how deep do my pockets need to be??
Discussion
hi
im thinking of fullfilling a dream and buying myself a chim!!
although buying the car is within my reach if the rumours are true then keeping it on the road coould be beyond my means!!
im thinking of getting a mid to late 90s model preferably with the rover v8.
please tell me the horror stories are over the top?!
im thinking of fullfilling a dream and buying myself a chim!!
although buying the car is within my reach if the rumours are true then keeping it on the road coould be beyond my means!!
im thinking of getting a mid to late 90s model preferably with the rover v8.
please tell me the horror stories are over the top?!
I'd budget a few thousand to get the car exactly as you want it, but after that, keeping it that way should be relatively plain sailing - complicated cars they are not. Or spend a little more for a car that's already been sorted with good backup/warranty - most of us, however, enjoy the process of making our cars into what they 'should' have been from the beginning. 
All in all, for the sort of performance, thrills and exxclusivity on offer a good 'un will be remarkably easy on the wallet by virtue of their modest weight (brakes, tyres etc no dearer than on a run of the mill hatch/saloon) and proven mechanicals.
They're getting on a bit now, so chassis maintenance should be particularly high up your list - and personally I'd recommend the 450 as the most rounded package with what should be the most reliable engine of the range.
All in all, for the sort of performance, thrills and exxclusivity on offer a good 'un will be remarkably easy on the wallet by virtue of their modest weight (brakes, tyres etc no dearer than on a run of the mill hatch/saloon) and proven mechanicals.
They're getting on a bit now, so chassis maintenance should be particularly high up your list - and personally I'd recommend the 450 as the most rounded package with what should be the most reliable engine of the range.
The chances are you'll find it surprisingly cheap to run. My previous TVR was.
But, as with every car, there's always the chance something major will go wrong - at which point they're still cheaper than you might expect, but they're not bargain basement exactly. I'd suggest going in with a big enough contingency fund to fix any likely issues, but with the comforting thought that you probably won't need it!
For example, my Chimaera blew its engine up last month. I've got quite a high spec in mind for the rebuild and that's likely to set me back the best part of £5k all in all. However there was the option of getting a secondhand engine for about £1,800, dropping it in myself and selling the salvageable bits. That way it would have probably been about £1,000 net cost.
So it depends how hands on you are, how good the car is to start with, and how (un)lucky you are. They're usually pretty cheap, but go in prepared for issues and you'll be pleasantly surprised when they fail to surface.
But, as with every car, there's always the chance something major will go wrong - at which point they're still cheaper than you might expect, but they're not bargain basement exactly. I'd suggest going in with a big enough contingency fund to fix any likely issues, but with the comforting thought that you probably won't need it!
For example, my Chimaera blew its engine up last month. I've got quite a high spec in mind for the rebuild and that's likely to set me back the best part of £5k all in all. However there was the option of getting a secondhand engine for about £1,800, dropping it in myself and selling the salvageable bits. That way it would have probably been about £1,000 net cost.
So it depends how hands on you are, how good the car is to start with, and how (un)lucky you are. They're usually pretty cheap, but go in prepared for issues and you'll be pleasantly surprised when they fail to surface.
They're all Ford & Rover parts so surprisingly reasonable to run. Been umming & arring about selling mine the last week or two. Put it on classifieds a couple of times. Your welcome to have a look. 
It's a 1993 4.3.....
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/pwd95/My%20C...
It's a 1993 4.3.....
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/pwd95/My%20C...
I just sold a 94 430, fantastic motor, I would recommend close inspection of whichever model you decide. As has been stated there is loads of info on here re things to look out for. Outriggers and chassis condition being one of the most important, there were issues with a lot of the cars produced around 98-99 due to sub-standard protective coatings at construction. DYOR and good luck!
my experience is that its not as unreliable as i thought, its broke down once and that was just a fuse casing corroded, but there seems to be always something that could do with being replaced due to being old, worn or just tatty, i think you can always be spending money on it, but a proportion of that could be up-grades, its my hobby as well as my every day drive, so i justfy the expence as a hobby lol, ive had mine 2, years spent loads on upgrades and tidying it up and can still spend more if i choose, windows are sloppy for example, windscrean beading is looking shabby now, but if you get a really sorted one, may not cost anything, happy shopping :-)
pwd95 said:
Been umming & arring about selling mine the last week or two.
Again?If I didn't already have one I'd buy it...
Coincidentally, OP, if you're considering Chimaera ownership on a tightish budget I would recommend keeping your eyes open for a 430. They've got more or less 450 (or even slightly tired 500) levels of performance for early 4-litre money and the 4.3 is a particularly sweet engine.
Forget that. Under the car the last hour or two, found some rot that will need a body off job to fix!
So, here starteth the rebirth of my 430.
Having seen the '570' Griff at Chatsworth with the Sportmotive chaps I think I'm going to turn my 430 in to a '620' Last run tomorrow before I start undoing things.
Might start my own Resto thread.
So, here starteth the rebirth of my 430.
Having seen the '570' Griff at Chatsworth with the Sportmotive chaps I think I'm going to turn my 430 in to a '620' Last run tomorrow before I start undoing things.
Might start my own Resto thread.
Some great advice from 900T-R & V8NRG.
I've had my Chim for 2 years now and have spent about £1500.00 a year on it.
Most of the expenditure has been non-essential improvements:
Essential repairs & maintenance items have been less expensive:
Its cheaper to let someone else do all of the improvements for you, pay a bit more for a better car in the first place and you will save money over a few tears ownership.
Now my Chim is it like I want it, it should be a very cheap performance car to maintain.
Remember these cars a easily a match for a Porsche or in some cases a Ferrari from the same period, when you look at like this the maintenance costs are peanuts on an RV8 TVR.
I've had my Chim for 2 years now and have spent about £1500.00 a year on it.
Most of the expenditure has been non-essential improvements:
- Gaz Gold Pro dampers & uprated springs
- Leven rose jointed drop links
- Carpets replaced as the originals were a bit faded
- Cam replaced (turned out the original wasn't that worn) with a Stealth from V8 Developments
- Mark Adams Tornado chip (second hand & set to my car by Mark Adams)
- SC-Power plenum spacer kit
- Goodridge braided brake hoses
- Lightened flywheel (will fit next week)
- Magnecore HT leads
Essential repairs & maintenance items have been less expensive:
- Starter motor
- New second alarm fob from Carl Baker
- Clutch (will fit next week)
- New brakes all round
- General service items (oil, oil filters, plugs, dizzy cap, ect)
Its cheaper to let someone else do all of the improvements for you, pay a bit more for a better car in the first place and you will save money over a few tears ownership.
Now my Chim is it like I want it, it should be a very cheap performance car to maintain.
Remember these cars a easily a match for a Porsche or in some cases a Ferrari from the same period, when you look at like this the maintenance costs are peanuts on an RV8 TVR.
Hi Jonathan, I'll send some pics to you. Best you come & have a look & I'll show you what to look for. It'll be cheap now that it needs a bit of work. Interior, bodywork, engine are better than most. 99% of the chassis is better than most but I can see 2 patches of rust developing on the upper reaches of the chassis that need sorting. At a crossroads now. Sell cheap or take the body off.
Some pics here.....
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/pwd95/My%20C...
Some pics here.....
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/pwd95/My%20C...
Chimpafrolic said:
* Mark Adams Tornado chip (second hand & set to my car by Mark Adams)
O/T, but how are things going with that, Dave, I presume it's the spare chip you had lying around until recently?Pondering whether to get some sort of after market ECU on my car during the rebuild. If it goes back on the road with a short stroke engine, a different cam and the cats put back in (as I'm considering) the current maps are going to be even further out. Shame I don't have my own rolling road to hand!
Chris71 said:
O/T, but how are things going with that, Dave, I presume it's the spare chip you had lying around until recently?
Pondering whether to get some sort of after market ECU on my car during the rebuild. If it goes back on the road with a short stroke engine, a different cam and the cats put back in (as I'm considering) the current maps are going to be even further out. Shame I don't have my own rolling road to hand!
Hi Chris, hope the engine rebuild is going as planned mate, will you be joining us at the Ace on Wednesday?Pondering whether to get some sort of after market ECU on my car during the rebuild. If it goes back on the road with a short stroke engine, a different cam and the cats put back in (as I'm considering) the current maps are going to be even further out. Shame I don't have my own rolling road to hand!
The whole mapping thing is a bit of a mine field on these cars, you really have two options.
Get a Tornado chip and have Mark Adams set it up on the rollers, or go down the after market ECU rout.
Essentially the problem is that both options are not exactly cheap.
The subject has been extensively debated on here many times, there are lots of contributors with way more experience than me on this, I'm just a new boy compared with some.
For now the Mark Adams chip stays in, I had planned to get him to tune the car this summer but my clutch is slipping slightly when you really press on in the higher gears.
So my spare TVR funds have gone on the clutch project instead, the Mark Adams rolling road session will have to wait a few more months.
If you can find a second hand Tornado chip like I did, MA will set it to your car for £70.00 all done by post.
I got my chip from a well known Piston Header, it came with an ECU that I sold on so in the end it only cost me £125.00 for the chip.
This will be by far your cheapest option, but which ever way you go the success of the after market ECU or chip is all down to the skills of the mapper.
With an aftermarket ECU you have the choice of hundreds of mappers up & down the country, with the Tornado chip you have a choice on one.
Mark Adams
Dave.
PS: I really enjoyed your piece in Classic Car Weekly, even if it did perpetuate the myth that TVR's are a bit unreliable
It very much depends on the car you get unfortunately.
I bought mine 2.5 years ago and almost immediately spent nearly as much as I paid for it to get a variety of things fixed. Some of it was preventative and some of it was stuff that needed doing straight away.
Since then, I've spent an average of £800 per year on it for servicing and MOT which I think is fairly reasonable for the age of car (1993) and I haven't had a lot of the problems others seem to have had (touch wood). If there's something trivial which needs doing, don't put it off, get it sorted out.
The trick is firstly to get problems sorted quickly and without trying to skimp on costs or bodge it and secondly to accept that it will probably cost you more than an MX5 or whatever.
Absolutely key is to find a good specialist which you trust and be prepared to have a 'to do list'. Otherwise, they are f'in awesome and I wouldn't change mine for the world.
I bought mine 2.5 years ago and almost immediately spent nearly as much as I paid for it to get a variety of things fixed. Some of it was preventative and some of it was stuff that needed doing straight away.
Since then, I've spent an average of £800 per year on it for servicing and MOT which I think is fairly reasonable for the age of car (1993) and I haven't had a lot of the problems others seem to have had (touch wood). If there's something trivial which needs doing, don't put it off, get it sorted out.
The trick is firstly to get problems sorted quickly and without trying to skimp on costs or bodge it and secondly to accept that it will probably cost you more than an MX5 or whatever.
Absolutely key is to find a good specialist which you trust and be prepared to have a 'to do list'. Otherwise, they are f'in awesome and I wouldn't change mine for the world.
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