Discussion
Hi there,
Later on this year I'll be in the market for a new toy. The vehicle will be a second car and will be garaged at night. Annual mileage will be around 5000. With a budget of £7500 my shortlist is as follows.
1. Caterham Seven
2. Lotus Elise
3. Mazda MX-5
Car must be a two seater soft top for big grins! I have previously discounted Chimaeras due to their high running costs, questionably reliability and build quality and because they are a little on the large side compared with the Caterhams and Lotus's of the world
However, having had another think about it perhaps I have been too quick to discount a chimaera.
The only 'must have' is power steering (just call me a wimp!)
the biggest concern is running costs. I've seen second hand Chimaera's with service bills for over £1000. This is unaffordable for me and I'll be either doing basic servicing myself or paying a local garage to do it for me.
Petrol, tax and insurance should be manageable given the low miles, the fact that the car is garaged and also a second car.
So what do you think? Can an early Chimaera be run on a budget? At this level of purchase price maintaining a full dealer service history is not a big concern. Are TVR's simple enough to get a local (well respected) garage to do work on the car? At this price level is it likely to be a bucket?
Any and all advice welcome.
Thanks and all the best.
Martin.
Later on this year I'll be in the market for a new toy. The vehicle will be a second car and will be garaged at night. Annual mileage will be around 5000. With a budget of £7500 my shortlist is as follows.
1. Caterham Seven
2. Lotus Elise
3. Mazda MX-5
Car must be a two seater soft top for big grins! I have previously discounted Chimaeras due to their high running costs, questionably reliability and build quality and because they are a little on the large side compared with the Caterhams and Lotus's of the world
However, having had another think about it perhaps I have been too quick to discount a chimaera.
The only 'must have' is power steering (just call me a wimp!)
the biggest concern is running costs. I've seen second hand Chimaera's with service bills for over £1000. This is unaffordable for me and I'll be either doing basic servicing myself or paying a local garage to do it for me.
Petrol, tax and insurance should be manageable given the low miles, the fact that the car is garaged and also a second car.
So what do you think? Can an early Chimaera be run on a budget? At this level of purchase price maintaining a full dealer service history is not a big concern. Are TVR's simple enough to get a local (well respected) garage to do work on the car? At this price level is it likely to be a bucket?
Any and all advice welcome.
Thanks and all the best.
Martin.
Everyone will say the same...go on condition. It might have full service history and be a dog...it might have no service history and be the same.
Check the chassis (outriggers), and overall condition of the car...and have a look at as many as possible.
You will soon get to see what is good and what is bad.
If you know your way round a car most of the work you can do yourself!
Check the chassis (outriggers), and overall condition of the car...and have a look at as many as possible.
You will soon get to see what is good and what is bad.
If you know your way round a car most of the work you can do yourself!
Hello there 
To say 'on a budget' is always a bit of difficult one really.
However, a chimaera needn't be a very expensive vehicle. To break it down, it's a large engined car with a fibreglass body on a tubular chassis - a posh kit car.
Parts are readily available, and generally pretty cheap and normally robust. However, as with everything it's all about maintenance, a well maintained car is paramount. This doesn't have to be a garage queen either. In my experience of Tvr's, and I've had a few they respond better to regular use rather than just for summer. If you keep on top of maintenance they are no worse than any mechanical thing. The parts for sure are tried and tested. If you have a modicum of technical knowledge and enjoy tinkering then you will enjoy ownership. Plus, the tvr crowd are very good at helping others, and a friendly bunch.
I wouldn't have anything else to be honest, TVR's get right under your skin (and over the garage floor
) I'm not a hater of other sports cars, but suppose I'm a bit of a tvr nut and always have been despite being tempted a couple of times with defection.
I bought a reasonable chim, it's proved faultless, but if you are looking for one, check the guides about what to look for (chassis chassis and chassis
) You won't regret it, they are a right old hoot.
To say 'on a budget' is always a bit of difficult one really.
However, a chimaera needn't be a very expensive vehicle. To break it down, it's a large engined car with a fibreglass body on a tubular chassis - a posh kit car.
Parts are readily available, and generally pretty cheap and normally robust. However, as with everything it's all about maintenance, a well maintained car is paramount. This doesn't have to be a garage queen either. In my experience of Tvr's, and I've had a few they respond better to regular use rather than just for summer. If you keep on top of maintenance they are no worse than any mechanical thing. The parts for sure are tried and tested. If you have a modicum of technical knowledge and enjoy tinkering then you will enjoy ownership. Plus, the tvr crowd are very good at helping others, and a friendly bunch.
I wouldn't have anything else to be honest, TVR's get right under your skin (and over the garage floor
) I'm not a hater of other sports cars, but suppose I'm a bit of a tvr nut and always have been despite being tempted a couple of times with defection. I bought a reasonable chim, it's proved faultless, but if you are looking for one, check the guides about what to look for (chassis chassis and chassis
) You won't regret it, they are a right old hoot. 
Ricardo Bertone said:
Read poor old JUT's experience with a cheap Chimaera.
Ricardo
Ricardo
Yep, I've read it and I'm just waiting for a pop up to appear for some solicitor type along the lines of "Duped by some garage? you need JUT's solicitor friends to sort them out" Honest it's an advert for his mates waiting to happen!!
Edited by ray_von on Wednesday 20th December 15:06
Hmmm wonder if JUT's friends would have any advice for the following...
Its your tappets, we shall change them....£x amount
No its your cam, we will change it.........£xxx amount
Oh no its your crank and the engine is shot £XXXXXXX amount
Ray_von,
How is it running now...i will have to meet up with you after christmas and have a look!!!
Oh - forgot...have you got your shocks sorted yet???????
Its your tappets, we shall change them....£x amount
No its your cam, we will change it.........£xxx amount
Oh no its your crank and the engine is shot £XXXXXXX amount
Ray_von,
How is it running now...i will have to meet up with you after christmas and have a look!!!
Oh - forgot...have you got your shocks sorted yet???????
Just remember that some Chims are cheap for a reason. Yes, there are some good ones around for your budget bit I bet the number of bad ones for that price far outweigh this.
If you're scared of £1000 potential services as well then maybe it's not the car for you. Again, some people do get away with just routine servicing but many on here don't.
Basically, if you don't think you can afford the 'potential' running costs then stay away.
Check out owners profiles for further info on running costs.
If you're scared of £1000 potential services as well then maybe it's not the car for you. Again, some people do get away with just routine servicing but many on here don't.
Basically, if you don't think you can afford the 'potential' running costs then stay away.
Check out owners profiles for further info on running costs.
ray_von said:
Ricardo Bertone said:
Read poor old JUT's experience with a cheap Chimaera.
Ricardo
Ricardo
Yep, I've read it and I'm just waiting for a pop up to appear for some solicitor type along the lines of "Duped by some garage? you need JUT's solicitor friends to sort them out" Honest it's an advert for his mates waiting to happen!!
Edited by ray_von on Wednesday 20th December 15:06
Ha ha ha, substitute "mates" for "colleagues" - that's why I'm not too fussed about going to court over it if needs be!
poorpeet said:
You may get lucky & find a good cheap one but most are cheap for a reason.
The ins co I use have just given mine an agreed value of £9k for a 94 4 litre with 87K.
The ins co I use have just given mine an agreed value of £9k for a 94 4 litre with 87K.
Yeah, but my insurance co values the Saab at £10K (and that was before it quite made 291 bhp) - which is a reaonable approximation of 'replacement value' but I don't think I could sell the car for anywhere near that price. Remember at selling time your car is only worth what the market is willing to pay for it - and I've seen quite a bit of corrective action on that front (frankly, TVRs used to be overpriced seeing as 4.0s were selling for under £25K new ca. '94 - would you pay half the new price for a 10 year old car with a somewhat questionable reliability record?).
It depends on your mechanical ability really. A cheap chim for me is an expensive one for the missus. ie I can do most mechanical things on the old girl but the wife would have to take her to the garage!
Just look out for the obvious stuff as previously stated. A rsuty chassis isnt really a problem if you are:
a) willing to work on it
b) pay some one else to work on it
However a fully corroded chassis that has be eaten right through is going to cost big bucks.
Common sense really!
Too many Sloe Gins me thinks.
Just look out for the obvious stuff as previously stated. A rsuty chassis isnt really a problem if you are:
a) willing to work on it
b) pay some one else to work on it
However a fully corroded chassis that has be eaten right through is going to cost big bucks.
Common sense really!
Too many Sloe Gins me thinks.
MGYoung said:
I have previously discounted Chimaeras due to their high running costs, questionable reliability and build quality....having had another think about it perhaps I have been too quick to discount a chimaera.
Most opinions of 'questionable reliability and build quality' are fuelled by rumour. Ask the opinions of present (and previous) owners. Yes, I'd say you were quick to discount Chimaeras, but, as you say, you've had another think!
MGYoung said:
The only 'must have' is power steering (just call me a wimp!)
The Chimaera is quite light as cars go and the power steering doesn't offer that much assistance, so I wouldn't even consider that a 'must'.
Many threads on here concern niggles or problems. Of those, many are repeated. Have a read through them - a lot of the most common things are cheap to fix, eg. fuel pump relay, 100A fuse. The car features a few TVR-specific mechanical parts, eg. steering rack, but it also contains a lot of more common parts from Ford, Vauxhall etc. I've even heard there's a modified Rover item under the bonnet....
As already stated, buy on condition rather than age. A dealer service history is desirable, but no more desirable than a recognised specialist history. Standard servicing will not reach £1000, but the odd bit of work over and above the normal service schedule may easily push the price up to £1000 and beyond. In that situation, shop around for the extra work doing.
We have had our 1995 4.0 Chim for nearly two years..... I have done the servicing myself and generaly kept a close eye on oil leaks, clutch wear etc........ We do about 8000 miles a year in it and upto press the only `breakdown` has been a fuel pump relay.Sure there are things that may need doing in the future but so what ??? If you take your car into a dealer they will tell you everything that is wrong. Bit of play in this, lift in that, leak from diff,gearbox,engine, tickover bit lumpy.!!! If they are not directly safety related and the oil leaks dont become worse and are manageable dont worry. Sure its great if you can just throw it to the dealer and just tell them to mint it but it really is not needed... Ours has had oil leaks from the minute we bought it.The clutch is high but no worse than it was 3000 miles ago, the chassis isnt the best but i keep flatting and painting to keep on top of it....What im saying is buy as good a condition car as you can and enjoy it. If you can carry out the basics yourself you will be unlucky to end up with regular big bills...... We paid 13k for our car when prices were strong. Worth now ??? About 8.5k i guess. ( 48000 miles.)Not selling so doesnt matter.... We did the Thunder run the other week completing just under 500 miles without one single issue. 26mpg average and that included 3hours in London traffic at 90 degrees !!....There are a lot of cars with problems sure. But that can be said about any make or model. There are also many more that never cause problems.TVR suffer from bad press that really is not justified.
MGYoung .
My honest opinion on this matter is if your worried about the running costs buy the lotus elise.
I sold a s1 elise to buy my Chim , the Chim is a better car in a some ways but not all,
You will struggle to get a chim to handle like an elise ,
You will be amazed by the Mpg in the elise (40+)even when going quick,
If u have back problems dont buy the elise but when u do buy 1 u will end up with back problems,
You will never get a lotus to ,be quicher , smoother , sound like a Tvr , drive like a Tvr.
and the lotus will not put an extra 5 inches on your penis
Buy the Chim i did and never looked back .
ant
My honest opinion on this matter is if your worried about the running costs buy the lotus elise.
I sold a s1 elise to buy my Chim , the Chim is a better car in a some ways but not all,
You will struggle to get a chim to handle like an elise ,
You will be amazed by the Mpg in the elise (40+)even when going quick,
If u have back problems dont buy the elise but when u do buy 1 u will end up with back problems
, You will never get a lotus to ,be quicher , smoother , sound like a Tvr , drive like a Tvr.
and the lotus will not put an extra 5 inches on your penis
Buy the Chim i did and never looked back .
ant
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