First time TVR buyer
Discussion
Hope some of you can help, i'm in essex area and hoping to buy a used chimera, i have around 15k to spend and don't want to get loans and the such so that is it.
I've never had anything that fast before, currently run a Audi cab 2.3 and escort van for work!!!!
Would you reccomend a cheap but fast rear wheel drive to get used to rear wheel or just go for it anyway!!!!
My thinking is nothing will prepare me for a tvr anyway!!
Also are there any recomended dealers in my area??
Thankyou
I've never had anything that fast before, currently run a Audi cab 2.3 and escort van for work!!!!
Would you reccomend a cheap but fast rear wheel drive to get used to rear wheel or just go for it anyway!!!!
My thinking is nothing will prepare me for a tvr anyway!!
Also are there any recomended dealers in my area??
Thankyou
Hi Chris,
I'm in Essex looking for a Chimaera aswell.
I Have got used to the Rear wheel drive thing having owned Mantas and Currently the Supra.
If you're careful, i.e no booting it on wet roundabouts you should be o.k.
I've heard of two other people looking for Chimaeras in Essex aswell.
Might be worth looking at my thread Seller from Hell.
I've seen a couple of R Reg Chimaeras for sale and might have a look at them tomorrow if they haven't already gone.
One is a Storm grey one in Milton Keynes with 52k on the clock for £15500 (which seems really cheap for an R) and a Amethyst Pearl one for sale at a Dealer in the Basingstoke area for £16595.33k on the clock with RAC warranty,just serviced.
Does anyone know these cars or are any of you previous owners?
I'm bit jittery at buying privately and don't want to end up in a similar situation to last weeks episode.
Email me through my profile if you have any info.
Cheers.
Lee.
Happy hunting.
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 23 March 23:11
I'm in Essex looking for a Chimaera aswell.
I Have got used to the Rear wheel drive thing having owned Mantas and Currently the Supra.
If you're careful, i.e no booting it on wet roundabouts you should be o.k.
I've heard of two other people looking for Chimaeras in Essex aswell.
Might be worth looking at my thread Seller from Hell.
I've seen a couple of R Reg Chimaeras for sale and might have a look at them tomorrow if they haven't already gone.
One is a Storm grey one in Milton Keynes with 52k on the clock for £15500 (which seems really cheap for an R) and a Amethyst Pearl one for sale at a Dealer in the Basingstoke area for £16595.33k on the clock with RAC warranty,just serviced.
Does anyone know these cars or are any of you previous owners?
I'm bit jittery at buying privately and don't want to end up in a similar situation to last weeks episode.
Email me through my profile if you have any info.
Cheers.
Lee.
Happy hunting.
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 23 March 23:11
Ahhhhhh, just go for it, man. I went from a beemer 318 straight to a 4l chim, and i've not spun it (yet) after over a year - and it snowed 2 inches the day i picked it up. Mind you, this could be where the natural caution came from. It is a car with immense power/weight, and none of that weight over the drive wheels, but if your not a nut-job you'll be ok.
After a year with the 4, i'm hankering after a 5l or a tuscan speed 6, but not because i find the car too slow, it just isn't terryfying any more. Pay close attention to that sentence - the car is still scary often as not, but i no longer shake after driving it. I had a go of a speed six over 6 months ago, and am still in counselling.
What i'm saying is basically it's managable, anything more than 4litres may be a bit much (to start with). For a newcomer. Also i would be wary of a 5litre at a 15 grand budget. Get a 14500 4litre and save that extra 500 pounds for the petrol you're going to use in the first week of ownership/adoration/doubt/love/sleeping in it.
Listen to it and it's sold. Simple.
After a year with the 4, i'm hankering after a 5l or a tuscan speed 6, but not because i find the car too slow, it just isn't terryfying any more. Pay close attention to that sentence - the car is still scary often as not, but i no longer shake after driving it. I had a go of a speed six over 6 months ago, and am still in counselling.
What i'm saying is basically it's managable, anything more than 4litres may be a bit much (to start with). For a newcomer. Also i would be wary of a 5litre at a 15 grand budget. Get a 14500 4litre and save that extra 500 pounds for the petrol you're going to use in the first week of ownership/adoration/doubt/love/sleeping in it.
Listen to it and it's sold. Simple.
quote:
Ahhhhhh, just go for it, man. I went from a beemer 318 straight to a 4l chim, and i've not spun it (yet) after over a year - and it snowed 2 inches the day i picked it up. Mind you, this could be where the natural caution came from. It is a car with immense power/weight, and none of that weight over the drive wheels, but if your not a nut-job you'll be ok.
After a year with the 4, i'm hankering after a 5l or a tuscan speed 6, but not because i find the car too slow, it just isn't terryfying any more. Pay close attention to that sentence - the car is still scary often as not, but i no longer shake after driving it. I had a go of a speed six over 6 months ago, and am still in counselling.
What i'm saying is basically it's managable, anything more than 4litres may be a bit much (to start with). For a newcomer. Also i would be wary of a 5litre at a 15 grand budget. Get a 14500 4litre and save that extra 500 pounds for the petrol you're going to use in the first week of ownership/adoration/doubt/love/sleeping in it.
Listen to it and it's sold. Simple.
Would agree with all the above, even tho' I've only had mine for one month, so it still scares me a bit when I floor it – which isn't actually that often officer
Better I think to buy a slightly better but older one than a newer but worse one for the same money if you get my drift. R reg for 15.5k does sound cheap – you gotta get it checked by a specialist as well – if the seller kicks up a fuss– then walk – there's plenty out there.
Also don't be afraid to travel for the right car. I went from North Cambridgeshire to deepest Surrey – and didn't regret it – and it makes for a great drive home of course.
There's so many in Surrey/Hants (unlike up here where they're as rare as the ol' hens teeth) that you could make a day of it and see lots of dealers and private sellers
Have a strict criteria on cars you'll travel to see – colours, mileage etc and don't stray from it. That way you won't end up seeing loads and buying a duff 'un. You'll probably end up like me, seeing three. If you sift 'em beforehand, you shouldn't need to see more than that.
Mike
Oh yeah, look over the paperwork/history/bodywork/interior/basically the whole car BEFORE it's started – or you may find yourself handing over the cash TOO SOON!! (Easily done).
>> Edited by MikeyT on Sunday 24th March 07:02
As with many specialist cars, buy from an enthusiast - the cars advertised on Pistonheads, and those in the back of Sprint magazine, will be your safest bet. Join the TVRCC, and find out if the seller of any car you like, if they are a member.
And, get all the usual HPI, RAC checks done - the car MUST have a full TVRSH. If you have absolutely any doubts, walk away. Ask if you canm contact any previous owners - if it's a straight car, the current owner shouldn't object.
And, get all the usual HPI, RAC checks done - the car MUST have a full TVRSH. If you have absolutely any doubts, walk away. Ask if you canm contact any previous owners - if it's a straight car, the current owner shouldn't object.
Essex buyer here 
Adrian Blyth has a gorgeous yellow 4.0HC just come in. Unfortunately I'd already set those rules MikeyT mentioned and its too high mileage for me.
There was a nice Rosso Red sold in Essex last weekend (36k miles, new tyres, new roof - £13500). Looked/sounded perfect, I was just too slow off the mark.
If someone could point in the direction of a 30-40k miles yellow 4ltr I'd be most grateful!
Adrian Blyth has a gorgeous yellow 4.0HC just come in. Unfortunately I'd already set those rules MikeyT mentioned and its too high mileage for me.
There was a nice Rosso Red sold in Essex last weekend (36k miles, new tyres, new roof - £13500). Looked/sounded perfect, I was just too slow off the mark.
If someone could point in the direction of a 30-40k miles yellow 4ltr I'd be most grateful!
Must admit I haven't seen many yellow ones for sale recently.
I think David Gerald has an S Reg one, but that is around the £18-19k mark.
A P reg one went for sale a couple of months back for £14500.
I'm just off to look at an R Reg Grey one in Milton Keynes, 52,000 miles. A bit high mileage I know, but I am only going to be using it as a second car anyway.
Good luck.
Lee.
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 24th March 12:46
I think David Gerald has an S Reg one, but that is around the £18-19k mark.
A P reg one went for sale a couple of months back for £14500.
I'm just off to look at an R Reg Grey one in Milton Keynes, 52,000 miles. A bit high mileage I know, but I am only going to be using it as a second car anyway.
Good luck.
Lee.
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 24th March 12:46
Chris,
You should be ok with the rear wheel drive thing as long as you take it reasonably carefully at first, and even then beware wet roundabouts! I traded up from an MGF all of 6 days ago (!) and the 400 or so miles I've done since then haven't produced any 'moments'. But err on the side of caution and you'll be fine. I was looking for 4.0s initially, but have gone for a 4.5 and it's perfectly manageable. Maybe consider going on one of the performance handling courses shortly after you buy, so that you can find out where the limit is in safety, and equally important, how to bring it back in line?
15K might be a little low for most dealers -? If you don't mind travelling, Adrian Blyth has had a few around that level, and Fernhurst have 3 under 20K at the moment. Got mine from Fernies and they were great, willing to spend time with me and answer loads of questions, wouldn't hesitate to recommend them on my experience with them so far.
Castle TVR at Stansted seem to be quite popular on here although I've no experience of them personally. Got the MGF from Kerridges (Needham Market) who also have a TVR franchise - they were ok but not on a par with the service I got from Fernies.
Good luck - hope you find the car for you soon!
Alex
You should be ok with the rear wheel drive thing as long as you take it reasonably carefully at first, and even then beware wet roundabouts! I traded up from an MGF all of 6 days ago (!) and the 400 or so miles I've done since then haven't produced any 'moments'. But err on the side of caution and you'll be fine. I was looking for 4.0s initially, but have gone for a 4.5 and it's perfectly manageable. Maybe consider going on one of the performance handling courses shortly after you buy, so that you can find out where the limit is in safety, and equally important, how to bring it back in line?
15K might be a little low for most dealers -? If you don't mind travelling, Adrian Blyth has had a few around that level, and Fernhurst have 3 under 20K at the moment. Got mine from Fernies and they were great, willing to spend time with me and answer loads of questions, wouldn't hesitate to recommend them on my experience with them so far.
Castle TVR at Stansted seem to be quite popular on here although I've no experience of them personally. Got the MGF from Kerridges (Needham Market) who also have a TVR franchise - they were ok but not on a par with the service I got from Fernies.
Good luck - hope you find the car for you soon!
Alex
Yes, it's a 2 owner car (both owners women), R Reg 1998 4.0.It is immaculate.It was originally sold by TMS and has been serviced by them ever since.
The owner took me for a drive then let me have a go.
Another guy got to see it yesterday, but has to sell his BMW Z3 first or borrow off his Dad.
I've got the cash to buy it, but might have trouble getting time off work.
It's a bit first come first served at the moment.
Lee
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 24th March 22:16
The owner took me for a drive then let me have a go.
Another guy got to see it yesterday, but has to sell his BMW Z3 first or borrow off his Dad.
I've got the cash to buy it, but might have trouble getting time off work.
It's a bit first come first served at the moment.
Lee
>> Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 24th March 22:16
I note the problems some of the potential buyers are having. As a seller, I have a 97 P with 18K on the clock, PAS (Ice Blue with blue hood) and I think it is an excellent example. MikeyT has seen it. I hope the green and mean is going well Mike!
I am getting people e-mailing me suggesting £13.5K when I have it advertised at £16.5K ( I think!).
I think this is a bit of a cheek. Offers yes but knocking £3K off, I don't think so.
Mind you, now the weather is improving, should I keep the beast?
So whilst I sympathise with the problems, there are a lot of tyre kickers out there who want a first class car with history etc but want it for nowt!
Just my opinion.
Lee. (l.baty@talk21.com)
I am getting people e-mailing me suggesting £13.5K when I have it advertised at £16.5K ( I think!).
I think this is a bit of a cheek. Offers yes but knocking £3K off, I don't think so.
Mind you, now the weather is improving, should I keep the beast?
So whilst I sympathise with the problems, there are a lot of tyre kickers out there who want a first class car with history etc but want it for nowt!
Just my opinion.
Lee. (l.baty@talk21.com)
Hi Chris:
This might reassure you...
My car history:
V-Reg Mini 1.0
D-Reg Mini 1.0
C-Reg Honda Civic 1.3 (Auto!)
C-Reg Golf GTi
R-Reg Megane 1.6RT
S-Reg Chimaera 4.0
I was vary wary of the Chimp after having very limited experience of fast cars and rear wheel drive. However, I've had it 3 weeks now and feel that I made the right choice in buying it. I think a 5.0 litre might have been too much for my first foray into TVR ownership. Maybe the same would go for a 4.5?
Beware of people saying, "if you don't boot it before you've straightened the wheel, you'll be fine!" because it's only true in the dry! I know because I booted it in 2nd gear on a straight on the Wilmslow bypass (excellent road surface) after it had been raining and the back lit up and tried to overtake the front! I think bikers call it a 'tank slapper' - scary, but I've learnt my lesson. Apart from that everything has been fine.
Incidentally, I still have the Golf and Megane (though they're for sale) but just can't bear to drive them any more after the Chimp!
My suggestion is - go for it, but make sure it's a good one. I got 2yrs warranty on mine and it's only done 19k and is in immaculate condition.
Regards.
roadsweeper.
PS: Before anyone flames me for my poor selection of cars before the Chimp (and I wouldn't blame you ) I have to point out that I only graduated from Uni in June last year so had to run crap cars whilst I was there!
This might reassure you...
My car history:
V-Reg Mini 1.0
D-Reg Mini 1.0
C-Reg Honda Civic 1.3 (Auto!)
C-Reg Golf GTi
R-Reg Megane 1.6RT
S-Reg Chimaera 4.0
I was vary wary of the Chimp after having very limited experience of fast cars and rear wheel drive. However, I've had it 3 weeks now and feel that I made the right choice in buying it. I think a 5.0 litre might have been too much for my first foray into TVR ownership. Maybe the same would go for a 4.5?
Beware of people saying, "if you don't boot it before you've straightened the wheel, you'll be fine!" because it's only true in the dry! I know because I booted it in 2nd gear on a straight on the Wilmslow bypass (excellent road surface) after it had been raining and the back lit up and tried to overtake the front! I think bikers call it a 'tank slapper' - scary, but I've learnt my lesson. Apart from that everything has been fine.
Incidentally, I still have the Golf and Megane (though they're for sale) but just can't bear to drive them any more after the Chimp!
My suggestion is - go for it, but make sure it's a good one. I got 2yrs warranty on mine and it's only done 19k and is in immaculate condition.
Regards.
roadsweeper.
PS: Before anyone flames me for my poor selection of cars before the Chimp (and I wouldn't blame you
) I have to point out that I only graduated from Uni in June last year so had to run crap cars whilst I was there!quote:
I note the problems some of the potential buyers are having. As a seller, I have a 97 P with 18K on the clock, PAS (Ice Blue with blue hood) and I think it is an excellent example. MikeyT has seen it. I hope the green and mean is going well Mike!
I am getting people e-mailing me suggesting £13.5K when I have it advertised at £16.5K ( I think!).
I think this is a bit of a cheek. Offers yes but knocking £3K off, I don't think so.
Mind you, now the weather is improving, should I keep the beast?
So whilst I sympathise with the problems, there are a lot of tyre kickers out there who want a first class car with history etc but want it for nowt!
Just my opinion.
Lee. (l.baty@talk21.com)
Hi Lee, hope all is well with you!
Yeah I've seen Lee's car and it's a stunner. Low miles too and a full service history. And a colour to die for ...
Why didn't I buy it? Just out of my budget ... otherwise I would have.
I've certainly got no time for anyone who'll just email a cheeky offer ... and I was a buyer !
Hang on in there Lee, you'll get your price I've no doubt ... the car is very good.
Soi get down to Guildford all you Essex buyers ! (invoice in the post Lee)
Mike
Nora
Don't you dare let it go for under £16k. If you do you'll ruin my theory that the early /mid 1990's ones lose £1k pa (paid £12k for a 1993)!!!
Actually I think they do then, from R and earlier the gaps get bigger.
This all assumes similar (nice) condition with history and around 5k per annum mileage
Dex
Don't you dare let it go for under £16k. If you do you'll ruin my theory that the early /mid 1990's ones lose £1k pa (paid £12k for a 1993)!!!
Actually I think they do then, from R and earlier the gaps get bigger.
This all assumes similar (nice) condition with history and around 5k per annum mileage
Dex
I'm a bit suprised he doesn't reply to this himself - perhaps he doesn't like to blow his own trumpet - but try Rob Ingleby at www.findasportscar.co.uk/
I bought my 4 litre '96 Chimaera through him, and apart from reminding him of my absolute top limit, I was very satisfied.
I bought my 4 litre '96 Chimaera through him, and apart from reminding him of my absolute top limit, I was very satisfied.
Mikey
The cars great (leaving aside Chucks note above about selling it 'cos it's a pain in the a*se !!!). The only significant issues are the petrol fumes (see other thread) and the diff whine (which might just be one of those things).
Those things (and thye Schwarteznegger arms needed to steer the bl**dy thing !!) aside it's great. Starts first time, goes straight, brakes straight, looks like new, sounds divine and runs very well indeed.
Luverley
Dex
The cars great (leaving aside Chucks note above about selling it 'cos it's a pain in the a*se !!!). The only significant issues are the petrol fumes (see other thread) and the diff whine (which might just be one of those things).
Those things (and thye Schwarteznegger arms needed to steer the bl**dy thing !!) aside it's great. Starts first time, goes straight, brakes straight, looks like new, sounds divine and runs very well indeed.
Luverley
Dex
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