Thinking of getting my 1st TVR
Discussion
No this is not a wind up .............................. until the last few days all I could do was look, drool, and dream but now at long last the house sale is completing and so the funds will be available for the purchase of a TVR. If any of you care to check back this has always been mentioned as the case. Have missed out on several very fine examples due to not having the funds avaiable at the time they came up.
Now though I can do quite a lot and if a mig is sourced can weld well enough to do quite a bit on chassis, though it was a long time back now have even replaced sills before, and though most of my tools are now here there is not a workshop as yet so such things also there is not the back up of extensive TVR specialists and regions/groups to get help etc from so am looking for is the best and sorted one as I can within the budget.
The budget has been squeezed as it also has to allow for :-
Transportation to here!
Registration here. The age of the Chimaera's that I am interested in helps some but the power is against us. Anything over 100 kw in engine power pays an eco tax on registration as do any cars imported from outside the EU. Now 270 BHP equals 200 kw now they don't just charge you on the extra over the 100 kw!!....................... Oh no you pay on each and every single kw that the database says the car has. Now the confusion is how much as cars with CATS in some cases pay a reduced rate, cars over 10 yeasr old pay a reduced rate.................... that is good
but some cars pay 30.14 per kw ........................... that's 6028 
just in eco tax and you still have to pay the registration fee, test fee, fee for number plates and insurance, 3rd party is included in your road tax 
hence the budget being squeezed.
Now as I mentioned LPG is a huge thing out here every fuel station sells LPG and I think there may be reductions in taxes for LPG cars. We are still trying to check out the hard facts. Now as to LPG conversiosn well if the Chimaera is driven out here then that is something like 2,300-3,000 km depending on route taken just to get here. Now how much would that cost in petrol alone??? Transport shipping would be between £700-£2500 depending on how and whom does it. One company insists that the car is driven to their site in Essex then fuel drained out and battery disconnected ............... then car shut up and loaded into a container................................ yeah right on! And they aint cheap either. At this point in time there is no way that I can fly back to the UK to collect a car and spend several days driving it our here despite it sounding like an ideal soloution!
One dealer that I am corresponding with is telling me that due to the Distance Selling Regs that "I" have to come and view the car in person before buying it .............................. that is just not going to be possible right at this time. Not ideal but am going to have to rely on an inspection report then we have the insurance issues!
How does one insure a British registered car to drive across Europe when one does not have a UK address? As far as I am aware one cannot insure a British registered car here to drive it from the UK across Europe to Bulgaria.
What ever car I buy will have to have the headlights changed to LHD before leaving the UK and be prepped for a long European drive and needs all the legal stuff that one needs for European driving. Thus the chances of finding my "perfect" Chimaera are very slim there are going to have to be concessions made especially on the colour as finding a Bright Yellow one with early grill working A/C, it was around 35 degrees C again this afternoon as it's been cooler lately due to the thunder storms, correct Silver wheels (so many have those dratted dark painted wheels that I detest). No black interiors and no Silver or Black body paint!
In the meantime enquiries are being made as to how to deal with the many issues raised here such as if the wind screen is not perfect get it replaced before it comes out here and of course get a few service bits to shove in teh boot when it comes over to make thngs easier while we source reliable suppliers for service itesm. The popularity of Range Rovers should help with normal service items other stuff will have to be sent over and bought via the web.
Am I mad
..................... probably barking mad actually but now is the time that the fundsa re available so NOW is the time to get a TVR plus I ain't getting any younger.
Now though I can do quite a lot and if a mig is sourced can weld well enough to do quite a bit on chassis, though it was a long time back now have even replaced sills before, and though most of my tools are now here there is not a workshop as yet so such things also there is not the back up of extensive TVR specialists and regions/groups to get help etc from so am looking for is the best and sorted one as I can within the budget.
The budget has been squeezed as it also has to allow for :-
Transportation to here!
Registration here. The age of the Chimaera's that I am interested in helps some but the power is against us. Anything over 100 kw in engine power pays an eco tax on registration as do any cars imported from outside the EU. Now 270 BHP equals 200 kw now they don't just charge you on the extra over the 100 kw!!....................... Oh no you pay on each and every single kw that the database says the car has. Now the confusion is how much as cars with CATS in some cases pay a reduced rate, cars over 10 yeasr old pay a reduced rate.................... that is good
but some cars pay 30.14 per kw ........................... that's 6028 just in eco tax and you still have to pay the registration fee, test fee, fee for number plates and insurance, 3rd party is included in your road tax hence the budget being squeezed.Now as I mentioned LPG is a huge thing out here every fuel station sells LPG and I think there may be reductions in taxes for LPG cars. We are still trying to check out the hard facts. Now as to LPG conversiosn well if the Chimaera is driven out here then that is something like 2,300-3,000 km depending on route taken just to get here. Now how much would that cost in petrol alone??? Transport shipping would be between £700-£2500 depending on how and whom does it. One company insists that the car is driven to their site in Essex then fuel drained out and battery disconnected ............... then car shut up and loaded into a container................................ yeah right on! And they aint cheap either. At this point in time there is no way that I can fly back to the UK to collect a car and spend several days driving it our here despite it sounding like an ideal soloution!
One dealer that I am corresponding with is telling me that due to the Distance Selling Regs that "I" have to come and view the car in person before buying it .............................. that is just not going to be possible right at this time. Not ideal but am going to have to rely on an inspection report then we have the insurance issues!
How does one insure a British registered car to drive across Europe when one does not have a UK address? As far as I am aware one cannot insure a British registered car here to drive it from the UK across Europe to Bulgaria.
What ever car I buy will have to have the headlights changed to LHD before leaving the UK and be prepped for a long European drive and needs all the legal stuff that one needs for European driving. Thus the chances of finding my "perfect" Chimaera are very slim there are going to have to be concessions made especially on the colour as finding a Bright Yellow one with early grill working A/C, it was around 35 degrees C again this afternoon as it's been cooler lately due to the thunder storms, correct Silver wheels (so many have those dratted dark painted wheels that I detest). No black interiors and no Silver or Black body paint!
In the meantime enquiries are being made as to how to deal with the many issues raised here such as if the wind screen is not perfect get it replaced before it comes out here and of course get a few service bits to shove in teh boot when it comes over to make thngs easier while we source reliable suppliers for service itesm. The popularity of Range Rovers should help with normal service items other stuff will have to be sent over and bought via the web.
Am I mad
..................... probably barking mad actually but now is the time that the fundsa re available so NOW is the time to get a TVR plus I ain't getting any younger.The windup was regards LPG. If you think it's a goer then no worries.
What's the price of petrol in Bulgaria
You have lots of detail to take care of by the sounds of it.
Get someone who's ensured to drive any vehicle to deliver it. Surely you'll insure it from over there so the cars covered before it leaves the uk. I have no idea just guesstimating.
As I say all the luck in your search.
What's the price of petrol in Bulgaria
You have lots of detail to take care of by the sounds of it.
Get someone who's ensured to drive any vehicle to deliver it. Surely you'll insure it from over there so the cars covered before it leaves the uk. I have no idea just guesstimating.
As I say all the luck in your search.
Classic Chim said:
The windup was regards LPG. If you think it's a goer then no worries.
What's the price of petrol in Bulgaria
You have lots of detail to take care of by the sounds of it.
Get someone who's ensured to drive any vehicle to deliver it. Surely you'll insure it from over there so the cars covered before it leaves the uk. I have no idea just guesstimating.
As I say all the luck in your search.
Petrol prices are why LPG is so common here despite it being illegal to fix prices it seems that is what the oil companies have done throughout the EU the price is the same here as in the UK even though the duty is less here???????? some serious price fixing happening! When you consider the cost of living generally and the wages are way lower than the UK many cannot afford to run a car on petrol. Horse and carts are still common outside the Cities ............................. no I am not joking. The way of living is older with a slower pace of life one of the reasons we decide to come here.What's the price of petrol in Bulgaria
You have lots of detail to take care of by the sounds of it.
Get someone who's ensured to drive any vehicle to deliver it. Surely you'll insure it from over there so the cars covered before it leaves the uk. I have no idea just guesstimating.
As I say all the luck in your search.
The Chimaera will not be used during the bad winter weather as they do get hit with snow here and I mean real snow but winter seems to be shorter but harsher have read people sitting outside eating meals in T-Shirt and shorts in mid December the cold and snow seems to arrive around Christmas or New Year. This year the snows arrived new years day and in places was over a metre deep they had the army out clearing roads to make the passable. Not weather for a sports car and I think you find you have to fit winter tyres here. We will have the Rover 75 CDT auto for daily driver duties once it arrives here.
Over the next year or so we intend to explore the country and I will also drive up into Romania down intoTurkey and Greece and this is one reason why a Chimaera was chosen over other TVR's although I did consider a S but still want a V8 and V8S's do command quite a price.
QBee said:
Cannot speak for France, but in Germany winter tyres are the law.
I was doing a stock take in Munich in the 1970s and after counting the Sinclair ZX Spectrums I started listing the piles of tyres...... the MD laughed and explained.
Ahhhh QBee ......................... you must have been napping as we never made it to France although we did speak of our plans to go there at Burghley House. Nope we landed far further East in Bulgaria and things are a little different here.I was doing a stock take in Munich in the 1970s and after counting the Sinclair ZX Spectrums I started listing the piles of tyres...... the MD laughed and explained.
mk1fan said:
There's a 430 Chim on FBook this morning. Needs outriggers doing and other recommissioning bits. £6.5k. In Essex.
Yes I have noticed it and it might be worth considering likely costs are :-outriggers .................................... at £1600
Carpet ......................................... at £950
Hood replacement ...................... at £695
Engine coolant hoses ................. at £347
Prices are from centrals website. Then upgrade the engine management system which is around £1700-£2600 depending on system so by my thinking that would be around £6,000 with VAT added and that is without things that probably need replacing like brake lines, tyres and a service which could easily add another £1,000 onto the price. So the £6,500 price is easily doubled.
Or have I got it entirely wrong?
QBee said:
Pretty well spot on I would say.
Hmmm I was afraid of that ................ A friend of yours has been making some suggestions to me about suitable cars and sensible things to look for so have followed the advice and sent off some enquiries. The one he favours has not got the early large open grill I like but he knows the car and it's history so if it's still available then it would be daft not to consider it quite seriously especially as it's within my budget and it has new lupo style lights so not so hard to swap over to LHD methinks which was one of your suggestions. It has a few bits like original induction hoses which will probably be changed to new smooth bore ones.Little things like rocker covers and plenum will be cleaned and painted simple things that I can do to improve it a bit more and should not cost a lot to do.
Classic Chim said:
There's a lot of cars out there so please do look at all the ones you like.
I do strongly suggest you get independent inspections done for some peace of mind on any cars that really take you.
Goodluck indeed.
The problem is distance after all it's not like I can just pop down the road and view them now so I WILL HAVE to reply on inspections and people who know the cars opinions. This is why am going to have to be willing to compromise on my ideal Chimaera. Yes I prefer the look of the early large open grill but if a car has good features and upgrades and good chassis and running gear it would be stupid to dissmiss it because it has the face lift grill now. Some thing like wheel colour could be changed but that would have to be factored into the budget though.I do strongly suggest you get independent inspections done for some peace of mind on any cars that really take you.
Goodluck indeed.
Oh, with regards to the eco tax...
I registered my s2000 here in December last year and didn't pay a penny in tax because I had owned it for more than 6 months. There is an annual tax, but even at the highest rate for a 14+ year old car at 200kw, you're looking at around 400 eur a year.
LHD light conversion? was easier for me due to having HID lights on the s2k, but we just riveted a can of redbull to the cut off to flatten it out so there is no left or right bias. Passed though the technical inspection no problem (this was done in prague).
I registered my s2000 here in December last year and didn't pay a penny in tax because I had owned it for more than 6 months. There is an annual tax, but even at the highest rate for a 14+ year old car at 200kw, you're looking at around 400 eur a year.
LHD light conversion? was easier for me due to having HID lights on the s2k, but we just riveted a can of redbull to the cut off to flatten it out so there is no left or right bias. Passed though the technical inspection no problem (this was done in prague).
Mushroom12 said:
Hey, if I read correctly you're in Bulgaria? Me too and looked at getting myself a TVR. There's another chap I met (french), who's on the forum too who brought a Cerb over here. May be able to hook you up as he knows the import process and blah blah crap.
Indeed yes I am in Bulgaria ............... Ruse. Trying to find out the proceedure for registration has been trying to say the least. Headlights should not be too much of an issue on the Chimaera as they are round units so should not be hard to find in LHD configuration.So which part of the country are you in?
Have either of you checked prices in Europe?? I suspect not and as for LHD Chimaera's well let's say that the prices atart somewhere around 27,000 Euro or 32,000 Swiss Francs. The is a Pale BLue 430 for sale in Italy at about £13,000 and that Red 5.0 Red one is Malaga Spain is still for sale as that is still on Britihplates (M reg) I wonder if there are Spainish taxes due on that one??? It's been popping up for sale for around a year now that I have noticed.
So yes a LHD Chimaera would be ideal but sadly not in the budget. Delivery here depending on method seems to vary from around £800- £2,500 and from Germnay, France, Holland, Italy we have the same problem .......................... Time! I cannot go to these countries to view they check out and drive them back as I cannot leave a partially sighted 83 year old on her own is a new strange country with two dogs and two birds to look after never mind herself.
So yes a LHD Chimaera would be ideal but sadly not in the budget. Delivery here depending on method seems to vary from around £800- £2,500 and from Germnay, France, Holland, Italy we have the same problem .......................... Time! I cannot go to these countries to view they check out and drive them back as I cannot leave a partially sighted 83 year old on her own is a new strange country with two dogs and two birds to look after never mind herself.
There's no other way to put this but you can't get into Chim ownership on the cheap as far as I can see. You either buy one sorted or you buy one and sort it but either way it's not going to be a cheap fix.
Do all you can to check out Glynns car because from what I remember it's a very usable solid example with after market Ecu and new riggers and allsorts. A bargain and right for you and in budget. You'll not have many chances to get the right car at the right price at the right time.
I strongly suggest you consider your plans carefully as without setting a decent budget each year to look after the car this might not be the right thing for you. Check out Verboten Technique as they are possibly the closest Tvr repair specialist to you and do some amazing things with cars. If they are within a reasonable distance maybe they could service your car so check their prices for comparison.
They are on Facebook too.
Do all you can to check out Glynns car because from what I remember it's a very usable solid example with after market Ecu and new riggers and allsorts. A bargain and right for you and in budget. You'll not have many chances to get the right car at the right price at the right time.
I strongly suggest you consider your plans carefully as without setting a decent budget each year to look after the car this might not be the right thing for you. Check out Verboten Technique as they are possibly the closest Tvr repair specialist to you and do some amazing things with cars. If they are within a reasonable distance maybe they could service your car so check their prices for comparison.
They are on Facebook too.
Brithunter said:
Indeed yes I am in Bulgaria ............... Ruse. Trying to find out the proceedure for registration has been trying to say the least. Headlights should not be too much of an issue on the Chimaera as they are round units so should not be hard to find in LHD configuration.
So which part of the country are you in?
Sofia. I ended up just handing everything to an agent to deal with. Cost me 350 euro in total to register the s2000.So which part of the country are you in?
I'd love a TVR but after look for the last year decided against it mostly due to parts and specialists...now looking to sell the s2000 and get an evora
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