Discussion
I have been longing for a Chimaera for a long time and am know in the position to buy one, I have been a regular reader of this site and have read up a lot on what to look for etc and also have spoken to friends who own Chimaera's.
The question is, I am off to see a 95', 4L Chimaera at the weekend, it has full TVRSH, just been serviced and is apparently immaculate, 40,000 miles, would I be stupid ( if it is as nice as it seems ) to buy the first car I look at?? or should I look around?, after all it may be a great car and I may miss out on it if I carry on looking!!, what do you think??
Also, I have compiled a list of things to look for but what do you "experts" recommend are the most important things that I should be looking out for are?
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.
Wicksy.......
The question is, I am off to see a 95', 4L Chimaera at the weekend, it has full TVRSH, just been serviced and is apparently immaculate, 40,000 miles, would I be stupid ( if it is as nice as it seems ) to buy the first car I look at?? or should I look around?, after all it may be a great car and I may miss out on it if I carry on looking!!, what do you think??
Also, I have compiled a list of things to look for but what do you "experts" recommend are the most important things that I should be looking out for are?
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.
Wicksy.......
Yes you would be daft to buy it without seeing others - you can always go back & buy it you know - it's unlikely to be sold quickly at this time of year...
1st - buy Steve Heath's Griff & Chimaera Bible which has a buying guide. (www.tvrbooks.co.uk/)
You should also get the car checked out by a specialist once you have found one that you like - this shouldn't cost that much (don't bother getting an AA inspection, as they won't have a clue)
1st - buy Steve Heath's Griff & Chimaera Bible which has a buying guide. (www.tvrbooks.co.uk/)
You should also get the car checked out by a specialist once you have found one that you like - this shouldn't cost that much (don't bother getting an AA inspection, as they won't have a clue)
The car that you have in mind may very well be the one for you, but how do you know for sure?????. I looked around for a good while when purchasing mine and I saw lots of grim motors for the money.
If you spend the time looking for a good one you WILL be rewarded. Look at a few more, drive them and make comparisons, Its true that they are all different so test a few out and see how they feel. If you are still unsure why not have it inspected by someone in the know as this will not cost the earth to have done.
If you get a bad one , it may cost you far more than you expect which could take all the fun away from owning one in the first place!
Also,It seems that most people who are selling at this time of year "need" to sell. Keep that in mind as you are the one with the cash and there are some good deals to be had right now. It may also mean that they need to sell for more sinister reasons so watch out!!!!.
Matt
If you spend the time looking for a good one you WILL be rewarded. Look at a few more, drive them and make comparisons, Its true that they are all different so test a few out and see how they feel. If you are still unsure why not have it inspected by someone in the know as this will not cost the earth to have done.
If you get a bad one , it may cost you far more than you expect which could take all the fun away from owning one in the first place!
Also,It seems that most people who are selling at this time of year "need" to sell. Keep that in mind as you are the one with the cash and there are some good deals to be had right now. It may also mean that they need to sell for more sinister reasons so watch out!!!!.
Matt
evo magazine did quite a comprehensive buying guide on the chimaera not long back - it might well be worth getting a back issue to help with your research. look on the website: www.evo.co.uk
p.s. i'd go post 97 if not just for the better water seals...
p.s. i'd go post 97 if not just for the better water seals...
Don't worry too much about low mileage. The first Chim I bought was a 94L which had only done 15k mls during 6 years and it had FTVRSH no expense apared with Mole valley. Snag was that the owner had laid it up for really long periods and the electrics were badly corroded including the alarm system this explained the cheap price and cost a lot to put right. A regularly used car is less liokely to have these sort of problems.
Agree with all sentiments/opinions here . . .
I spent 4 months looking for mine and ended up buying one 120 miles from home! (I must have driven 2000 miles looking at examples
)
You need to get a feel for them, see lots of examples and hence get an idea of "condition" of the chassis etc when you look at them . . .
There are checklists on standard points - check your local specialist/garage.
Main point now is that it is a buyer's market!
I spent 4 months looking for mine and ended up buying one 120 miles from home! (I must have driven 2000 miles looking at examples
) You need to get a feel for them, see lots of examples and hence get an idea of "condition" of the chassis etc when you look at them . . .
There are checklists on standard points - check your local specialist/garage.
Main point now is that it is a buyer's market!
If you are stupid then I must be! I bought the first Griff I saw/drove.
I wanted a dark blue one with full cream leather, as new as I could get.
Found a 99 T reg in exactly the right spec at Kings - then a TVR main dealer. Took a guy with me who's owned a Griff for years. It all looked good. Drove well.
Checked out the history by phoning the previous owner who told me all about it. Called the TVR dealer who had supplied and serviced it and got them to talk me through the service history - i.e. anything other than routine servicing.
It all checked out so I bought it. And got £3k off the sticker price. And got a year's retail value WH warranty.
It didn't stop me having more than a few problems with Kings, but the car itself is a good one, and the majority of thin problems I have had were (being careful here not to fall foul of naming and shaming policy) on the whole, due to poor mechanic-manship of a certain ex TVR dealer.
I expected to spend months looking for the right car and I was very very lucky to find the car in the first 2 weeks of serious looking. I had, by that stage, joined the TVRCC, read Steve Heaths book and loitered on PH for a while.
But the general rule is sound - make sure you have seen enough cars to make good comparisons.
I got away with it because mine was almost like a new car.
I wanted a dark blue one with full cream leather, as new as I could get.
Found a 99 T reg in exactly the right spec at Kings - then a TVR main dealer. Took a guy with me who's owned a Griff for years. It all looked good. Drove well.
Checked out the history by phoning the previous owner who told me all about it. Called the TVR dealer who had supplied and serviced it and got them to talk me through the service history - i.e. anything other than routine servicing.
It all checked out so I bought it. And got £3k off the sticker price. And got a year's retail value WH warranty.
It didn't stop me having more than a few problems with Kings, but the car itself is a good one, and the majority of thin problems I have had were (being careful here not to fall foul of naming and shaming policy) on the whole, due to poor mechanic-manship of a certain ex TVR dealer.
I expected to spend months looking for the right car and I was very very lucky to find the car in the first 2 weeks of serious looking. I had, by that stage, joined the TVRCC, read Steve Heaths book and loitered on PH for a while.
But the general rule is sound - make sure you have seen enough cars to make good comparisons.
I got away with it because mine was almost like a new car.
If you try it and like it and you really want it then go for it. Arguments for both sides obviously but you may miss it and not find one quite like it again. If you know what you're looking for and this is it then don't pass it up just because its not the 'done thing' to buy the first one you see.
Follow advice, read the bible, ask others and get the car professionally checked go without saying, but first car driven or 10th car driven if it suits you and feels good you aren't gonna regret it.
IMHO obviously
Duncan (buyer of first Chim tested...and still grinning!)
Follow advice, read the bible, ask others and get the car professionally checked go without saying, but first car driven or 10th car driven if it suits you and feels good you aren't gonna regret it.
IMHO obviously
Duncan (buyer of first Chim tested...and still grinning!)
incorrigible said: This might be a bit Zen but, get in it, adjust the seat, put your hands on the wheel, close your eyes
Does it FEEL right
Believe it or not, I've never bought a bad car this way. If the car want you, it'll let you know
if only more buyers did this......
so anyone want a soggy M reg chimaera with 30k on the clock for £30k... it feels right, but smells wrong
it doesn't matter if you buy the first one you saw - just make sure you see some more before you hand over the cash!.
if you've looked at the classifieds ( and don't forget that buyers look at the lowest priced cars, sellers look at the highest ) then you know approximate market value and this seems ok, and you've had it checked out then it's no big deal.
if you miss it - it wasn't to be. there's plenty about to choose from.
tell the seller that you're going to get it inspected. arrange for an inspection and while that's going on go for some test drives in some dealer's cars. by far the best way of telling if you can live with one and it will give some comparison with 'yours'.
you may find one you like more.
i'd suggest you also find where you are going to get the car worked on. sometimes finding people you can have confidence in is more difficult than finding a good car.
you say you have friends who have tvrs so this shouldn't be an issue - talk to them about inspecting it ( unless they are the vendors! ). if they are the vendors then you should be able to hit them for a warranty.
enjoy yourself!
if you've looked at the classifieds ( and don't forget that buyers look at the lowest priced cars, sellers look at the highest ) then you know approximate market value and this seems ok, and you've had it checked out then it's no big deal.
if you miss it - it wasn't to be. there's plenty about to choose from.
tell the seller that you're going to get it inspected. arrange for an inspection and while that's going on go for some test drives in some dealer's cars. by far the best way of telling if you can live with one and it will give some comparison with 'yours'.
you may find one you like more.
i'd suggest you also find where you are going to get the car worked on. sometimes finding people you can have confidence in is more difficult than finding a good car.
you say you have friends who have tvrs so this shouldn't be an issue - talk to them about inspecting it ( unless they are the vendors! ). if they are the vendors then you should be able to hit them for a warranty.
enjoy yourself!
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