to buy or not to buy?
Discussion
I am considering whether it is worthwhile buying a Chim. I currently have a Cerbera but it is off the road while I'm doing a body off chassis re-furb. (for those interested the outriggers needed sorting but once the chassis was sandblasted the area around the exhaust manifolds was painfully thin) Anyway, I quite fancy a soft top for the summer months and some easy driving!!! It seems to me that the prices for the Chim vary massively - anything from £5K to £20K. Obviously I understand the difference in engines but I've seen similar cars with £10K difference in asking price - anybody have an explanation. Is it that the typical Chim owner does not pick up a spanner??
I suspect that the difference in price for what appear to be similar cars (same age, engine size etc) is due to condition, mileage and whether or not the car is being sold privately or by a greedy dealer. I've been looking at cerbera prices and the same is true there. If i was in your position I'd decide which model you are after and buy one privately.
Not sure I understand your comment about easy driving, if you mean cruising with the roof down then yes. If you mean that the cars a sluggish compared to a cerb then you should know that quite a few of us have cars that are more than capable of keeping up.
If you want a buying guide for a chimaera I produced one a long time ago, happy to send it to you, please PM. thanks...
Not sure I understand your comment about easy driving, if you mean cruising with the roof down then yes. If you mean that the cars a sluggish compared to a cerb then you should know that quite a few of us have cars that are more than capable of keeping up.
If you want a buying guide for a chimaera I produced one a long time ago, happy to send it to you, please PM. thanks...
The asking price, and the sold at price, may well also differ by a fair amount. The dealer markup on these cars seems far more than the average Eurobox.
I would buy on condition, but, as the previous poster says, avoid the higher dealer prices, as they certainly won't give you that back in December.
The biggest factor that creates nice low prices is higher mileage (say over 70k, ie just run in for an Audi/BMW), but do bear in mind that these cars have been driven regularly by their owners (especially PHers), so are quite possibly in better condition mechanically. Buy one with the outriggers/chassis already done, cam change done, etc etc, just as you would a Cerbera. A Cerb is only a Chimaera with a roof on and a different engine, after all.
I would buy on condition, but, as the previous poster says, avoid the higher dealer prices, as they certainly won't give you that back in December.
The biggest factor that creates nice low prices is higher mileage (say over 70k, ie just run in for an Audi/BMW), but do bear in mind that these cars have been driven regularly by their owners (especially PHers), so are quite possibly in better condition mechanically. Buy one with the outriggers/chassis already done, cam change done, etc etc, just as you would a Cerbera. A Cerb is only a Chimaera with a roof on and a different engine, after all.
Just to add my side to the mix, I wasn't bothered at all about the condition of the chassis because I knew I could replace it if necessary (hence my chassis refurb thread, which I hadn't planned to carry out so soon, but the Wife bought me a borescope, it's all her fault! 
), I bought mine going by the fact that everything looked standard/original and any mods that had been done (not that there were many)had been done to a high standard, along with the fact that the car drove nicely with nothing apparently wrong with it that I couldn't fix. Mine cost the equivalent of near the bottom end of the price range you mentioned.
), I bought mine going by the fact that everything looked standard/original and any mods that had been done (not that there were many)had been done to a high standard, along with the fact that the car drove nicely with nothing apparently wrong with it that I couldn't fix. Mine cost the equivalent of near the bottom end of the price range you mentioned. You are obviously correct - dealers tend to try and push the price up...but I think that a swing of £15K is excessive. I believe that some people may think that they have spent £5K on a car that was bought for £5K therefore the car must be worth £10K....WRONG. Personally I believe that half the joy of these cars is being able to keep it on the road in as good a condition as possible. I would not expect to buy a car made in 1995 and have nothing to do to it. In short I'm looking for a Chim but won't be paying over £10K.
PS - I'm not related to John in Montrose but if he is into TVR's I'm sure he is a great guy!!
Another question - Do we think that the prices rise as we approach summer or do the cars simply become more sellable?
PS - I'm not related to John in Montrose but if he is into TVR's I'm sure he is a great guy!!
Another question - Do we think that the prices rise as we approach summer or do the cars simply become more sellable?
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