£10k - £12k Chimaera - will this be asking for trouble?

[portzi]

ray von said:

Squirrelofwoe said:

That is very true, I would almost certainly use them for servicing so I'll definitely look at popping round there and having a word asap.

I've also had a couple of PHers email me with regard to their soon-to-be-for-sale Chims, one of which is right within my budget and on paper at least exactly what I am after- so currently awaiting some pictures of that particular one, and I do like the idea of buying from somebody on here .

Still go in with your eyes wide open though, just because someone may be on here a lot and 'talk' a good car doesn't mean they have a good car. Unscrupulous devious bds get everywhere.

Very true wallet shut eyes open like jam jars !!!!

I have no connection with Matt Smith Tvr at Downham , but if he was to recommend a car to buy he knows well, as sure as eggs is eggs it will be a solid car. Alot of P'heds use him so he comes recommended and again it's worth a phone call to ask whether he knows any for sale?

[plfrench]

Hi Squirrel! Not long till you join the club too, we both did a good job of talking each other into it

I pick mine up on Saturday and can't wait. In the end, I took the view that outriggers would more than likely need doing on any car and therefore went for one that definitely did need them doing and was priced accordingly. At least that way you know they've been done and can choose who does the work.

(admittedly mine needs quite a few more things doing too, but most are cosmetic and I don't plan on selling it any time soon)

Here it is after my test drive!

[Squirrelofwoe]

^^^That looks superb!! Bet that sounds rather good too.

I know, it's always sensible to talk these man-maths ideas through and get a second opinion

That's not a bad call on the outriggers too, I'm of the opinion that once I find a Chim I plan to keep it for a long time so I'm going to end up doing them inevitably anyway. On the other hand though, I'd like to get one that I can jump in and use straight away!

Cosmetic stuff I can sort out as and when, and given it will spend much of the time outside under a car cover it is never going to be perfect in that regard anyway, I'm more keen on getting one that I can use regularly.

[Squirrelofwoe]

portzi said:

I have no connection with Matt Smith Tvr at Downham , but if he was to recommend a car to buy he knows well, as sure as eggs is eggs it will be a solid car. Alot of P'heds use him so he comes recommended and again it's worth a phone call to ask whether he knows any for sale?

Cheers for the heads up, he's right up the other end of the country from me but even so I suspect it's still worth a call. It's another contact added to the ever growing list

[Seandenyer]

Squirrelofwoe said:

Oh fair enough. We'll if you were serious about selling I'd certainly be interested in hearing more about it, feel free to PM me if so

That's food for thought, it's only done around 54000 miles and had no problems at all, the more I think about selling the more I want to keep it but at the right price I could be persuaded .

[caduceus]

Seandenyer said:

the more I think about selling the more I want to keep it but at the right price I could be persuaded

pwd95 said:

Sorry, bottled it again! What on earth would I replace it with at that price. Think I'll sell the old Vectra & just use it as my daily.
As you were...

[Squirrelofwoe]

StarmistBlue400 said:

Mines for sale (more than £12K) but has had everything done that needs to be done.

I'm only in Reading so if you want to have a poke around and a passenger ride let me know. It might help with your search.

I missed this post yesterday somehow! Thanks for the offer of a poke around and a passenger ride, I might well take you up on that offer if I can fit it in- I figured the more I can see, the better

[JimTC]

Squirrelofwoe said:

I've seen their name crop up numerous times in relation to TVRs, I hadn't realised they were pretty much on my doorstep! The supercharged Chim doesn't appeal to me personally, but it's good to know there is somewhere that seems to know their TVRs only half hour away from me.

Been using Neil Garner's workshops for many years - very happy with the level and quality of service!

[Prizam]

Squirrelofwoe said:

StarmistBlue400 said:

Mines for sale (more than £12K) but has had everything done that needs to be done.

I'm only in Reading so if you want to have a poke around and a passenger ride let me know. It might help with your search.

I missed this post yesterday somehow! Thanks for the offer of a poke around and a passenger ride, I might well take you up on that offer if I can fit it in- I figured the more I can see, the better

Also in Reading, also star mist blue chim 400. 10,000 on the clock and just had a chassis freshen up and ALL suspension components replaced.

Give me a shout if you want a poke about. 12k might tempt me if she is going to a good home. MIGHT.

[pwd95]

caduceus said:

Seandenyer said:

the more I think about selling the more I want to keep it but at the right price I could be persuaded

pwd95 said:

Sorry, bottled it again! What on earth would I replace it with at that price. Think I'll sell the old Vectra & just use it as my daily.
As you were...

I will never be cured....

[Squirrelofwoe]

Prizam said:

Also in Reading, also star mist blue chim 400. 10,000 on the clock and just had a chassis freshen up and ALL suspension components replaced.

Give me a shout if you want a poke about. 12k might tempt me if she is going to a good home. MIGHT.

Cheers for that, I'll keep it in mind. I do like Star Mist Blue...

[Seandenyer]

[Seandenyer]

[Squirrelofwoe]

That looks superb, that interior combo in particular is just

I've made the appointment to go and view six Chimaeras at a dealer tomorrow morning, should give me a good starting point.

Getting excited now

[portzi]

Squirrelofwoe said:

That looks superb, that interior combo in particular is just

I've made the appointment to go and view six Chimaeras at a dealer tomorrow morning, should give me a good starting point.

Getting excited now

Pretend to be a scotsman with deep pockets, take someone who knows about TVR's, get on the floor and inspect that chassis, wheel arches etc, and if there is aload of paint and black wax oil gobbed all over the chassis and outriggers stay well clear as you don't know what lyes underneath!!!! if there is rust in the engine bay you can bet the rest of the car will need looking at as thats where all the corrosion exists from road debris, please don't buy on that day go home have a discussion then back for another look, its so temping to get pulled in with these cars and the noise !!! is superb.

[ray von]

portzi said:

Squirrelofwoe said:

That looks superb, that interior combo in particular is just

I've made the appointment to go and view six Chimaeras at a dealer tomorrow morning, should give me a good starting point.

Getting excited now

Pretend to be a scotsman with deep pockets, take someone who knows about TVR's, get on the floor and inspect that chassis, wheel arches etc, and if there is aload of paint and black wax oil gobbed all over the chassis and outriggers stay well clear as you don't know what lyes underneath!!!! if there is rust in the engine bay you can bet the rest of the car will need looking at as thats where all the corrosion exists from road debris, please don't buy on that day go home have a discussion then back for another look, its so temping to get pulled in with these cars and the noise !!! is superb.

This can't be stressed enough, even before the car is started it's far too easy to be seduced. As Portzi says go home and have a good long hard think about everything you've seen, then go and look at some more, then decide. Seeing 6 in a day at one dealer is maybe not such a good idea either, you will not be giving yourself enough time to have a good look at each car..
Good luck though

[Squirrelofwoe]

portzi said:

Pretend to be a scotsman with deep pockets, take someone who knows about TVR's, get on the floor and inspect that chassis, wheel arches etc, and if there is aload of paint and black wax oil gobbed all over the chassis and outriggers stay well clear as you don't know what lyes underneath!!!! if there is rust in the engine bay you can bet the rest of the car will need looking at as thats where all the corrosion exists from road debris, please don't buy on that day go home have a discussion then back for another look, its so temping to get pulled in with these cars and the noise !!! is superb.

Cheers portzi,

I've no intention of buying tomorrow- I'm a tight-arsed accountant by day, it takes me months of research & deliberation to buy absolutely anything... Did I mention I started seriously researching Chim's when I qualified, a mere 7 years ago back in 2009?

In all seriousness, I'm also waiting for some Chim pics from a PHer and plan on looking at plenty of cars before I make a decision. The dealer has been extremely accommodating (I appreciate that's their job), so I'm hoping to be able to get a good look at the chassis- which will also give me a better idea of what to look for when viewing others. They have six currently, covering the entire Chim value spectrum, so hopefully that should give a good comparison between different conditions.

The main purpose of tomorrow is to get a good look at them up close and get a feel of what I need to look for- as I said before, despite having been lucky enough to drive/passenger in all manner of cars over the last 10 years, I've never even had the privilege of sitting in a Chim, let alone driving one! That said, two of the examples I'm viewing are very much potential contenders on paper (I wouldn't be going up there otherwise), I just won't be making any rash decisions on them tomorrow... regardless of how good they might sound.

[Squirrelofwoe]

ray von said:

Seeing 6 in a day at one dealer is maybe not such a good idea either, you will not be giving yourself enough time to have a good look at each car..
Good luck though

Point taken, but only 2 (possibly 3) of them are in my budget anyway- I'm only interested in having a quick look at the others to compare what the conditions are like to the ones that are in my budget

[portzi]

Squirrelofwoe said:

ray von said:

Seeing 6 in a day at one dealer is maybe not such a good idea either, you will not be giving yourself enough time to have a good look at each car..
Good luck though

Point taken, but only 2 (possibly 3) of them are in my budget anyway- I'm only interested in having a quick look at the others to compare what the conditions are like to the ones that are in my budget

Good luck Squirrel, it will be interesting to hear about your comments about each car your looking at and how the dealer prices each one accordingly? In regards to car condition, mileage of each one. Does the dealer see that a low mileage car is worth more money compared to a high one, which will have had more money spent on it on maintenance?

[andy43]

portzi said:

...paint and black wax oil gobbed all over the chassis and outriggers stay well clear ...

Really good advice there - cars used to be advertised with freshly waxoyled chassis' as a positive selling point.
Not any more - it hides so much it's incredible. I reckon your budget will get you a good one, it just may take a little time.
And whatever you do, don't fire a TVR up unless you are already 110% convinced it's the car for you.
Once you hear it, there's no going back