S2000 to Chimaera - Should I do it?

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Posting here means I've half made my mind up really, but was wondering if anyone else has made this switch before? I've never had an issue with the Honda; starts every time, VTEC always spot on whereas I feel the main thing holding me back with the TVR is reliability and maintenance.

My main concern is that 6 months of the year it will be parked on the streets of London so it really has to be watertight, and I won't have my tools with me to fix anything if it does give up on me. I'm not too bothered about winter as it'll be garaged at my parent's like I did with the Honda.

I'd love to have a chat in person with any Chimaera owners in central London also, just to see if this is really doable.

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Thanks for all your replies, seems to be a mixed bag about leaving the car outside!

To answer some questions, the car will be used as an evening/weekend car and I have a trickle charger that can be used to revive the battery but other than that i won't have the tools to fix most issues. What I'd probably get annoyed about is if i'm running late, get into the car to find it won't start but you are right in saying there will inevitably be one bad egg out of many...

For those who leave the car outside with a cover on - my worry is that it'll get nicked, what are people's thoughts?

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QBee said:

You are welcome to come along to the track day at Snetterton on Wednesday as my guest (just rock up and look for the TVRs in the pits, you already know what mine looks like) and join 11 of us having fun together.

Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately I work fairly long hours so won't be able to nip out.

To be honest, the car i've always had in mind to replace the S2000 was a BMW Z3M Coupe but since the 'investors' got wind of the car, prices have shot up in the last year. The Chim was the next best car on my list as I had boxsters and Z4 in my mind when I bought the S2000, which didn't excite me in the slightest - it seems that these days £10k does not buy you much!

Incidently, the Chim I was chasing after was sold this morning as I couldn't get it inspected by a specialist this week. Ho hum, maybe it was meant to be...

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keith2.2 said:

I went from an S2K to a Chim.

The Chim was more of an occasion. I say this because it was both an occasion to drive, and it only worked occasionally.

The chim would leave the S2k for dead in a straight line, but the extra sophistication in the chassis of the S2K really showed - the Chim wouldn't know which way the S had gone in the twisties (the chim was on nitrons, the S2K on entry-level coilovers).

Knowing what I know now - would I make the same change again?

No. I wouldn't. I loved them both, but the S is the one I consider "the best car I've ever owned". Having the TVR was an experience, and I'm glad I've owned one...it just lacked a certain something for me.

Funny you say this because I genuinely thought I'd keep the S2000 forever, but I recently had a ride in a 911 turbo and ever since i've been craving more speed"

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Thanks for all your replies guys,

I'm going to look at a Chimaera tomorrow, from my understanding the car has been sitting in a garage for 10 years and used sparingly. Apart from the usual outriggers, roof and electronics to check, I'm worried that the engine has been standing for too long and will require a rebuild, what signs of engine failure should I check?

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Its in the south west unfortunately!