Thinking of getting my 1st TVR
Discussion
Well time for an update and things have changed somewhat since I started this thread. These being:-
1) Have met a few owners and learnt more about what i like and want ideally. Have even been for a run out in a nice 4.0l Chimaera thanks to a very kind couple from Norfolk.
2) Have moved and am no longer in the UK this complicates matters slightly of course.
3) The house sale is finally going through so can finally begin to look for the right Chimeara.
4) The import taxes here will mean the budget is squeezed to allow for them
5) Having LPG is almost a given as most larger petrol cars run on LPG here and it's sold in every station it seems.
So exciting times ahead.
1) Have met a few owners and learnt more about what i like and want ideally. Have even been for a run out in a nice 4.0l Chimaera thanks to a very kind couple from Norfolk.
2) Have moved and am no longer in the UK this complicates matters slightly of course.
3) The house sale is finally going through so can finally begin to look for the right Chimeara.
4) The import taxes here will mean the budget is squeezed to allow for them
5) Having LPG is almost a given as most larger petrol cars run on LPG here and it's sold in every station it seems.
So exciting times ahead.
Edited by Brithunter on Saturday 29th July 18:06
Brithunter said:
mk1fan said:
Chimpongas may sell you his 
Hmmmm that I doubt very much. Am waiting for some pricing information about LPG system and fitting. Also the change to LHD headlights.As to the LPG conversion, Chimpo is a real gentleman and will create you an lpg conversion handbook if you ask him. But whilst a V8 conversion of a standard saloon car costs about £2.500, for a TVR you will need a bespoke system if you don't want to lose the entire boot space, and an ECU upgrade, so you have to be looking at £5,000. At £5 per gallon and 25 mpg, and your cost in lpg effectively reducing to £3 per gallon, if my mental arithmetic is correct you would have to cover 62,500 miles before you are in profit.
All I can say is, unless it is a daily driver and you are covering a fair mileage, that will see you or the car out. Using mine an average of 7,000 miles a year makes me a heavier user, but it would take me 9 years with the one car to be back in profit. Last time I invested £1700 and converted my daily driver to lpg (a 9 year old Saab with only 23,000 miles on the clock), I had just got back into profit when some dozy b
h coming the other way, texting at 60 mph, ran me off the road and that was bye bye car. (Sorry, photo sideways, but you get my message - you are relying on the car lasting long enough, never mind not having problems with the lpg system, to recover your investment by fuel savings)
QBee said:
phillpot said:
Swapping might not be such a doddle, depending how they were fitted, oodles of Sikaflex and fibreglass?
I was only suggesting swapping RHD Lupo for LHD, not Factory for Lupos. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
Classic Chim said:
What sort of budget are you considering spending. I might know the perfect car. 
Well it doesn't have LPG and as others have mentioned, pretty pointless having it unless you cover huge milage.
Goodluck with your search.
Budget is around £13,000. Was hoping to allow more but shipping/delivery and registration here has to be factored in. Am going to enquire about LPG fitting here as well as it's very common here.Well it doesn't have LPG and as others have mentioned, pretty pointless having it unless you cover huge milage.
Goodluck with your search.
You should get a very nice car for that money I'd imagine in the present economic conditions.
Sadly a bit shy of where the car I'm thinking of sits on price.
I just thought considering your going to live abroad a few extra thou now might save you over the longer run but if your thinking of going lpg you'll be wasting plenty of money for years yet unless you did what I did which was over 600 miles a week for over a year,, but you won't be doing that unless your telling us otherwise. Is this a wind up
The economic facts don't add up on LPG for Tvr given average milage but if you'd just prefer to run the car on lpg,,, good on you.
Your going to have a less powerful car under load though
If you are aiming at high milage you'll factor in service costs which will be considerable year on year which again makes lpg even less desirable as your just not going to do the miles. If your aiming on touring the continent for years, ( not a bad thing is it
) then LPG is a good option and again good on you.
Sadly a bit shy of where the car I'm thinking of sits on price.
I just thought considering your going to live abroad a few extra thou now might save you over the longer run but if your thinking of going lpg you'll be wasting plenty of money for years yet unless you did what I did which was over 600 miles a week for over a year,, but you won't be doing that unless your telling us otherwise. Is this a wind up
The economic facts don't add up on LPG for Tvr given average milage but if you'd just prefer to run the car on lpg,,, good on you.
Your going to have a less powerful car under load though
If you are aiming at high milage you'll factor in service costs which will be considerable year on year which again makes lpg even less desirable as your just not going to do the miles. If your aiming on touring the continent for years, ( not a bad thing is it
) then LPG is a good option and again good on you. Gassing Station | General TVR Stuff & Gossip | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff