Second car. Chimaera or something else? (What car thread)
Discussion
So I'm thinking about getting a 2nd car. The wife will get the family bus and I'll be using my own (a bit more special) car for myself, which will mostly be for work but also for the occasional blast in the country when I get chance.
I have about £6,000 to spend and maybe could stretch it a little bit more if I had to. I've been looking at 2+2 coupes mostly and the occasional 2 seater convertible and the Chimaera is my favourite so far. The others I've been looking at are:
Porsche 924: I've always had a soft-spot for the 924 and 944 and with this budget I can pretty much get one in concourse condition from around £4,000 upwards. There's currently a very nice looking Le Mans edition in the classifieds and it's very tempting. However I would like something powerful and quick and although the 924s aren't slow they are compared to a Chimaera.
Porsche 944 Turbo: Of course like I said I have a soft-spot for these too. The reason I'm only really tempted by the Turbo is because I like the 924 better (sentimental reasons) and the Turbo is the only model that I would choose over a 924. Plus the Turbo is a lot quicker and will have that push back in your seat feeling that Turbo cars have which would be very nice to own and experience myself.
Porsche 968: I like the look of these but my £6,000 budget only seems to scrape the bottom of the classifieds.
Porsche Boxster: I didn't realise you could pick these up so cheaply and my budget seems to get a nice low mileage (around 50,000) late 90s one. The Boxster has never really done anything for me though. I've always thought it was a bit boring looking and I don't think I'd look at it through the window at night and think Mmmmm.
Honda S2000: Very nice cars and I do like the look of them but I suppose I'm being a bit shallow when I say that it would be nice to say I have a Porsche or TVR. Plus the others will probably gain value if I look after it (and wait long enough) whereas the Honda may just lose value (correct me if I'm wrong).
Vauxhall Monaro: Pure American Muscle (although it's Australian) is very tempting. However my budget just like it is with the 968 is only scraping the bottom of the classifieds. Plus why on earth did they put what looks like a Corsa steering wheel on them?
TVR Chimaera: This one so far is the one I like the most. Watching videos of these on Youtube and thoughts of owning one is the only one that's giving me butterfly's. The power, sound, looks, britishness is everything I like. However I do have concerns about them.
My trip to work is only 7 miles and thus with all the cars I'm looking at, most of the time they're not going to get up to full operating temperature. Like I said I will be using them for the occasional country blast (maybe 2-4 times a month) where they will get a nice long run with the full rev-range used but out of all the cars I'm looking at the TVR is the one that I worry the most about this. Lets be honest they don't have the best reputation for reliability and I don't want to ruin it with all the short trips.
So what do the Piston head masses think? Just after everyones opinion and thoughts really, so all contributions welcome.
I have about £6,000 to spend and maybe could stretch it a little bit more if I had to. I've been looking at 2+2 coupes mostly and the occasional 2 seater convertible and the Chimaera is my favourite so far. The others I've been looking at are:
Porsche 924: I've always had a soft-spot for the 924 and 944 and with this budget I can pretty much get one in concourse condition from around £4,000 upwards. There's currently a very nice looking Le Mans edition in the classifieds and it's very tempting. However I would like something powerful and quick and although the 924s aren't slow they are compared to a Chimaera.
Porsche 944 Turbo: Of course like I said I have a soft-spot for these too. The reason I'm only really tempted by the Turbo is because I like the 924 better (sentimental reasons) and the Turbo is the only model that I would choose over a 924. Plus the Turbo is a lot quicker and will have that push back in your seat feeling that Turbo cars have which would be very nice to own and experience myself.
Porsche 968: I like the look of these but my £6,000 budget only seems to scrape the bottom of the classifieds.
Porsche Boxster: I didn't realise you could pick these up so cheaply and my budget seems to get a nice low mileage (around 50,000) late 90s one. The Boxster has never really done anything for me though. I've always thought it was a bit boring looking and I don't think I'd look at it through the window at night and think Mmmmm.
Honda S2000: Very nice cars and I do like the look of them but I suppose I'm being a bit shallow when I say that it would be nice to say I have a Porsche or TVR. Plus the others will probably gain value if I look after it (and wait long enough) whereas the Honda may just lose value (correct me if I'm wrong).
Vauxhall Monaro: Pure American Muscle (although it's Australian) is very tempting. However my budget just like it is with the 968 is only scraping the bottom of the classifieds. Plus why on earth did they put what looks like a Corsa steering wheel on them?
TVR Chimaera: This one so far is the one I like the most. Watching videos of these on Youtube and thoughts of owning one is the only one that's giving me butterfly's. The power, sound, looks, britishness is everything I like. However I do have concerns about them.
My trip to work is only 7 miles and thus with all the cars I'm looking at, most of the time they're not going to get up to full operating temperature. Like I said I will be using them for the occasional country blast (maybe 2-4 times a month) where they will get a nice long run with the full rev-range used but out of all the cars I'm looking at the TVR is the one that I worry the most about this. Lets be honest they don't have the best reputation for reliability and I don't want to ruin it with all the short trips.
So what do the Piston head masses think? Just after everyones opinion and thoughts really, so all contributions welcome.
tomsugden said:
I had a TVR 350i as my only car, and used it in all weathers. It was very reliable, but did require regular maintenance..
Not sure what you mean. If it needed regular maintenance then it's not reliable no?. Most reliable cars only need their yearly service and that's it.TheTurbonator said:
TVR Chimaera: This one so far is the one I like the most. Watching videos of these on Youtube and thoughts of owning one is the only one that's giving me butterfly's. The power, sound, looks, britishness is everything I like. However I do have concerns about them.
Decision made - you will only regret buying something else by the sounds of it.Worst case problems last a few days and happen rarely, where as the other cars will feel less special 365 days a year.
No point wondering what if - so long as you have an emergency fund for any issues!
Why don't you get a Yaris, a micra, 306 or something else that costs pennies to buy and run. Maybe even a 125cc scooter. Use this only for getting to work and buy a TVR to use for all other driving. I have a turbo charged fairly fast car, when I used it for a daily commute it stopped feeling special. I now drive a van most of the time for work and don't use the car much at all which has made the car feel fast again.
Dracoro said:
tomsugden said:
I had a TVR 350i as my only car, and used it in all weathers. It was very reliable, but did require regular maintenance..
Not sure what you mean. If it needed regular maintenance then it's not reliable no?. Most reliable cars only need their yearly service and that's it.I've got a chimaera 4.3, supposedly only for weekend and sunny day use. In the time i've owned it I,ve had to call it into service on three occasions when my daily driver (a supposedly ultra reliable diesel E class let me down 
) Every time the merc broke the bill including recovery was in excess of £500... The Tvr shrugged of howling rain freezing weather and a 35 mile commute every day each time. Regular maintenance does not really equal unreliable. Both of the previous cars got "regular" maintenance but I would never have believed the TVR would be so dependable. The other cars you mention doubtless have their merits but buy the Tvr in the right condition and at the right price and you won@t regret it.
) Every time the merc broke the bill including recovery was in excess of £500... The Tvr shrugged of howling rain freezing weather and a 35 mile commute every day each time. Regular maintenance does not really equal unreliable. Both of the previous cars got "regular" maintenance but I would never have believed the TVR would be so dependable. The other cars you mention doubtless have their merits but buy the Tvr in the right condition and at the right price and you won@t regret it.swiftpete said:
Why don't you get a Yaris, a micra, 306 or something else that costs pennies to buy and run. Maybe even a 125cc scooter. Use this only for getting to work and buy a TVR to use for all other driving. I have a turbo charged fairly fast car, when I used it for a daily commute it stopped feeling special. I now drive a van most of the time for work and don't use the car much at all which has made the car feel fast again.
Thanks for all the comments everyone. Funny you should mention the bike thing as I used to have a 125cc Honda and loved it.when you get your tvr it wont be a 7 mile journey any more, you will find that you take the long route to work and you wont go straight home, so no 7 mile trips to worry about.
do micras do this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aCGWUEPSQ&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kU-9eU2-d4
do micras do this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aCGWUEPSQ&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kU-9eU2-d4
lestershaw said:
when you get your tvr it wont be a 7 mile journey any more, you will find that you take the long route to work and you wont go straight home, so no 7 mile trips to worry about.
do micras do this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aCGWUEPSQ&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kU-9eU2-d4
That's what gives me the butterflies do micras do this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aCGWUEPSQ&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kU-9eU2-d4
i have had a 3.2 boxster s and a chimaera 500 an XJR a RR Vogue for the last 6 months, and first choice is always the the chimaera, wind rain or shine. careful in the rain though. sometimes i have to force myself to take a different car,
keep the mileage down, its wet out there, youve got to fill up if you take the chim, whats the point of having another car,you will wake the neighbours up,it will get dirty, others will want to race you,
but the bug WILL get you
keep the mileage down, its wet out there, youve got to fill up if you take the chim, whats the point of having another car,you will wake the neighbours up,it will get dirty, others will want to race you,
but the bug WILL get you
lestershaw said:
when you get your tvr it wont be a 7 mile journey any more, you will find that you take the long route to work and you wont go straight home, so no 7 mile trips to worry about.
do micras do this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aCGWUEPSQ&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kU-9eU2-d4
I didn't say get a micra instead of a chimaera. I said get a chimaera, but get a banger that you can use for commuting so the chimaera still feels special. Although people talk about taking the long route home and all that, it's total rubbish IMO. By the time you finish work it's usually rush hour, you're tired after work and just want to get home as fast as possible, not delay and go for a long drive around at the time when the traffic is worst. You might do it occasionally, but I've never finished work and thought 'Ah, lets do an extra 20 miles of traffic queues tonight as I'm in the mood'.do micras do this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24aCGWUEPSQ&fea...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kU-9eU2-d4
Maybe you'll do it occasionally, but definitely not every night and if you did do it every night (which you won't), then it stops feeling special anyway.
swiftpete said:
I didn't say get a micra instead of a chimaera. I said get a chimaera, but get a banger that you can use for commuting so the chimaera still feels special. Although people talk about taking the long route home and all that, it's total rubbish IMO. By the time you finish work it's usually rush hour, you're tired after work and just want to get home as fast as possible, not delay and go for a long drive around at the time when the traffic is worst. You might do it occasionally, but I've never finished work and thought 'Ah, lets do an extra 20 miles of traffic queues tonight as I'm in the mood'.
Maybe you'll do it occasionally, but definitely not every night and if you did do it every night (which you won't), then it stops feeling special anyway.
no Pete, you are right of course. in fact its horrible doing seven miles in the traffic in the chim, and no you wouldnt do one mile more in the traffic if you didnt have to, i suppose it depends on where you live if you do any more miles after the trip home, i go home up the m11 and once i get to my home there are lots of routes that are free of traffic so i can extend my drive, i actually go to and work in a smart car, and then rush in and get the keys for the chim if its nice.Maybe you'll do it occasionally, but definitely not every night and if you did do it every night (which you won't), then it stops feeling special anyway.
and i agree about keeping it special, and saving it.
so i say, smart car for work , 7 miles, special car for other trips :-)
I've currently got two of the cars on your list - a TVR Chimaera and a Porsche 924.
I love the 924, but its strengths are its usability and its low costs. If you had a third of the budget and wanted a classic daily driver it'd be a very good choice, but I think it's a bit outclassed as a weekend toy when you have this sort of budget.
The Chimaera is a great car. It's also surprisingly practical (you can get a mountain bike in the boot!) and a very civilised long distance tourer. It's not the most agile car around and the handling can feel a little blunt at times, but the steering is very communicative and the chassis is pretty progressive if you're sensible with the loud pedal.
People have been selling some nice Chimaeras for that sort of money lately, but bear in mind it's still the lower end of the market and there will be a heightened element of risk involved. The good news is the 4-litre cars you'll find in this price bracket tend to be more reliable, providing you can find a good one and give it the necessary upkeep.
TVRs aren't always quantifiably good cars, but their sense of occasion is second to none. You can be sat stationary in a traffic jam and they still feel special in a way that very few cars of any budget do. In some ways Porsches are the opposite. They're extremely accomplished driving tools that can be very engaging when pushed hard enough, but they do the day-to-day stuff so well they can feel a bit ordinary the rest of the time.
The eight valve naturally aspirated 944s are a bit meek compared to something like a TVR, but the S2 and the Turbo are very credible driver's cars that you could practically use every day. The main downside - certainly of the S2 - is a rather dull engine. They won't send shivers down your spine in the way a Chimaera will, but in many respects they are better cars.
If you like the idea of something a bit more extrovert, but you're worried about the running costs of a TVR it might be worth looking into a Westfield. There should be plenty around for the £6k mark, they're very well supported mechanically and ultimately you have the costs associated with a Mondeo engine not a classic Range Rover one. The TVR would be a far, far better long distance tourer (let alone the 944), but for an hour on a sunny Sunday afternoon it'd arguably be the most entertaining of the lot.
I love the 924, but its strengths are its usability and its low costs. If you had a third of the budget and wanted a classic daily driver it'd be a very good choice, but I think it's a bit outclassed as a weekend toy when you have this sort of budget.
The Chimaera is a great car. It's also surprisingly practical (you can get a mountain bike in the boot!) and a very civilised long distance tourer. It's not the most agile car around and the handling can feel a little blunt at times, but the steering is very communicative and the chassis is pretty progressive if you're sensible with the loud pedal.
People have been selling some nice Chimaeras for that sort of money lately, but bear in mind it's still the lower end of the market and there will be a heightened element of risk involved. The good news is the 4-litre cars you'll find in this price bracket tend to be more reliable, providing you can find a good one and give it the necessary upkeep.
TVRs aren't always quantifiably good cars, but their sense of occasion is second to none. You can be sat stationary in a traffic jam and they still feel special in a way that very few cars of any budget do. In some ways Porsches are the opposite. They're extremely accomplished driving tools that can be very engaging when pushed hard enough, but they do the day-to-day stuff so well they can feel a bit ordinary the rest of the time.
The eight valve naturally aspirated 944s are a bit meek compared to something like a TVR, but the S2 and the Turbo are very credible driver's cars that you could practically use every day. The main downside - certainly of the S2 - is a rather dull engine. They won't send shivers down your spine in the way a Chimaera will, but in many respects they are better cars.
If you like the idea of something a bit more extrovert, but you're worried about the running costs of a TVR it might be worth looking into a Westfield. There should be plenty around for the £6k mark, they're very well supported mechanically and ultimately you have the costs associated with a Mondeo engine not a classic Range Rover one. The TVR would be a far, far better long distance tourer (let alone the 944), but for an hour on a sunny Sunday afternoon it'd arguably be the most entertaining of the lot.
swiftpete said:
Although people talk about taking the long route home and all that, it's total rubbish IMO. By the time you finish work it's usually rush hour, you're tired after work and just want to get home as fast as possible, not delay and go for a long drive around at the time when the traffic is worst.
Talk about yourself. Sounds like you need to change your life!Nothing better than the long way home on a bright day.
Gaz. said:
Another thing to consider - what does £6k actually buy you and what is available in the classifieds right now for that £6k, there's no point having your heart set on a 944T if you have to wait 18 months for the right car for example.
Admittedly when it comes to the 944 Turbo there were only 2 examples in the classifieds which came under my budget and 1 which was a little over.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff