Newbie random questions.
Discussion
Hi all.
Recently in the market for a used Chim (my first). Budget of about 15k. Thinking 4.0 might be best to start off with(?). Have been ringing up numerous private ads. Lots seem to need front end resprays. I've got some quotes ranging between £800 - £1500 inc.
Some questions then...
Is it very difficult to find a used Chim (about 97-99) that doesn't need this treatment? Has anyone had problems with the resprayed area being noticable or ageing at a different rate to the rest of the car? Would it put any of you off buying a car with this extent of stonechipping if the rest of the car (mechanical, interior, chassis, SH etc) was perfect?
Insurance - I've rung up several specialists all of whom don't want to know (age 24, 2nd car). So far elephant seem cheapest £1300. Tesco won't mirror no claims. Any other thoughts?
If I see any over the coming few days, would you mind if I ran them past you for some opinions? Buying a Chim a little more daunting than buying the Alfa!
Any help greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Recently in the market for a used Chim (my first). Budget of about 15k. Thinking 4.0 might be best to start off with(?). Have been ringing up numerous private ads. Lots seem to need front end resprays. I've got some quotes ranging between £800 - £1500 inc.
Some questions then...
Is it very difficult to find a used Chim (about 97-99) that doesn't need this treatment? Has anyone had problems with the resprayed area being noticable or ageing at a different rate to the rest of the car? Would it put any of you off buying a car with this extent of stonechipping if the rest of the car (mechanical, interior, chassis, SH etc) was perfect?
Insurance - I've rung up several specialists all of whom don't want to know (age 24, 2nd car). So far elephant seem cheapest £1300. Tesco won't mirror no claims. Any other thoughts?
If I see any over the coming few days, would you mind if I ran them past you for some opinions? Buying a Chim a little more daunting than buying the Alfa!
Any help greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Hello sir
Due to the GRP bodywork and the limitations on the paint curing process that come with it, stone chips are all part and parcel of TVR ownership. A number of dealers will give cars a front end respray before selling them on.
Paint chips wouldn't put me off, although for a badly affected car, you might want to factor the cost of a FE respray into your calculations.
On the insurance front, give Privilege a call. I'm not much older than you, and they were the cheapest by some way.
Good luck
Due to the GRP bodywork and the limitations on the paint curing process that come with it, stone chips are all part and parcel of TVR ownership. A number of dealers will give cars a front end respray before selling them on.
Paint chips wouldn't put me off, although for a badly affected car, you might want to factor the cost of a FE respray into your calculations.
On the insurance front, give Privilege a call. I'm not much older than you, and they were the cheapest by some way.
Good luck
I bought my 98 R reg 4.0 from Fernhurst for £14k last month including a front end respray, chassis prep and warranty. I wanted the comfort of a warranty especially with it being my first TVR so specialist dealer seemed like the way to go. If i were you i would have a look at cars from dealers and see if there is anything similar doing the rounds as they will likely have margin with which to do things like a respray for you into the deal. There didn't seem to be a huge difference in prices between dealers and private sellers when i looked so it just came down to finding the right car primarily.
For insurance if it is a second car try some of the specialist companies who will be able to take account of any no claims bonus you have on your main car to bring it down. Classicline/Mannings/MSM, etc etc. I ended up going with MSM as they came out a fair bit less than the others (25yo, SE London and a splattering of points on the license not helping, 7 years no claims helping).
Cheers
For insurance if it is a second car try some of the specialist companies who will be able to take account of any no claims bonus you have on your main car to bring it down. Classicline/Mannings/MSM, etc etc. I ended up going with MSM as they came out a fair bit less than the others (25yo, SE London and a splattering of points on the license not helping, 7 years no claims helping).
Cheers
Paint chips just mean that the car has been 'loved' by its previous owner. Just check to make sure that the chips haven't done anything other than superficial damage. As said already, painting over GRP means that the stuff chips like buggery.
Other things to check for are:
1. Hot start problems. Take the car for a long, hot test run and then see if there are problems with starting it again. At best, it is easily resolved with a 'Mod-Wise' alteration (10 minute job and £20) at worst, the starter motor could be fried. It's a common problem and can leave you embarrasingly stranded at petrol station pumps whilst you wait for the engine/starter to cool down.
2. Radiator problems. They can leak like mad because there is no grill to protect them from stones etc. Check around the rad for signs of leakage. Also check that the fans come on when the car heats up (92 degrees).
3. Rust. Check the tubular chassis along the underside of the car edges. In particular, check the outriggers/wishbones as these are notorious.
4. Electrics. Check EVERYTHING! TVR electrics are notorious and can be difficult/expensive if the repair involves taking the dash off.
5. Windscreen wipers. Not a common fault, but a problem here can mean a dash-off repair job (and cutting through the GRP). Worth checking.
6. Alarm. Check that the siren works, as water can access it and rust it to death.
7. Tyres. Makes sure they have plenty of tread. They can wear down v.quickly and you don't want to worry about buying new ones within the first few months.
8. Damp damage. Especially in the footwell and behind the seats. A failure to re-proof the cover can lead to water ingress that may trash the carpets.
9. Windscreen De-lamination. Water ingress can cause the windscreen to de-laminate. Symptoms of this are a white 'haze' around the edges. TVR windscreens are more expensive than normal cars.
10. Frosted/Cracked Rear-View Mirror. Often caused by exessive exposure to a very beaming smile!
Other things to check for are:
1. Hot start problems. Take the car for a long, hot test run and then see if there are problems with starting it again. At best, it is easily resolved with a 'Mod-Wise' alteration (10 minute job and £20) at worst, the starter motor could be fried. It's a common problem and can leave you embarrasingly stranded at petrol station pumps whilst you wait for the engine/starter to cool down.
2. Radiator problems. They can leak like mad because there is no grill to protect them from stones etc. Check around the rad for signs of leakage. Also check that the fans come on when the car heats up (92 degrees).
3. Rust. Check the tubular chassis along the underside of the car edges. In particular, check the outriggers/wishbones as these are notorious.
4. Electrics. Check EVERYTHING! TVR electrics are notorious and can be difficult/expensive if the repair involves taking the dash off.
5. Windscreen wipers. Not a common fault, but a problem here can mean a dash-off repair job (and cutting through the GRP). Worth checking.
6. Alarm. Check that the siren works, as water can access it and rust it to death.
7. Tyres. Makes sure they have plenty of tread. They can wear down v.quickly and you don't want to worry about buying new ones within the first few months.
8. Damp damage. Especially in the footwell and behind the seats. A failure to re-proof the cover can lead to water ingress that may trash the carpets.
9. Windscreen De-lamination. Water ingress can cause the windscreen to de-laminate. Symptoms of this are a white 'haze' around the edges. TVR windscreens are more expensive than normal cars.
10. Frosted/Cracked Rear-View Mirror. Often caused by exessive exposure to a very beaming smile!
J_M said:
Lots seem to need front end resprays.
This is normal - Just had mine resprayed in March and already needs doing again!! If you get it done, I'd recommend Armafend to protect the paint. I’m getting that done on the next repsray
J_M said:
Insurance - I've rung up several specialists all of whom don't want to know (age 24, 2nd car). So far elephant seem cheapest £1300. Tesco won't mirror no claims. Any other thoughts? .
I'd recommend going to www.confused.com and get the best quote you can. Join the TVR club and take your best quote to A Manning TVR specialist insurance in Henley-on-Thames
J_M said:
Buying a Chim a little more daunting than buying the Alfa! .
Not sure about that - a mate of mine has an Alfa and we argue all the time which one has the best build quality!!!! His car has been into the garage a lot more than mine.
Good luck in your search and buy with your head NOT your heart!
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=41526&s=1
Check that one out,
I got mine from a dealer, for exactly the same reasons you are stating. Now I have had no need for any waranty claim.
What you will notice if you go the dealer route is, you will pay top dollar, and when, or if you decide to sell, trade up. Them you will loose loads.
For example I paid 23000 for mine, (yeah top dollar I know) quess what the same dealer offered me for it 6000 miles later, ten grand less, laugh I nearly cried. If the waranty is that important, get one from a third party.
Nick
Check that one out,
I got mine from a dealer, for exactly the same reasons you are stating. Now I have had no need for any waranty claim.
What you will notice if you go the dealer route is, you will pay top dollar, and when, or if you decide to sell, trade up. Them you will loose loads.
For example I paid 23000 for mine, (yeah top dollar I know) quess what the same dealer offered me for it 6000 miles later, ten grand less, laugh I nearly cried. If the waranty is that important, get one from a third party.
Nick
For insurance try Direct Line (www.driectline.com) at 25 it was approx £575 (on a Chim 500) now 26 it's a bit cheaper.
I also bought a '98 Chim from Fernhurst back in November for around £15k. If I wasn't so clueless I might have tried to pick one up privately but as it's my main car I wanted the peace of mind that comes with a warranty.
I'm almost 6000 miles in with no problems to report so from personal experience I can happily recommend Fernhurst.
Insurance wise I'm 28, 4yr NCB and have 3pts. I got quotes ranging from £2000 up to £5000 and the only company I could find that offered anything below £2000 was Direct Line(£1250).
I'm almost 6000 miles in with no problems to report so from personal experience I can happily recommend Fernhurst.
Insurance wise I'm 28, 4yr NCB and have 3pts. I got quotes ranging from £2000 up to £5000 and the only company I could find that offered anything below £2000 was Direct Line(£1250).
Thanks everyone for those replies. Very useful indeed. Has everyone who has had resprays been completely happy with them? Were they detectable afterwards?
Off to see a couple tomorrow afternoon. Will try to remain as grounded as possible and not get carried away! Trying to find a shiny blue one - is it true they're faster?!
Insurance quotes are being a bit of a pain. Have tried lots of specialists and the mainstream usuals. Best remains elephant (£1300 for 10 months) and tesco (about the same). Maybe that's as good as it gets for now.
With regards inspections, if a car has had a recent dealer service (as in 2-3 weeks ago), is one necessary? I'm reasonably happy checking the basics, but would anything more serious show up on the service invoices/reports as part of the standard checks/road test? Happy to pay for somebody to take a look but not if there's no need.
Anybody have recommendations for anyone Hants/Surrey way?
Off to see a couple tomorrow afternoon. Will try to remain as grounded as possible and not get carried away! Trying to find a shiny blue one - is it true they're faster?!
Insurance quotes are being a bit of a pain. Have tried lots of specialists and the mainstream usuals. Best remains elephant (£1300 for 10 months) and tesco (about the same). Maybe that's as good as it gets for now.
With regards inspections, if a car has had a recent dealer service (as in 2-3 weeks ago), is one necessary? I'm reasonably happy checking the basics, but would anything more serious show up on the service invoices/reports as part of the standard checks/road test? Happy to pay for somebody to take a look but not if there's no need.
Anybody have recommendations for anyone Hants/Surrey way?
Join TVRCC - go to local meets
Use the TVRCC web site - theres a drive on at present to gain members deals all over the place - inc insurance companies!
Try A plan ask for Rob - deal for members is 10% of an already good quote but most like at least one years performance car experience - shows your not a risk to us all and our prized protected premiums!
Use the TVRCC web site - theres a drive on at present to gain members deals all over the place - inc insurance companies!
Try A plan ask for Rob - deal for members is 10% of an already good quote but most like at least one years performance car experience - shows your not a risk to us all and our prized protected premiums!
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