Thinking of getting a Chimarea as a first TVR...
Discussion
Hi,
Sorry, I know there are loads of these threads but just wanted to ask a quick question.
I've been looking around at Chimaera's for the last few months, singed up to the TVR owners club and looked over the forums both here and there and decided that I definitely want to get one so I better do it now rather than never!
I've driven a 4 litre model and maybe there wasn't something quite right with it as it didn't feel that 'sharp' to drive or that quick (I did have the hood up but neverless it didn't feel anywhere near as quick as I was expecting). So I was thinking of looking at a 450 or 500 instead.
What I wanted to know was what would you guys recommend as seasoned Chimaera owners, are there any major common faults I should look out for with either engine (I know about the camshafts on the 500 but haven't found much else) and are the running costs much different between them?
Cheers,
Elian.
Sorry, I know there are loads of these threads but just wanted to ask a quick question.
I've been looking around at Chimaera's for the last few months, singed up to the TVR owners club and looked over the forums both here and there and decided that I definitely want to get one so I better do it now rather than never!
I've driven a 4 litre model and maybe there wasn't something quite right with it as it didn't feel that 'sharp' to drive or that quick (I did have the hood up but neverless it didn't feel anywhere near as quick as I was expecting). So I was thinking of looking at a 450 or 500 instead.
What I wanted to know was what would you guys recommend as seasoned Chimaera owners, are there any major common faults I should look out for with either engine (I know about the camshafts on the 500 but haven't found much else) and are the running costs much different between them?
Cheers,
Elian.
I have just gone through the same thing, I ended up with a 500 and love it I just wish we had the weather so I can drive it. I went to a dealer who had about 15-20 and all engines, not sure if you close to hants\surrey border if so pop along to Fernhurst TVR they will help out and are very honest on the problems.
Good luck
Good luck
The engine is pretty reliable, it's the bits bolted to it and the chassis that usually seem to cause the problems. I'm sure you could make a list of things to check as long as you like, but I guess checking the chassis for serious corrosion would always be near the very top of the list.
In no particular order, over 5 or 6 years and taking a 4 litre Chim from 35 to about 90k miles, the things I have had replaced:
Couple of wishbones --- corrosion was obvious
Alternator --- charging light starts flickering shortly before it died
Diff --- starts making a whining noise, still goes for several thousand miles, but whining gets louder and eventually it needs replacing
Fuel pump --- no warning
Water pump gasket * 2 --- no warning, just a spectacular loss of coolant
Clutch --- not enough warning to be of any use
Speed sensor --- speedo needle starts flapping at low speeds, failed completely after another few thousand miles
Radiator --- tiny hole in a core that you'd be unlikely to notice when buying. Had it repaired and then eventually replaced.
Shocks --- bouncy castle time
Restiching rear window --- original thread was clearly on the way out for quite some time before a corner came loose
Long term niggles ... weeping seal on power steering rack. Very, very slight leak and hasn't got any worse after another 30k miles
And of course tyres, brake pads and discs.
Some of those you might be able to spot, others you won't. Depending on age/mileage I'd be hoping to see receipts for some of those items , else I'd be expecting to have to replace them at some point.
In no particular order, over 5 or 6 years and taking a 4 litre Chim from 35 to about 90k miles, the things I have had replaced:
Couple of wishbones --- corrosion was obvious
Alternator --- charging light starts flickering shortly before it died
Diff --- starts making a whining noise, still goes for several thousand miles, but whining gets louder and eventually it needs replacing
Fuel pump --- no warning
Water pump gasket * 2 --- no warning, just a spectacular loss of coolant
Clutch --- not enough warning to be of any use
Speed sensor --- speedo needle starts flapping at low speeds, failed completely after another few thousand miles
Radiator --- tiny hole in a core that you'd be unlikely to notice when buying. Had it repaired and then eventually replaced.
Shocks --- bouncy castle time
Restiching rear window --- original thread was clearly on the way out for quite some time before a corner came loose
Long term niggles ... weeping seal on power steering rack. Very, very slight leak and hasn't got any worse after another 30k miles
And of course tyres, brake pads and discs.
Some of those you might be able to spot, others you won't. Depending on age/mileage I'd be hoping to see receipts for some of those items , else I'd be expecting to have to replace them at some point.
Thanks for that guys, I'll make sure I have a good look over those bits before taking the plunge then!
A quick one, ATG, I just noticed that you don't live that far from me (I kinda split my time between Dartford and Greenwich) is there a TVR specialist in Kent or am I going to be forever trekking over to Essex or Sussex way to get bits fixed and serviced?
Cheers!
A quick one, ATG, I just noticed that you don't live that far from me (I kinda split my time between Dartford and Greenwich) is there a TVR specialist in Kent or am I going to be forever trekking over to Essex or Sussex way to get bits fixed and serviced?
Cheers!
Bigel said:
Thanks for that guys, I'll make sure I have a good look over those bits before taking the plunge then!
A quick one, ATG, I just noticed that you don't live that far from me (I kinda split my time between Dartford and Greenwich) is there a TVR specialist in Kent or am I going to be forever trekking over to Essex or Sussex way to get bits fixed and serviced?
Cheers!
Having tried a few in the area some years ago, I now go to The Garage, Jackson's Corner, Compton just outside Guildford ... it's an independent run by one David Batty ... bit of a journey, but worth it in my book as I've always had first rate service from him, and to be frank been a bit disappointed everywhere else. Used him when I was in Belsize Park, Greenwich and Whitstable. I'm up in Gloucestershire at the moment so am getting work done at David Gerald TVR, but will switch back to David Batty as soon as I'm back darn sarf.A quick one, ATG, I just noticed that you don't live that far from me (I kinda split my time between Dartford and Greenwich) is there a TVR specialist in Kent or am I going to be forever trekking over to Essex or Sussex way to get bits fixed and serviced?
Cheers!
One thought - there are good and bad 400s, 450s and 500s - my first car was a 400 which was a monster, though having said that, I did start to want for more power after about 12 months.... so I got a Cerbera! The Cotswold 3 Counties group from the TVRCC did a rolling road day recently and it was amazing what different results everyone got - my current Chim450 was within 10-15bhp of a couple of the Griff500s and yet none of us were anywhere near the stated figures. So don't rule out 400s just because one you drove was slow - you may find a slow 500 too! 450s seem to be the pick of the bunch, but personally I'd look for the condition of the car more than what engine was in it.
Good luck with the hunting, and enjoy!
Good luck with the hunting, and enjoy!
I sometimes think that my 400 doesn't seem that quick, and then I look in the mirror 5 seconds after the lights turn green and realise everyone else is pretty far behind.
My point is that I think the 400 is quicker than it feels
By the way, I've had mine for 4 years or so now and it's the only car I've ever had that I haven't got bored with. Do it, you will NOT regret it!
My point is that I think the 400 is quicker than it feels
By the way, I've had mine for 4 years or so now and it's the only car I've ever had that I haven't got bored with. Do it, you will NOT regret it!
Something I can't see mentioned above is water leaks. A car that has been neglected and spent most of it's life outside may have suffered from water leaks and as a result it is worth checking for damaged electrics, carpets etc. Many of the cars I looked at before buying were kept outside and seemed to age more than cars that were garaged. Some had the hood replaced and windows resewn through the thread rotting, mine has always been garaged and is still like new. It may just have been the ones I looked at, bit of a coincidence if it was though.
I was originally looking for a 450 but ended up with a 400 "X" reg which was the best I came across at the time. A good 400 is better than an average 450 which is all I was coming across in my search, a bad anything is not worth having. The performance of the 500 is the next step up, as is the fuel consumption, particularily in town.
No TVR is going to be what I would call cheap to run, especially if you are not able to tinker with it yourself, but mine has been worth every penny.
Good luck with your search
I was originally looking for a 450 but ended up with a 400 "X" reg which was the best I came across at the time. A good 400 is better than an average 450 which is all I was coming across in my search, a bad anything is not worth having. The performance of the 500 is the next step up, as is the fuel consumption, particularily in town.
No TVR is going to be what I would call cheap to run, especially if you are not able to tinker with it yourself, but mine has been worth every penny.
Good luck with your search
Water damage is a good point. The previous owner of mine was always a bit mystified that there was damp behind one of the seats ... cause I don't think he ever re-waterproofed the sides of the hood. Net result was that the interior must have been permanently humid and this seems to have caused the hazard and fog light swiches to fail (this is a 97 chim with the revised dashboard). They went very shortly after I bought the car ... easy enough to replace and I managed to source them 2nd hand so cheap too. Worth checking that all those switches plus the push button for the cabin heater fan are working, and that they reliably switch on and off with each push. If they occasionally fail to latch properly, in my experience they are on the way out.
mouseymousey said:
I sometimes think that my 400 doesn't seem that quick, and then I look in the mirror 5 seconds after the lights turn green and realise everyone else is pretty far behind.
My point is that I think the 400 is quicker than it feels
By the way, I've had mine for 4 years or so now and it's the only car I've ever had that I haven't got bored with. Do it, you will NOT regret it!
I've had my 400 for over 4 years and know all about looking in the mirror after leaving the lights! The lights go green and I pull away in no great hurry but everyone else seems to be standing still.My point is that I think the 400 is quicker than it feels
By the way, I've had mine for 4 years or so now and it's the only car I've ever had that I haven't got bored with. Do it, you will NOT regret it!
Anyway, I got my chim from Fernhursts after driving a half dozen or so cars. I went with the one I liked the most. If I knew exactly what I ment by that I'd tell you!
I bought a Chimaera 400 as my first TVR about 9 months ago - had it sourced by Rob Ingleby and have been really pleased with it. My other car is a Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo, and the 400 is quicker (and feels far quicker) than that. Try a few - as people have mentioned on here, they can be pretty variable - a look at any of the rolling road threads will show you that!
James Agger also has a good reputation amongst people on here. I used Rob Ingleby because although I'd done my homework, I wasn't confident enough to do a chassis inspection, and the benefit of his experience gave me peace of mind for the other aspects.
Happy hunting
James Agger also has a good reputation amongst people on here. I used Rob Ingleby because although I'd done my homework, I wasn't confident enough to do a chassis inspection, and the benefit of his experience gave me peace of mind for the other aspects.
Happy hunting
GingaNinga said:
I've had my 500 for five years now. It's been sooo good that I sold my everyday car and started using it all the time. Have had a full engine rebuild, new diff, new clutch, new suspension and new radiator in that time though...
Hmm, thats what I'm concerned about, no doubt about it, I want to get one that goes as fast as possible :-) (i.e. 500) but then I don't want to be landed with the more fragile of the two engines... Or is it just a case of try and buy one in as best nick as I can, hope as little goes wrong with it as possible and not thrash it when its cold? A 500 fragile 
Hardly ... but because every engine MUST have a weak point, then I guess the cam is the bit to go for as maybe the least bomb proof out of an otherwise bombproof engine.
Normal servicing routine will probably throw up cam wear at anything between 50 -80k miles. As with every engine, you will get the odd horror story that gets bandied about and becomes some mythical folklore.
Remember - the Rover V8 has been in millions of cars over a period of over 40 years. Even at 5 litres with a rev limit of 6200, it is not exactly stressed.
Buy on condition and service history (main or good indie, either way).
Hardly ... but because every engine MUST have a weak point, then I guess the cam is the bit to go for as maybe the least bomb proof out of an otherwise bombproof engine.
Normal servicing routine will probably throw up cam wear at anything between 50 -80k miles. As with every engine, you will get the odd horror story that gets bandied about and becomes some mythical folklore.
Remember - the Rover V8 has been in millions of cars over a period of over 40 years. Even at 5 litres with a rev limit of 6200, it is not exactly stressed.
Buy on condition and service history (main or good indie, either way).
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