Chim for £11K??

[MattMX5]

Hi

Thinking about changing my MX5 for a Chimera which will be used as a second car. Will I be able to get a nice one for about £10-11K ish?

We all know of the reputation of TVR's but is any of it founded?

What sort of MPG can I expect, my expectations are not high!!

Thanks for looking and I would appreciate your advice

Many thanks

Matt

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

1) Search the classifieds
2) At that money, there is a risk...beware
3) Buying is one thing, running another
4) Search the forums, there's masses of data
5) When you've made your considered selection, have fun!

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

MPG 22...but if that's one of your first questions it may not be the car for you!

[MattMX5]

22mpg was more than I expected.

Matt

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

MattMX5 said:

22mpg was more than I expected. Matt

Depends on how/where you drive. Plenty on here get mid teens.

[Cavey]

Fill up for £50, grin for 200 miles, fill up for £50, grin for 200 miles, fill up for £50....

[bigdods]

Sell your soul for it, drive it, love it

Someone else asked a similar question, got lots of good advice and info see this thread

www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=228277&f=8&h=0

Edited to add: My 450 gets 20 on a good day , but then my right foot is generally planted on the floor. I hear you can get up to 25 if you drive carefully but I dont know how to do that so never checked it....

>> Edited by bigdods on Tuesday 13th December 23:22

[ads]

on a long Run I`ve had 32mpg out of a 400. but I have only been traveling at 80mph!

>> opps I can`t spell!


>> Edited by ads on Wednesday 14th December 00:54

[Ian_greaney]

HaHa Cavey! Spot on mate!

[Tobs]

I've recently moved to a Chim from a turbo'd mx5. I use the Chim daily as it it my only car. From a mpg point of view - the Mx5 averaged late 20's (25-28ish) whereas the best I’ve had out of the Chim so far is 17mpg! (it was doing 13-14mpg when I got it as it had as few engine probs which i have now nearly sorted - but that's another story!). Note that this fuel consumption is for commuting to and from work, and the odd blast at weekends! On the motorway I’m expecting low 20's.

The Chim seems a 'beast' compared with the five, lots of torque V easy to put the backend out if you give it too much throttle. Noticeably, it seems a lot bigger, even though when parked side by side there's not actually much in it (probably due to the longer bonnet!), and mine had no PAS which i had got used to in the five. I have to say I preferred the five over the chim for driving in traffic - clutch is a lot less heavy and the added bonus of power steering - it also seemed a lot more 'nippy' than the Chim. The larger boot of the Chim is a big advantage though I can now fit more than a sports bag in my car!

The roof is a disadvantage - in the five it would be a simple case of dropping it in about 10 seconds. In the Chim it involves removing the taga panel, putting it in a bag (you can leave this bit out if you want) and then carefully 'shoehorning' it it into the boot (firstly removing anything that may be in there) and then if it rains you get wet putting it back on again!

Oh - and you don't get called a hairdresser with a Chim.......


Toby.

[targarama]

My old Chimaera 4.0L gave 22-24 on average, up to 30mpg on a long motorway run. Those who get less than 20 out of a 4.0L must live in an area with no traffic (i.e. lots of opportunity to thrash it) or they need a tune up.

Even my T350 gives 22-23mpg on average, 26-27mpg cruising at 90-100mph.

[Wildfire]

MattMX5 said:

Hi Thinking about changing my MX5 for a Chimera which will be used as a second car. Will I be able to get a nice one for about £10-11K ish? We all know of the reputation of TVR's but is any of it founded? What sort of MPG can I expect, my expectations are not high!! Thanks for looking and I would appreciate your advice Many thanks Matt

£10-11K you're looking at an early Chim, 93-94 most likely, there are some good ones out there, but vbeware the ones that haven't been taken car of. Check condition carefully.

Reputation - They like to be driven I left my Griff off the road for around a month (complete wate of the high insurance I pay) and the door locks seized up etc. Maintainence is high, esepcially if you can't do any of it yourself. THings do fail but it's generally more specific to each car rather than to the whole range.

MPG - On my Griff I got 31 at 70 - 80mph on a long run. You're looking around 24 combined and somewhere in the low 20s for urban right foot depending.

But buy on condition and condition alone. A car with FSH is mroe desirable but I've seen cars with FSH that are total dogs and would require a lot of work. Main things to check for are chassis condition, and then engine. As long as the whole car has been well maintained then you'll be ok.

[Seasider]

Tobs said:

Oh - and you don't get called a hairdresser with a Chim....... Toby.

And when not playing golf generally found

[DustyC]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

1) Search the classifieds 2) At that money, there is a risk...beware 3) Buying is one thing, running another 4) Search the forums, there's masses of data 5) When you've made your considered selection, have fun!

6) If 5 = Chim then get yourself down to Nevada Bobs!

Alternately by a real mans car, the Griffith!

hehehe! ;-)

[Seasider]

Chimp Drivers Xmas List

Golf balls
Tee's
Glove
Golf balls
Tee's
Glove
Golf balls
Tee's
Glove
Golf balls
Tee's
Glove
Golf balls
Tee's
Glove
Curling Tongs
Scissors

[Nuggs]

DustyC said:

Alternately by a real mans car, the Griffith!

Yup, the Griffith, used by 'real men' to attract 'real men'...

[puffsorted2]

Seasider said:

Chimp Drivers Xmas List Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Curling Tongs Scissors

lol As opposed to Griff drivers wish list.

Hairy Chest Wig,
Gold Medallion,
Even hairier Chest Wig
Even larger Gold Medallion

[andy-w]

puffsorted2 said:

Seasider said: Chimp Drivers Xmas List Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Golf balls Tee's Glove Curling Tongs Scissors lol As opposed to Griff drivers wish list. Hairy Chest Wig, Gold Medallion, Even hairier Chest Wig Even larger Gold Medallion

....and a man in the passanger seat!!!

[phlap]

Ignore the cavemen . Their medallions blind them to the delights of a nice Chim. Ignore them and they soon scuttle back to the Griff forum .
There are rough cars out there at plenty more money than this. But there are also some great ones. There are plenty of threads on PH about what to look for.
I bought a nice low mileage 95 400 for £9300 for a friend last month. A few minor cosmetics to do but a tidy chassis, stacks of bills and paperwork plus 4 new tyres. It drives superbly. Take someone who knows what they are doing with you, check it over thoroughly and be prepared to walk away. You can get a nice car for your budget.
By the way my 400 did 16-20mpg as a daily user and the 500 does 15-18 but then who is counting?

[andy-w]

I am now getting 18+ mpg but i am doing fairly short journeys (7 miles) to work so it only just getting up to a good temp....with a f d ecu it was down to about 6mpg