Discussion
It's a day of mixed emotions; after 8 years and plenty of laughs my Chim is leaving with a new owner.
I've bought an AM Vantage (Mrs F was quite keen on a switch to a more 'mature' car) and although the Vantage is 'wonderful, wonderful, wonderful' I suspect I'll miss the drama and bellow of the Chimaera, not to mention the astonishing luggage capacity for the Le Mans trip each year. Alas, I need to release garage space and with only a pitiful mileage covered in the Trev last year it deserves (needs) to be used properly. The good news is that the new owner seems like an enthusiast who grinned like crazy during the test drive so I'm sure it's going to a good home.
Thanks to all on this forum who have shared wit and wisdom.
Eric, aka Oily Mist
I've bought an AM Vantage (Mrs F was quite keen on a switch to a more 'mature' car) and although the Vantage is 'wonderful, wonderful, wonderful' I suspect I'll miss the drama and bellow of the Chimaera, not to mention the astonishing luggage capacity for the Le Mans trip each year. Alas, I need to release garage space and with only a pitiful mileage covered in the Trev last year it deserves (needs) to be used properly. The good news is that the new owner seems like an enthusiast who grinned like crazy during the test drive so I'm sure it's going to a good home.
Thanks to all on this forum who have shared wit and wisdom.
Eric, aka Oily Mist
Hi, Sorry to hear that you've sold your Chimaera, but I bet you'll be back one day! A few years ago I bought a Griff 500, that was owned by a chap that had that Aston Vantage scratch to itch, but nearly every year I get an e-mail from him, asking me if I have heard as to whether or not the owner that I sold the Griff too wants to sell the car - since the Aston Man would love to have the Griff back for the shear pleasure and exhilaration that it gave him when driving it.
Personally, I would love an Aston in my garage. They are a beautiful car which I am sure that you will enjoy.
Personally, I would love an Aston in my garage. They are a beautiful car which I am sure that you will enjoy.
ianwayne said:
Without being too nosey, how did you manage to find a buyer? Not many seem to be selling these days, the Chimaeras on A/T, ebay and the Pistonheads Classifieds all seem to have been the same for months.
Priced it sensibly and didn't listen to people trying to hype their own cars up??? Maybe? Don't know though.ray von said:
ianwayne said:
Without being too nosey, how did you manage to find a buyer? Not many seem to be selling these days, the Chimaeras on A/T, ebay and the Pistonheads Classifieds all seem to have been the same for months.
Priced it sensibly and didn't listen to people trying to hype their own cars up??? Maybe? Don't know though.Keep the price realistic and it will sell.
I feel there are savvy people out there who probably follow these and Facebook pages do their homework and understand what is a high end car and what makes it so.
Like all things some cars are technically more advanced than others or some have a better chassis or interior or whatever. There are no two cars exactly the same condition so pricing will always vary to some extent.
It’s a combination of factors, one chap got a Chim recently from a dealer for about 13 or 14k I think it was and then hit a motorway barrier, how old were the tyres!
Just because a car looks nice doesn’t mean it is.
I believe the gentleman in question had no idea about old tyres and Tvr cars and so not really his own fault as he was new to Tvr.
It doesn’t even take old tyres, just ones that have stood sometime is enough to see them go off.
This is the single most dangerous aspect of buying a Tvr for someone new imo
My car was really a bit of a death trap on old tyres, bone shaker and all down to oldish tyres though having virtually full tread depth, the right tyres on, different car.
My point is some cars are constantly looked at from a technical perspective, those cars are not the same as cars that have not.
You get what you pays for,,,,
Welldone on selling o/p.
Like all things some cars are technically more advanced than others or some have a better chassis or interior or whatever. There are no two cars exactly the same condition so pricing will always vary to some extent.
It’s a combination of factors, one chap got a Chim recently from a dealer for about 13 or 14k I think it was and then hit a motorway barrier, how old were the tyres!
Just because a car looks nice doesn’t mean it is.
I believe the gentleman in question had no idea about old tyres and Tvr cars and so not really his own fault as he was new to Tvr.
It doesn’t even take old tyres, just ones that have stood sometime is enough to see them go off.
This is the single most dangerous aspect of buying a Tvr for someone new imo
My car was really a bit of a death trap on old tyres, bone shaker and all down to oldish tyres though having virtually full tread depth, the right tyres on, different car.
My point is some cars are constantly looked at from a technical perspective, those cars are not the same as cars that have not.
You get what you pays for,,,,
Welldone on selling o/p.
ianwayne said:
Completely agree there. No 2 cars the same. Last owner of my Chimaera has spent a small fortune on servicing, outriggers, respray, canems etc (which led me to buy it) but the rear tyres were 15 years old!! Lethal, and quickly changed. Some owners concentrate in the wrong areas.
It’s so easy to do, change shocks or whatever thinking in some technical way these shiny ones will give me the grip I desire, I had about 3 sets all told 
I do find it funny now as I’d just about given up trying to make my car more comfortable as on a daily basis being bounced around and skitting over road surfaces does get tedious. After so many thoughts, I just followed someone else’s advice, two people actually and got some Rainsport 3 tyres 17 in wheels had made a mockery of compliance, I couldn’t believe just how different the car was on new soft tyres, I felt a pillock and elated at the same time.
Everything is better steering, bumps just everything. Mad but true.
Tyres are about the most important thing to ge5 right and work from there.
It’s just old tyres and it only takes one winter or 9 months or something stood to ruin a good tyre.
Beware as it’s a ver6 dangerous situation your in.
Brembo brakes had me drawn to testing them rather a lot at first,, I installed them
So I got a good feel for the grip on what turns out to be s
t tyres, old though!!! Changed the tyres and what a set of brakes, it’s like stopping a bike, so much grip, car is phenomenal in comparison, one day to the nest a total change.
Tyres tyres and tyres, do nothing, don’t mess about with ignition components buy one with or put decent tyres on as soon as you get one is my single best bit of advice.
You simply have no idea the tyres you have on are so poor, you assume it’s because Tvr handle rubbish,, wrong they can handle really good and grip like f
k, I used to wheel spin in third on motorways, I can’t get anywhere near spinning up now, dry it’s virtually impossible to spin up, it just grips. 300 hp has gone from deadly if prodded to not enough! 
I know I’m being boring but the truth is at midnight on a B road doing 50 mph I hit a massive water leak that covered the road for about 20 yards and must have been a foot deep with a car coming the other way, I didn’t even brake as I nore the other vehicle could actually see the water, they pretty much saved me life I reckon, Sod that it saved the car which is the main thing. Rainsport 3 cut through that water and although the build up of water raised the car I lost speed to about 20 mph almost instantly, one of the worst driving moments I’ve had and was a passenger,,,, im not sure many cars would have stuck to the road at that moment, fantastic tyres on such a light car.
Edited by Classic Chim on Saturday 11th May 09:18
Was this it? Has air con and it's blue. Re silvered headlamp bowls as mentioned in your posts...
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Seemed very fair price for the condition so I'm glad it sold for you.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Seemed very fair price for the condition so I'm glad it sold for you.
Thanks for all the positives - yes it was the Antigua Blue, air con, resilvered lights with Steve Edwards covers.
It's been looked after by me with periodic servicing by Powers / DG Sportscars as I appreciate having another set of trained eyes to look around the car in case I've missed (or messed up) something.
I'd looked on here to get an idea of a price point and also had input from a couple of dealers. As has been observed, there are so many variables on condition and also degree of modification (improvement??). The trader's comment was that I'd picked a fair price for the condition of the car (no show winner but looked good from 5 feet away and in good, usable condition). There were a few people interested, 2 came to view before the buyer found it - sold within 3 weeks of posting the ad here on PH (and nowhere else). Maybe with patience I might have dragged a bit more for it but the buyer's an enthusiast who plans to use it and keep it so I'm happy enough. It didn't 'owe' me anything.
Now I'm really hoping I warm to the Aston - Le Mans in 4 weeks so lets hope so.
It's been looked after by me with periodic servicing by Powers / DG Sportscars as I appreciate having another set of trained eyes to look around the car in case I've missed (or messed up) something.
I'd looked on here to get an idea of a price point and also had input from a couple of dealers. As has been observed, there are so many variables on condition and also degree of modification (improvement??). The trader's comment was that I'd picked a fair price for the condition of the car (no show winner but looked good from 5 feet away and in good, usable condition). There were a few people interested, 2 came to view before the buyer found it - sold within 3 weeks of posting the ad here on PH (and nowhere else). Maybe with patience I might have dragged a bit more for it but the buyer's an enthusiast who plans to use it and keep it so I'm happy enough. It didn't 'owe' me anything.
Now I'm really hoping I warm to the Aston - Le Mans in 4 weeks so lets hope so.
Thanks for all the positives - yes it was the Antigua Blue, air con, resilvered lights with Steve Edwards covers.
It's been looked after by me with periodic servicing by Powers / DG Sportscars as I appreciate having another set of trained eyes to look around the car in case I've missed (or messed up) something.
I'd looked on here to get an idea of a price point and also had input from a couple of dealers. As has been observed, there are so many variables on condition and also degree of modification (improvement??). The trader's comment was that I'd picked a fair price for the condition of the car (no show winner but looked good from 5 feet away and in good, usable condition). There were a few people interested, 2 came to view before the buyer found it - sold within 3 weeks of posting the ad here on PH (and nowhere else). Maybe with patience I might have dragged a bit more for it but the buyer's an enthusiast who plans to use it and keep it so I'm happy enough. It didn't 'owe' me anything.
Now I'm really hoping I warm to the Aston - Le Mans in 4 weeks so lets hope so.
It's been looked after by me with periodic servicing by Powers / DG Sportscars as I appreciate having another set of trained eyes to look around the car in case I've missed (or messed up) something.
I'd looked on here to get an idea of a price point and also had input from a couple of dealers. As has been observed, there are so many variables on condition and also degree of modification (improvement??). The trader's comment was that I'd picked a fair price for the condition of the car (no show winner but looked good from 5 feet away and in good, usable condition). There were a few people interested, 2 came to view before the buyer found it - sold within 3 weeks of posting the ad here on PH (and nowhere else). Maybe with patience I might have dragged a bit more for it but the buyer's an enthusiast who plans to use it and keep it so I'm happy enough. It didn't 'owe' me anything.
Now I'm really hoping I warm to the Aston - Le Mans in 4 weeks so lets hope so.
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