Thoughts on these Chims?
Discussion
Hi Folks,
After lusting after a Chimaera since I've had one on my wall in my teenage years I am finally ready to take the plunge.
Obviously I am looking at getting a really nice example, and have started doing a bit of reading.
I have an MR2 Turbo which I am plannign on Part-Ex-ing, and have been given a few offers. So, I was wondering if anyone could give me their experienced thoughts on these two examples:
A 1998 4.5:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STUNNING-IMPERIAL-BLUE-T...
And A 1996 4.0:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Also, was their many revisions in the 1998 facelift over the 1996?
Is it just the rear lights?
Also, is there much worth in going for the 4.5 over the 4.0?
Thanks in advance,
Malc
After lusting after a Chimaera since I've had one on my wall in my teenage years I am finally ready to take the plunge.
Obviously I am looking at getting a really nice example, and have started doing a bit of reading.
I have an MR2 Turbo which I am plannign on Part-Ex-ing, and have been given a few offers. So, I was wondering if anyone could give me their experienced thoughts on these two examples:
A 1998 4.5:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STUNNING-IMPERIAL-BLUE-T...
And A 1996 4.0:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
Also, was their many revisions in the 1998 facelift over the 1996?
Is it just the rear lights?
Also, is there much worth in going for the 4.5 over the 4.0?
Thanks in advance,
Malc
Edited by Malcster on Thursday 4th August 11:06
Top one looks very nice, but [in my opinion] top money for a 1998. 2nd one with all the outrigger work done etc looks ok, but again a personal choice i dont like chims in silver, and i dont like the dark blue leather, and for a 1996 pre facelift thats top, top, money.
Dont just dive in,have a very good look around, with 12k to spend you can get a very nice chim.
Colour and interior colour combo are important. Difference between the models is listed in the "chimaera pages" It Would be best to sell your present car private, as the dealers do have a high mark up.Good luck in your search, Tom.
Found this good advice in another posting, thought you might like to read it.
Dont just dive in,have a very good look around, with 12k to spend you can get a very nice chim.
Colour and interior colour combo are important. Difference between the models is listed in the "chimaera pages" It Would be best to sell your present car private, as the dealers do have a high mark up.Good luck in your search, Tom.
Found this good advice in another posting, thought you might like to read it.
tonys said:
I wouldn't necessarily just stick to looking for one engine size. Unless there is a particular reason why you want a 400, and bearing in mind that the newest Chim is now 10years old, I would be inclined to put condition first, and if you'd be happy with a 400, then any of the others will do as well.
I looked at various 500s (Chims and Griffs), one 450 and a couple of 400s when I bought mine, eventually going for a 400.
I can understand why you might want to go via the dealership route, but if you are confident enough in your ability to seek out a decent one, you can still get it inspected as a back up. That way you maximise your market.
Whichever route you take, you'll enjoy it.
I looked at various 500s (Chims and Griffs), one 450 and a couple of 400s when I bought mine, eventually going for a 400.
I can understand why you might want to go via the dealership route, but if you are confident enough in your ability to seek out a decent one, you can still get it inspected as a back up. That way you maximise your market.
Whichever route you take, you'll enjoy it.
Edited by TJC46 on Wednesday 3rd August 20:45
Expensive jobs you really want to have done (or budget for doing yourself):
1. Outriggers - simple inspection will not show the top of the outrigger, where the rust starts. Budget £1500 to replace all 4. You do not need a body lift to get this done if you go to the right place.
2. Engine Rebuild - sooner or later. Mine was done at 45,000 miles because of a leaking valley gasket and losing oil. If claimed to have been done, make sure you know how much was actually done - you can strip down just the top, or the whole engine. Budget c. £2500 for full rebuild but no change in power etc
3. Suspension - Upgraded suspension changes the car from decent to 'on rails' handling. Look up Gaz Golds (for example) to see current cost
4. Brakes - personal choice; I have upgraded to stainless steel hoses and better pads but not disks. Relatively cheap - a couple of hundred but a big difference. Disks are cheap enough if you need / want to do them yourself
5. New tyres will set you back £100 per corner so a decent set is nice to have
Try not to be swayed by talk of trumpets, induction systems, chips etc. These are a bit like having a nice stereo in a normal car; they are nice to have, but should not significantly add to the value of the car unless every mod you can think of has been done - they add to the driveability of the car, and a little to the power, but you don't, fundamentally, need them for a great drive. You can always do them yourself as time goes on.
Probably avoid very low mileage examples - these cars need to be driven and maintained regularly, or they start to develop issues that will drive you to distraction.
Buying the car is always a personal choice and its difficult to criticise any given colour combo - someone liked it enough once to spend £35k on it (a decade or more ago), and you might agree with their taste. Look lots, drive just as many, go to the dealers and talk about and drive them until you know what a good one feels like.
Its a bit like high maintenance girls - fight the urge to dive in until you see one you can't resist and then go for it and feel smug about it afterwards.
Good Luck
Rich
Rich
1. Outriggers - simple inspection will not show the top of the outrigger, where the rust starts. Budget £1500 to replace all 4. You do not need a body lift to get this done if you go to the right place.
2. Engine Rebuild - sooner or later. Mine was done at 45,000 miles because of a leaking valley gasket and losing oil. If claimed to have been done, make sure you know how much was actually done - you can strip down just the top, or the whole engine. Budget c. £2500 for full rebuild but no change in power etc
3. Suspension - Upgraded suspension changes the car from decent to 'on rails' handling. Look up Gaz Golds (for example) to see current cost
4. Brakes - personal choice; I have upgraded to stainless steel hoses and better pads but not disks. Relatively cheap - a couple of hundred but a big difference. Disks are cheap enough if you need / want to do them yourself
5. New tyres will set you back £100 per corner so a decent set is nice to have
Try not to be swayed by talk of trumpets, induction systems, chips etc. These are a bit like having a nice stereo in a normal car; they are nice to have, but should not significantly add to the value of the car unless every mod you can think of has been done - they add to the driveability of the car, and a little to the power, but you don't, fundamentally, need them for a great drive. You can always do them yourself as time goes on.
Probably avoid very low mileage examples - these cars need to be driven and maintained regularly, or they start to develop issues that will drive you to distraction.
Buying the car is always a personal choice and its difficult to criticise any given colour combo - someone liked it enough once to spend £35k on it (a decade or more ago), and you might agree with their taste. Look lots, drive just as many, go to the dealers and talk about and drive them until you know what a good one feels like.
Its a bit like high maintenance girls - fight the urge to dive in until you see one you can't resist and then go for it and feel smug about it afterwards.
Good Luck
Rich
Rich
The differences between the pre-facelift and facelift models are indeed the rear lights as you mentioned but also removal of the front grill to be replaced with a horizontal strut to take the number plate, a cosmetic change around the front indicators, removal of the entry button from just behind the door to the underside of the door mirror, reshaped rear 'bumper' and boot overhang. Interestingly enough, not all of these changes occurred at once as TVR still still had old light units in the overs bin so it is not uncommon to see a facelift model with the old rear light units as appears to be the case on that imperial blue one - these will generally be 'R' plated cars - 'S' plates will likely be the first full facelift models along with later 'R's'.
Thanks for the replies guys.
Went to see the silver one in my original post, not overly keen though, a little tatty, and a little boring colour wise. Has had a lot of work done though - rebuild / new cam / body-off refurb / windscreen replacement / new AFM etc.
I noticed this one too - might be worth a look, looks quite clean.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3086780.htm
When can I be expecting a rebuild due on these lower mileage examples?
50k miles? And what about price? under £2k?
Cheers guys!
Went to see the silver one in my original post, not overly keen though, a little tatty, and a little boring colour wise. Has had a lot of work done though - rebuild / new cam / body-off refurb / windscreen replacement / new AFM etc.
I noticed this one too - might be worth a look, looks quite clean.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3086780.htm
When can I be expecting a rebuild due on these lower mileage examples?
50k miles? And what about price? under £2k?
Cheers guys!
Like any specialist car it is condition, condition, condition.
Not sure about the comment on rebuilds though, whilst there have been some recent publicised RV8 failures on here and they do need a little maintenance I always thought they were considered pretty robust. The main things that go are the cams which wear, mine was done at 45k and with a few bits I paid about 1200 quid. Now outriggers on the other hand I Got burned on that one, and once you start you can spend a lot more money, shiny new shocks etc. So check those v carefully or as has been said assume sooner or later they will need doing.
Brill cars though!
Not sure about the comment on rebuilds though, whilst there have been some recent publicised RV8 failures on here and they do need a little maintenance I always thought they were considered pretty robust. The main things that go are the cams which wear, mine was done at 45k and with a few bits I paid about 1200 quid. Now outriggers on the other hand I Got burned on that one, and once you start you can spend a lot more money, shiny new shocks etc. So check those v carefully or as has been said assume sooner or later they will need doing.
Brill cars though!
Malcster said:
Thanks for the replies guys.
Went to see the silver one in my original post, not overly keen though, a little tatty, and a little boring colour wise. Has had a lot of work done though - rebuild / new cam / body-off refurb / windscreen replacement / new AFM etc.
I noticed this one too - might be worth a look, looks quite clean.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3086780.htm
When can I be expecting a rebuild due on these lower mileage examples?
50k miles? And what about price? under £2k?
Cheers guys!
PS that car looks nice, like the colour and would come under what I would call "nice" mileage, I.e. Fairly low but not been a total garage queen. Be careful though, mine was like this, one owner, tuned out it sat every winter unused in a damp garage, outrigger . . . . .Went to see the silver one in my original post, not overly keen though, a little tatty, and a little boring colour wise. Has had a lot of work done though - rebuild / new cam / body-off refurb / windscreen replacement / new AFM etc.
I noticed this one too - might be worth a look, looks quite clean.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3086780.htm
When can I be expecting a rebuild due on these lower mileage examples?
50k miles? And what about price? under £2k?
Cheers guys!
Martin W said:
The differences between the pre-facelift and facelift models are indeed the rear lights as you mentioned but also removal of the front grill to be replaced with a horizontal strut to take the number plate, a cosmetic change around the front indicators, removal of the entry button from just behind the door to the underside of the door mirror, reshaped rear 'bumper' and boot overhang. Interestingly enough, not all of these changes occurred at once as TVR still still had old light units in the overs bin so it is not uncommon to see a facelift model with the old rear light units as appears to be the case on that imperial blue one - these will generally be 'R' plated cars - 'S' plates will likely be the first full facelift models along with later 'R's'.
the face lift also changed to the 500 spec brakes, the t5 gear box, the serpentine engine and different bonnet plus dash and instrument changes. the diff must have changed from the gkn to the btr at the same time. the rear lamp change was later iirc 1998.I've not seeen a 96 p-plate with the early body style before..
This one looks very tidy. Only a few miles from me so if you want me to have a look and give an opinion just email me and let me know. Good luck in your search Tom.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-TVR-CHIMAERA-4-0-LO...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-TVR-CHIMAERA-4-0-LO...
The top one outwardly looks good, but so it should at twelve grand for a 4.5. I'd expect an immaculate chassis and/or recent outriggers and preferably some other refresh work for that.
The 4-litre seems to have the right bits done, but it's also a not-inconsiderable price for a 1996 400.
Personally, I suspect you could get a better deal than either, based on some of the cars in the PH classifieds recently.
In general, I'd say: Buy on condition not spec. Recently replaced parts are often a good sign that someone is taking care of the car. By now even the latest and lowest mileage ones can potentially have issues, but conversely a high mileage early car can be mint if someone has kept on top of everything.
As for the models. I've got a soft spot for the early 4.3 (tremendous bhp/£ and revvier/racier than the other standard engines), but the general consensus is the 4.5 is the best compromise. A healthy 4.5 needn't be that far off an average 500 in the real world and they are known to be more reliable. As I'm sure you're aware none get close to their claimed power figures as standard and the 500's figures are more optimistic than the others. A healthy 500 is an awesome machine, but even a 4-litre in the right condition (particularly with a few mods) can trouble a sub-standard one.
The 4-litre seems to have the right bits done, but it's also a not-inconsiderable price for a 1996 400.
Personally, I suspect you could get a better deal than either, based on some of the cars in the PH classifieds recently.
In general, I'd say: Buy on condition not spec. Recently replaced parts are often a good sign that someone is taking care of the car. By now even the latest and lowest mileage ones can potentially have issues, but conversely a high mileage early car can be mint if someone has kept on top of everything.
As for the models. I've got a soft spot for the early 4.3 (tremendous bhp/£ and revvier/racier than the other standard engines), but the general consensus is the 4.5 is the best compromise. A healthy 4.5 needn't be that far off an average 500 in the real world and they are known to be more reliable. As I'm sure you're aware none get close to their claimed power figures as standard and the 500's figures are more optimistic than the others. A healthy 500 is an awesome machine, but even a 4-litre in the right condition (particularly with a few mods) can trouble a sub-standard one.
Just bought a 400 Chim back in April (1st ever TVR for me)and was in exactly the same position as you. I convinced myself I would look around and check out as many as I could (as per the very good advice here) and not jump in too hastily. I bought what I consider to be an excellent car but which contradicts everything said on this thread. It was the very first car I saw; the mileage when I picked it up was 6294 (all MOT's and service stamps to confirm) and my attitude was "the lower the better". I went for colour scheme and condition and not mileage (although I was after sub 30k car) as I was thinking of the re-sale situation.
I saw my car on Pistonheads on a Sunday p.m.; rang the owner that evening; arranged a ball-park figure subject to viewing and was in Norfolk (from Northumberland) by 14:00 the next day and bought the car there and then.
I was crapping myself as I knew nowt about TVR's apart from what I'd read.
I know I'm not the one to be dishing out advice but can I say that if you see what you consider to be a good car then act quickly 'cos there's a queue of people waiting with "cash in hand" to snap up the good 'uns.
Best of luck.
I saw my car on Pistonheads on a Sunday p.m.; rang the owner that evening; arranged a ball-park figure subject to viewing and was in Norfolk (from Northumberland) by 14:00 the next day and bought the car there and then.
I was crapping myself as I knew nowt about TVR's apart from what I'd read.
I know I'm not the one to be dishing out advice but can I say that if you see what you consider to be a good car then act quickly 'cos there's a queue of people waiting with "cash in hand" to snap up the good 'uns.
Best of luck.
NewChimBoy said:
Just bought a 400 Chim back in April (1st ever TVR for me)and was in exactly the same position as you. I convinced myself I would look around and check out as many as I could (as per the very good advice here) and not jump in too hastily. I bought what I consider to be an excellent car but which contradicts everything said on this thread. It was the very first car I saw; the mileage when I picked it up was 6294 (all MOT's and service stamps to confirm) and my attitude was "the lower the better". I went for colour scheme and condition and not mileage (although I was after sub 30k car) as I was thinking of the re-sale situation.
I saw my car on Pistonheads on a Sunday p.m.; rang the owner that evening; arranged a ball-park figure subject to viewing and was in Norfolk (from Northumberland) by 14:00 the next day and bought the car there and then.
I was crapping myself as I knew nowt about TVR's apart from what I'd read.
I know I'm not the one to be dishing out advice but can I say that if you see what you consider to be a good car then act quickly 'cos there's a queue of people waiting with "cash in hand" to snap up the good 'uns.
Best of luck.
Just to clarify, there's certainly no reason to avoid low mileage cars.I saw my car on Pistonheads on a Sunday p.m.; rang the owner that evening; arranged a ball-park figure subject to viewing and was in Norfolk (from Northumberland) by 14:00 the next day and bought the car there and then.
I was crapping myself as I knew nowt about TVR's apart from what I'd read.
I know I'm not the one to be dishing out advice but can I say that if you see what you consider to be a good car then act quickly 'cos there's a queue of people waiting with "cash in hand" to snap up the good 'uns.
Best of luck.
For a given level of maintenance they will be better than more 'lived in' cars. The comment was just that these eventually become like Trigger's broom, and something on a rebuilt engine, refreshed suspension and so on will be a lot better than something that's lower mileage but approaching the point where it needs those. Obviously, a very low mileage car or one that's been particularly well looked after is going to be better than both, but it's a question of condition not what it says on the odometer.
I'd definitely try and see plenty, though. Even if the ones you look at are just friendly local PHers cars and not actually for sale. Unless you're used to cars of this they'll all seem quick, comfortable and delightfully noisy. It's only when you drive a few and have a poke around underneath at the chassis that you realise how much difference there is between the better examples and the rougher ones.
Looking for a TVR ? Get a full inspection from Rob Ingleby www.findasportscar.co.uk. He looked at a really low milage car for me and found out it was not all it seemed ! It saved me a fortune. The owner offered to sell it to me for 7K. I declined. He sold it to a first time buyer for £10500 ! ( 98 Chim 400 )There is a moral to this story somewhere.
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