The £5000 Chimaera.
Discussion
Am currently looking for a Nissan 350Z, but whilst trawling Autotrader, saw a Chim on sale for £5000 (sadly cant attach the link). In grey, with 101,000 miles and on a 1994 plate.
Whilst I wouldnt expect it to be as reliable as a 2004 year Nissan, would it be possible to run one as a daily driver (& more importantly be run by someone with no real mechanical knowledge & would thus have to cared for by an independent) ?
Anyone on here with some experience of running a Chimaera of that age & mileage, your comments would be particulatly appreciated.
Whilst I wouldnt expect it to be as reliable as a 2004 year Nissan, would it be possible to run one as a daily driver (& more importantly be run by someone with no real mechanical knowledge & would thus have to cared for by an independent) ?
Anyone on here with some experience of running a Chimaera of that age & mileage, your comments would be particulatly appreciated.
If it's done 101,000 miles, I'd expect almost everything that could have broken will already have done so. It must have been used in all weathers so the chassis will have been done too. (Or >really< need doing I guess).
The seats and so on might be knackered, but are comparatively easy to swap...
The seats and so on might be knackered, but are comparatively easy to swap...
I too would be interested to know how feasible using a Chimaera as an only car would be. I can deal with the odd leak, but what are the yearly running costs like? I would assume routine servicing should be a doddle with cheap parts being plentiful for the RV8, but what about other bits and bobs that might need doing?
I used to have a Chimaera as a daily.
Was at about 88k when I sold her.
Was great to drive, lovely sound etc.
It was very reliable with only stuff like shocks and brakes needed extra attention other than servicing.
Started to let in water (kept out side) but new seals sorted that.
Dont know what else will make you smile so much for that kind of money.
Was at about 88k when I sold her.
Was great to drive, lovely sound etc.
It was very reliable with only stuff like shocks and brakes needed extra attention other than servicing.
Started to let in water (kept out side) but new seals sorted that.
Dont know what else will make you smile so much for that kind of money.
Bought a 1993 one with 106,000 miles, collected it the night before Christmas Eve 2006.
Didn't check coolant levels initially as cap seemed to be stuck on the expansion tank and no external leaks visible. Upshot was no coolant whatsoever -> head gaskets went -> decided on engine rebuild given mileage and marginal oil pressure when warm. Of course, radiator/water pump/ clutch etc. were replaced, some bits & bobs elsewhere =
bill (and that excluded the engine rebuild/upgrade itself). Bit of a baptism by fire, that...
106,000 mile old Bilstein suspension & suspect geo = Chim that doesn't handle much like a sports car. Enter a visit to Intrax & more £.
Now after 4 seasons on the road it's time for an outrigger replacement/chassis refurb. 18 years is fair innings I'd say and eventually, all of them will be needing this work. Like me, you might be able to put this off for a couple of years but you'd be wildly optimistic not to expect needing it done on a £5k, 1994, six figure mileage car sooner rather than later.
I've worn out a battery and the starter motor solenoid didn't want to play once - both replaced with 'once and for all' (well, sort of) solutions.
The polished lips of the OZ wheels were badly corroded under the lacquer - I found three replacement wheels in good condition (one of which needed straightening), and had one of my own set refurbed (not to a very high standard sadly - it's easily the worst of the four wheels that are on the car now).
Had one of the exhaust manifolds leak - splashed out on a pair of shiny ACT manifolds as I didn't want to have to go there again, ever.
The stitching is starting to fall through the hood material in places - it's still watertight but there's no denying the car in its present state would benefit from a new hood.
The other side of the coin is that the car will be likely free of the silly faults and foibles that have TVR owners tear their hair out,and that everything that was likely to fall off has done so already and (hopefully) has been stuck back a little more robustly.
Since the engine rebuild I've had 18,000 wonderful and for the most part reliable miles with the car, and the handling, stopping as well and the smoothness and performance of the engine are on a different plane compared with the standard item. I've grown very attached to my Chim, it's fantastic to drive and people always comment on how gorgeous it looks (the bodywork scrubbed up very nicely with only one or two spot repairs to the paintwork).
The bottom line is that an early, high mileage Chim is as good a starting point as any in principle as long as you expect to spend the dosh as you go. It's likely not going to end up any cheaper than if you saved up longer and bought a newer/better one, but 1) you will have been able to drive and live the dream now instead of 'later' and 2) you'll end up with a car that's pretty much how you want it.
Didn't check coolant levels initially as cap seemed to be stuck on the expansion tank and no external leaks visible. Upshot was no coolant whatsoever -> head gaskets went -> decided on engine rebuild given mileage and marginal oil pressure when warm. Of course, radiator/water pump/ clutch etc. were replaced, some bits & bobs elsewhere =
bill (and that excluded the engine rebuild/upgrade itself). Bit of a baptism by fire, that...106,000 mile old Bilstein suspension & suspect geo = Chim that doesn't handle much like a sports car. Enter a visit to Intrax & more £.
Now after 4 seasons on the road it's time for an outrigger replacement/chassis refurb. 18 years is fair innings I'd say and eventually, all of them will be needing this work. Like me, you might be able to put this off for a couple of years but you'd be wildly optimistic not to expect needing it done on a £5k, 1994, six figure mileage car sooner rather than later.
I've worn out a battery and the starter motor solenoid didn't want to play once - both replaced with 'once and for all' (well, sort of) solutions.
The polished lips of the OZ wheels were badly corroded under the lacquer - I found three replacement wheels in good condition (one of which needed straightening), and had one of my own set refurbed (not to a very high standard sadly - it's easily the worst of the four wheels that are on the car now).
Had one of the exhaust manifolds leak - splashed out on a pair of shiny ACT manifolds as I didn't want to have to go there again, ever.
The stitching is starting to fall through the hood material in places - it's still watertight but there's no denying the car in its present state would benefit from a new hood.
The other side of the coin is that the car will be likely free of the silly faults and foibles that have TVR owners tear their hair out,and that everything that was likely to fall off has done so already and (hopefully) has been stuck back a little more robustly.
Since the engine rebuild I've had 18,000 wonderful and for the most part reliable miles with the car, and the handling, stopping as well and the smoothness and performance of the engine are on a different plane compared with the standard item. I've grown very attached to my Chim, it's fantastic to drive and people always comment on how gorgeous it looks (the bodywork scrubbed up very nicely with only one or two spot repairs to the paintwork).
The bottom line is that an early, high mileage Chim is as good a starting point as any in principle as long as you expect to spend the dosh as you go. It's likely not going to end up any cheaper than if you saved up longer and bought a newer/better one, but 1) you will have been able to drive and live the dream now instead of 'later' and 2) you'll end up with a car that's pretty much how you want it.
Edited by 900T-R on Thursday 18th August 17:11
I have to concur with the others, had mine for about a year now, & has cost peanuts to run. Mine is a 4.6 modified & I still get 25 mpg overall. I have done around 6k miles & first service is imminent, which is around £300 + VAT.
She is my daily driver, & runs all the better for being used regularly. Until now I only had on- street parking, I found she leaked a little if the rain was accompanied by wind, but nothing bad & a cover sorted that, although I now have a garage.
Just to add that when I was looking, the older ones seemed to me the best value because almost all of them had been uprated with new parts. Is is unlikely that the all important outriggers will have lasted this long, so you might find they have been renewed. If not the price for replacing is about £1500, a bargaining angle maybe?
Go have a look, they are amazing cars.
She is my daily driver, & runs all the better for being used regularly. Until now I only had on- street parking, I found she leaked a little if the rain was accompanied by wind, but nothing bad & a cover sorted that, although I now have a garage.
Just to add that when I was looking, the older ones seemed to me the best value because almost all of them had been uprated with new parts. Is is unlikely that the all important outriggers will have lasted this long, so you might find they have been renewed. If not the price for replacing is about £1500, a bargaining angle maybe?
Go have a look, they are amazing cars.
Robbo101 said:
Whilst I wouldnt expect it to be as reliable as a 2004 year Nissan, would it be possible to run one as a daily driver (& more importantly be run by someone with no real mechanical knowledge & would thus have to cared for by an independent) ?
Anyone on here with some experience of running a Chimaera of that age & mileage, your comments would be particulatly appreciated.
I am the type of driver you described. I can't remember how many miles I put on but it was about 10k a year when I had mine (5 years?). It wasn't entirely reliable (but then neither were my Toyota MR2, Nissan Skylines or Nissan 200SX... or indeed my Mercedes and VW). So in all cases, I would recommend owning a second car! The best bit about breaking down with a TVR is that even on the back of the recovery truck, it looked good. Also, you expect it to happen. When a Japanese or German car fails, you don't expect it so it pisses you off. Plus when you get it out of the garage, collecting a TVR is like picking up a friend from the hospital - you're pleased to see it. Any other car I've picked up, it's just annoyance at having to pay for something.Anyone on here with some experience of running a Chimaera of that age & mileage, your comments would be particulatly appreciated.
In other words, if you can afford it, buy it.
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