Am I dreaming or can it be done?
Discussion
Hi folks
I am sure this has been asked a squillion times before but here I go anyway... can I have a Chimaera as a daily driver? The key word/letter there is 'I'.
I have a comfortable lifestyle, pay my mortgage and bills with enough left over for some 'fun' and would be looking to buy the best I can for around £10k, partly funded by a loan or car finance. That part I fear, is the easy bit, the problem lies with running costs etc. I am a very basic home mechanic, servicing, minor jobs and not much more.
If I was to buy a £10k Chim' and run it as a daily, what kind of running costs could I expect, broadly speaking? I am very fearful of buying a car and running it into the ground (an offence punishable by death, surely?).
Is there a model which is generally thought of as the most reliable?
Or should I just forget about this Idea and buy something else?
Cheers
I am sure this has been asked a squillion times before but here I go anyway... can I have a Chimaera as a daily driver? The key word/letter there is 'I'.
I have a comfortable lifestyle, pay my mortgage and bills with enough left over for some 'fun' and would be looking to buy the best I can for around £10k, partly funded by a loan or car finance. That part I fear, is the easy bit, the problem lies with running costs etc. I am a very basic home mechanic, servicing, minor jobs and not much more.
If I was to buy a £10k Chim' and run it as a daily, what kind of running costs could I expect, broadly speaking? I am very fearful of buying a car and running it into the ground (an offence punishable by death, surely?).
Is there a model which is generally thought of as the most reliable?
Or should I just forget about this Idea and buy something else?
Cheers
Yes you can, a Chimaera is a pretty practical sportscar as they come and can easily be a daily driver. I've used mine for around 10 years as a daily drive to work and it now does school runs, trips to swimming lessons, B & Q etc etc. My daughters old bike used to fit in the boot - you wouldn't do that in an MX5, Porsche or an MG.
Fuel economy is never going to be good but comfort is great and it'll bring a smile to your face even if you're pootling along in traffic or on wet roads. If the roof is proofed and the wings are sealed properly in the engine bay, you shouldn't have any water leak problems.
Chassis and bodywork will of course suffer compared to a car that is permanently in the garage except for occasional sunny summer trips, but who's having the most fun and value from their car ?
If you run it regularly, less things break and they can be really reliable with only repairs between services comparable to any other car. Obviously buying the best one you can afford will help.
Fuel economy is never going to be good but comfort is great and it'll bring a smile to your face even if you're pootling along in traffic or on wet roads. If the roof is proofed and the wings are sealed properly in the engine bay, you shouldn't have any water leak problems.
Chassis and bodywork will of course suffer compared to a car that is permanently in the garage except for occasional sunny summer trips, but who's having the most fun and value from their car ?
If you run it regularly, less things break and they can be really reliable with only repairs between services comparable to any other car. Obviously buying the best one you can afford will help.
Thanks for the quick reply 
Making me feel better already
I should also mention that I have a garage to put the car in when not in use. The only other thing that is in my head is finding one and making sure it is a good 'un. Also I have never owned a 'proper' car before, always had bottom of the barrel 'bangers'.
Making me feel better already I should also mention that I have a garage to put the car in when not in use. The only other thing that is in my head is finding one and making sure it is a good 'un. Also I have never owned a 'proper' car before, always had bottom of the barrel 'bangers'.
I wish i had bought one many years ago! and in regards to running costs and servicing then in my opinion its cheap as chips!! just be very careful when you go and view one!
Not all the expensive ones are better so dont be put off if its a little cheaper! take a professional with you to take a look underneath!!
they are so much fun.
Not all the expensive ones are better so dont be put off if its a little cheaper! take a professional with you to take a look underneath!!
they are so much fun.
It would appear that £10K can buy a nice car from a decent dealer
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3122510.htm
The main job of the outriggers has been done and the dealer concerned gets a lot of good press on here.
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3122510.htm
The main job of the outriggers has been done and the dealer concerned gets a lot of good press on here.
I'm using mine as a daily after changing from an Mx-5. Stupid as this sounds the TVR....SO FAR....is costing me less to run believe it or not. Tax is the same, insurance is cheaper and i'm doing a tank a week (same as i was in the Mx) for rouhgly the same amount of miles. I'm finding that having a car that i know can go a lot faster than most things means i'm not so heavy on the right foot. Don't get me wrong though i like a bit of sideways and the odd burn off the light for rude boy's in their Saxo's !
AJ
AJ
Grey Ghost said:
It would appear that £10K can buy a nice car from a decent dealer
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3122510.htm
The main job of the outriggers has been done and the dealer concerned gets a lot of good press on here.
That does indeed look lovely, shame it's red though. http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3122510.htm
The main job of the outriggers has been done and the dealer concerned gets a lot of good press on here.
I am actually surprised that everyone has said yes rather than shooting me down and telling me to stop dreaming
AJV8 said:
I'm using mine as a daily after changing from an Mx-5. Stupid as this sounds the TVR....SO FAR....is costing me less to run believe it or not. Tax is the same, insurance is cheaper and i'm doing a tank a week (same as i was in the Mx) for rouhgly the same amount of miles. I'm finding that having a car that i know can go a lot faster than most things means i'm not so heavy on the right foot. Don't get me wrong though i like a bit of sideways and the odd burn off the light for rude boy's in their Saxo's !
AJ
I am also coming from an MX5, I vow never to have another tin top car again AJ
Well, that's a bit strong, perhaps I will vow always to have a rag top in the garage 
I have booked an appointemnt with my bank to have a chat about the finance part of the purchase
As for finding good ones, are there any dealers or experts in the local area, South West-ish?
Nicky, my advice would be to buy the most recent example that you can- at the best price of course.
My experience? In 2002 I bought a 1994 4l with 65k on the clock for nearly £13k thinking all was settled and all was well with it (I did carry out a proper check on the car). However, with that one I seemed to have aquired it just when several things were about to fail- things that can't be taken into account when going over the car on initial inspection.
Over the following few years (as my daily driver), it needed a new clutch, gearbox, alternator, starter motor, rear hood (as the window split) along with a targa cover to match, two lambda sensors, a new swirl pot, otter switch, David Beer kit to stop continous fans after a later pot was fitted etc, etc. This is outwith the usual replacement parts required such as brake discs, tyres, plugs, wiper switch, HD leads and so on. Much as I did do a lot of this work myself, it cost me in parts along with some inevitable garage work.
After it was written off by a 3rd party moron, I bought a 1998 low mileage beauty (see profile) and here I am 4 years on and nothing has needed to be replaced other than the usual service bits. It is an utter joy to drive and, much as I realise that I'll someday face the same niggles as before, they do seem a long way off (for now..)
Hope you get a good one. You will love it!
My experience? In 2002 I bought a 1994 4l with 65k on the clock for nearly £13k thinking all was settled and all was well with it (I did carry out a proper check on the car). However, with that one I seemed to have aquired it just when several things were about to fail- things that can't be taken into account when going over the car on initial inspection.
Over the following few years (as my daily driver), it needed a new clutch, gearbox, alternator, starter motor, rear hood (as the window split) along with a targa cover to match, two lambda sensors, a new swirl pot, otter switch, David Beer kit to stop continous fans after a later pot was fitted etc, etc. This is outwith the usual replacement parts required such as brake discs, tyres, plugs, wiper switch, HD leads and so on. Much as I did do a lot of this work myself, it cost me in parts along with some inevitable garage work.
After it was written off by a 3rd party moron, I bought a 1998 low mileage beauty (see profile) and here I am 4 years on and nothing has needed to be replaced other than the usual service bits. It is an utter joy to drive and, much as I realise that I'll someday face the same niggles as before, they do seem a long way off (for now..)
Hope you get a good one. You will love it!
My Griff ith 500 is my daily driver. I've owned it for six years and put 50,000 miles on it, for the first two years it lived outside as well.
It has only let me down twice, once down to failing sparkplug leads and the second was a split coolant hose that could have happened to any 10 yo car.
Running costs have been in line witrh other cars I've owned of a similar nature so yes it's doable.
It has only let me down twice, once down to failing sparkplug leads and the second was a split coolant hose that could have happened to any 10 yo car.
Running costs have been in line witrh other cars I've owned of a similar nature so yes it's doable.
ybt1982 said:
I have a comfortable lifestyle, pay my mortgage and bills with enough left over for some 'fun' and would be looking to buy the best I can for around £10k, partly funded by a loan or car finance. That part I fear, is the easy bit, the problem lies with running costs etc. I am a very basic home mechanic, servicing, minor jobs and not much more.
I'm fairly similar, and when I decided to get a TVR I also thought I'd get rid of my existing sensible car and use the Chimaera as my daily drive. I think subconsciously I'd discounted the idea of keeping two cars because it seemed profligate - I'm the only driver in our household so why would I need two cars?But someone at work suggested I "do the math" and work out a cost comparison of using the TVR as the daily driver versus splitting my mileage with my diesel SEAT Ibiza. My mileage is about 16,000 a year - above average but not high. Even taking into account two lots of tax and insurance, the diesel is so much cheaper to run that it more than paid for itself. It worked out significantly cheaper to keep both cars - far from being profligate, it was the prudent thing to do!
So that is what I did. And I'm very glad. I've still got a utilitarian car for taking stuff to the tip, or buying manure from the garden centre, or driving it to work when the weather is crap or the roads are salty - or, let's face it, when I'm simply not in the mood for the TVR.
And keeping a sensible car also means that the TVR remains very special every time I drive it. The Ibiza is remapped to about 175 bhp so it's hardly slow, but the Chimaera makes it seem very pedestrian!
I'd strongly suggest you knock up a spreadsheet to compare the costs of using the TVR as a daily driver versus sharing your mileage with something more sensible.
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
And keeping a sensible car also means that the TVR remains very special every time I drive it.
I've heard this argument several times and as far as I'm concerned the TVR is still special everytime I drive it, familiarity does not breed contempt and I still find myself grinning everytime I start the car up and reverse out of the garage. I also think I'm a better driver for using the TVR all the time as you obviously become more familiar with it and you have to think about road conditions, your speed into corners etc etc all the time rather than just getting into the 'eurobox zone' 
I'm not arguing the economics but I too kept my 'eurobox' initially, but got rid of it after the second time I had to jump start it from the TVR because I wasn't using it enough
I (mostly) always kept a second car, varying from a thrasher to something quite nice 
but very different.
The main advantages of a second car were to me;
Easier to drop the TVR in for regular servicing and maintenance
Easier to drop the TVR in for the little things that you would like to have done but don't have the time for
No problems if you have the TVR in pieces and need to pop out for a few bits, or don't finish on schedule (not that it would ever happen to anyone here!
)
When the snow is over 5 inches deep, you can avoid using your TVR as the local ploughing implement.
No matter how careful you might be when driving in snow and ice, it's often the other drivers that are the problem, so why be forced to risk the TVR?
I would agree with Dr Ox. regarding the economics.
I would also agree with V8 GRF that it can still remain very special even if you drive it every day.
Can it be done? Absolutely.
Is it better to have a second car? Absolutely.
but very different.The main advantages of a second car were to me;
Easier to drop the TVR in for regular servicing and maintenance
Easier to drop the TVR in for the little things that you would like to have done but don't have the time for
No problems if you have the TVR in pieces and need to pop out for a few bits, or don't finish on schedule (not that it would ever happen to anyone here!
)When the snow is over 5 inches deep, you can avoid using your TVR as the local ploughing implement.
No matter how careful you might be when driving in snow and ice, it's often the other drivers that are the problem, so why be forced to risk the TVR?
I would agree with Dr Ox. regarding the economics.
I would also agree with V8 GRF that it can still remain very special even if you drive it every day.
Can it be done? Absolutely.
Is it better to have a second car? Absolutely.
I've had an N reg 400 for about 2 months.
I've heard that 'pre-facelift' (1996-ish) models used better quality steel for the chassis and are better protected against corrosion - this might be urban myth, but i've had mine serviced recently and the chassis came back with a glowing review. Previous owner had it for 6 years and did nothing to underside.
Fuel wise i'm managing 20 mpg ish, for a medium weight right foot :-)
This is the first car i have ever owned and insured myself (i'm 27) and fully comp insurance is 550 quid (it's on a multi car, but still pretty good). Last service cost less than audi a4 2.5 tdi at the same place...
Agree with all posts, it's about inspection. If you are buying private, pay attention to the way the seller treats the car - i had to be a passenger on my first test drive and learnt a lot about the way it had been driven. Don't go in with price as your priority on the purchase, of course you can set a maximum, but quality varies a lot. I saw two other cars before i bought mine that were newer, had less miles but were in far worse condition inside and out and both of them were 2k more expensive (plus one of the owner/drivers was a nutter...)
Do it, you won't regret it. Yes they are practical, but that disappears into insignificance when you consider the way it makes you feel...
MassiveSi
I've heard that 'pre-facelift' (1996-ish) models used better quality steel for the chassis and are better protected against corrosion - this might be urban myth, but i've had mine serviced recently and the chassis came back with a glowing review. Previous owner had it for 6 years and did nothing to underside.
Fuel wise i'm managing 20 mpg ish, for a medium weight right foot :-)
This is the first car i have ever owned and insured myself (i'm 27) and fully comp insurance is 550 quid (it's on a multi car, but still pretty good). Last service cost less than audi a4 2.5 tdi at the same place...
Agree with all posts, it's about inspection. If you are buying private, pay attention to the way the seller treats the car - i had to be a passenger on my first test drive and learnt a lot about the way it had been driven. Don't go in with price as your priority on the purchase, of course you can set a maximum, but quality varies a lot. I saw two other cars before i bought mine that were newer, had less miles but were in far worse condition inside and out and both of them were 2k more expensive (plus one of the owner/drivers was a nutter...)
Do it, you won't regret it. Yes they are practical, but that disappears into insignificance when you consider the way it makes you feel...
MassiveSi
Hi folks.
Really useful info, thanks
I feel the search for a good car may be a long one, but I am a patient guy. I will be keeping my MX5, it will probably be best to keep a 2nd car. I am also lucky enough to have 2 garages so the TVR will always be kept nice and dry when not out.
Can anyone recommend a local TVR expert and/or garage? I am in the South West. I have an appointment with the nice man from the bank on Saturday and if that goes well I hope to start looking for cars as soon as possible. Also a link to a good buyers guide would be appreciated, I have tried Google but I want the opinions of real owners as to what guide is the best.
Nick
Really useful info, thanks
I feel the search for a good car may be a long one, but I am a patient guy. I will be keeping my MX5, it will probably be best to keep a 2nd car. I am also lucky enough to have 2 garages so the TVR will always be kept nice and dry when not out.
Can anyone recommend a local TVR expert and/or garage? I am in the South West. I have an appointment with the nice man from the bank on Saturday and if that goes well I hope to start looking for cars as soon as possible. Also a link to a good buyers guide would be appreciated, I have tried Google but I want the opinions of real owners as to what guide is the best.
Nick
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