What do we think to the current Chimaera market?

What do we think to the current Chimaera market?

Author
Discussion

EddieJT

Original Poster:

67 posts

113 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
Discuss.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,282 posts

237 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
You start.

LLantrisant

998 posts

161 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
your headliner could be also formualted "what dowe think to the current niche-car market" or it could be even extended to:

"what do we think to the current 2nd hand-car market"


from what i can see and hear at dealers here: the market is dead!!

the only market which looks, even highly priced, active, is the low cost market for cars around 800 to 4000pound.

even the middle class sees a loss of its prosperity.

i have lots of friends all round europe which report more or less the same:
we do NOT go out anymore so often in the restaurant, we do NOT buy the same amount of clothes anymore, we o do NOT go into holidays 2 or 3 times, we will NOT change our car, instead keep it another 2-3 years, we do NOT spent so much into "high-class" food, instead watching on our budget and go to Lidl.


Belle427

9,108 posts

235 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
Not changed too much really, seem to be a car that scares most away so prices tend to reflect this.
Still some high priced variants around though looking at dealer stock, not sure its actually shifting though.

EddieJT

Original Poster:

67 posts

113 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
You start.
OK.....there seem to be loads of them for sale which aren't shifting.

TR4man

5,245 posts

176 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
EddieJT said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
You start.
OK.....there seem to be loads of them for sale which aren't shifting.
I think your comment could easily apply to most cars in the specialist sector, more so niche marques like TVR. Not helped by too many sellers having asking prices that reflect the market from two years ago.

EddieJT

Original Poster:

67 posts

113 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
Yes, definitely a buyer's market I'm thinking.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,282 posts

237 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
It's a (minimum) 20 year old analogue car with a bad reputation (mostly unfounded).

And....the old geezers that usually drive them are even older. So, it's an ancient car mostly sold to a dwindling audience.

Sorry to be so cheerful! hehe

Chimaera98

59 posts

17 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
….and a lot of them have survived, so plenty to choose from.

Simple supply and demand.

EddieJT

Original Poster:

67 posts

113 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
It's a (minimum) 20 year old analogue car with a bad reputation (mostly unfounded).

And....the old geezers that usually drive them are even older. So, it's an ancient car mostly sold to a dwindling audience.

Sorry to be so cheerful! hehe
Hah this is the reason I want one!

EddieJT

Original Poster:

67 posts

113 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
Chimaera98 said:
….and a lot of them have survived, so plenty to choose from.

Simple supply and demand.
Oh really. I read 6000 were made; how many are we still at do we know?

Chimaera98

59 posts

17 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
EddieJT said:
Chimaera98 said:
….and a lot of them have survived, so plenty to choose from.

Simple supply and demand.
Oh really. I read 6000 were made; how many are we still at do we know?
If “How many left” is a correct reflection then around 3,500 are licenced or Sorned. It was said on a ClassicLine article that around 5,000 were sold in the UK, giving it around a 70% survival rate.

EddieJT

Original Poster:

67 posts

113 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
quotequote all
Interesting.Yeah 70% certainly sounds a good survival rate.

CABC

5,619 posts

103 months

Saturday 14th October 2023
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opportunity.

s p a c e m a n

10,815 posts

150 months

Sunday 15th October 2023
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Apparently my little Clio 172 is rarer than my chim. I paid £5k for my chim 10 years ago and it's probably worth that now so I'll say that the market hasn't changedhehe

agreen

195 posts

259 months

Sunday 15th October 2023
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
It's a (minimum) 20 year old analogue car with a bad reputation (mostly unfounded).

And....the old geezers that usually drive them are even older. So, it's an ancient car mostly sold to a dwindling audience.

Sorry to be so cheerful! hehe
Hopefully I’ve done my bit to buck the trend - just picked up one today from Amore and I’m 36

981Boxess

11,386 posts

260 months

Sunday 15th October 2023
quotequote all
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
It's a (minimum) 20 year old analogue car with a bad reputation (mostly unfounded).

And....the old geezers that usually drive them are even older. So, it's an ancient car mostly sold to a dwindling audience.
I think the biggest culprits for spreading the bad reliability reputation are the owners, most seem to delight in any reliability issues for some odd reason. I cannot think of another group of owners so quick to run their own cars down so much.

My 18 year TVR journey never once resulted in a car not starting or a breakdown of any kind. That said all the maintenance required was done properly rather than wait for something to go wrong before fixing it. In that time I drove all over Europe untold times and enjoyed pretty much all of it.

What amazes me is how little Chimaeras are worth today given how rare they are compared to other ‘classics’. I suppose the reputation hasn’t helped and added to that they are not cheap to maintain properly, but still seem undervalued to me.

I think you are right about the dwindling audience bit though hehe

TR4man

5,245 posts

176 months

Sunday 15th October 2023
quotequote all
agreen said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
It's a (minimum) 20 year old analogue car with a bad reputation (mostly unfounded).

And....the old geezers that usually drive them are even older. So, it's an ancient car mostly sold to a dwindling audience.

Sorry to be so cheerful! hehe
Hopefully I’ve done my bit to buck the trend - just picked up one today from Amore and I’m 36
Congratulations - I hope you had a great journey home. You’ll find that TVRs get in your blood, there’s nothing quite like them.

TR4man

5,245 posts

176 months

Sunday 15th October 2023
quotequote all
981Boxess said:
I think the biggest culprits for spreading the bad reliability reputation are the owners, most seem to delight in any reliability issues for some odd reason. I cannot think of another group of owners so quick to run their own cars down so much.
The thing that I have noticed about TVR owners is that many just can’t stop themselves from tinkering with their cars and then wondering why they are unreliable. Clearly some do have some mechanical competence but many don’t.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

30,282 posts

237 months

Sunday 15th October 2023
quotequote all
agreen said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
It's a (minimum) 20 year old analogue car with a bad reputation (mostly unfounded).

And....the old geezers that usually drive them are even older. So, it's an ancient car mostly sold to a dwindling audience.

Sorry to be so cheerful! hehe
Hopefully I’ve done my bit to buck the trend - just picked up one today from Amore and I’m 36
Good lad! I was 36 when I got my first. I was gutted when, in my sixties I had to end the run.