I'm coming home!
Discussion
2 and a bit years ago, the wife dropped the bombshell that we were expecting the patter of tiny feet! Accordingly my beloved Chim 400 (97 P) had to go.
The car never let me down, she used it every day to work and we 'both' loved her.
I've now got the green light to buy the 'weekend toy' and I'm starting my research. I need your help.
I would like a TVR but don't wish to be boring and just buy another Chim. I love the look & sound of a Griff but as I can't even wire a plug, I need some sound advice.
Ideally I want to spend around £15K so I appreciate I am looking for an older model. Low mileage is also a preference. PAS would be great for the missus. What else do I need to consider?
-Reliability of various models (Pre cat?)
-Any particular problem ones to look out for?
I live in Cheshire now, previously Surrey where I used David Batty who was excellent. Any local source of advice/car checking would also be helpful.
I hope you can spare the time to help a novice!
Cheers,
Stouffer
The car never let me down, she used it every day to work and we 'both' loved her.
I've now got the green light to buy the 'weekend toy' and I'm starting my research. I need your help.
I would like a TVR but don't wish to be boring and just buy another Chim. I love the look & sound of a Griff but as I can't even wire a plug, I need some sound advice.
Ideally I want to spend around £15K so I appreciate I am looking for an older model. Low mileage is also a preference. PAS would be great for the missus. What else do I need to consider?
-Reliability of various models (Pre cat?)
-Any particular problem ones to look out for?
I live in Cheshire now, previously Surrey where I used David Batty who was excellent. Any local source of advice/car checking would also be helpful.
I hope you can spare the time to help a novice!
Cheers,
Stouffer
I wouldn't be too concerned about mileage as low mileage cars often cause more problems due to lack of regular use.
To maximise your budget I would buy privately, from someone who really cares about their car and has a sheaf of bills for work they have had done and a full service history from a main dealer or specialist independant.
I would go for a 95 or later car, with the Serpentine engine, T5 gearbox, matching instruments and with optional PAS (wasn't standard until later). You should be able to pick one up for comfortably under budget, leaving a contingency fund available for any unexpected issues.
To maximise your budget I would buy privately, from someone who really cares about their car and has a sheaf of bills for work they have had done and a full service history from a main dealer or specialist independant.
I would go for a 95 or later car, with the Serpentine engine, T5 gearbox, matching instruments and with optional PAS (wasn't standard until later). You should be able to pick one up for comfortably under budget, leaving a contingency fund available for any unexpected issues.
I agree with Starmist. Don't be put off by higher mileage cars. A 95 with 50k on the clock has still only done about 5k a year! And atleast it has been driven.
There's a lot of 95/96 cars around without PAS so you will need to keep your eyes peeled for one. My missis has real difficulty moving the car at slow speed/parking due to the weight of the wteering without PAS. She's no midgit either.
A good looking service history should be of far more interest than a recently re-sprayed nose-cone for example. Cosmetics you can fix, but bad mechanicals could spell the end of your love-affair. Same as with the Chim.
Good luck!
There's a lot of 95/96 cars around without PAS so you will need to keep your eyes peeled for one. My missis has real difficulty moving the car at slow speed/parking due to the weight of the wteering without PAS. She's no midgit either.
A good looking service history should be of far more interest than a recently re-sprayed nose-cone for example. Cosmetics you can fix, but bad mechanicals could spell the end of your love-affair. Same as with the Chim.
Good luck!
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