Chimera reliable or not
Discussion
Really considering a chimera, problem is that ive heard all these horror storys about Tvr's. Are the chimeras unreliable? Do they cost more to maintain that say a cosworth or a fast Jap car.
I really love the noise and looks of the chimera and have always wanted one. I have the money to buy one but i dont have a fortune to maintain one.
ps im quite handy with a spanner so maybe i could do most maintanance myself.
I really love the noise and looks of the chimera and have always wanted one. I have the money to buy one but i dont have a fortune to maintain one.
ps im quite handy with a spanner so maybe i could do most maintanance myself.
Welcome!
The chimaera is one of the most reliable TVRs, the Rover V8 has been around for a long time and most of the problems have been ironed out or at least highlighted over the years.
I'd say that 99% of the problems with TVRs are niggles which you can have some fun fixing.
If you buy a car that's been well loved, used and serviced regularly (by either TVR or even better a respected Indy) you shouldn't have much more trouble than with any other 10+ year old car.
Set aside about £1000 a year to cover a service, some tyres and basic spares. Don't forget to factor in insurance and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
Check out my site for more info....
The chimaera is one of the most reliable TVRs, the Rover V8 has been around for a long time and most of the problems have been ironed out or at least highlighted over the years.
I'd say that 99% of the problems with TVRs are niggles which you can have some fun fixing.
If you buy a car that's been well loved, used and serviced regularly (by either TVR or even better a respected Indy) you shouldn't have much more trouble than with any other 10+ year old car.
Set aside about £1000 a year to cover a service, some tyres and basic spares. Don't forget to factor in insurance and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
Check out my site for more info....
Edited by theaxe on Tuesday 6th March 15:17
Did not post sopmething for long time. But Chimaera's are simple cars. I own a griff. Simple cars to fix. Lots of small things can go wrong.
Like:
- bushes wear out much too fast
-fuses
-electrical things
-heater does not work or partly.
and so on.
Handling is not good but can be fixed although not permanently. You have to change bushes very often. I use rose joints because i was fed up changing silent blocks every time.
BUT: the car has never let me down!!! It is a bit a DIY car.
There just is not much what can really go wrong.
I just read a post somewhere which explaines why TVR went broke. And to be honest the guy is telling the truth.
It is no ferrari or porsche but a fun car. This car can have running cost of almost zero money. Just some new oil from time to time and checking all points from the check list.
You can drive those cars as cheap or also expensive as you want. It depends a bit of your standards. If you want very good handling it will cost you. And maintaince for handling is also there!!!
I i said one!!!You can buy the most expensive shocks you want but if you do not change bushses or use rose joints and change anti roll bar rubbers and so on,it will never work!!! By the way i use Intrax shocks and also these shocks have to be serviced one in a few years!!Depends on use.
Freddy
Like:
- bushes wear out much too fast
-fuses
-electrical things
-heater does not work or partly.
and so on.
Handling is not good but can be fixed although not permanently. You have to change bushes very often. I use rose joints because i was fed up changing silent blocks every time.
BUT: the car has never let me down!!! It is a bit a DIY car.
There just is not much what can really go wrong.
I just read a post somewhere which explaines why TVR went broke. And to be honest the guy is telling the truth.
It is no ferrari or porsche but a fun car. This car can have running cost of almost zero money. Just some new oil from time to time and checking all points from the check list.
You can drive those cars as cheap or also expensive as you want. It depends a bit of your standards. If you want very good handling it will cost you. And maintaince for handling is also there!!!
I i said one!!!You can buy the most expensive shocks you want but if you do not change bushses or use rose joints and change anti roll bar rubbers and so on,it will never work!!! By the way i use Intrax shocks and also these shocks have to be serviced one in a few years!!Depends on use.
Freddy
theaxe said:
...and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
You seriously get up to 28mpg out of yours? Is that on a motorway run? I've not seen more than 200 miles out of a tank yet on mine, usually closer to 150 miles, and I'm positive it's running cleanly on all cylinders. That said, it does mostly get used around town and for B-road blats.
-JUT- said:
theaxe said:
...and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
You seriously get up to 28mpg out of yours? Is that on a motorway run? I've not seen more than 200 miles out of a tank yet on mine, usually closer to 150 miles, and I'm positive it's running cleanly on all cylinders. That said, it does mostly get used around town and for B-road blats.
150 miles, blimey you must have some big ol feet
I did actually manage 230 miles the other week with some still left in the tank. That was a mix off motorways and town driving. soz
I average 15-18 mpg in my Chimaera 500, but who cares? If you're fussed about economy then get a EuroBox or a Prius.
But answering the original question, have a look at my car's profile. Apart from a cracked head (which could happen to any performance car) nothing has gone wrong that wasn't easily fixed. The car has been extremely reliable.
They're very simple cars really - there isn't that much that can go wrong and what does is well understood by various specialists up and down the country and easily fixed.
But answering the original question, have a look at my car's profile. Apart from a cracked head (which could happen to any performance car) nothing has gone wrong that wasn't easily fixed. The car has been extremely reliable.
They're very simple cars really - there isn't that much that can go wrong and what does is well understood by various specialists up and down the country and easily fixed.
i used to get mid to high 20's im my tweeked 4ltr. and that was never driven like driving miss Daisy...
wierdly i always seem to get good mpg out of V8's and crap mpg out of diesels.
my current daily transports has a TD5 engine and the chim still beats it on mpg !!!!
I ran mine as a company car for 3 years in all weathers left it out side and the only problem i ever had was a snapped wiper cable !!!
G
wierdly i always seem to get good mpg out of V8's and crap mpg out of diesels.
my current daily transports has a TD5 engine and the chim still beats it on mpg !!!!
I ran mine as a company car for 3 years in all weathers left it out side and the only problem i ever had was a snapped wiper cable !!!
G
Edited by Graham on Tuesday 6th March 18:09
I'd vote for reliable - in nearly 5 years of ownership and 18,000 miles my 450 has had one journey-stopping throttle cable failure (actually journey-delaying since the RAC man fixed it in less than an hour). I chose to maintain a TVR main dealer (Racing Green) for servicing because (1) I wanted the complete TVR ownership experience; (2) I really trusted the guys at Racing Green to do the job properly (and they haven't let me down) and (3) I felt that when I come to sell, having a continuous TVR dealer history might be a positive selling feature.
I guess I'm just about to find out if assumption 3 was correct!!
I certainly went in to TVR ownership with my eyes open - thanks to PHers circa 2001/2 - and thanks to some diligence at the begining in finding a fully sorted, just run-in example I have been truly impressed with my Chimaera.
I guess I'm just about to find out if assumption 3 was correct!!
I certainly went in to TVR ownership with my eyes open - thanks to PHers circa 2001/2 - and thanks to some diligence at the begining in finding a fully sorted, just run-in example I have been truly impressed with my Chimaera.
-JUT- said:
theaxe said:
...and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
You seriously get up to 28mpg out of yours? Is that on a motorway run? I've not seen more than 200 miles out of a tank yet on mine, usually closer to 150 miles, and I'm positive it's running cleanly on all cylinders. That said, it does mostly get used around town and for B-road blats.
150 miles!! Jeeze!! I got from Bolton to Croydon on 3/4 of a tank and still managed to drive around for a few days!
-JUT- said:
theaxe said:
...and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
You seriously get up to 28mpg out of yours? Is that on a motorway run? I've not seen more than 200 miles out of a tank yet on mine, usually closer to 150 miles, and I'm positive it's running cleanly on all cylinders. That said, it does mostly get used around town and for B-road blats.
I did, and it was a 500. I was amazed but it's true.
theaxe said:
-JUT- said:
theaxe said:
...and fuel costs (20-28 mpg)...
You seriously get up to 28mpg out of yours? Is that on a motorway run? I've not seen more than 200 miles out of a tank yet on mine, usually closer to 150 miles, and I'm positive it's running cleanly on all cylinders. That said, it does mostly get used around town and for B-road blats.
I did, and it was a 500. I was amazed but it's true.
Yep, i get about the same out of mine, but for similar reasons. Besides that, once you in one and drive it you'll forget about fuel and realise that you have a massive smile on your face everytime you press the yee-haa pedal!
Dave N500 CHM said:
150 miles, blimey you must have some big ol feet
Yep, and they're pretty heavy too...
TBH though I'm yet to do a full tank on motorway journeys alone so I don't know how much I can get out of it on a run. Will find out though if I drive it to Le Mans this year
Back on topic - I've only had mine about 9 months and in that time, it's needed new rocker cover gaskets, brake discs and pads all round, handbrake cables and a full cavity waxing/undersealing treatment - although all of these things were in need of doing when I bought the car. It also needed various consumables for the last service, which were things the last owner probably didn't do as he knew he was selling the car. Cost a few quid but done now, and sailed through the MOT last weekend without needing a thing doing to it.
Bottom line is buy one that has been well maintained and keep it that way, and you shouldn't get any nasty surprises.
Best tank average I've ever seen on my Chimaera 500 was 26mpg on a journey which was almost totally motorway. My records show that I gassed up twice that day so it must have been some distance.
Worst tank average I've ever seen was 11 mpg which was a tank full of stop-start commuting.
Average tank average over the 5 years I've had the car is 17mpg.
I think we're drifting a bit off topic here though.
Worst tank average I've ever seen was 11 mpg which was a tank full of stop-start commuting.
Average tank average over the 5 years I've had the car is 17mpg.
I think we're drifting a bit off topic here though.
Edited by JonRB on Wednesday 7th March 11:19
Id say the answer is that a Chim can be extremely reliable depending on its history and use. Ive had two and had no problems of any significance nor eyewatering bills in over 4 years of regular use. I know of several people who have bought a cheap Chim and been hit with big bills straight away. That could apply to any car including a colleageue who has just spent £1800 within 4 weeks of buying a cheap Boxster 
.
If your mechanically handy you can keep costs right down. Sounds to me like a nice Chimaera would be right up your street. I love all TVRs but for me the Chim has the right combination of fun and useability which means you dont need to be a masochist to own one.
Even Mrs Phlap now takes on strangers who make the usual 'its nice but arenet they terribly unreliable' comments
.
Do it. At todays prices youd be daft not to!
.
. If your mechanically handy you can keep costs right down. Sounds to me like a nice Chimaera would be right up your street. I love all TVRs but for me the Chim has the right combination of fun and useability which means you dont need to be a masochist to own one.
Even Mrs Phlap now takes on strangers who make the usual 'its nice but arenet they terribly unreliable' comments
. Do it. At todays prices youd be daft not to!
. moffett said:
Really considering a chimera, problem is that ive heard all these horror storys about Tvr's. Are the chimeras unreliable? Do they cost more to maintain that say a cosworth or a fast Jap car.
I really love the noise and looks of the chimera and have always wanted one. I have the money to buy one but i dont have a fortune to maintain one.
ps im quite handy with a spanner so maybe i could do most maintanance myself.
I really love the noise and looks of the chimera and have always wanted one. I have the money to buy one but i dont have a fortune to maintain one.
ps im quite handy with a spanner so maybe i could do most maintanance myself.
I had my chim nearly 3 years, apart from the hotstart problem which was fixed with a part that cost less than a tenner I've had no problems.
They are pretty robust and fairly basic.
To sum it up the guy who MOT'd it last year looked round the car and said " Theres F all to go wrong with these cars"
Edited by scaramouch on Wednesday 7th March 12:57
Going back to the original question too, you seemed to be suggesting that Cosworths and Jap cars are of similar reliability... Jap cars are infinitely more reliable than Fords, and only usually break when people tune or drive them badly (i.e. forgetting to leave a turbo car running down for a minute or two after a blat, and cooking the turbo, or upping the boost without fitting a decent intercooler or by using inaccurate bleed valves/boost controllers etc.). I had a tuned 200sx running close to 300bhp, sensibly modified, and it never gave me hassle in nearly 5 years of ownership.
That said, TVR's (especially the Chimaera) have very few TVR-specific parts aside from bodywork, fittings and interior - it's mostly made from Ford, Rover, Vauxhall and the odd Citroen part - so IF anything breaks, it's usually something that can be sourced a lot cheaper than the majority of parts for Japanese cars.
That said, TVR's (especially the Chimaera) have very few TVR-specific parts aside from bodywork, fittings and interior - it's mostly made from Ford, Rover, Vauxhall and the odd Citroen part - so IF anything breaks, it's usually something that can be sourced a lot cheaper than the majority of parts for Japanese cars.
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