advice for tvr neophyte please on buying chimera
Discussion
Ive just sold my 7[my 3rd 7]lways been into lotus or 7s but now i must move on to something a wee bit more practical and effete so that SWMBO can drive
So i have narrowed down to either a chimera or a caterham 21 -the latter allowing me to stay with the marque in a sfoter form and a boot and a useable hood -I have more or less discounted the 21 as i dont like the k series engine -ie for its relaiblity issues -otherwsie think the 21 is ideal but its either a k series or nowt
So im back to the chimera -which seems good value for money and a nice car with decent boot and fairly quick [my track days are over according to SWMBO ]
My 7 was quite quick with 250 bhp -so > 400 bhp / tonne -so i guess its going to have be a 500
Im told by a pal who had a 500 Griff that its not as nice to drive as 400 or 450 and more difficult to maintain -presume the same applies to a chimera as well
Im in no rush as the weather here is poor until march/april
Anyway ive narrowed my dearch down to 2 cars within my price range ,and aside from service history ,what does one need to look out ofr in a 500
On the a kindred topic -is it worth having the mark adams tornado chip and mapping -does it make the car more driveable or not in terms of usable otrque band -has anyone 1st hand experience of this chip ?
Also one of the cars im considering has a dodgy radiator which has been radwelded [at least the vendor was honest about thsi ] -so how much does it cost to get a radiator reonditioned or a new one fitted
Ive been told to set aside about 3k over 2 years realistically for a chimera -so im having to factor this into the equation as well
Any advice gladly accepeted
Anyone who knows of decent car would alsas im in no rush and will wait for the right one to come along -currently thining about justin hughes car which seems well sorted and a hassle free option [im not a techie person who tinkers with cars ]
I am also allergic to dealers in general ,so its a private sale im after
Regards,Brian
So i have narrowed down to either a chimera or a caterham 21 -the latter allowing me to stay with the marque in a sfoter form and a boot and a useable hood -I have more or less discounted the 21 as i dont like the k series engine -ie for its relaiblity issues -otherwsie think the 21 is ideal but its either a k series or nowt
So im back to the chimera -which seems good value for money and a nice car with decent boot and fairly quick [my track days are over according to SWMBO ]
My 7 was quite quick with 250 bhp -so > 400 bhp / tonne -so i guess its going to have be a 500
Im told by a pal who had a 500 Griff that its not as nice to drive as 400 or 450 and more difficult to maintain -presume the same applies to a chimera as well
Im in no rush as the weather here is poor until march/april
Anyway ive narrowed my dearch down to 2 cars within my price range ,and aside from service history ,what does one need to look out ofr in a 500
On the a kindred topic -is it worth having the mark adams tornado chip and mapping -does it make the car more driveable or not in terms of usable otrque band -has anyone 1st hand experience of this chip ?
Also one of the cars im considering has a dodgy radiator which has been radwelded [at least the vendor was honest about thsi ] -so how much does it cost to get a radiator reonditioned or a new one fitted
Ive been told to set aside about 3k over 2 years realistically for a chimera -so im having to factor this into the equation as well
Any advice gladly accepeted
Anyone who knows of decent car would alsas im in no rush and will wait for the right one to come along -currently thining about justin hughes car which seems well sorted and a hassle free option [im not a techie person who tinkers with cars ]
I am also allergic to dealers in general ,so its a private sale im after
Regards,Brian
As you're entering Tiv ownership from a Seven (and not,say, a BMW etc)you'll probably be more able to live with the little idiosyncrasies - the odd electrical gremlin , keeping am eye on chassis corrosion , more maintenance etc (ie 500's tend to use oil more).
A Chim 500 would be the best bet imo ,in terms of performance compared to a decent Seven.
Budget £3000 to £4000 for Quality bigger brakes and suspension and you're Track Day fun is far from over , just beggining , on a whole ,new ,scarier level
.
Ive had a MA Chip for years and it has improved driveabilty in Road and Track no end
.
My Chim has seen lots of hard use Track days and last weeks outing was , i think , about it's 52nd
same engine,same cam etc.
Make a weekend of it and get down to Chatsworth House St 22nd april and meet/speak to some other owners who can give you there advice
.
It might even be Sunny
.
A Chim 500 would be the best bet imo ,in terms of performance compared to a decent Seven.
Budget £3000 to £4000 for Quality bigger brakes and suspension and you're Track Day fun is far from over , just beggining , on a whole ,new ,scarier level
. Ive had a MA Chip for years and it has improved driveabilty in Road and Track no end
. My Chim has seen lots of hard use Track days and last weeks outing was , i think , about it's 52nd
same engine,same cam etc. Make a weekend of it and get down to Chatsworth House St 22nd april and meet/speak to some other owners who can give you there advice
. It might even be Sunny
. So its split decision on torando chip it seems Hmm
As for track days -the point is that ive been banned by SMBO altogether -nowt i can really do about this as i wouldnt want to go behind her back -she is fierce and not be messed with
Twas her idea to go for a softer more practical car -hence the chimera -she may even drive it -eek
Yep ive heard 500s are high maintenance but as you say having owned 3 7s ,a 69 elan and a 100/4 healey -niggles are all part of the deal
What about the 450 -isnt that going to be easier to live with and not much slower than a 500 for raod use ??
Ive been told by justin hughes [whos selling his yelow 500] about the things to check out-and it seems his is the fornt runner even though its currently in bits @ austec -he seems a real tvr enthusiast and quite obsessional about his car which hes spent a packet on -problem is its just beyond my budget and SWMBO wont let go to 13.5 even though ive told her that one should always stretchto buy the best with these older cars -unfortunately i ended selling my 7 for buttons as i got fed up with the wasters and kickers -so im determined to buy the best car now ive got the money in my pocket
Would any of you buy a 500 of 96-98 vintage with say > 40k miles which had not had the usual expensive bits sorted such as an engine rebuild or had new radiator ,steering rack ,clutch etc -makes me nervous thinking of the scary bills which one rack up -been there and got the T shirt on that score with my 7s and dont want to go there again if i can help it
Regards,Brian
As for track days -the point is that ive been banned by SMBO altogether -nowt i can really do about this as i wouldnt want to go behind her back -she is fierce and not be messed with
Twas her idea to go for a softer more practical car -hence the chimera -she may even drive it -eek
Yep ive heard 500s are high maintenance but as you say having owned 3 7s ,a 69 elan and a 100/4 healey -niggles are all part of the deal
What about the 450 -isnt that going to be easier to live with and not much slower than a 500 for raod use ??
Ive been told by justin hughes [whos selling his yelow 500] about the things to check out-and it seems his is the fornt runner even though its currently in bits @ austec -he seems a real tvr enthusiast and quite obsessional about his car which hes spent a packet on -problem is its just beyond my budget and SWMBO wont let go to 13.5 even though ive told her that one should always stretchto buy the best with these older cars -unfortunately i ended selling my 7 for buttons as i got fed up with the wasters and kickers -so im determined to buy the best car now ive got the money in my pocket
Would any of you buy a 500 of 96-98 vintage with say > 40k miles which had not had the usual expensive bits sorted such as an engine rebuild or had new radiator ,steering rack ,clutch etc -makes me nervous thinking of the scary bills which one rack up -been there and got the T shirt on that score with my 7s and dont want to go there again if i can help it
Regards,Brian
In that case, a good 450 may be the best option for road use only ,enough grunt without the extra maintenance - also less likely to have been thrashed 'round a circuit evey month 
.
how about
www.pistonheads.com/sales/65946.htm
>> Edited by whitechimp500 on Sunday 19th February 15:13
. how about
www.pistonheads.com/sales/65946.htm
>> Edited by whitechimp500 on Sunday 19th February 15:13
dont like dealers as a rule and i wouldnt get the beneoft of any warranty as i live too far away to persue any faults -i actually spoke to someone from this company before and they gave the impression that iwas in their way and didnt care less -thats a bad sign for me -id rather find a private seller[pref TVRCC] who really cherishes knows the car inside out than a dealer who justs to make a fast buck ,takes your money and then laughs in your face when things go wrong
V8 Kieran said:
Surprised that these guys haven't pulled you up on the fact that Chimeara has an "a" in it. )
just what I thought!!! Re. coming to a Chim from a 7....well I had a Westy before so can give some impressions...
There is no way that any flavour of Chim is going to be as "chuckable" as a 7, but then not many cars are. And to be honest its missing the point. Any 7 is a fantastic blast and fun even at slow speeds, but totally impractical. A Chim is 100% more practical, and again is fun at slow speeds cos it sounds so good!! Squeeze the loud pedal and it will go well (or very well if a 500!). But you will drive it totally differently to a 7.
So, I think you may be surprised that the 400 may well be "sufficient" - have you tried any yet? If this is the case, then you will have opened up your potential market considerably!
Hope that might help, a bit!
well ive now actually taken the plunge and bought justin Hughes yellow 96 500 which looks immaculate in every regard so cant wait and my 3 boys are wetting themsleves -even thought they reckon it wont cut any dash at their posh school which is full of astons ,bentleys,xkrs ,and even a gordon keeble
Insurance is quite a bit dearer than my 7 -quoted from MSM and FJ £400 for 3k miles pa with 150 xs incl breakdown [hopefully wont call on this ]
im looking a chucakble car like my 7 but dont to be embarassed with my sons in the car by a hardresser in an MX5 round the twisty bits .
i agree my 7 ownership has been great fun and i come into money -when my 3 boys have left posh school -then ill defintely buy another 7
ill have to get over the stick my friends will give me who are all into lotus or caterham
Anway ive friends whove got 7s so can always get a ride off them to refresh my memory
ive no intetnion of tracking the chimera [note spelling ]
Insurance is quite a bit dearer than my 7 -quoted from MSM and FJ £400 for 3k miles pa with 150 xs incl breakdown [hopefully wont call on this ]
im looking a chucakble car like my 7 but dont to be embarassed with my sons in the car by a hardresser in an MX5 round the twisty bits .
i agree my 7 ownership has been great fun and i come into money -when my 3 boys have left posh school -then ill defintely buy another 7
ill have to get over the stick my friends will give me who are all into lotus or caterham
Anway ive friends whove got 7s so can always get a ride off them to refresh my memory
ive no intetnion of tracking the chimera [note spelling ]
oh by the way thanks for relocating my thread -got a bit mixed up when i originally posted -must be still thinking im on blatchat
havent dared yet " come out " and told anyone on blatchat that ive bought a TVR as reckon ill get too much sledging
they can be quite a fickle bunch these 7ers you know
maybe i could just tell my friends every time they want a blat that my 7 is in the garage -they are bound to beleive me
havent dared yet " come out " and told anyone on blatchat that ive bought a TVR as reckon ill get too much sledging
they can be quite a fickle bunch these 7ers you know
maybe i could just tell my friends every time they want a blat that my 7 is in the garage -they are bound to beleive me
doclip said:
well ive now actually taken the plunge and bought justin Hughes yellow 96 500 which looks immaculate in every regard so cant wait and my 3 boys are wetting themsleves -even thought they reckon it wont cut any dash at their posh school which is full of astons ,bentleys,xkrs ,and even a gordon keeble
chimera [note spelling ]
Its Chimaera
You'll be noticed - way before they see you they will hear you
just out of curiosity im wondering whats the spec on a 500 in terms of power to wt ratio -im guessing about 300 bhp/tonne ? My 7 was putting out > 400bhp/tonne which was rather quick enough for me -have to confess i never expolored its full potential -im assuming the chimaera will have lots more torque lower down -my 7 had peak torque @ 5k rpm but a nice flat curve right up to the limiter on 7.8k rpm -does this make it trcky to drive in lower gears or when overtaking in say 2nd or 3rd -ie risk of wheel spin
Whats the best advice when driving a 500 apart from being canny with the throttle- guess its going to be a completely different more relaxed style of driving than my 7 -although it was impractical it was almost impossible to lose the back end on twisty roads -v forgiving car to drive -it always looks after you
im also told that the 500 is a bit hairy in the wet -does that depend on tyres -my 7 was on supersoft Advan 032s which were like glue in the dry but scary in the wet and you only get 3k miles out them
Whats the best all round rubber for a 500 for road use-mostly dry if i can help it -im not using it on track
Whats the best advice when driving a 500 apart from being canny with the throttle- guess its going to be a completely different more relaxed style of driving than my 7 -although it was impractical it was almost impossible to lose the back end on twisty roads -v forgiving car to drive -it always looks after you
im also told that the 500 is a bit hairy in the wet -does that depend on tyres -my 7 was on supersoft Advan 032s which were like glue in the dry but scary in the wet and you only get 3k miles out them
Whats the best all round rubber for a 500 for road use-mostly dry if i can help it -im not using it on track
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