Chimaera Prices, confusing !

[J4CKO]

My next weekend car I suspect will be a Chim, however I cannot make had nor tail of prices, they range in the classifieds from 5 to 30 grand, realistically between 7 and 15 grand but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to prices, I was trying to look for a patter expecting 5 litre cars to be at a premium but some 4 litres at the same age are more expensive, I dont know what I will need to pay, it is so confusing.

Any guidelines ?

[speedtwelve]

I looked at Chims together with a mate a while back. We both bought one eventually, and probably looked at 11 between us. There seemed to be little correlation between asking price and condition! In brief, there are perfectly useable cars out there, both from a mechanical and cosmetic viewpoint for £8k and less. Certainly loads of great cars for under £10k.

Facelifted cars are generally worth more, but there's little difference in functionality. Some reckon that some cars, 97-98-ish IIRC, had quite poor powder coating on the chassis.

Consider each car individually. Buy on condition. Outriggers rust eventually, but can be tricky to inspect, as damage can be hidden. Potential MoT fail, and £1500+ to fix. Cams wear; uneven idle (on standard cars), and an unwillingness to rev beyond 5000rpm can be symptoms. Mine has been rebuilt and pulls all the way to 6000+ rpm. Water leaks into the cabin are common, yet fixable. Cracked dashboards, a reluctance for the starter to crank when hot, overheating/cooling fans not kicking-in and shunting when driving in traffic are common problems but again, not insurmountable.

All are varying degrees of quick. My 400 is comfortably faster than my previous S2000 and MR2 Turbo. Fussed about having a post-facelift car? Some cosmetic differences, nicer alloy switchgear on the dash, 'button under the mirror' solenoid door opening, 'serpentine-belt' engine (but same performance as earlier car), Borg-Warner T5 gearbox (reputedly stronger than the earlier Rover item), BTR LSD as opposed to the earlier GKN.

Look at, and drive a few cars. It's easy to sucked-in by the apocalyptic noise on startup. Quite a few cars are missing a few horses, or have less than tight drivetrain or suspension. A good one is epic fun to drive. Good luck.

Edited by speedtwelve on Thursday 13th June 23:31

[james280779]

Chassis Chassis Chassis!!!

Aside from that pretty much everything else is repairable for very little cash.

I would generally stick to one thats had one owner for a while, they tend to be more cherished and not bought by someone who didnt understand what they were getting into and want to shift it quick.

I opted for the earlier rover V8 purely because I had a shed full of parts from an old capri and they are sooo easy to work on and reliable. The sound isnt bad either.

[lestershaw]

Most people say chassis condition is very important and so it is, but i also think that it can be a good bargaining point.
if you fully intend to keep the car for a long time, it might be worth negotiating on a car which needs some chassis/outrigger work as it will probably will do in the next year or two anyway, so if you pay full price, its like paying twice.
However if you are not sure how long you are going to keep it then i agree, get the best one you can with chassis and out riggers being priority

[bobfather]

Select your price range and look for one that has had very few owners particularly focussing on known owners, i.e. PHers so that you can research an understanding of the owners care for the car. You should look for one that has covered a reasonable mileage for its age, too few miles is as bad as too many miles. As said above, there is nothing more important than the chassis.

Be prepared to buy at the higher cost end of the market because that is where you'll find the better chassis.

Buying from a trader will cost more but all you get for that is warranty and better buyer rights. You can buy your own warranty so do the maths to make sure trader premiums are worth paying.