Should I take the plunge into TVR ownership?
Discussion
Morning all,
I'm looking for a daily driver (won't be doing a lot of miles, mainly local running around as i work from home) that fits the following criteria:
Open top.
Reliable.
Reasonably modern (I have 3 other classics that take up most of my available garage time so don't really want another).
Purchase price £4-5k.
Only thing that fits the bill that i can come up with is an MX-5 so I've been looking for a couple of weeks. However I've recently noticed that Chimaera prices start at around £7-8k? I'm not willing to spend that much on an MX-5 but have always wanted a TVR (still proud to buy British) so could be prepared to spend the extra. I've seen a 1993 4.3 advertised locally with 64k miles and full TVR SH @ £7500 that has tempted me. Can I realistically expect the bottom end of the market to be worth a shot?
Any advice much appreciated.
Paul.
I'm looking for a daily driver (won't be doing a lot of miles, mainly local running around as i work from home) that fits the following criteria:
Open top.
Reliable.
Reasonably modern (I have 3 other classics that take up most of my available garage time so don't really want another).
Purchase price £4-5k.
Only thing that fits the bill that i can come up with is an MX-5 so I've been looking for a couple of weeks. However I've recently noticed that Chimaera prices start at around £7-8k? I'm not willing to spend that much on an MX-5 but have always wanted a TVR (still proud to buy British) so could be prepared to spend the extra. I've seen a 1993 4.3 advertised locally with 64k miles and full TVR SH @ £7500 that has tempted me. Can I realistically expect the bottom end of the market to be worth a shot?
Any advice much appreciated.
Paul.
Do it!
But from what I can see - you generally get what you pay for... make sure you have a good look over it or get a local specialist to come in and have a look.
No regrets from me, my Chimaera is my only car, and I love it. I use it every day, and there's nothing better after a day in the office than booting up the V8 and burbling off!
There you go - the voice of non-reason.
But from what I can see - you generally get what you pay for... make sure you have a good look over it or get a local specialist to come in and have a look.
No regrets from me, my Chimaera is my only car, and I love it. I use it every day, and there's nothing better after a day in the office than booting up the V8 and burbling off!
There you go - the voice of non-reason.
be careful for that money its easy to let your heart rule your head and you could get lumbered with a plum.oh get someone with you as a second opinion,someone with TVR experience preferably,look hard at everything on the car,oh and CHASSIS CORROSION pay special attention to, expect some surface rust round the outriggers & mounting plates for body suspension etc,but nothing more,please be warned and good luck,you will LUV IT.Happy hunting.
In view of your requirements I'd go for an MX5 - don't underrate them in anyway.
I've had both (currently a Chimaera 500) so no bias. A bottom budget car will require a significant expense most likely so if its at your top end anyway it could push you over.
Nothing bad to report on TVR's they are just not ideal for short run journeys and take high maintenance. Purely my view.
I've had both (currently a Chimaera 500) so no bias. A bottom budget car will require a significant expense most likely so if its at your top end anyway it could push you over.
Nothing bad to report on TVR's they are just not ideal for short run journeys and take high maintenance. Purely my view.
Andy JB said:
In view of your requirements I'd go for an MX5 - don't underrate them in anyway.
I've had both (currently a Chimaera 500) so no bias. A bottom budget car will require a significant expense most likely so if its at your top end anyway it could push you over.
Nothing bad to report on TVR's they are just not ideal for short run journeys and take high maintenance. Purely my view.
I've had both (currently a Chimaera 500) so no bias. A bottom budget car will require a significant expense most likely so if its at your top end anyway it could push you over.
Nothing bad to report on TVR's they are just not ideal for short run journeys and take high maintenance. Purely my view.
I've currently got an MX5 and a TVR Chim 450 and the MX5 was fun for a couple of weeks and is a great car but really doesnt compare with the TVR. I've been lucky that i've had two annual services and nothing more than a couple of preventetive track rod ends replaced so its been the most reliable car ive owned in the past 5 years..
I think owning a good one from the start is important so take your time and yes, joking aside, the MX5 is likely to be cheaper to own..
But some things are more important than cost and if you can afford to buy a nice Chim and have a reasonable sum of money aside just in case you wont regret it.
Its one of those things.. you either go for the safe bet or the one you Really want.. Will you drive the MX5 and see a TVR drive past and think "I could of had one of those?"
Its a toughy but life is too short not to go for it in my opinion!
Fire99 said:
Andy JB said:
In view of your requirements I'd go for an MX5 - don't underrate them in anyway.
I've had both (currently a Chimaera 500) so no bias. A bottom budget car will require a significant expense most likely so if its at your top end anyway it could push you over.
Nothing bad to report on TVR's they are just not ideal for short run journeys and take high maintenance. Purely my view.
I've had both (currently a Chimaera 500) so no bias. A bottom budget car will require a significant expense most likely so if its at your top end anyway it could push you over.
Nothing bad to report on TVR's they are just not ideal for short run journeys and take high maintenance. Purely my view.
I've currently got an MX5 and a TVR Chim 450 and the MX5 was fun for a couple of weeks and is a great car but really doesnt compare with the TVR. I've been lucky that i've had two annual services and nothing more than a couple of preventetive track rod ends replaced so its been the most reliable car ive owned in the past 5 years..
I think owning a good one from the start is important so take your time and yes, joking aside, the MX5 is likely to be cheaper to own..
But some things are more important than cost and if you can afford to buy a nice Chim and have a reasonable sum of money aside just in case you wont regret it.
Its one of those things.. you either go for the safe bet or the one you Really want.. Will you drive the MX5 and see a TVR drive past and think "I could of had one of those?"
Its a toughy but life is too short not to go for it in my opinion!
If I was going on a short journey & I had the chim + my old mx-5 on the drive then I would jump into the Mazda almost every time. Dropping the roof in seconds, not worrying too much about warming the engine - easy life. Any journey over 5 miles or so & the Chim would get picked every time.
I have had both MX-5 and a 4L Chim(p). I now have a T350 so you can see where my bias lies...
Having said that, for the priorities you list and the money you want to spend I'd advise the MX-5. It'll be cheaper to buy, less hassle to run, and it will cope better with short or infrequent journeys.
The bottom end of the Chim market could turn out very expensive, sadly
.
Having said that, for the priorities you list and the money you want to spend I'd advise the MX-5. It'll be cheaper to buy, less hassle to run, and it will cope better with short or infrequent journeys.
The bottom end of the Chim market could turn out very expensive, sadly
. lots of reasonable advice above but in the end it all depends on the car. you can get burnt by an expensive car or a cheap one.
at the bottom end of the market then you're always going to be compromising but that doesn't mean it's always a problem. if you can get a car with a good chassis and solid mechanical components then it's a great deal. I'm going to guess from the fact that you own a couple of classics that you have some mechanical aptitude (certainly more than me) if so then these cars are not complicated and a few niggles need not lead to big bills.
The chimaera is a great car and a great value car and they're well worth the effort. as with any large expense then you should be fine if you go into it with your eyes open.
my advice for what it's worth would be to look for a chimaera. spend some first time becoming familiar with what can go wrong (remember leaks are fixable) and look at what's available. if at the end of the day you cannot find the car you're after then the mx5 option is still there and still a fun car.
on the other hand if you didn't look then you'd always have that doubt.
at the bottom end of the market then you're always going to be compromising but that doesn't mean it's always a problem. if you can get a car with a good chassis and solid mechanical components then it's a great deal. I'm going to guess from the fact that you own a couple of classics that you have some mechanical aptitude (certainly more than me) if so then these cars are not complicated and a few niggles need not lead to big bills.
The chimaera is a great car and a great value car and they're well worth the effort. as with any large expense then you should be fine if you go into it with your eyes open.
my advice for what it's worth would be to look for a chimaera. spend some first time becoming familiar with what can go wrong (remember leaks are fixable) and look at what's available. if at the end of the day you cannot find the car you're after then the mx5 option is still there and still a fun car.
on the other hand if you didn't look then you'd always have that doubt.
If you want it as a daily driver check that you are not buying one that has “fiddled with” a lot have induction mods, hotter cams, re-maps etc. This can make an otherwise very enjoyable car extremely tiresome in traffic. In standard trim they burble along nicely and are plenty quick enough for most.
Thanks to everyone for your constructive input and surpisingly reasoned answers (asking a question like this in a single marque forum wouldn't always bring such unbiased results).
As I'm only in the 4th month of trading with my 1st (and hopefully only) new company, I think I'm going to take the sensible route and go for the MX-5 for the time being (I've also just had insurance quotes for both and as owners you don't need me to tell you which one is 1/3 the price of the other, man these bad boys are expensive to insure!). I'll take a proper look at the TVR at the end of the 1st year trading, nothing like the smell of petrol & sound of a V8 for motivation!
Anyone want to sell their MK1 1.8i?
Thanks again.
As I'm only in the 4th month of trading with my 1st (and hopefully only) new company, I think I'm going to take the sensible route and go for the MX-5 for the time being (I've also just had insurance quotes for both and as owners you don't need me to tell you which one is 1/3 the price of the other, man these bad boys are expensive to insure!). I'll take a proper look at the TVR at the end of the 1st year trading, nothing like the smell of petrol & sound of a V8 for motivation!
Anyone want to sell their MK1 1.8i?
Thanks again.
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff