RE: PH Fleet Update: Chimaera 4.0 And Others

[Chicane-UK]

Miss my old 200TE W124 estate. It was a real workhorse and had been in the family for 10 years..

Used it once to shuttle a massive great server on a palette between datacentres once, and didn't need to put the seats down either so could carry the 3 other fat IT guys required to lift into place at the other end. More practical than our work van!

[CampDavid]

Nice town car.

Was the Chim picture taken around Barbican, on the CityPoint side?

[Garlick]

It was indeed David.

[Tim16V]

Garlick said:

I'm old. I need comfort, slippers, autos and Werther's Originals.

Garlick - 'wafting' or 'the desire to waft' is nothing to be ashamed of! It is strange how the requirement seems to creep up on some people in middle age though...I'd have to be dragged away from our auto Cadillac and Lexus IS 250.

Enjoy the effortlessness of your Lexus and remember the favourable capital outlay vs. fuel consumption issue as you fill up!

[hugepiece]

after moving stateside this year, I went Corvette, as much fun as it is for foolish tire shredding, it still isnt any TVR :-( It's the closest thing I could get (Viper was too pricey for a late one) but not the same feel. I still miss the cerbera and chimaera of my past. But what is nice about the vette is in 9 months i've not spent a penny on anythng other than fuel........I coudn't have said that for either of my tiv's! i'd get another cerbera tomorrow if I could find a LHD one here in a heartbeat!

[semaj]

900T-R said:

britsportscars said:

So a Chim would make an excellent first TVR?

Not just an excellent 'first' TVR, but a great TVR, full stop.

Totally agree. Bought my first TVR back in August last year - a Chimaera 400. Should have done it years ago!!

[Parrot of Doom]

You may not need to change the heater valve on the Mercedes. If its a similar design to the W210, what happens is, over time, the rubber rings that the little piston moves into become bloated and fat. You can replace them with a tap washer, drilled slightly to fit properly.

I have the same problem on my duovalve.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Saturday 8th January 00:36

[tclynes]

The W124, despite having a CLK conv, having owned a RR Classic (n-reg softdash, bloody bmw driver smashed into it and broke my heart) and driven all manor of things, everytime I see one I still long for one. My parents had one when I was small and it was just so trusty, its practical, smooth, and I have saw a pristine original one sitting in the car park at Stoke Park Golf Club and it made all the modern supercars and bentleys look like pretenders.

I am so glad to see it sticking in the fleet,

Tommy

[3doorPete]

Garlick said:

Thanks for that, very useful

OK, I now have the barge and I'm very pleased. It does appear to like a drink however.....

Perhaps an LPG conversion article? I had a 92 litre donut LPG tank on my P38 Range Rover 4.0 V8 - made the 12mpg on that a bit more paletable. Financially it doubles your mpg figure as the fuel is half price.

Conversion is not cheap, but adds value when you sell on and you can compute the exact miles you need to do to break even.

Here's my spare wheel well tank.

Edited by 3doorPete on Saturday 8th January 16:32

[Garlick]

Thanks Pete, not a bad idea at all.

[snorky]

Had the Chim for 7 years now and only suffered one broken Ford part in all that time, apart from having a full frontal attack from an aged Belgian.....keeping it for ever - I intend to be buried in it.

[Pigmani@]

Sympathies on the 944. I had an S2 which I ran for four years, still miss it 10 years later.

[theironduke]

Pigmani@ said:

Sympathies on the 944. I had an S2 which I ran for four years, still miss it 10 years later.

Much as i love my S2 i have a major hankering for a Chim......

How much heartache could a 5-6k region car cause...

[Garlick]

Lexus this weekend. A milestone, of sorts....

[anything fast]

the 944.... what a nice car, nice model, nice colour just perfect, hope the new owner looks after it

[Chimaera001]

Paul - don't sell the Chim mate; I've missed her every single day since mine went and have no idea what to replace her with (very challenging given the price of cars here in Oz, plus the fact that there seems to be a real penchant for Fast and the Furious-esque metal). I might be giving Simon @ Fernies a call soon!

[XJSJohn]

Pr1964 said:

Chicane-UK said:

Miss my old 200TE W124 estate. It was a real workhorse and had been in the family for 10 years..

Used it once to shuttle a massive great server on a palette between datacentres once, and didn't need to put the seats down either so could carry the 3 other fat IT guys required to lift into place at the other end. More practical than our work van!

My fave w124 was an 89 4matic estate pulled as smoothly as an Roller we went skiing to chattel one year and it was as good in the snow as any 4x4 but super classy in dark blue with cloth seats which in the winter were far nicer than leather.
I sold it for a 300TD which was also excellent but totally useless in the snow so we took the plane to geneva the following year.

I ran a G reg 4matic estate for a while too, was quite handy at surprising people off the traffic lights, never expecting this big lump of a Granny Magnet to be able to rip off the line like that. Was almots as rapid as my 300E 24v saloon that came after.

[Chimaera001]

[redacted]

[somnv]

Good choice on the LS400!! I bought a mk4 last August, great car. How are you getting on with it so far?

I like the alloys on yours. They aren't original LS400 ones are they?