Buyers guide

[rustyabarth]

Ive had itchy feet this last year and im looking at another car as a second car to replace my trust rusty old steed and after looking at various differrnt cars with grown up power im being drawn to a Chimaera as my mileage is only around 3k a year and id rather spend my pennies on something a bit different than an modern hot hatch euro box.

Ive tralled through the pages on here looking at what people have been doing with there cars and the faults i need to look out for but ill admit i still need to do some more research.

My main question is what are they like to live with all year round? I will be having a van to use for traveling to and from work but i will need to use the car for anything other than this (we have a yaris as the family / work horse).

[Chuffmeister]

This will give you some info

http://www.chimaerapages.com/resources_buyers.php

A few things to looks for:

Engine
Over 60k miles - recent cam change
Oil leaks and where they are - rear crank oil seal/ sump/ oil filter/ valley gasket/ crucifix
Look for mayo or sludge in oil filler cap. Mayo substance indicates water in oil and sludge, ack of oil changes, possibly engine issues
Coolant leaks - hoses, waterpump, radiator
Check for overheating - do fans cut in to cool engine and do they work? Hot air from cabin heater?
Listen for noises, tappets, exhaust manifolds blowing, obvious knocking sounds
Check all gears select easily. No sync for reverse, so you must select fifth first.
Cracked fuel lines.
Leaking PAS/ PAS hoses

Cabin & Electrics
Warn bolsters and interior drivers seat (easy fix if not too bad)
Patchy and faded carpets
Rattling dash
Slow electric windows
Dodgy/ inaccurate dials
Alarm/ immobiliser problems
Electric mirrors
Leaks for windscreen
Windscreen wipers park properly

Bodywork
Stone chipping at front (common)
Crazing of paint
GRP repairs
Rusty outriggers or chassis
Delaminating windscreen

General

Good service history
Frequently used
Drives straight and true
Brakes the same
No black smoke

EDIT: And I meant to add... get a cheap one and you'll pay in the long run. so get the best one you can afford. The mean cost can work out around the same, so you're better of spending your time enjoying it as opposed to underneath it!

Edited by Chuffmeister on Tuesday 24th September 18:33

[Robatr0n]

I agree with almost everything on that list bar the buy cheap and regret it part. A car's condition is not determined by price. They're not easy to find but there are some real gems out there for not a lot of money and they're some dogs out there commanding a lot of money.

Your best bit is to take note of the above list and go and see a few cars. Oh and as hard as it is, try not to buy the first one you see.

Enjoy your search and post up some photos when you buy the right car.

[tonyperry57]

Hi Lee

I do 1000 miles a month all year round driving in all conditions. Make sure everything is fixed and service every 6000 miles essential! The only problem I have is the price of petrol!

Tony

[Robert Lees]

"""Oh and as hard as it is, try not to buy the first one you see"""

or hear! ( like me!) , bloody brilliant car. Good hunting.

[Julesprivate]

If you're like me at all then FFS don't let the owner start it up before you've crawled all over it. Once it's running it's really hard to be objective and you'll overlook a lot of inadequacies just to drive home listening to that noise....

[jamienshelly]

I agree with most of what has been said. Try and find a P/Her that is selling his/hers for your budget as it likely that there is documented public record of what the car has been through, had done or work that is required.
Buy on condition over mileage and age, have your eyes wide open and your sensible head on. These are fantastic addictive cars and you want to driving it rather than repairing it.

[rustyabarth]

Many thanks for the replies guy's. Even my better 1/2 likes the idea of a TVR I did lie about the MPG a little bit though

[Robert Lees]

rustyabarth said:

Many thanks for the replies guy's. Even my better 1/2 likes the idea of a TVR I did lie about the MPG a little bit though

best stick to a 400 then, can't get my 450 above 22mpg !... I don't try very hard to be fair!

[jamienshelly]

Regarding fuel consumption, you can drive them fairly economically, but whats the point. Having a TVR is like having a demon on your shoulder egging you to make noise and pop and bang on over-run.
Shelly is fuel saving device, in the fact that every time it goes pop or bang she says "10p,20p,30p" etc, I think the best I did was about £6.80.
On a run, at "cruising" speed, I can get to about 27mpg in our 400, and that is with a bit of right foot as you see the windows drop when you are overtaking,

[ChimpOnGas]

rustyabarth said:

Many thanks for the replies guy's. Even my better 1/2 likes the idea of a TVR I did lie about the MPG a little bit though

No need to worry about fuel economy, I'm getting the cost equivalent of 45mpg out of my 250hp 4.0 litre.

In cost terms that's better than my mate gets from his brand new 1,000cc Ford Fiesta Eco bks shopping trolly.

It's also only a 1.5p per mile more expensive to fuel than my company car, which is a Toyota Prius!!!

Only something like a diesel Golf beats my TVR on fuel economy by any meaningful margin.

The secret is LPG

[jamienshelly]

I am sure there is several threads on the conversion, but whats a ball park figure for it, and do you have to run M/S or similar, or will the standard 14cux cope with it.
It is something I did ponder but I know very little about it. I will look up your threads and investigate further.

[Chuffmeister]

rustyabarth said:

Many thanks for the replies guy's. Even my better 1/2 likes the idea of a TVR I did lie about the MPG a little bit though

Yeah, but you don't buy one of these cars to make the most of the fuel consumption! It's about driving experience, road presence, noise and speed... If you're down in the SE and would like a spin in my 500 drop me a line!

[zacherynuk]

Chuffmeister said:

This will give you some info

http://www.chimaerapages.com/resources_buyers.php

A few things to looks for:

Engine
Over 60k miles - recent cam change
Oil leaks and where they are - rear crank oil seal/ sump/ oil filter/ valley gasket/ crucifix
Look for mayo or sludge in oil filler cap. Mayo substance indicates water in oil and sludge, ack of oil changes, possibly engine issues
Coolant leaks - hoses, waterpump, radiator
Check for overheating - do fans cut in to cool engine and do they work? Hot air from cabin heater?
Listen for noises, tappets, exhaust manifolds blowing, obvious knocking sounds
Check all gears select easily. No sync for reverse, so you must select fifth first.
Cracked fuel lines.
Leaking PAS/ PAS hoses

Cabin & Electrics
Warn bolsters and interior drivers seat (easy fix if not too bad)
Patchy and faded carpets
Rattling dash
Slow electric windows
Dodgy/ inaccurate dials
Alarm/ immobiliser problems
Electric mirrors
Leaks for windscreen
Windscreen wipers park properly

Bodywork
Stone chipping at front (common)
Crazing of paint
GRP repairs
Rusty outriggers or chassis
Delaminating windscreen

General

Good service history
Frequently used
Drives straight and true
Brakes the same
No black smoke

Edited by Chuffmeister on Tuesday 24th September 18:33

Haha That list perfectly describes my car!

[jamienshelly]

What, even the bad stuff?

[zacherynuk]

jamienshelly said:

What, even the bad stuff?

Yeah, it is a (14 year old) TVR! - everything in moderation though, eh ? It has all of those things to some degree, on & off (except maybe the water in oil and plasti-repair) - but it's still well - it MUST be leaking fluids somewhere otherwise I wouldn't be checking the oil every few hundred miles!