Chimaera as only car?

[v8_steve]

I've used the Chimaera as my only car for over 3 years. Anyone else use theirs as there main car?

[Markh]

I used my first Chimaera as my only car for 4 years, apart from the fuel and servicing costs no problem, would go as far as saying it was better being used every day as opposed occasional use

[Jasandjules]

v8_steve said:

I've used the Chimaera as my only car for over 3 years. Anyone else use theirs as there main car?

I did for a couple of years, but then I get the train to work, so it was only pleasure drives of an evening, and at weekends.

[ar0u2211]

I do a daily drive to the station in mine as my only car, have been doing that for 7 months now.

It means I use circa 70 quid a week in petrol but it is doing it!

wouldnt change it for the world~!

[shadowninja]

Markh said:

I used my first Chimaera as my only car for 4 years, apart from the fuel and servicing costs no problem, would go as far as saying it was better being used every day as opposed occasional use

Ditto. 4-5 years of driving bliss. Hence I want another one. NOW!

[bsdnazz]

My Chim has been my daily drive to and from work for the past four years or so.

I have another car (Peugeot 406 V6 estate) for the weekend! Children...

[MADMAX2]

I use mine every day i live in a cul-de-sac of 20 houses and im the 7.30am alarm call for everybody when i start it up!!!!!!!

[Timja]

I've used mine as my daily car for 14 months now.

[shadowninja]

MADMAX2 said:

I use mine every day i live in a cul-de-sac of 20 houses and im the 7.30am alarm call for everybody when i start it up!!!!!!!

Move to my road, would you?

[quattrophenia]

ar0u2211 said:

I do a daily drive to the station in mine as my only car, have been doing that for 7 months now.

It means I use circa 70 quid a week in petrol but it is doing it!

wouldnt change it for the world~!

Good lad - that's the spirit. Maybe the government will go for your give and take approach to CO2 emissions!

I used the train once. Had to drive 92 miles from Crewe to Newark to catch it as the West coast was closed for the weekend. I had stupidly booked the Eurostar from Waterloo to Paris.
Fancy assuming I would be able to get to London from the North West.

Best bit is, when I was making enquiries as to how I should use the train to get me to London I was actually advised to sleep on Derby station as there was a 6 hour wait for the connection. If only I had got a Chimaera, I could have driven there - via Carlisle!

[kenny Chim 4]

v8_steve said:

I've used the Chimaera as my only car for over 3 years. Anyone else use theirs as there main car?

Yes, my Chimaera has been the only car I've owned since September 2002. I travel across London daily in it and I'm reliant on it.

Over those years, I've met all the usual niggles that fellow devotees report and have seen those as a challenge (gearbox, clutch, starter motor, several hoses, swirlpot, 100AMP fuse (many times), alternator etc. etc.) other than reasons to question running a great car.

I dealt with those with minimal time off the road and, TBH, relatively low cost. Increasingly, I realise that this supposedly 'unreliable, wallet-emptying, garage queen' has been, and is, the best bang for bucks car I've owned. It resides outside and has got me to work and back over the worst weather winter can conjure (ie ice and snow- as a Scotsman, pretty crap in London)

That said, I use a good indie garage for major issues but deal with other aspects myself.

Hell, I'm even tempted to replace the soft roof material myself this summer- a la this
http://www.thegriffithpages.com/modifications/exte...

Why spend the best part of £1k with a coach trimmer when you can do the job yourself for £300?

[jimmyV8]

Ive used my Chimeara everyday for the last few months since its purchase. It took me a while to bite the bullet and go for it and im so glad i did. The fuel price hike has increased running costs some what but still loving every second with her!!

[BraemarBlue]

Used as only car since Jan 2002. Done 64000 miles in it. Luvelly. Use Motorbikes a lot in the summer. Oh, and my Piper Comanche is my only aeroplane!

[Bunglist]

Same here, I use mine as a daily drive and have done for the last 5 years, never really missed a beat, and still has the grin factor.

However, I am looking to get a 4 x 4 for work as I now work in demolition and driving the TVR to demolition sites is not good.

[Chris Smith]

Yep - 3½ years as only car. Hasn't missed a beat. Great car

[im]

bsdnazz said:

My Chim has been my daily drive to and from work for the past four years or so.

I have another car (Peugeot 406 V6 estate) for the weekend! Children...

Thats novel.

[wpo750]

kenny Chim 4 said:

v8_steve said:

I've used the Chimaera as my only car for over 3 years. Anyone else use theirs as there main car?

Yes, my Chimaera has been the only car I've owned since September 2002. I travel across London daily in it and I'm reliant on it.

Over those years, I've met all the usual niggles that fellow devotees report and have seen those as a challenge (gearbox, clutch, starter motor, several hoses, swirlpot, 100AMP fuse (many times), alternator etc. etc.) other than reasons to question running a great car.

I dealt with those with minimal time off the road and, TBH, relatively low cost. Increasingly, I realise that this supposedly 'unreliable, wallet-emptying, garage queen' has been, and is, the best bang for bucks car I've owned. It resides outside and has got me to work and back over the worst weather winter can conjure (ie ice and snow- as a Scotsman, pretty crap in London)

That said, I use a good indie garage for major issues but deal with other aspects myself.

Hell, I'm even tempted to replace the soft roof material myself this summer- a la this
http://www.thegriffithpages.com/modifications/exte...

Why spend the best part of £1k with a coach trimmer when you can do the job yourself for £300?

Well that's that then, I have officially ran out of excuses to not have a Chim...

Can I ask what your daily route is and how far you travel and dare I ask, what your fuel consumption is?

[kenny Chim 4]

WPO- my daily route is 8 miles (16 per day) of mostly suburban traffic- but I use the North Circular now and again.
I always fuel the car on a Thursday and, in recent weeks, it's an average cost of £35 per fill with 97ron.That's approx 3/4 of a tank.

I've never really measured how many miles per gallon the car's doing.

The major work that I mentioned was relatively cheap too. For example, I sourced the gear box from a Chimaera written off at 10k miles. All in, around £160.

I traded in both the alternator and starting motor which reduced the costs and buy regular Land Rover HT leads etc.

[kslett]

I'm on four and a bit years now, the car lives outside on the street. No problems other than those to be expected with ageing and two no fault accidents. Fuel consumption as a result has been fairly horrendous but who cares!

[phlap]

I used my 400 and 500 for 2 years each as daily drivers. I think they like frequent use better than being stuck in a garage for 6 months a year. No problems to report from me.

It can get a bit hard on the left leg (and wallet) if you are doing lots of slow speed urban stuff, but for country road and more open commutes its a damn sight more fun than a diseasal econobox .