Help and Advice for someone new to TVR let alone a Chimaera
Discussion
Really depends what you are looking for if you want something totally reliable then go for porshe however if you want to really turn heads and have a constant smile on your face then the Chimaera is the one for you. Just take your time looking and make sure you get the best you can for your money don't get too hung up on year and colour and you will have many years of enjoyable motoring. I did just that a year ago and still have a smile on my face every time I start the engine let alone drive it. Trust me you won't regret what I think is the best value v8 car on the market.
Like dadamsv8 said its value for money as well, you wont get much of a porker 911(similar year to the TVR chims) for say £10,000, will get a very nice 95/96 chim for that money ,with the serp engine and later gearbox which are considered better .
Though the most important thing is condition and not just off what you can see ,,chassis e.t.c needs a good looking over.
My mate has a 993 porker carrera s wide body and its in good shape cost £35,000 on a p or r reg, its boring after the chimp. My other mate has brand new porker boxter s and that is boring also , but easier to live with than the chimp but its his daily but £45,000.
My chimp is a 95 4.0 hc mint and it cost just less than £10,000 and is in similar shape to the 993 ,and i bought that way, not had to go out and spend 1000's getting it to the condition i have spent maybe a £200-£300 but i do the work myself which keeps the costs down big time.
Also TVR's use parts from other cars , sierra brakes e.t.c so these are cheap, try getting new discs and pads for a porker.
P.s my mate new boxter has many more rattles than the 10 year old chimp.
Hope this helps best of luck !!
>> Edited by Top Chimp on Sunday 19th February 21:35
>> Edited by Top Chimp on Sunday 19th February 21:38
>> Edited by Top Chimp on Sunday 19th February 21:39
Though the most important thing is condition and not just off what you can see ,,chassis e.t.c needs a good looking over.
My mate has a 993 porker carrera s wide body and its in good shape cost £35,000 on a p or r reg, its boring after the chimp. My other mate has brand new porker boxter s and that is boring also , but easier to live with than the chimp but its his daily but £45,000.
My chimp is a 95 4.0 hc mint and it cost just less than £10,000 and is in similar shape to the 993 ,and i bought that way, not had to go out and spend 1000's getting it to the condition i have spent maybe a £200-£300 but i do the work myself which keeps the costs down big time.
Also TVR's use parts from other cars , sierra brakes e.t.c so these are cheap, try getting new discs and pads for a porker.
P.s my mate new boxter has many more rattles than the 10 year old chimp.
Hope this helps best of luck !!
>> Edited by Top Chimp on Sunday 19th February 21:35
>> Edited by Top Chimp on Sunday 19th February 21:38
>> Edited by Top Chimp on Sunday 19th February 21:39
I bought my 1st TVR 3 months ago - Chimaera 500. By comparison a 911 is very dull, but it will be much cheaper to run and very reliable. Def go for a TVR though, you wont regret it, so long as you don't mind a few little niggles. And yes, make sure you have the budget to run it, they love Shell Optimax and Mobil Supersport fully synthetic.
jeremy e , how much was the 911 you had, just interested, see i don't know how old your Tvr is, Just that i think if you are paying mid to late teen's for your Chim then yeh you can find a good 911 , at £9000-£10,000 i have seen a lot of nasty porkers.
I think looking at the history file with my car the costs are big mostly because of the labour charges, if you are handy i think this can be reduced somewhat, .
The other day i got a new oil filler cap from landrover o/e item about £4.50, things like that i would not like to get o/e for a porker.
I think as said with all cars its finding a good one, and i did some 600mile a day trips to find one, i looked at 9 s series before a gave up, and a lot of Chims.My poor daily 206,000mile sierra had to work hard ( still all original apart from springs/shocks).
I think i must have spent about £300-£400 on fuel and i can get 40-45mpg out of the old girl (good old carbs).
I think looking at the history file with my car the costs are big mostly because of the labour charges, if you are handy i think this can be reduced somewhat, .
The other day i got a new oil filler cap from landrover o/e item about £4.50, things like that i would not like to get o/e for a porker.
I think as said with all cars its finding a good one, and i did some 600mile a day trips to find one, i looked at 9 s series before a gave up, and a lot of Chims.My poor daily 206,000mile sierra had to work hard ( still all original apart from springs/shocks).
I think i must have spent about £300-£400 on fuel and i can get 40-45mpg out of the old girl (good old carbs).
Have to say that 2 smokin is right , it seems you will get more car for your money with a Chimp and thats why I bought one, as finding a Griff in the same condition for price is very difficult , this is mainly due to build numbers ( lot more Chimps than Griffs ).
I would have had either or , but condition/ budget did make me go for the Chimp.
I would have had either or , but condition/ budget did make me go for the Chimp.
mongoose said:
Excellent many thanks for the advice.
I have now decided to go for a TVR now i need to decide between Griff or Chimaera..
Tis mostly true, although they do drive differently, and I NEVER got the hang of stowing the roof in the Griff.
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
Tis mostly true, although they do drive differently, and I NEVER got the hang of stowing the roof in the Griff.
i know what you mean there.Strangely,the griff i have now is tighter than my first griff.!You could throw the roof in the boot of my chim,by comparison! I agree that they drive differently,i always felt that the seating poition felt different? I think it's true that the Chim is a far better buy,both in value for money and practicality terms.You either 'get' the Griff 'thing' or you dont i guess.If you don't understand what all the fuss is about,then your driving the best value sportscar out there,in the chim,imho.I just couldn't be without my griff now though
Drive both and several different ones and then make your mind up. Chimaeras are different from Griffs - many many changes and differences including the important ones of suspension setup. They are similar underneath but not the same despite what people will say. If you want a Griff get a Griff. If you want a Chimaera get one of those. If you want the Griff handling and the Chimpari looks.... tough choice as they are different cars. Later cars also tend to handle differently/better (delete as applicable) than earlier ones.
A lot of variety out there. Chimpari are cheaper generally than Griffs as there were far more made. More lower power versions availabe as well as being a bit more practical. In the end it is a personal choice.
There is a Chimaera and Griff buyers guide on my web site www.tvrbooks.co.uk.
A lot of variety out there. Chimpari are cheaper generally than Griffs as there were far more made. More lower power versions availabe as well as being a bit more practical. In the end it is a personal choice.
There is a Chimaera and Griff buyers guide on my web site www.tvrbooks.co.uk.
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