) for £15k. Am I being reasonable?
Mileage... How does this affect the value of the car, reliability, re-sale, etc, etc.
Well loads of questions so will leave it there and post more as I think of them.
Thanks in advance.
Looking at dipping a toe into TVR ownership and have some advice to ask.
Options are keep my 1 Yamaha R1 and buy a 400se, 2 sell bike and be 'sensible' and by Chim for £13k (ish) or 3 go the whole hog and buy a Power Steering Griff 500 for about £15.5k. Any thoughts you guys?
Wedges.... People tell me they are unreliable, is this true?
I'm short, well quite short and have driven a mates (wrong car right car man, yes the purple Chim in the ads) 450 and he had pedals adjusted as far away as possible, I struggled to floor the clutch. Will I be ok with them adjusted for a Short Lad?
Servicing... What should I expect to pay for a service? Going to do a limited mileage insurance at 5/6k per year. Thinking that I would get it serviced every year by a recognised independent. How much should I budget on spending on an average mileage car? I read some scary figures for running costs!
Reliability... I'll be using the car as a weekend car, will it suffer for not being used every day?
Insurance... I was quoted £425 for a £11k Chimera 4.0 on limited mileage as a second car with no no-claims bonus, does this look ok? £382 for a 450se. Wheres best? That was with Classic Line.
Budget... I think I can get a good 400se for about £8k, a good Chimera 4.0 (with PAS) for £11k and a good Griff 500 (with PAS) for £15k. Am I being reasonable?
Mileage... How does this affect the value of the car, reliability, re-sale, etc, etc.
Well loads of questions so will leave it there and post more as I think of them.
Thanks in advance.
Reliability... I'll be using the car as a weekend car, will it suffer for not being used every day?
That'll be fine. Regular use is the key.
Servicing costs are difficult to quantify, will you do any odds & sods yourself & use a garage for servicing/do your own servicing/have it all done at a dealer??? Try searching the archives - it's a common topic.
Well, in 9 years or so of Wedge use the fiesta('s) has used the breakdown more than the 350 or 400. 5-0 is the score.
More a case of finding a good one and looking after it. Not been let down (that statement has got to jinx me now) but aware of niggles and getting them sorted. Only problem now is the garage is just a slot for the car. No room to work on it.
More a case of finding a good one and looking after it. Not been let down (that statement has got to jinx me now) but aware of niggles and getting them sorted. Only problem now is the garage is just a slot for the car. No room to work on it.
Increasingly thinking of getting a Griff 500 but want PAS.
I know that started in 95 so I've set a budget that I think will get one.... £15.5k. I've seen a couple in the ads but nothing that has got me hooked yet. They always seem to be just out of reach. There is a really nice 500 owned by a TVRCC RO but he wants £16.5k. That is a 96 car though so my thinking was that I would get a 95 for my budget.
Any thoughts/experiences out there.
What is the reliability of these cars like? Newer and more moden and Peter Wheeler influence seems to have improved reliability over the years.
I would get it serviced at and specialist but not main dealer. In Hertfordshire, where is my nearest? Any rough recent experience on general running costs would be good.
Trying to go into ownership with my eyes open so don't get any surprises.
I know that started in 95 so I've set a budget that I think will get one.... £15.5k. I've seen a couple in the ads but nothing that has got me hooked yet. They always seem to be just out of reach. There is a really nice 500 owned by a TVRCC RO but he wants £16.5k. That is a 96 car though so my thinking was that I would get a 95 for my budget.
Any thoughts/experiences out there.
What is the reliability of these cars like? Newer and more moden and Peter Wheeler influence seems to have improved reliability over the years.
I would get it serviced at and specialist but not main dealer. In Hertfordshire, where is my nearest? Any rough recent experience on general running costs would be good.
Trying to go into ownership with my eyes open so don't get any surprises.
There is a Griff buyer's guide on my website.
I would budget £750 a service as that will give you some cash for the unexpected - sometimes it will be a lot less... sometimes more.
Griff do seem to be sought after these days compared to Chimaeras but you should be able to get what you want.
Tower View are at the bottom of the M1 which is pretty handy for St Albans/Watford etc. www.t-v-r-services.co.uk
They service my Griff and help me go nutty on my 520!
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
I would budget £750 a service as that will give you some cash for the unexpected - sometimes it will be a lot less... sometimes more.
Griff do seem to be sought after these days compared to Chimaeras but you should be able to get what you want.
Tower View are at the bottom of the M1 which is pretty handy for St Albans/Watford etc. www.t-v-r-services.co.uk
They service my Griff and help me go nutty on my 520!
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
shortlad said: Increasingly thinking of getting a Griff 500 but want PAS.
I think will get one.... £15.5k. They always seem to be just out of reach. There is a really nice 500 owned by a TVRCC RO but he wants £16.5k.
You seem to be aiming at the rock bottom end - fine if a weekend car and prepared to spend dosh keeping it going?
A few more pennies up front for a good un?
What is the reliability of these cars like? Newer and more moden and Peter Wheeler influence seems to have improved reliability over the years.
Not quite what the Tuscan engine rebuild club think!
Trying to go into ownership with my eyes open so don't get any surprises.
Good way to go in
Take all the advice you can get and search the threads
Good luck with it and I hope you get what you desire
Shortlad - the RO's (ex) Griff doesn't have power steering, and I'd imagine a 1k premium would be reasonable for PAS. I must say the car you mentioned is great though 
.I'd guess at 17k for a PAS car. Griffs do seem to be sought after at the moment. You could get a later Chimaera, with PAS for that money or wait until winter for the Griff. There are quite a few in the classifieds at the moment well within your budget.
.I'd guess at 17k for a PAS car. Griffs do seem to be sought after at the moment. You could get a later Chimaera, with PAS for that money or wait until winter for the Griff. There are quite a few in the classifieds at the moment well within your budget. I'd agree entirely (though I would say that considering I don't have PAS!). However, the original post specified PAS, which I believe would take a 95 Griff out of his price range (considering what your non-PAS car sold for!). Perhaps he should dig up one of the PAS threads which explain the pros/cons and consider dropping the requirement?
Darren.
Darren.
I am definitely not an expert on wedges, but I get the impression that electics tend to very dodgy, and driveshafts etc are not really up to the power. Plus, they are old cars, and will suffer, like all old cars from the problems of components wearing out, degrading etc, so they are bound to cause more roadside grief than a newer car(in general). Get a Chimaera/Griff with sports exhaust - luvverly!!
shpub said: There is a Griff buyer's guide on my website.
I would budget £750 a service as that will give you some cash for the unexpected - sometimes it will be a lot less... sometimes more.
Griff do seem to be sought after these days compared to Chimaeras but you should be able to get what you want.
Tower View are at the bottom of the M1 which is pretty handy for St Albans/Watford etc. www.t-v-r-services.co.uk
They service my Griff and help me go nutty on my 520!
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
Thanks for the guidance, much appreciated.
mmmmmm, keep the posts coming they are of great help.
PAS. this is a difficult one as for years I've driven cars with PAS and got used to it. I'm basically quite a lazy driver when it comes to easy parking and stuff like that. I drive Golf GT TDi every day and it's so easy to drive. I've even forgotten what no PAS is like.
The problem I have is one of not wanting to waste a sellers time by driving their car to decide if PAS or no PAS is the way to go. It would be great to be able to go to a dealer and drive a few cars back-back to see which way I wanted to go.
I do agree that it would make buying a whole lot easier as there are a lot more cars in my buget without PAS. Is it worth fitting PAS if I decide that is really what I want? Expensive?
Thanks to all that have replied so far.
PAS. this is a difficult one as for years I've driven cars with PAS and got used to it. I'm basically quite a lazy driver when it comes to easy parking and stuff like that. I drive Golf GT TDi every day and it's so easy to drive. I've even forgotten what no PAS is like.
The problem I have is one of not wanting to waste a sellers time by driving their car to decide if PAS or no PAS is the way to go. It would be great to be able to go to a dealer and drive a few cars back-back to see which way I wanted to go.
I do agree that it would make buying a whole lot easier as there are a lot more cars in my buget without PAS. Is it worth fitting PAS if I decide that is really what I want? Expensive?
Thanks to all that have replied so far.
A thread on the Chimaera board mentions PAS, and quotes 1500quid to fit it. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it's probably in the right ball park.
Don't get me wrong, the Griff is a hassle to park without PAS when you've got to get into a tight space, but on the road you'll not notice it.
Don't get me wrong, the Griff is a hassle to park without PAS when you've got to get into a tight space, but on the road you'll not notice it.
_DJ_ said: A thread on the Chimaera board mentions PAS, and quotes 1500quid to fit it. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it's probably in the right ball park.
Don't get me wrong, the Griff is a hassle to park without PAS when you've got to get into a tight space, but on the road you'll not notice it.
Starting feel like I'm being a bit feeble with wanting PAS! Will look into the after market situation so thanks for the heads-up on that thread. Now reconsidering the Chimera as there is a facelift model in the ads within the budget I set for the Griff.
Griffith 500 vs Chimera 4.0???? Any comments anyone?
I've driven and 450 Chimera which had power steering but never got to drive my friends previous TVR which was a Griffith 500. This had PAS though so wouldn't have answered my questions. That friend says no contest - Griff 500 as I'm going to be using it as a second car. But he went on to add PAS is very advisable!
Back to a previous question.... The TVR I've driven had its peddles adjusted right out (very Tall friend) and even with the seat right forward I struggled (I'm 5'4" ish). With the peddles adjusted towards me will I find it easier?? Any more shorties with TVRs out there??
I wanted PAS for my Griff, could not find it on a one I wanted,I use it as weekend car mainly and do not miss PAS one bit ( and the week day car has it)
The number of times you park or require it for a weekend car is minimal. Find a car that is right in all other aspects first (mileage, service history,colour etc) would be my advice
If you come South of the river atall let me know and I am sure we can sort something out.
The number of times you park or require it for a weekend car is minimal. Find a car that is right in all other aspects first (mileage, service history,colour etc) would be my advice
If you come South of the river atall let me know and I am sure we can sort something out.
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