hitting middle age, newbie needs chimera advice
Discussion
Just hit 40, v v nice current wife says I can have a chimera; whoopie!
Dunno anything about them [Chimeras that is] starting from scratch, drove one on sat, was pleasantly terrified.
Some questions for those of you willing to share your experience in these matters;
can you use them everyday practically/without killing yourself?
are they really prone to breaking down a lot?
are they V V V expensive to run?
what's the best one and where are good places to look?
best place for insurance?
what options are absolutely essential?
I'm thinking about my local v nice dealer sourcing a low mileage one, with a 1 year warranty.
Any thoughts folks?
thanks for the help
Dunno anything about them [Chimeras that is] starting from scratch, drove one on sat, was pleasantly terrified.
Some questions for those of you willing to share your experience in these matters;
can you use them everyday practically/without killing yourself?
are they really prone to breaking down a lot?
are they V V V expensive to run?
what's the best one and where are good places to look?
best place for insurance?
what options are absolutely essential?
I'm thinking about my local v nice dealer sourcing a low mileage one, with a 1 year warranty.
Any thoughts folks?
thanks for the help
I bought one for my 40th
answers are>
reliable - generally yes - ironically the things that went wrong with mine so far are things not made by TVR ...
not that expensive to run when you compare what performance to the £ you are getting
join the club and get cheaper insurance thru them - I pay £660 fully comp - unlimited miles for both of us
optionis and models are really down to what YOU prefer - get yourself to a few TVRCC meets and look at as many and talk to as many owners as you can - we are an honest lot when it comes to telling you the reality of owning a TIV...
oh and buy the bible ....
>> Edited by snorky on Monday 19th April 09:37
answers are>
reliable - generally yes - ironically the things that went wrong with mine so far are things not made by TVR ...
not that expensive to run when you compare what performance to the £ you are getting
join the club and get cheaper insurance thru them - I pay £660 fully comp - unlimited miles for both of us
optionis and models are really down to what YOU prefer - get yourself to a few TVRCC meets and look at as many and talk to as many owners as you can - we are an honest lot when it comes to telling you the reality of owning a TIV...
oh and buy the bible ....
>> Edited by snorky on Monday 19th April 09:37
Use it everyday? Sure, but you have to bear in mind that you're talking about a light car with lots of torque, so treat it with the respect it deserves (especially in the wet).
Prone to breaking down a lot? As with anything, there are good ones and bad ones. Personally i'd buy a low owner high mileage car if poss. If a car has done 25k miles with one owner chances are he/she was happy, you find a 12k mile 3 owner car then they probably weren't so happy with it... do you see?
Best one? I'd say stick with post 95 cars, these had the serpentine engine (one long fan belt) and T5 gearbox (which has reverse below 5th rather than next to 1st). T5 box is arguably stronger, and i believe the serpentine engines had minor detail improvements (like the waterpump).
Other than that, the best one is the one you fall in love with.
Doesn't matter which engine really, they've all got pros and cons. 5.0 is the devil in the dry (yes!) but also in the wet (no!), whereas 4.0 is relatively (ahem!) sensible in the wet but also not as quick as the 5 litre in the dry...
Insurance is a simple case of shopping around or searching previous threads on this forum.
Options? Try and drive a car with PAS and one without. Other than that, it's down to personal preference.
Very best of luck with your search - please let us know how you get on, and WELCOME TO THE CHEESY GRIN CLUB!
VS
www.verysideways.com
Prone to breaking down a lot? As with anything, there are good ones and bad ones. Personally i'd buy a low owner high mileage car if poss. If a car has done 25k miles with one owner chances are he/she was happy, you find a 12k mile 3 owner car then they probably weren't so happy with it... do you see?
Best one? I'd say stick with post 95 cars, these had the serpentine engine (one long fan belt) and T5 gearbox (which has reverse below 5th rather than next to 1st). T5 box is arguably stronger, and i believe the serpentine engines had minor detail improvements (like the waterpump).
Other than that, the best one is the one you fall in love with.
Doesn't matter which engine really, they've all got pros and cons. 5.0 is the devil in the dry (yes!) but also in the wet (no!), whereas 4.0 is relatively (ahem!) sensible in the wet but also not as quick as the 5 litre in the dry...
Insurance is a simple case of shopping around or searching previous threads on this forum.
Options? Try and drive a car with PAS and one without. Other than that, it's down to personal preference.
Very best of luck with your search - please let us know how you get on, and WELCOME TO THE CHEESY GRIN CLUB!
VS
www.verysideways.com
Picking my first TVR up on 9th May only thing I can advise is moneysupermarket.com. I followed insurance advice from some of the guys here re: specialist companies which didn't come up with anything great. If you go to that website enter your details the site then searches 50 insurers for you.
I am 26 3 years NCB and will keep the Chimaera on the road in North London from the website I got quotes ranging from 1700 to 7800 quid! Direct line were cheapest in the end by a good 800 quid to the next nearest.
Also Rob Ingleby checked the car I am going to buy out. I bought Steve Heath's Chimaera and Griff Owner's manual (referred to as the bible on here) and poured over that for a few months very useful but Rob has practical experience and will find and inspect a car for 600 quid or just do an inspection for 200. His site is findasporstcar.co.uk.
General advice seems to be drive as many as possible, most dealers will help on this one, and then buy one based on condition.
I am 26 3 years NCB and will keep the Chimaera on the road in North London from the website I got quotes ranging from 1700 to 7800 quid! Direct line were cheapest in the end by a good 800 quid to the next nearest.
Also Rob Ingleby checked the car I am going to buy out. I bought Steve Heath's Chimaera and Griff Owner's manual (referred to as the bible on here) and poured over that for a few months very useful but Rob has practical experience and will find and inspect a car for 600 quid or just do an inspection for 200. His site is findasporstcar.co.uk.
General advice seems to be drive as many as possible, most dealers will help on this one, and then buy one based on condition.
Jem said:
Just hit 40, v v nice current wife says I can have a chimera; whoopie!
What a lovely wife!
Jem said:
Dunno anything about them [Chimeras that is] starting from scratch, drove one on sat, was pleasantly terrified.
Never let that respect for the vehicle go. They bite if you take liberties.
Jem said:
can you use them everyday practically/without killing yourself?
Yes absolutely. But you will need to learn restraint.
Jem said:
are they really prone to breaking down a lot?
Yes. But its usually nothing serious. Niggles usually - but nothing that will stop you. We've only been let down by ours once. I class being let down as not being able to complete our journey. Compare that with my Porsches - the last two have been on low loaders a total of five times! You could be unlucky. But its more likely it'll be fine...
Jem said:
are they V V V expensive to run?
Yes. In comparison to a modern eurobox with twenty-thousand mile servicing. In comparison to anything else with the same level of BHP they are cheap as chips. Budget 2K a year maintenance 500 - 1K insurance and you should be fine. If you are handy with the spanners that figure will come down a bit...
Jem said:
what's the best one and where are good places to look?
The best one is a matter of opinion. We like our "450" which has 280bhp. The "500" is the ultimate I suppose but some owners complain of them being overly rough at idle. The "400" is still a very fast car...although a Boxster S is as grunty...
Jem said:
best place for insurance?
what options are absolutely essential?
Insurance: Try A1. Options: None. But we'd have liked aircon and didn't get it. Heated seats extend the roof-off season a bit.
Jem said:
I'm thinking about my local v nice dealer sourcing a low mileage one, with a 1 year warranty.
Any thoughts folks?
thanks for the help
We got a three year warranty with ours - the later years came cheaper. And boy did we use it! I would personally take a dealer car with a warranty and their own servicing so you can take the car back to 'em for any niggle fixing. But this is the easy life and you will pay for it...better value can be achieved buying privately - in which case an inspection is essential although you could still end up unlucky...but you get the car cheaper. Your choice on that one...
Hope any of that helps. We've had our Chimaera for five years now and it still makes me smile every time I start it up. It also makes me curse every time the flippin' dealer is "busy" for the next month when we need something fixed .
Hi Jem,
Welcome aboard!
Bought my 4.0HC for my 46th birthday after a lot of humming and hawing. I can only say, go for it! I've huuuugely
enjoyed driving the car and take it out every weekend. Trips to halfwits of a Sunday morning take a minimum of half an hour as I have to warm her up properly and have a bit of a blat along the bypass.
Insurance is pretty good, we paid £315, through Sunninghill, for a limited mileage policy. The metro cost £800 this year
(18 year-old son).
I'd join in the recommendation of going along to a TVRCC regional meeting and taking advice from the members. They're generally pretty friendly and I could have usefully spent more time with them before buying.
Try not to buy the first car you see, we bought a car with PAS but it's a matter of personal choice - when the right one comes along you'll know it.
Enjoy the search, but take it easy.
Welcome aboard!
Bought my 4.0HC for my 46th birthday after a lot of humming and hawing. I can only say, go for it! I've huuuugely
enjoyed driving the car and take it out every weekend. Trips to halfwits of a Sunday morning take a minimum of half an hour as I have to warm her up properly and have a bit of a blat along the bypass. Insurance is pretty good, we paid £315, through Sunninghill, for a limited mileage policy. The metro cost £800 this year
(18 year-old son). I'd join in the recommendation of going along to a TVRCC regional meeting and taking advice from the members. They're generally pretty friendly and I could have usefully spent more time with them before buying.
Try not to buy the first car you see, we bought a car with PAS but it's a matter of personal choice - when the right one comes along you'll know it.
Enjoy the search, but take it easy.
I did the same 4 yrs ago and have no regrets. No reliablity issues, thuogh services are about £4-500.
Only things to think about go back to the design. The hood is manual and you might get more open motoring if you had an electric one. The radio doesn't work well, which it should do in a £30k+ car. There's no roll bar or air con. If you want a total sports car, this is it. If you want to drive down to Spain, maybe a something nearer a GT is the better choice.
Whilst the 4ltr is fast, you'll soon be looking for extra - especially for track days - so go for the 4.5. Also, go for power steering. Life's much easier and it holds it value better.
Only things to think about go back to the design. The hood is manual and you might get more open motoring if you had an electric one. The radio doesn't work well, which it should do in a £30k+ car. There's no roll bar or air con. If you want a total sports car, this is it. If you want to drive down to Spain, maybe a something nearer a GT is the better choice.
Whilst the 4ltr is fast, you'll soon be looking for extra - especially for track days - so go for the 4.5. Also, go for power steering. Life's much easier and it holds it value better.
Servicing isn't cheap, not if you are using it daily. 6,000 mile service interval and dealer services start around £500 plus parts. Independants a bit cheaper, but if you put say 12k/year on the car you are looking at 2 6k services and it WILL be in excess of £1k, and probably nearer £2k. If you are handy with the spanners you'll be able to sort out the simpler problems that crop up and save a lot of time any money with dealers. They are simple beasts under the skin.
Personally it costs me more to insure my Audi than the TVR (500), but it is on restricted mileage (6k).
Not sure about the previous roof on/off comments - with practice you can do it in a lot less than a minute, and probably as quick as a few electric hoods. Depends how adept you are at manoevering the hard top into the boot! Its a lot less fiddly than most soft tops, and certainly shouldn't put you off the car! For light showers in fact "Targa mode" is sufficient; as long as the car is moving the rain won't come in.
Bear in mind all these cars differ. Generally the 500 is faster than the 450 is faster than the 400 - but there are fast 400's and slow 500's! They all start out individual, and generally then get tinkered with. You will not find two the same, guaranteed. You MUST test drive a good few to be able to spot the good 'uns. Visual inspection is fine, but will only tell you what condition the car is in. It might look immaculate but drive like a dog - or vice versa. It happens.
Also they all need respect as mentioned, but IMHO the 500 is actually more docile (perhaps not the right word!). How so? Power delivery. Its wall to wall torque, so no sudden steps in delivery to unhook things unexpectedly. Yes, it will get lairy on demand (pretty well any time), but you'll only have yourself to blame. By contrast - and this is a personal, subjective opinion from my own experience - the 400 has a step in the torque curve that can catch you out on greasy roundabouts.
A car which has not done many miles may not be the peach it appears. These cars like to be driven, and you can get problems (leaky seals etc) with cars that are under utilised, especially if care is not taken over lay-ups.
Overall though, go for it, there is simply nothing like TVR ownership. Go into it with open eyes - the car will be a demanding mistress, but you will get the ride of your life!
Personally it costs me more to insure my Audi than the TVR (500), but it is on restricted mileage (6k).
Not sure about the previous roof on/off comments - with practice you can do it in a lot less than a minute, and probably as quick as a few electric hoods. Depends how adept you are at manoevering the hard top into the boot! Its a lot less fiddly than most soft tops, and certainly shouldn't put you off the car! For light showers in fact "Targa mode" is sufficient; as long as the car is moving the rain won't come in.
Bear in mind all these cars differ. Generally the 500 is faster than the 450 is faster than the 400 - but there are fast 400's and slow 500's! They all start out individual, and generally then get tinkered with. You will not find two the same, guaranteed. You MUST test drive a good few to be able to spot the good 'uns. Visual inspection is fine, but will only tell you what condition the car is in. It might look immaculate but drive like a dog - or vice versa. It happens.
Also they all need respect as mentioned, but IMHO the 500 is actually more docile (perhaps not the right word!). How so? Power delivery. Its wall to wall torque, so no sudden steps in delivery to unhook things unexpectedly. Yes, it will get lairy on demand (pretty well any time), but you'll only have yourself to blame. By contrast - and this is a personal, subjective opinion from my own experience - the 400 has a step in the torque curve that can catch you out on greasy roundabouts.
A car which has not done many miles may not be the peach it appears. These cars like to be driven, and you can get problems (leaky seals etc) with cars that are under utilised, especially if care is not taken over lay-ups.
Overall though, go for it, there is simply nothing like TVR ownership. Go into it with open eyes - the car will be a demanding mistress, but you will get the ride of your life!
40 years old you say. Want a TVR? What next? A tattoo? Eyebrow piercing? Only kidding.
I have only had mine for 6 weeks and I cannot say anything negative as I have not had any problems yet. Car lives outside and has not let any water in and has always started first time. I use it every day - 10 mile drive to work, 20 mile drive home
. I still look forward to driving it. I sometimes nip out for half an hour drive at lunch-time. Insurance quotations varied dramatically. Ended up with Direct Line.
It may not be the most sensible car, but I love it. A guy at work has a Mazda MX-5 and people take the
out of it, usually calling it a hairdressers car. I don't go in for petty name calling as I have 2 exhaust pipes, so I know mine is better than his.
I have only had mine for 6 weeks and I cannot say anything negative as I have not had any problems yet. Car lives outside and has not let any water in and has always started first time. I use it every day - 10 mile drive to work, 20 mile drive home
. I still look forward to driving it. I sometimes nip out for half an hour drive at lunch-time. Insurance quotations varied dramatically. Ended up with Direct Line. It may not be the most sensible car, but I love it. A guy at work has a Mazda MX-5 and people take the
out of it, usually calling it a hairdressers car. I don't go in for petty name calling as I have 2 exhaust pipes, so I know mine is better than his.Jem,
Had my '99 450 for a little over a year and offer the following comment to try and answer your questions:
I use mine almost daily, to commute the 10 miles to work. So 20 miles per day, 4 days a week plus weekend use. I have had to change 1 relay for the headlights, and the cigarette lighter housing has dropped into the driver door. I have changed the rear tyres (just) and used a fair amount of optimax. It has never let me down starting, or broken down at all.
My insurance is £650 fully comp with protected NCD and track day cover thrown in, through Sunningdales, and I live in Manchester and am 35.
I searched everywhere for mine, local classifieds, Sprint, Autotrader and on here, and bought the best one I could find for the money I had.
All I can say is, that even the 400 is a beast and needs to be treated with respect. As for should you buy one............Oh yes !! Without a shadow of a doubt !!
Paul.........
Had my '99 450 for a little over a year and offer the following comment to try and answer your questions:
I use mine almost daily, to commute the 10 miles to work. So 20 miles per day, 4 days a week plus weekend use. I have had to change 1 relay for the headlights, and the cigarette lighter housing has dropped into the driver door. I have changed the rear tyres (just) and used a fair amount of optimax. It has never let me down starting, or broken down at all.
My insurance is £650 fully comp with protected NCD and track day cover thrown in, through Sunningdales, and I live in Manchester and am 35.
I searched everywhere for mine, local classifieds, Sprint, Autotrader and on here, and bought the best one I could find for the money I had.
All I can say is, that even the 400 is a beast and needs to be treated with respect. As for should you buy one............Oh yes !! Without a shadow of a doubt !!
Paul.........
Hitting middle age at 40? bl**dy kids. 
I got mine when I was a few years older that that, best move I ever made. Other that marrying Mrs Big Al. that is. OH
Can't really add much to what has been said before. We're all TVR mad in here. For good or the bad there’re a true driving experience. They ain’t' CHEAP to run but the rewards far out way the cost.
Good luck and happy hunting.
BTW mine is for sale if you’re interested, I also reside in the South!
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=21164&s=1
I got mine when I was a few years older that that, best move I ever made. Other that marrying Mrs Big Al. that is. OH
Can't really add much to what has been said before. We're all TVR mad in here. For good or the bad there’re a true driving experience. They ain’t' CHEAP to run but the rewards far out way the cost.
Good luck and happy hunting.
BTW mine is for sale if you’re interested, I also reside in the South!
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=21164&s=1
Take advice.
then Just do it!
You will surprise yourself with how much fun you can have. Get yourself to a PH or TVRCC meet and then you will find your life changed forever, for the better of course.
Ellie
(I have had my Griff since last November and am still grinning, planetdave says gurning but he will get slapped).
then Just do it!
You will surprise yourself with how much fun you can have. Get yourself to a PH or TVRCC meet and then you will find your life changed forever, for the better of course.
Ellie
(I have had my Griff since last November and am still grinning,
planetdave says gurning but he will get slapped). I was in the same boat as you mate (pardon the pun) I looked around for ages and finally came across a resonably priced 450 that I liked, so I bought it last week. It was around £4,000 cheaper than similar cars, of similar age, milage and condition I has seen in dealerships.
I've just had it inspected by a local indie who has picked up some faults such as diff bushes, wishbone corrosion and some other odds and sods, but nothing major so I am chuffed to bits
Insurance I got through A Manning for a touch over £600 (about the same as I was paying for my Vitesse)
Although I've had the car for less than a week I have a good feeling about it.
My advise is get one!
I looked around for ages and finally came across a resonably priced 450 that I liked, so I bought it last week. It was around £4,000 cheaper than similar cars, of similar age, milage and condition I has seen in dealerships. I've just had it inspected by a local indie who has picked up some faults such as diff bushes, wishbone corrosion and some other odds and sods, but nothing major so I am chuffed to bits
Insurance I got through A Manning for a touch over £600 (about the same as I was paying for my Vitesse)
Although I've had the car for less than a week I have a good feeling about it.
My advise is get one!N17 TVR said:
what options are absolutely essential?
Starmist Blue paint.......
We all know that Green chims are faster than blue ones
wheresmecoat....
I fully agree with Lil'pugs, being in a very similar situation but beating him by 150 quid on the insurance - try Classicline 01455 639000.
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