Discussion
Hi gents, ive been monitoring this site now for a few months and have subsequently decided to buy a year 2000 chim 500, i fear that my heart may rule my head here, its got 80k on the clock, but 20 are unaccounted for due to no pages being left in the service book. the owner says he has been on this site the car has been standing outside and not moved for a minimum of 7 months, a few faults that have been highlighted to me by the seller are the window washer bottle pipe isnt connected to the washer jets (this may seem trivial) but i cant even see the pipe (from and to). im told there is new adj koni suspension all the way round and its only done 2k since its last service, both me and the car are in GERMANY so i dont have the benefit of your dealer network.is it worth 11k or will my wife kill me to death. all of you expertees is greatly apreciated.( i really really want this car and will only accept constructive critisism ) so dont try and disuade me too much...
thanks V much
thanks V much
The mileage is very high for any Chim, let alone a 2000 model. This doesn't necessarily matter if there is proof of regular servicing (which there doesn't seem to be). However, with that mileage, one can assume that it's been driven in all weathers, so your main concern should be the chassis. If it's been well used, and regularly got wet, it could easily be rotten unless it's been regularly treated. Unless you can absolutely confirm that the chassis is in good condition, walk away.
The worst that can happen is that the outriggers are rusted through and need replacing, and/or other areas of the chassis are seriously corroded. Either way, you're potentially looking at major surgery, costing a minimum of £2K and potentially a lot more. Do a search on this forum using key words such as "outriggers", "rust" and "wishbones" for more info. As for the engine, don't assume that it's full of Land Rover bits; it isn't. If you can't do the servicing yourself, you'll need to find a good TVR specialist that can do it for you. Don't entrust it to any old backstreet garage.
The mileage wouldn't put me off too much - it shows the car has been used. As said get the chassis thoroughly checked out.
What would scare me though is the 7 months without moving - why? Remember that there are many gaskets and seals that will break down and perish if the car has not been regularly used. I know as mine had covered 80 miles in a year before I bought it, had countless problems with this sort of thing and none of them cheap to fix.
Also, the lack of history for the last 20k - I've run out of space in my service book at 50k but I still keep EVERY single service receipt to prove what has been done.
I'm presuming as you're in Germany the car is LHD? There are occasionally LHD cars that crop up in the classifieds so may be worth looking there - better to travel a fair way to collect a good one than buy a lemon locally.
ETA - the washer hose is located under the front bulhead and is an absolute PITA to get at.
What would scare me though is the 7 months without moving - why? Remember that there are many gaskets and seals that will break down and perish if the car has not been regularly used. I know as mine had covered 80 miles in a year before I bought it, had countless problems with this sort of thing and none of them cheap to fix.
Also, the lack of history for the last 20k - I've run out of space in my service book at 50k but I still keep EVERY single service receipt to prove what has been done.
I'm presuming as you're in Germany the car is LHD? There are occasionally LHD cars that crop up in the classifieds so may be worth looking there - better to travel a fair way to collect a good one than buy a lemon locally.
ETA - the washer hose is located under the front bulhead and is an absolute PITA to get at.
Edited by Zippee on Tuesday 5th June 12:31
SimonV8ster said:
Can't imagine that even if the chassis has never been treated with anything that it would be rusted through. Paint flaking and powder coating coming away maybe but not something a couple of weekends and some hardwork would not sort out.
You may be surprised. I've seen a car only a couple of years older, with around half of the mileage of the one that the OP is looking at, that had outriggers that were very rusty and holed. A 2000 car is still 7 years old, so you can't take for granted that it will be solid. Nat - you really don't sound sure of this purchase. Never rush into buying a TVR. If it doesn't feel right - walk away.
If you do have to buy, and with that mileage, in addition to what has already been said about the chasis condition, I'd like to see receipts for things like -
New clutch. Clutches normally go at around the 40K mark - so this car may be due it's third.
New cam - these also commonly start getting niggly at the 40K mark
Also check all the electrics!
I sold my 5 litre about 3 months ago - 11.5K, 47000 miles, new clutch, radiator, full service history etc. Does the proposed car sound that good?
5LitreV8
SimonV8ster said:
Can't imagine that even if the chassis has never been treated with anything that it would be rusted through. Paint flaking and powder coating coming away maybe but not something a couple of weekends and some hardwork would not sort out.
and it is not just the outriggers that rust through either...my chim is a 94, ok a few years older, but both outriggers had rusted through along with one of the top mounts.There have also been pictures on here of 2000 and 2002 cars with rusted outriggers.
as for a couple of weekends.
I have got the body off my chassis and it would take a lot of time to do the job properly like this...let alone laying on your back!!!!
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