Some Chimaera buying advice please.
Discussion
Having owned TVR's on 3 previous occasions (Griff, Tamora & Sag) the bug has bitten again and I am on the hunt for a Chimaera with a budget of up to £10K. I am aware of chassis issues and the need for cars to have either been very well cared for from new or to have had repair work but there are a couple of other questions.
1. At what mileage would you expect a clutch to go on average (realising that there are extremes such as people who live in the middle of London and drive in gridlock all day!)
2. Is it true that the later facelift cars are better built than earlier cars and as such a higher mileage post 98 car is a better bet than a lower mileage earlier car?
3. Are suspension components an issue on sub 60K mile cars?
4. Is there a difference in how robust the engines are between 400, 450 and 500?
Any feedback is gratefully received.
1. At what mileage would you expect a clutch to go on average (realising that there are extremes such as people who live in the middle of London and drive in gridlock all day!)
2. Is it true that the later facelift cars are better built than earlier cars and as such a higher mileage post 98 car is a better bet than a lower mileage earlier car?
3. Are suspension components an issue on sub 60K mile cars?
4. Is there a difference in how robust the engines are between 400, 450 and 500?
Any feedback is gratefully received.
TGJR said:
Having owned TVR's on 3 previous occasions (Griff, Tamora & Sag) the bug has bitten again and I am on the hunt for a Chimaera with a budget of up to £10K. I am aware of chassis issues and the need for cars to have either been very well cared for from new or to have had repair work but there are a couple of other questions.
1. At what mileage would you expect a clutch to go on average (realising that there are extremes such as people who live in the middle of London and drive in gridlock all day!)
2. Is it true that the later facelift cars are better built than earlier cars and as such a higher mileage post 98 car is a better bet than a lower mileage earlier car?
3. Are suspension components an issue on sub 60K mile cars?
4. Is there a difference in how robust the engines are between 400, 450 and 500?
Any feedback is gratefully received.
A clutch will probably last 50k1. At what mileage would you expect a clutch to go on average (realising that there are extremes such as people who live in the middle of London and drive in gridlock all day!)
2. Is it true that the later facelift cars are better built than earlier cars and as such a higher mileage post 98 car is a better bet than a lower mileage earlier car?
3. Are suspension components an issue on sub 60K mile cars?
4. Is there a difference in how robust the engines are between 400, 450 and 500?
Any feedback is gratefully received.
The later the car the better really, body and dash design is nicer, though the chassis protection was better on the earlier cars. High milage is not a problem if parts have been changed and its cared for... very low milage ones havent been used and might develop problems!
Original suspension is fairly rubbish and should be upgraded
All engines are fairly robust, but 450 the best since its got crossbolted bottom end... some 500s have had snapped crank since its not forged and has a very long stroke...
The OP has had a Griff, so I presume he knows what a 500 engine is like! I have never met anyone that has suffered a broken crank on a 500 engine!
TBH OP, anything less than the bid daddy 500 Chim will feel a bit sluggish compared to your previous TVRs, unless its been supercharged/Turbo/LS conversion!
TBH OP, anything less than the bid daddy 500 Chim will feel a bit sluggish compared to your previous TVRs, unless its been supercharged/Turbo/LS conversion!
RocketScience said:
The OP has had a Griff, so I presume he knows what a 500 engine is like! I have never met anyone that has suffered a broken crank on a 500 engine!
TBH OP, anything less than the bid daddy 500 Chim will feel a bit sluggish compared to your previous TVRs, unless its been supercharged/Turbo/LS conversion!
Echo this, I love my 400 but I now wish I had gone for a 450 or 500. TBH OP, anything less than the bid daddy 500 Chim will feel a bit sluggish compared to your previous TVRs, unless its been supercharged/Turbo/LS conversion!
Mine had a clutch at 39K, probably had some more miles left but I changed it for peace of mind.
OleVix said:
A clutch will probably last 50k
The later the car the better really, body and dash design is nicer, though the chassis protection was better on the earlier cars. High milage is not a problem if parts have been changed and its cared for... very low milage ones havent been used and might develop problems!
Original suspension is fairly rubbish and should be upgraded
All engines are fairly robust, but 450 the best since its got crossbolted bottom end... some 500s have had snapped crank since its not forged and has a very long stroke...
The later 500's also have a cross bolted bottom endThe later the car the better really, body and dash design is nicer, though the chassis protection was better on the earlier cars. High milage is not a problem if parts have been changed and its cared for... very low milage ones havent been used and might develop problems!
Original suspension is fairly rubbish and should be upgraded
All engines are fairly robust, but 450 the best since its got crossbolted bottom end... some 500s have had snapped crank since its not forged and has a very long stroke...
Thanks for the replies so far - all helpful stuff.
It sounds like a car with 40K on the clock and original suspension/clutch/chassis etc. could end up costing another £1k+ in the near future. This would need to be factored in to the budget when comparing to say a 50K mile car that had had the above addressed already.
It sounds like a car with 40K on the clock and original suspension/clutch/chassis etc. could end up costing another £1k+ in the near future. This would need to be factored in to the budget when comparing to say a 50K mile car that had had the above addressed already.
TGJR said:
Having owned TVR's on 3 previous occasions (Griff, Tamora & Sag) the bug has bitten again and I am on the hunt for a Chimaera with a budget of up to £10K. I am aware of chassis issues and the need for cars to have either been very well cared for from new or to have had repair work but there are a couple of other questions.
1. At what mileage would you expect a clutch to go on average (realising that there are extremes such as people who live in the middle of London and drive in gridlock all day!)
2. Is it true that the later facelift cars are better built than earlier cars and as such a higher mileage post 98 car is a better bet than a lower mileage earlier car?
3. Are suspension components an issue on sub 60K mile cars?
4. Is there a difference in how robust the engines are between 400, 450 and 500?
Any feedback is gratefully received.
I owned a 1998 400 for around three years and now a 2000 500 for the last month. Both cars with around 34K miles but the 500 had a rebuild around a year ago. 1. At what mileage would you expect a clutch to go on average (realising that there are extremes such as people who live in the middle of London and drive in gridlock all day!)
2. Is it true that the later facelift cars are better built than earlier cars and as such a higher mileage post 98 car is a better bet than a lower mileage earlier car?
3. Are suspension components an issue on sub 60K mile cars?
4. Is there a difference in how robust the engines are between 400, 450 and 500?
Any feedback is gratefully received.
400 - smoother, revs more easily, but do need to change gear more often.
500 - it's all about torque! The car just picks up and flies in any gear - in 4th on a country road its devastatingly quick! Fantastic car. Doesn't rev so easily as the 400, not quite as smooth.
As for the 450, it may be the perfect compromise - I drove a few when first looking for a Chim three years ago - didn't find a massive difference between 400 and 450s at the time, but was new to TVR so they all seemed very fast!
The sheer grunt of the 500 and its relative rarity compared with the 400 makes this my preferred choice but, hey, all Chimaeras are great.
Just done a Cadwell Park track day in my 5 litre. Everyone else was using second gear at the tight left hander (Mansfield), the left/right at the bottom of the Mountain, and at the hairpin.
I only used second at the hairpin - the 5 litre has so much grunt that third would do for the other corners.
I only used second at the hairpin - the 5 litre has so much grunt that third would do for the other corners.
There is simply no answer to the question of how long a clutch will last. It depends on what type of driving it gets, and how sensitively it has been driven.
I know people who can chew through a clutch on a "normal" car in less than 50k miles, even though they do no more town driving than I do. Then I ride with them and wince at their terrible technique with the clutch and throttle, and it becomes clear why! My other car is now approaching 130k and I know it's never had a new clutch; my Chimaera is on about 70k and I don't think it has ever had a clutch change either.
I know people who can chew through a clutch on a "normal" car in less than 50k miles, even though they do no more town driving than I do. Then I ride with them and wince at their terrible technique with the clutch and throttle, and it becomes clear why! My other car is now approaching 130k and I know it's never had a new clutch; my Chimaera is on about 70k and I don't think it has ever had a clutch change either.
RocketScience said:
I have never met anyone that has suffered a broken crank on a 500 engine!
And I've been told by professional engine builders that it's not that uncommon. Basically, TVR did a really crude job of lengthening the stroke for the extra displacement. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the power delivery on the standard 5-litre either - all that low down torque reminds me a bit of the tractor I learnt to drive on!
Chris71 said:
And I've been told by professional engine builders that it's not that uncommon. Basically, TVR did a really crude job of lengthening the stroke for the extra displacement. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the power delivery on the standard 5-litre either - all that low down torque reminds me a bit of the tractor I learnt to drive on!
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