TVR Virgin advise please!
Discussion
I've always wanted a TVR and I think i'm about to buy a Chim, on a budget of about £10k. Probably a 93-95 4l with about 70,000.
I appreciate it won't have Mundano reliabilty, but can my girlfriend realistically use it everyday for a 4mile each way commute?
Was PAS an option or is it standard after a certain age/spec?
Any other advice would be really appreciated too.
Cheers
Ian.
I appreciate it won't have Mundano reliabilty, but can my girlfriend realistically use it everyday for a 4mile each way commute?
Was PAS an option or is it standard after a certain age/spec?
Any other advice would be really appreciated too.
Cheers
Ian.
ianv said:
I appreciate it won't have Mundano reliabilty, but can my girlfriend realistically use it everyday for a 4mile each way commute?
I would go as far as saying the car would be better off doing a little something everyday. Keep an eye on the miles though - she may have told you it is 4 miles a day but after her first run, she will be driving to lunch 20 miles away just for the drive.
Ditto on the mileage concern. These engines perform best when carefully warmed through and a quick 4 mile sprint on a cold morning is not a good recipe for enjoyment or moving parts longevity. I'd be using 0W/40 oil for sure.
I don't mean to put you off (sounds like there's no chance of that anyway!!!) but it's worth keeping the above in mind.
Happy hunting!
I don't mean to put you off (sounds like there's no chance of that anyway!!!) but it's worth keeping the above in mind.
Happy hunting!
Be very cautious when buying an old Chim especially if it is low mileage and has been stored a lot. Check the suspension and the bushes very carefully as they can deteriorate. Check the steering very carefully.
Check the compression by testing it. Get the engine sensors checked by using a TVR specialist.
Check the engine mounting bolts are all there.
Check the space frame for rust and damage.
Are the tyres rubbing on the wheel arches?
Is the diff leaking oil?
Get the RAC or better still a TVR specialist to check it out.
Check the paperwork to see if it has had money spent.
Got the idea. You could get a fantastic car for little money or you could end up spending a fortune.
Check the compression by testing it. Get the engine sensors checked by using a TVR specialist.
Check the engine mounting bolts are all there.
Check the space frame for rust and damage.
Are the tyres rubbing on the wheel arches?
Is the diff leaking oil?
Get the RAC or better still a TVR specialist to check it out.
Check the paperwork to see if it has had money spent.
Got the idea. You could get a fantastic car for little money or you could end up spending a fortune.
Hi,
I think after owning a 4.0L 94 Chim that you perhaps need to test drive a few before deciding to own one.
I bought a fairly good one (or so i was told buy two main dealers) but had many problems. I owned the car from July 03 till April 04 in that time i spent nearly £4500 on services, breakdowns and general work that needed doing.
On a more day to day aspect in the summer you'll love the car and think it is great. I'm sure you'll enjoy the open top drives into the countryside only stopping driving to get fuel - thats where the 'common TVR hot start' problem may rear it's ugly head or perhaps in the summer when your girlfriend is driving back from work and decides to stop at the local shop only to find that 5 minutes after leaving the car on return it won't start. Then there's the sitting in traffic on a warm day with the heat off the engine breezing though the footwells to make it a furnace inside.
Then there's the winter months - the heaters are crap for the first 15 mins or so, quite often when it was frosty i have had to scrape the inside of the windscreen aswell as the outside. Due to the noise they produce it's not the sort of car you can leaving warming up on your drive at 7:00 in the mroning. I think most Chims leak to some extent and you may often find puddles of water to put your feet into.
But on the plus side they drink petrol (only Optimax not normal unleaded) only joking though, i did enjoy my chim when i had it but as a daily driver it took the shine of owning and having to live with it. As a second fair weather car i don't think you can beat a TVR but as a daily driver on todays busy congessed roads there are better ways of getting around.
I think after owning a 4.0L 94 Chim that you perhaps need to test drive a few before deciding to own one.
I bought a fairly good one (or so i was told buy two main dealers) but had many problems. I owned the car from July 03 till April 04 in that time i spent nearly £4500 on services, breakdowns and general work that needed doing.
On a more day to day aspect in the summer you'll love the car and think it is great. I'm sure you'll enjoy the open top drives into the countryside only stopping driving to get fuel - thats where the 'common TVR hot start' problem may rear it's ugly head or perhaps in the summer when your girlfriend is driving back from work and decides to stop at the local shop only to find that 5 minutes after leaving the car on return it won't start. Then there's the sitting in traffic on a warm day with the heat off the engine breezing though the footwells to make it a furnace inside.
Then there's the winter months - the heaters are crap for the first 15 mins or so, quite often when it was frosty i have had to scrape the inside of the windscreen aswell as the outside. Due to the noise they produce it's not the sort of car you can leaving warming up on your drive at 7:00 in the mroning. I think most Chims leak to some extent and you may often find puddles of water to put your feet into.
But on the plus side they drink petrol (only Optimax not normal unleaded) only joking though, i did enjoy my chim when i had it but as a daily driver it took the shine of owning and having to live with it. As a second fair weather car i don't think you can beat a TVR but as a daily driver on todays busy congessed roads there are better ways of getting around.
Thanks for the reality check, i've been umming and arring all day, before tomorrow when we are looking at a few cars, Chim's and also some nice sensible mx-5's.
i know the mx-5 is the better bet for what we want the car to do, but i want and i've wanted for ages a modern TVR. But i'm scared that using it daily is going to sour my dream. But then life's too short for what if's. Confused!!!!
i know the mx-5 is the better bet for what we want the car to do, but i want and i've wanted for ages a modern TVR. But i'm scared that using it daily is going to sour my dream. But then life's too short for what if's. Confused!!!!
ianv said:
But i'm scared that using it daily is going to sour my dream. But then life's too short for what if's. Confused!!!!
I've used my V8S as a daily drive for over four years, including 6 months of 70 miles of Southampton to Gatwick and back each day.
Up to May of this year it only cost regular servicing and bits of fair wear and tear that you have to expect on a 12 yr old car - exhaust, shocks & springs etc.
You only get MORE fun out of more use. I am sure most of the reliability moans come from owners of second cars. If you use it every day you start to pick up on appearing faults and noises etc.
Practical it ain't, but who's got the smile on his face when he gets to work ?? Me or Mondeo man ?
Go for it, but do try a few and get it looked at by somebody. Adrain Blyth has all his cars serviced before sale AFAIK
>> Edited by tubbystu on Saturday 11th September 20:11
Hi Ian
I was in exactly the same state as you - it was a car i had always wanted. Everytime i spotted one driving by i would really want one. Unfortuneatly for me it did sour the dream, some people have them and never have a problem but most if their honest do have problems. It always seems to happen at the worst times to, once i had just come out of work Typical November night , dark, wet and cold only to find that the thing wouldn't start so it was a case of waiting for the tow truck again four hours later i managed to get the 11 miles back home. The next and possibly worst situation was a lovely sunny Sunday, we had packed the car up with some food for a drive into Wales over the Black mountains - roof off, off we went. Pulled up to eat along a quite scenic area great. After eating tried to start it and nothing, the standard TVR alarm wouldn't disarm the immobilizer, tried the mobile to call the AA and couldn't get a signal, tried my wifes phone, same result. After a long walk manged to get a signal and a tow truck about 5 hours later.
Don't get me wrong we did have some good days, i think i'd compare the Chim to how my motorbikes are - great on nice days when you can just go for a drive and don't have to be anywhere by a particular time.
In the time i had the Chim i only managed to put 2600 miles on - it was surposed to be my daily commute doing a round trip of 22 miles a day, so do your maths and work out how much time it wasn't useable!
On this forum the TVR owners are very proud and rightly so, but in todays traffic on a standard commute to work if people are honest an older Chim isn't the best car to be in. My neighbour has a 2000 Tuscan he only use's it when the weather is nice - he absolutly loves his TVR. He has a Merc ML 500 for a daily driver.
If i can offer any other help please drop me a message.
Lee
I was in exactly the same state as you - it was a car i had always wanted. Everytime i spotted one driving by i would really want one. Unfortuneatly for me it did sour the dream, some people have them and never have a problem but most if their honest do have problems. It always seems to happen at the worst times to, once i had just come out of work Typical November night , dark, wet and cold only to find that the thing wouldn't start so it was a case of waiting for the tow truck again four hours later i managed to get the 11 miles back home. The next and possibly worst situation was a lovely sunny Sunday, we had packed the car up with some food for a drive into Wales over the Black mountains - roof off, off we went. Pulled up to eat along a quite scenic area great. After eating tried to start it and nothing, the standard TVR alarm wouldn't disarm the immobilizer, tried the mobile to call the AA and couldn't get a signal, tried my wifes phone, same result. After a long walk manged to get a signal and a tow truck about 5 hours later.
Don't get me wrong we did have some good days, i think i'd compare the Chim to how my motorbikes are - great on nice days when you can just go for a drive and don't have to be anywhere by a particular time.
In the time i had the Chim i only managed to put 2600 miles on - it was surposed to be my daily commute doing a round trip of 22 miles a day, so do your maths and work out how much time it wasn't useable!
On this forum the TVR owners are very proud and rightly so, but in todays traffic on a standard commute to work if people are honest an older Chim isn't the best car to be in. My neighbour has a 2000 Tuscan he only use's it when the weather is nice - he absolutly loves his TVR. He has a Merc ML 500 for a daily driver.
If i can offer any other help please drop me a message.
Lee
tubbystu said:
But i'm scared that using it daily is going to sour my dream. But then life's too short for what if's. Confused!!!!
Practical it ain't, but who's got the smile on his face when he gets to work ?? Me or Mondeo man ?
>> Edited by tubbystu on Saturday 11th September 20:11
That's true when these cars are working well you do get a good feeling, but in my experience the bad times out weighed the great times. I'm sure you would arrive to work with a smile on your face than someone in a Mondeo but there are lots of other rare exotic cars about that aren't Mondeo's and have excellent reliabillity.
Lee
I think my main concern is that it's going to let my girlfriend down and she'll start to hate it, i know i'd be happy to put up with the hassles for the noise and the experience. But i'm really starting to think that it's not the right car for the job.
I want either;
a rwd soft top car for 10 grand max, which will take my GF 4miles a day to work, be suitable for trips abroad and occasional trackdays and have character.
or my girlfriend gets herself another hatch for work, and we get a rwd soft top car for 6 grand max which will be suitable for trips abroad and occasional trackdays and have character.
?????
I want either;
a rwd soft top car for 10 grand max, which will take my GF 4miles a day to work, be suitable for trips abroad and occasional trackdays and have character.
or my girlfriend gets herself another hatch for work, and we get a rwd soft top car for 6 grand max which will be suitable for trips abroad and occasional trackdays and have character.
?????
Older TVR or recent Jap car? Its about whether you have the passion or not!
You can make a TVR dry inside for £5. Waterproof the canvas.
TVR's are reliable enough for every day driving provided the owner is not a wimp. Older ones have no power steering and the clutch is heavy.
It is a bit heavy for a woman to drive but plenty woman do drive them. I now find the driving controls too light in say an MG or an Alfa.
There is so much power/torqe 280/310 you don't need too many gear changes. There is also massive power and torque below 2000 revs. It's like the big engined BMW's of the 1980's before Variable Valve Timing was introduced. In the old BMW 3.5 litre, the maximum torque was at 1800 revs which was about 60mph. This was done to make it fuel efficient when cruising.
This type of engine design gives you a very fast 0 to 100 time which is more important to me than 0 to 60.
TVR's don't drive smoothly at slow speed unless the engine sensors all work so get them checked.
TVR only use a small amount of brake servo which gives good feel in the wet. The throttle has a long travel which again helps in the wet.
I like the other cars you mention but the TVR is a lot more fun. All kinds of people say it looks great, even when they stop beside you at the lights. Can't see that happening in an MR2 or a MX5 which are both decent enough cars.
You can make a TVR dry inside for £5. Waterproof the canvas.
TVR's are reliable enough for every day driving provided the owner is not a wimp. Older ones have no power steering and the clutch is heavy.
It is a bit heavy for a woman to drive but plenty woman do drive them. I now find the driving controls too light in say an MG or an Alfa.
There is so much power/torqe 280/310 you don't need too many gear changes. There is also massive power and torque below 2000 revs. It's like the big engined BMW's of the 1980's before Variable Valve Timing was introduced. In the old BMW 3.5 litre, the maximum torque was at 1800 revs which was about 60mph. This was done to make it fuel efficient when cruising.
This type of engine design gives you a very fast 0 to 100 time which is more important to me than 0 to 60.
TVR's don't drive smoothly at slow speed unless the engine sensors all work so get them checked.
TVR only use a small amount of brake servo which gives good feel in the wet. The throttle has a long travel which again helps in the wet.
I like the other cars you mention but the TVR is a lot more fun. All kinds of people say it looks great, even when they stop beside you at the lights. Can't see that happening in an MR2 or a MX5 which are both decent enough cars.
I am on my second chimaera now mine has'nt leaked, has'nt let me down, I generally only use it as a second car as I live less than a mile from work, but I drive it in the winter and pouring rain it's the best thing that I have ever done it is so much fun.(btw I drive a £500 audi as my daily drive)
I'm truly gutted, drove a Chim today and was ultimately disappointed. I've wanted a TVR for so long and it just didn't live up to my expectations.
It was a 4.0 and seemed to be a very good example, i checked all the relevant stuff, which was fine then went for a test drive, for the 1st mile i had a huge grin, just cos i was driving a TVR, but then it just did not light my fire, it was fast but not hugely so. It looked gorgeous, the steering and gears were excellent, but the centre console was too high to comfortably move my arm from gears to steering and back etc. The footwells got very hot very quickly and there is nowhere to put your left foot when not on the clutch. Also i couldn't look past the cheap old switch gear and the lack of rear visablity with the roof down was a pain.
I am truly so gutted i was so sure that this was THE car for me, and as much as i wanted it to be, it just wasn't...
It was a 4.0 and seemed to be a very good example, i checked all the relevant stuff, which was fine then went for a test drive, for the 1st mile i had a huge grin, just cos i was driving a TVR, but then it just did not light my fire, it was fast but not hugely so. It looked gorgeous, the steering and gears were excellent, but the centre console was too high to comfortably move my arm from gears to steering and back etc. The footwells got very hot very quickly and there is nowhere to put your left foot when not on the clutch. Also i couldn't look past the cheap old switch gear and the lack of rear visablity with the roof down was a pain.
I am truly so gutted i was so sure that this was THE car for me, and as much as i wanted it to be, it just wasn't...
ianv said:
I'm truly gutted, drove a Chim today and was ultimately disappointed. I've wanted a TVR for so long and it just didn't live up to my expectations.
It was a 4.0 and seemed to be a very good example, i checked all the relevant stuff, which was fine then went for a test drive, for the 1st mile i had a huge grin, just cos i was driving a TVR, but then it just did not light my fire, it was fast but not hugely so. It looked gorgeous, the steering and gears were excellent, but the centre console was too high to comfortably move my arm from gears to steering and back etc. The footwells got very hot very quickly and there is nowhere to put your left foot when not on the clutch. Also i couldn't look past the cheap old switch gear and the lack of rear visablity with the roof down was a pain.
I am truly so gutted i was so sure that this was THE car for me, and as much as i wanted it to be, it just wasn't...
Hmmmm... what a shame. I suppose its got to be the problem with building something up in your mind for a while... Just like when the movie trailers show you all the best bits of a film so you expect the rest of it to be like that, yet the other 88 minutes are dull.
I think now you actually know what they are like and you've had a "reality check" if you drove one again you'd probably like it a lot more.
Cheap old switchgear is easily replaced by leven technology with nice shiny bits, the seat can be raised a little with washers to change the "from gears to steering and back" movement... did you adjust the steering column to compensate too..? Also you can have the seat further forward or back (and it raises as it comes forward) by spinning the pedals around on the stems (about 4" of adjustments there).
As for "it was fast but not hugely so".. thats just because the car is so competent.. if you did that speed in a less competent car it would scare the sh!t out of you and you'd be saying it was the fastest thing you've ever been in.. the main way you notice the speed of a chimaera IMO is just how small the car you've just overtaken appears in your rear view mirror ;-) It IS actually hugely fast.
As for rear view, the roof folds flatter if the velcro is undone at either side, and consider my comments on seat adjustment.. I'm 5'8" (in shoes) and manage ok with the visibility.. (its worse if you actually turn your head round, and much better in the rear view mirror.)
Regarding all the comments on reliability etc.. some cars are good and some are bad. I've had 2 S Series, and 2 Chimaera's and in my personal experience TVR's are as reliable as any Mundano.. I'm using my current Chim as my daily drive. I do echo the mileage concern though.. 4 miles is not going to warm up the car enough and I think lots of short trips like that really could lead to reliability problems.
Cheers,
Matt.
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