£12,000 to spend Tvr chimera v 911
Discussion
Whats your thoughts on this?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191296901957?_trksid=p20...
Descent chims seem harder to come by.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191296901957?_trksid=p20...
Descent chims seem harder to come by.
An old 911 will give plenty of smiles while still being very reliable, but with the rate of price increase you would be looking at about £25k for anything decent unless you go for a cheap 996, and while that's a lot of car for the money and given your alternative choice I'm not sure it's raw enough.
So Tvr it is
Enjoy.
So Tvr it is
Enjoy.
Jasandjules said:
St John Smythe said:
0-60 in 5 and 175mph. So quicker than a 4.0 chim (I used to have one). I'm in the market for a 996 after xmas
Autotrader said 6 to 60. TVR is 4.8 if you had the slowest one 
Don't get me wrong my Chim was fast (especially after I had the engine rebuilt, fast road cam and Mark Adams chip). However they definitely feel faster than they truly are. As you probably already know, TVR were somewhat ambitious with their 0-60 claims
Edited to add - having said that, for a raw driving experience and something that has a sense of occasion I have to admit, the Chim wins hands down.
Edited by St John Smythe on Sunday 14th September 19:18
St John Smythe said:
Jasandjules said:
St John Smythe said:
0-60 in 5 and 175mph. So quicker than a 4.0 chim (I used to have one). I'm in the market for a 996 after xmas
Autotrader said 6 to 60. TVR is 4.8 if you had the slowest one Don't get me wrong my Chim was fast (especially after I had the engine rebuilt, fast road cam and Mark Adams chip). However they definitely feel faster than they truly are. As you probably already know, TVR were somewhat ambitious with their 0-60 claims
Edited to add - having said that, for a raw driving experience and something that has a sense of occasion I have to admit, the Chim wins hands down.
Edited by St John Smythe on Sunday 14th September 19:18
I would still love one just for the noise and occasion but i think my pickup truck would make it sweat in the bends!! Come to think of it, ive never seen any TVR driven with any conviction on a windy road.
So, with the Chim, i think great noise, occasion, shifts on the straights but probably battered by a modern tdi on windy roads and what with the airfix build quality, alot of things to weigh up!
Must be great posing around town, though and a nice leisurely drive in the sticks!
oceanview said:
Come to think of it, ive never seen any TVR driven with any conviction on a windy road.
Well, your interpretation of conviction might differ from the bloke in the TVR! Though I take your point, I see plenty around up here (I'm quite near to Hexham Horseless Carriages and the local TVR club seems pretty active), but rarely see them driven with gusto. Cruising the lanes, sure, but never with any fire. I think the ambience of the cabin, the pleasure of getting the roof down and noise of the exhaust seems to be enough for most TVR drivers. Plus, the majority of TVR'S I see out on the road are driven by old blokes (60+) with their missus looking windswept in the passenger seat. Classic 'Sunday drive' characteristics, and on a sunny weekend day your chances of seeing a TVR on the local B roads are greatly increased, but yes, don't expect them to come rushing past you any time soon! Regarding the 996 above with the GT3 aero kit on, I can't say it does it for me. The 996 is a beautiful shape and like most Carreras, looks best with the standard spoiler retracted. If you don't have the GT3 engine, suspension and interior, I wouldn't bother with a big wing either.
I think when people talk of poor handling they maybe correct on a standard Chimaera that rolled out of the factory.
But with many of the owners spending money over the years it's pretty rare to find one that hasn't had upgrades of brakes,holed/grooved discs or modified suspension which makes the cars handle much better than when they left the factory,also performance upgrades that brings many Chimaera's well into the under 5 secs club.
I thought Baryonyx opinion was very good and very accurate in that many owners are not of the boy racer image and simply as he says are quite happy to burble along with the occasional blast here and there.
If oceanview wants to come past me at 110 on a B road then i will let him do so even if i was sitting in a Veyron or Aventador I have gone past this stage of driving many many years ago.
I enjoy events like this morning meeting up with some other TVR enthusiasts,roof off fresh air driving and seeing a group of TVR's together when normally it's quite rare to see them on the road.
But with many of the owners spending money over the years it's pretty rare to find one that hasn't had upgrades of brakes,holed/grooved discs or modified suspension which makes the cars handle much better than when they left the factory,also performance upgrades that brings many Chimaera's well into the under 5 secs club.
I thought Baryonyx opinion was very good and very accurate in that many owners are not of the boy racer image and simply as he says are quite happy to burble along with the occasional blast here and there.
If oceanview wants to come past me at 110 on a B road then i will let him do so even if i was sitting in a Veyron or Aventador I have gone past this stage of driving many many years ago.
I enjoy events like this morning meeting up with some other TVR enthusiasts,roof off fresh air driving and seeing a group of TVR's together when normally it's quite rare to see them on the road.
oceanview said:
St John Smythe said:
Jasandjules said:
St John Smythe said:
0-60 in 5 and 175mph. So quicker than a 4.0 chim (I used to have one). I'm in the market for a 996 after xmas
Autotrader said 6 to 60. TVR is 4.8 if you had the slowest one Don't get me wrong my Chim was fast (especially after I had the engine rebuilt, fast road cam and Mark Adams chip). However they definitely feel faster than they truly are. As you probably already know, TVR were somewhat ambitious with their 0-60 claims
Edited to add - having said that, for a raw driving experience and something that has a sense of occasion I have to admit, the Chim wins hands down.
Edited by St John Smythe on Sunday 14th September 19:18
I would still love one just for the noise and occasion but i think my pickup truck would make it sweat in the bends!! Come to think of it, ive never seen any TVR driven with any conviction on a windy road.
So, with the Chim, i think great noise, occasion, shifts on the straights but probably battered by a modern tdi on windy roads and what with the airfix build quality, alot of things to weigh up!
Must be great posing around town, though and a nice leisurely drive in the sticks!
Viz Chimaeras, I've got nitron shocks on mine and 500 brakes and decent tyres on it. In the dry it'll go round corners faster than I can, it just feels so flat and has very sharp steering. In the wet however....it'll wheelspin in 3rd if you're overkeen with the throttle and the front tyres aren't quite up to the rack.
The reason so many people don't thrash them around lanes is because the pleasure of the car is sticking it in 5th at 30mph and just burbling around on a wave of torque, overtaking what you want, when you want. Tend to find the missus complains when I hoon it round tight bends and I get enough of that with her out of the car.
The reason so many people don't thrash them around lanes is because the pleasure of the car is sticking it in 5th at 30mph and just burbling around on a wave of torque, overtaking what you want, when you want. Tend to find the missus complains when I hoon it round tight bends and I get enough of that with her out of the car.
awooga said:
Viz Chimaeras, I've got nitron shocks on mine and 500 brakes and decent tyres on it. In the dry it'll go round corners faster than I can, it just feels so flat and has very sharp steering.
Indeed. I came from an Elise to my 5.0 and whilst you can't feel the grip quite as much in the TVR, I can take plenty of corners at similar speeds (I am not brave enough to push it as much as in the Elise). Whilst my 4.0 felt a bit like a ship out of water at times when cornering, the 5.0 was properly set up before I bought her and is a totally different animal handling wise (not to mention acceleration wise!).
Well went to see a chim today, To drive it more than anything as it dident have power steering so i wanted to see how it felt.
Well the steering wasent as bad as i was expecting.
The rest of the car was a right dog, The owner kept going on how he had spent £2000 replacing all the interior leather.
Shame the rest of the car looked like it had been dragged up from the bottom of a canal!
Couldn't really give it the beans but was sort of expecting a little for from a 4.0
Well the steering wasent as bad as i was expecting.
The rest of the car was a right dog, The owner kept going on how he had spent £2000 replacing all the interior leather.
Shame the rest of the car looked like it had been dragged up from the bottom of a canal!
Couldn't really give it the beans but was sort of expecting a little for from a 4.0
bababoom said:
Well went to see a chim today, To drive it more than anything as it dident have power steering so i wanted to see how it felt.
Well the steering wasent as bad as i was expecting.
The rest of the car was a right dog, The owner kept going on how he had spent £2000 replacing all the interior leather.
Shame the rest of the car looked like it had been dragged up from the bottom of a canal!
Couldn't really give it the beans but was sort of expecting a little for from a 4.0
I can't understand with your budget that you are coming across cars like this. Most cars without PS would be Pre 95 and at your budget you should be getting into a later car. Saying that PS was an optional extra when buying new so there may be the random late car out there without.Well the steering wasent as bad as i was expecting.
The rest of the car was a right dog, The owner kept going on how he had spent £2000 replacing all the interior leather.
Shame the rest of the car looked like it had been dragged up from the bottom of a canal!
Couldn't really give it the beans but was sort of expecting a little for from a 4.0
Was it a private viewing or dealership? You never replied to what part of the country you are from.
TVRJAS said:
I think when people talk of poor handling they maybe correct on a standard Chimaera that rolled out of the factory.
But with many of the owners spending money over the years it's pretty rare to find one that hasn't had upgrades of brakes,holed/grooved discs or modified suspension which makes the cars handle much better than when they left the factory,also performance upgrades that brings many Chimaera's well into the under 5 secs club.
I thought Baryonyx opinion was very good and very accurate in that many owners are not of the boy racer image and simply as he says are quite happy to burble along with the occasional blast here and there.
If oceanview wants to come past me at 110 on a B road then i will let him do so even if i was sitting in a Veyron or Aventador I have gone past this stage of driving many many years ago.
I enjoy events like this morning meeting up with some other TVR enthusiasts,roof off fresh air driving and seeing a group of TVR's together when normally it's quite rare to see them on the road.
Few cars are better at the hunt for a country pub. But with many of the owners spending money over the years it's pretty rare to find one that hasn't had upgrades of brakes,holed/grooved discs or modified suspension which makes the cars handle much better than when they left the factory,also performance upgrades that brings many Chimaera's well into the under 5 secs club.
I thought Baryonyx opinion was very good and very accurate in that many owners are not of the boy racer image and simply as he says are quite happy to burble along with the occasional blast here and there.
If oceanview wants to come past me at 110 on a B road then i will let him do so even if i was sitting in a Veyron or Aventador I have gone past this stage of driving many many years ago.
I enjoy events like this morning meeting up with some other TVR enthusiasts,roof off fresh air driving and seeing a group of TVR's together when normally it's quite rare to see them on the road.
wormus said:
There are 2,300 Chimeras on the road and only 287 Monaro VXRs. I bet you've never driven one and certainly don't know what fun they are to own.
At least the numbers favour the better car then. What is the consensus on PAS in the Chimaera then? Better with, or without? Most cars where it was an option tend to polarise the argument; ie: the MX5 was always designed to have PAS and the non-assisted steering rack is slow and crap, whereas in the 106 Rallye it feels more communicative and visceral without PAS and this is preferred. Does the resulting ideal hold true for other TVR cars?
Let's ignore modified cars for a brief moment.
A Chim 400 is not very quick and handles crap. A Boxster 3.2s will show it a clean pair of heals on the straights and on the corners. Even a bog standard 118hp Elise will keep up on the straights and blow it into the weeds on the corners.
Obviously, if you muck about with it (most notably in terms of the suspension) it will be miles better. Also a Chim 500 will have the actual power and performance that Chim 400 owners delude themselves into thinking they have.
Plenty will disagree with me, but I am qualified in my opinion as I have owned all of the cars mentioned in succession (3 different elises, a vx220, a Boxster s and the TVR chim 400). The Chim was by far and away the most disappointing to drive (it was standard bar a sleeved exhaust system).
As I mentioned before, £12k would get you a great V8 BMW 6-series convertible which will carry 4, be modern, fast and sound great. It will also return way better fuel economy than a TVR Chim (mine had a laughable appetite for shell v power way beyond what a car of its diminutive weight or power had any right to assume).
A Chim 400 is not very quick and handles crap. A Boxster 3.2s will show it a clean pair of heals on the straights and on the corners. Even a bog standard 118hp Elise will keep up on the straights and blow it into the weeds on the corners.
Obviously, if you muck about with it (most notably in terms of the suspension) it will be miles better. Also a Chim 500 will have the actual power and performance that Chim 400 owners delude themselves into thinking they have.
Plenty will disagree with me, but I am qualified in my opinion as I have owned all of the cars mentioned in succession (3 different elises, a vx220, a Boxster s and the TVR chim 400). The Chim was by far and away the most disappointing to drive (it was standard bar a sleeved exhaust system).
As I mentioned before, £12k would get you a great V8 BMW 6-series convertible which will carry 4, be modern, fast and sound great. It will also return way better fuel economy than a TVR Chim (mine had a laughable appetite for shell v power way beyond what a car of its diminutive weight or power had any right to assume).
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