Discussion
After months of looking I have finaly bought a Chimaera. despite warnings about reliability and how quirky they are I just had to have one. The first time I sat in it and heard the engine growl was me completly sold. I have had it four days and keep wanting to take it out just to prove to myself that it exists. It is a 97 with 33,000 miles and seems to have been loved to the point of obsession. What can I expect ? Just dreading something going wrong...... have checked all the obvious things. Will keep you posted...gulp.
N.
N.
Had my chim about 10 weeks now and was waiting for something bad to happen just like you,but as long as you have either got it from someone who knows what they are talking about or had it inspected just think of it as you would any other car.
But remember to check the oil level more often.
But remember to check the oil level more often.
billynomates said:
After months of looking I have finaly bought a Chimaera. What can I expect ?
N.
About £3000 a year to keep the beast on the road with no probs + a load of dosh on fuel.
Worth every penny--
Put £120 of gas in mine this past week.
Enjoy
Might not cost this much to run a chimaera. Had mine 3 years and by using an independent and shopping around for tyres etc I never spent more than 2k pa (including insurance). Although, admittedly, i never had one of those big bills that would bump up the average.
Enjoy the car, I have spent pretty much every day since selling mine plotting how to get my mitts on another
Had mine since Feb this year.Done around 8k with NO problems at all,am I tempting providence???????????Had a service in July by Austec,for peace of mind I went for the the 24k .Returns around 24 to the gallon.Superb car,Brilliant drive,Love it !
BTW Unlimited mileage with Business use was £730 with Cheam.
BTW Unlimited mileage with Business use was £730 with Cheam.
Have had mine (and my wife's) for about 8 weeks now - used pretty much every day, without a single glitch. Still waiting for something, but so far, so good - it still always manages to put a smile on my face, even in the wet when it's 100% concentration to make sure I don't over do it!
actor 1 said:
After months of looking I have finaly bought a Chimaera. despite warnings about reliability and how quirky they are I just had to have one. The first time I sat in it and heard the engine growl was me completly sold.
you did the right thing. well done.
ignore the comments of those who denegrate these cars - they are feckless wimps who should be beaten like ginger step-children, for they know nothing of sportscars ( though one of them may know someone, who once owned an mx-5, this does not count ).
don't take any guff from these swine - it's your money and you should spend it on what pleases you. A V8 is a damn good way of spending money - quickly.
enjoy, and worry when you have something to worry about.
good luck.
"About £3000 a year to keep the beast on the road with no probs + a load of dosh on fuel."
Wow! £3,000k per year! I have owned a 400 for 3 years and the most I spent was £1500, this included insurance (£350), upgraded discs and pads and a major service at Peninsula.
On average, excluding petrol I spend between £600 and £1000 per year depending on which service is required.
I guess this is the line between a 'good one' and a 'bad one'.
Hope you got a good one!
S
PS: Only broke down once in 3 years - due to faulty immoboliser.
Wow! £3,000k per year! I have owned a 400 for 3 years and the most I spent was £1500, this included insurance (£350), upgraded discs and pads and a major service at Peninsula.
On average, excluding petrol I spend between £600 and £1000 per year depending on which service is required.
I guess this is the line between a 'good one' and a 'bad one'.
Hope you got a good one!
S
PS: Only broke down once in 3 years - due to faulty immoboliser.
how many miles did you do?
sorry, this is the bit many people leave out when they say ' it only cost me ', ' i only spent '
edited to say ah - i just re-read your post, one service/year = less than 6k/year.
if you do 'average mileage' ( as far as joe public are concerned ) then you're at 2 services/year, 1 minor, 1 major, which then wouldn't put you far off the figures previously quoted - you only need a couple of other bits to fall off and you're there.
>> Edited by chimburt on Wednesday 13th October 18:03
sorry, this is the bit many people leave out when they say ' it only cost me ', ' i only spent '
edited to say ah - i just re-read your post, one service/year = less than 6k/year.
if you do 'average mileage' ( as far as joe public are concerned ) then you're at 2 services/year, 1 minor, 1 major, which then wouldn't put you far off the figures previously quoted - you only need a couple of other bits to fall off and you're there.
>> Edited by chimburt on Wednesday 13th October 18:03
chimburt said:
how many miles did you do?
sorry, this is the bit many people leave out when they say ' it only cost me ', ' i only spent '
edited to say ah - i just re-read your post, one service/year = less than 6k/year.
if you do 'average mileage' ( as far as joe public are concerned ) then you're at 2 services/year, 1 minor, 1 major, which then wouldn't put you far off the figures previously quoted - you only need a couple of other bits to fall off and you're there.
>> Edited by chimburt on Wednesday 13th October 18:03
Absolutely true. Get into the 20,000 miles per annum region & comparisons of costs with EuroBoxes go out of the window. Get to 30,000 per annum & you'll be very friendly with your local Service Manager!!
I like this thread, very positive. Make's me want to get one even more now.
So 10,000 miles a year and I should be able to afford to run one. Just need to be able to afford to buy one (ie justify it to the misses )
But she did say if I get one it must be like this one
I can live with that
>> Edited by trevorw on Thursday 14th October 06:49
So 10,000 miles a year and I should be able to afford to run one. Just need to be able to afford to buy one (ie justify it to the misses
) But she did say if I get one it must be like this one
I can live with that
>> Edited by trevorw on Thursday 14th October 06:49
I had the same feelings of aprhension when I bought mine but you have tolet your heart rule your head from time to time.
But after 18 months of ownership I can only back up what most other people here which is that the Chimaera's are actually quite reliable. Just check the fluid level more regularly than you would on your average run around, keep to the service schedule religiously, use it regularly and everything should be OK. After 18 months (apart from routine servicing) the most expensive problem I had was a new battery which was 3years old.
Just have fun and go easy on the wet/damp roads.
But after 18 months of ownership I can only back up what most other people here which is that the Chimaera's are actually quite reliable. Just check the fluid level more regularly than you would on your average run around, keep to the service schedule religiously, use it regularly and everything should be OK. After 18 months (apart from routine servicing) the most expensive problem I had was a new battery which was 3years old.
Just have fun and go easy on the wet/damp roads.
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