what would a 98/99 chimeara cost me to buy/keep

[TVR Hunter]

I know obviously fuel is going to vary depending on my right foot.. I have been v surprised but the insurance - cheapest quote out of a 4.0 chim , honda S2000 and Alfa V6 spider !! - £1040 fully comp.

Apart from that, how much do i need to set aside REALISTICALLY for servicing and odd niggly repairs ?

Also - what is the best buy for about £20k or just over .. e.g a newer 4.0 or a slightly older 4.5 ? I ge the impression that depreciation isnt bad at all if you keep the mileage down - it would be a genuine 2nd car for me so about 4-5k miles a year i guess.

thanks

[R&J]

Mine is a genuine 3rd car, still does 10,000 miles a year. Its addictive

[tvrbob]

Insure the Chim as a second car, see other numerous threads. 98/99 Chim in good order and with TVRSH and warranty should cost between £18 - 20k. You can get them cheaper if you're willing to carry some risk i.e. no warranty, major service due, private buy, that sort of thing. If I were you I'd pay good money for a nice example and in a good colour. That way it'll keep you happier and be easier to move on. I tend to spend around £1,100/year more than I would on a normal car and you have to be ready and willing to pay this or you will not enjoy the experience. If you can play it cool the market is flooded with Chim's right now so you may be able to negotiate a better deal. In the end it'll be the best thing you ever did and you will be kicking youself that you didn't do it earlier.

[dannyboyo]

Depends on the car really mate. Mine has cost me a fair bit in servicing and repairs over the last 6 months, but I have a feeling that it's not going to give me hassle for a while now. Also I use mine as a main car at the moment (gonna get a runabout car soon to save the Chim) and have done about 12000 since Xmas. So services and repairs come about quicker for me.

I'll give you a rough guide to what i pay though:-

Insurance: £1300 from Sunninghill. I'm 27, with 3 yrs NCB.

Petrol: a long trip of 250 miles costs me about £35 - £40 if i use super unleaded/Optimax. Town driving I'm not to sure about but the previous owner said the car averages about 24/25 mpg

Repairs/Servicing: Now this is the killer!! £580 for its first service with me, but since then I've decided to use independant garages, which should be more like £250/£300 per service. £1800 a few months back on reconed PAS rack, Clutch, new UJ, bonnet hinge repair, fiddle with suspension, new speedo sensor etc etc. £550 a month or so ago for new diff bearings (still not right though)

Other: £200 for 2 new rear tyres, the rear you'll replace every 8000 - 10000 miles. Front ones last bloody ages!! Spent £400 on a new alarm, not crucial but the insurance were hassling and the old alarm was crap!

Future spending: Due for another service now. Also I want to sort the stone chips out on the bonnet. Also replace to cracked venier dashboard with a brushed aluminuim one. Hood needs recovering/replacing over next few months, not urgent though. Also I may do some more to the engine when I'm a bit more flush with cash!!

I won't lie, they're not cheap to run, but these costs will be loads less for someone who only uses it at weekends or not as a main car. Look in my profile, there's a list of money spent on the car.

By the way it's an N reg 4.0l Chimaera!

Edarted tooo ficks mi spelin!!


>> Edited by dannyboyo on Saturday 21st June 00:04

[Leadfoot]

TVR Hunter said:

I Apart from that, how much do i need to set aside REALISTICALLY for servicing and odd niggly repairs ? Also - what is the best buy for about £20k or just over .. e.g a newer 4.0 or a slightly older 4.5 ? thanks

Servicing - what mileage/per year do you realisticly think you'll do?

4.0/4.5? Get a 5.0 litre or a 4.5, the market is awash with 4.0's & will probably stay so - think about your psoition should you wish to move on.

[anonymous-user]

This is what mine has cost me in 2000 miles.
Excluding insurance.

Don't assume that running it only as a weekend car will be cheap.

19th Aug 02.
Fuse Link & box £4.
82.

10th Sept 02. 53509 miles.

Aircon Regas £85+ VAT.
Check for ticking noise & re set timing £78+VAT.

21st Jan 03. 53778 miles

Service & MOT £590.77.

1st March 03. ???miles.

Fuel Leak, tank needed welding. £252.63.

10th May 03. 54303 miles.

Speedo Transducer packed up. £133.93.

24th May 03.

2 New rear SO3's.£241.93

June 03. 54450.

Oil leak.
Aircon packed up again.


Add petrol and Insurance on that and you can get a picture of running costs.

Lee.

[JamieBeeston]

In the 19 mths I have had mine,

the only costs have been Servicing, and replacement Tyres/Shocks

Oh, and the Few K I spent on 'making her fly'

Runs like a Dream, only ever let me down once, and that was a cheap bosch relay (keep 2 in the glove pouch now :P )

Stunning car. Check my profile for more info

[anonymous-user]

Wasn't it your one that cracked the windscreen in traffic IIRC?

Lee

[JamieBeeston]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

yeah, hardly call that a break tho,

teach me to leave stone chips unfixed

[anonymous-user]

Have you heard those annoying Autoglass adverts saying you could save a life by fixing a small chip