What options to go for?

[saxmund]

I originally added this to R673SRV's thread but thought I'd make a new one out of it.

crazycraig said:

I was offered 10k this afternoon at a main stealer (car in profile, 99 T Chim 500 with 32k on the clock) if I were to trade in. Was told the usual of coarse, not much demand for Chims as they look dated and not a popular as griffs (guess that's why there's more chims around then?? ), haven't realy got a popular colour, it would be hard to move on as it hasn't got powered steering, the usual dealer speil

As someone who is thinking of buying a Chim in the not too distant future, I'm quite interested in this sort of thing. Is PAS really that neecssary on a car that only weighs 1060kg? What sort of colour combinations are undesirable? Obviously you can get some really lairy ones that were to the original owener's taste and no-one else's - and equally obviously cooper green with magnolia hide looks very British and traditional, but I was hoping for something a bit more in-your-face. Would saving money by being prepared to opt for half-hide, manual steering and a slightly unusual colour combination make the car virtually unsaleable in a couple of years, or would you just lose the same as on a more expensive car? After all, if you buy a £10K car and sell for £6K you're no worse off than if you buy a £15K car and sell it for £11K. In fact, you might be better off as you'll have paid interest on a smaller loan.

So in short... what options are really necessary (a) to aid resale and (b) to improve driveability, the experience of ownership and maybe keep running costs down? What sort of price premia do the different 4.x engine variants attract?

Cheers,

Phil

[Podie]

PAS helps when parking, but isn't a must in my book (the Chimaera had it BTW and was helpful as a daily driver).

To be honest, the thing that is most important is the condition of the car. As M@H once said "condition, condition, condition"

When I went looking I wanted a blue one… I bought a red one.

[saxmund]

I realise that when buying a second hand car you can't realistically expect to specify the colour, although I'd prefer it not to be boring old silver (which my current car is, alas). I'd also prefer a fairly dark coloured interior, just so it doesn't get dirty as easily, but I can't imagine that would be too difficult to specify. I suppose I'm just looking for options that might not bother me too much if they're not there (like PAS) but which might bring the cost of an otherwise good condition car down a bit. Another example - do they ever come with aircon? And if so, is it any use? However, I wouldn't want to miss out an option that made it impossible to sell, just as I wouldn't want to go for a colour combination that, however spiffing it lookes to me, I would have trouble selling on.

[Podie]

PAS was standard on later cars... air con was an option, as was full hide.

Some air con systems seem OK, others are pretty useless. Full hide is always nice... but again not a priority.

I went shopping with 18k in October 2004. I looked at cars in main dealers, specialist dealers and privately. The standard of some of the cars was, quite frankly, appalling.

Shiny on top, shit underneath. In fact some dealers should be glad there is a "no name and shame policy" on these forums.

Oh, and I looked at 45 cars...

[that daddy]

to be honest you cant be to choosy when buying one of these cars,when condition means so much,i,e chassis etc.i was fortunate to get an HC model with power steering,but silver isnt my favorite colour,im not struck on the black hood,but worst still i hate the black interior too dark & gloomy,but the things that mattered added up even with high mileage,but i don regret buying my car if it wasent an HC or power steering i still would have purchased it,just my opinion hope it helps.

[jonathant]

I decided to spec my '99 Chim with aircon for those really hot days when you actually want the roof on (say traffic jam). It's also useful for clearing the windows when they mist up.

Mine works fantastically when it does work, but usually seems to need a good seeing to every couple of years.

[jasandjules]

PAS I thought was fitted as standard from 98. So any car after that will have it IIRC. I used to have non-PAS on a 4.0 and liked it, got a nice feel through the wheel, but then parking was not pleasant.

Now have PAS on the 5 and don't mind it as much as I thought I would, can still feel the road enough through it, and my word in the garage and out of the garage is sooooo much easier with PAS..

Interior colours? I think that is horses for courses. I don't like full hide, others will. I don't like garish colours, others will. I looked at a good 30-40 cars when I bought my first one, and my word some interiors are gross. I think if you head to a meet or two you will see the sort of style that most seem to have, quite conservative in a way. You will also get an idea of what you like in the cars, i.e. do you want a colour matched top dashboard?

[andy-w]

If its warm enough for aircon then the roof should be down!!!

Agree with whats already been said...i brought the first one i saw...big mistake!!!

History?
Might be worth it might not.

Condition?
Definate priority along with what it drives / handles like.

Colors?
Interiors and exteriors can be changed for not a huge amount of money.

Power steering?
I dont have it and i certainly have never missed it!!!

The thing that sold me mine was it was a hot day, sun was shining, the roof was down and we overtook everything in sight and it sounded gorgeous.
Hindsight is a wonderfull thing...check my profile for a list of what was wrong with the car when i got it home!!!
Still now it is fine...apart from rear shocks need replacing and it has developed a misfire but i love working on it and see it as a bit of a bonus rather than having a boring car. Also i use mine everyday so i think it tends to get a bit more abuse than one that sits in a garage and comes out on odd weekends!!!

Had it for well over a year now and it still puts a smile on my face when i start it up!!!

[v8_steve]

Chassis rot is very common on these cars and very expensive to rectify. My red K plater 4.0 is a fantastic car but I wish it had air conditioning.

[crazycraig]

saxmund said:

Is PAS really that neecssary on a car that only weighs 1060kg?

In my opinion no not really. Yes it's a benifit when around town, parking, or you've got ickle weedie arms , but other than that, I prefer the feel of the weighting rather than the lightness of PAS. Jokes aside, you'll feel it in the shoulders after a long day of hooning if you haven't got it fitted though.

saxmund said:

What sort of colour combinations are undesirable?

Probably none. If someone originally ordered the car that way then there'll always be someone else who'll find it desirable. There might only be one person out there who likes pashion pink exterior with custard yellow interior but at least it's someone. Personnaly I prefer either light outside / dark interior or vice versa, rather than light/light, dark/dark.

saxmund said:

After all, if you buy a £10K car and sell for £6K you're no worse off than if you buy a £15K car and sell it for £11K. In fact, you might be better off as you'll have paid interest on a smaller loan.

If it was me and you take condition to be the priority and nothing but, I'd go for the dearer car of the 2, budget permitting. Chances are, if they're both similar in condition, the 5k dearer car should be the newer of the 2!!!! Hopefully then you'd have better build quality (touchy subject) and all the original items that haven't been changed and can't be seen on an inspection in theory would be newer on the newer car and older on the old car and should, he says hopefully last longer before needing replacement. Obvious I know or am I just talking crap?

[that daddy]

mines a black interior but i like grey,not bothered about full hide though,and yes you are right i,ve seen some manky coloured interiors.

[HealAndToe]

I wanted a yellow with purple interior but after much... much... much... searching and a limited budget I got a purple (pink to some) car with stone/light grey interior. It wasn’t my first choice but the condition was far better than any of the unprepared cars i saw at dealers.

I paid 10,600 for a purple 33000 miler 4.0 1998 (2 months ago)
PAS (I wouldn’t be without it)
Heated seats (gay, really not needed)

I looked mainly at the condition. I read, read and re-read the TVR Bible every time I sat on the loo. The car I got had a perfect roof. Services before the intervals came up. The oil you could fry your chips in, wax oiled every service. The only fault with it I would say is there is a slight blemish on the nose, which I may have gunned over shortly.

My mate got a 1996 without the PAS just before me. Last week we swapped cars and honed them across the Mendips. We both agreed that my car felt much better at speed, where his was tram lining into every gutter and white line on the road. Could have been down to tyres. He had 502/3s and I have Toyo’s

Edited by HealAndToe on Wednesday 30th August 17:08

[barreti]

HealAndToe said:

I read, read and re-read the TVR Bible every time I sat on the loo.

Yeah, I get that same feeling every time I read the Bible too.

[Podie]

barreti said:

HealAndToe said:

I read, read and re-read the TVR Bible every time I sat on the loo.

Yeah, I get that same feeling every time I read the Bible too.

[warnster]

I have owned my chim 500 for the past 6 months and it was the second vehicle i looked at....like most other comments if the condition is right you will soon get to like what ever colour comes with it. I have power steering but to be honest i'm not sure if you really need it but it obvioulsy makes day to day driving a little easier. I use mine as a daily driver covering 100 miles a day down the M4 and to this day i have had one problem which was a wiper blade replacement! I would definitly like A/C as being stuck in a jam for an hour plus with the engine cooking is far from a pleasant experience especially if the roof is down on a hot day!

[TVRTimH]

I looked at just two cars- private sales- guess I got lucky in my impatience, bought a fantastic motor 4.5, 30k on the clock serviced every year with A/C and PAS in the absolute best colour Atlantis Halcyon Blue (changes blue/green)- I'm not biased or anything!?!? By the way the A/C is fantastic!! Seriously though, as I am learning through my ownership condition is the key as mentioned above, mainly the underneathy bits that make it work and holds it all together!!

Edited by TVRTimH on Wednesday 30th August 19:52

[andy jb]

FWIW Mine has aircon and PAS. It does need PAS the car and resale is better for it. Aircon was an expensive option £2k but i never use mine always have roof down and have subsequently de-gassed the unit, i gather it was poor anyway.

[saxmund]

Thx for the replies, it sems the answer is that options aren't that important, condition is the overriding factor, hopefully in a colour combo I like.

[biggiles]

I find the aircon on mine is very useful. When the roof is down and the windows closed, it gets very hot in the cabin (think when it's raining on the motorway).

The aircon makes it much better. It also works (obv not as well) when the roof is off and it's a sunny day. Much like having the heater on when it's a cold day and the roof is off.

I also have PAS- having heard the pros and cons, I decided it wasn't a deal-breaker, but nice to have.

[andy-w]

FWIW mine has not got PAS and i have only driven one with PAS.

The lad whos car i drove took mine for a spin and he thought it handled better than his and to be honest i thought mine was better too!!!

But then each to his own!!!