Discussion
The missus and I have been discussing our car/vehicle situation - currently an E46 320D (mine), a 206 HDi GTi (hers) and an Aprilia RST1000 (mine). I'm a bit bored of my car, but need something economical to commute in - so the idea of me having 2 cars has been voiced.
Something super cheap to run and insure, but also not totally rubbish - I'm thinking a Ford Ka fits the bill for that one. Pick one up for £1k, Ins Grp 2, 40+mpg and a great chassis to boot - sorted.
Which leads me to the best bit of all, and to this forum - my "serious(ly) fun car!" I've always loved TVR's, and nows my chance.
So, I have around £10k to spend, which should see me to a Chimera, Cerbera, Griffith or a very decent 'S' of some form. I'm not a fan of the wedges, I'm afraid.
So, with my modest budget, which is the best bet? I don't wanna have to spend a fortune keeping it on the road, although obviously i'm not expecting it to be overly cheap to keep it in good nick. But for £10k I should be able to find a sound example of any one of those cars without needing any work on it, and suitable to cover 4-5,000 miles a year in it relatively hassle-free.
So which would you go for, and why? Which model/engine configuration is the most reliable? I assume the Rover V8's are the best bet due to spares availablity and general mechanical knowledge/understanding of them, rather than the AJP units? And with the V8's, I guess the 3.9 rather than the 3.5 EFi is the engine of choice as per the Range Rovers - so which models were these 4.0 Rover V8's fitted to?
Any other info and pearls of wisdom, please feel free to add
Oh, and of course pics are welcome...
Something super cheap to run and insure, but also not totally rubbish - I'm thinking a Ford Ka fits the bill for that one. Pick one up for £1k, Ins Grp 2, 40+mpg and a great chassis to boot - sorted.
Which leads me to the best bit of all, and to this forum - my "serious(ly) fun car!" I've always loved TVR's, and nows my chance.
So, I have around £10k to spend, which should see me to a Chimera, Cerbera, Griffith or a very decent 'S' of some form. I'm not a fan of the wedges, I'm afraid.
So, with my modest budget, which is the best bet? I don't wanna have to spend a fortune keeping it on the road, although obviously i'm not expecting it to be overly cheap to keep it in good nick. But for £10k I should be able to find a sound example of any one of those cars without needing any work on it, and suitable to cover 4-5,000 miles a year in it relatively hassle-free.
So which would you go for, and why? Which model/engine configuration is the most reliable? I assume the Rover V8's are the best bet due to spares availablity and general mechanical knowledge/understanding of them, rather than the AJP units? And with the V8's, I guess the 3.9 rather than the 3.5 EFi is the engine of choice as per the Range Rovers - so which models were these 4.0 Rover V8's fitted to?
Any other info and pearls of wisdom, please feel free to add
Oh, and of course pics are welcome... £10K for a TVR. Well that's more than enough for a V8S (the top of the S range) and will get you a decent oldish Chimaera, but not (IMHO) a decent Griffith.
All have the RV8 engine which is tried and tested and (relatively) cheap to maintain. However TVR capacities are not as you listed. They are NOT Range Rovers and do not take them to a Range Rover dealer to be fixed! Chimaeras are 4.0, 4.5 and 500; Griffiths are 4.0, 4.3, 4.5 (rare) and 5.0 ('500'). From 1993 onwards all Griffs are 500s, so that accounts for most of the production. For your money you'll be looking at a 4.0, but that's still ample compared to anything else you've had before and sounds wonderful!
All have the RV8 engine which is tried and tested and (relatively) cheap to maintain. However TVR capacities are not as you listed. They are NOT Range Rovers and do not take them to a Range Rover dealer to be fixed! Chimaeras are 4.0, 4.5 and 500; Griffiths are 4.0, 4.3, 4.5 (rare) and 5.0 ('500'). From 1993 onwards all Griffs are 500s, so that accounts for most of the production. For your money you'll be looking at a 4.0, but that's still ample compared to anything else you've had before and sounds wonderful!
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 3rd April 00:44
Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 3rd April 00:48
I feel a long thread coming on!!! Broadly agree with what Simpo says. More Chimaeras were made than any other model and more 400s's were built than 450's and 500's. So the chances are a good 400 lies well within your budget.
Various 'facelifts' were carried out on both the front and rear. For your budget you'd be looking at a post frontal facelift and possibly the last major rear facelift where the number plate was recessed and angled with lighting from above. The rear lights were also changed at that time. Mine, a May '98, was just a month or so after this change. There are several pics on my profile and one showing the rear.
Everyone will tell you the obvious 'buy on condition and history'. There are many aspects to consider (not least the chassis) but there are some excellent online resources. Amongst them, specifically for the Chimaera... http://www.chimaerapages.com/default.php and more generally the TVR Car Club's website's public areas at http://www.chimaerapages.com/default.php
Reading these PistonHeads forums you'll see there's a huge font of knowledge and experience with answers to most questions avaialble. You may also notice that there are recurring technical issues. But the fact that many relatively small issues are recurring is what builds up the knowledge base and quick problem solving. You also have to know that there's a big Chimaera/Griffith owning population out there who don't have issues so simply are not featuring here to dilute the ones that do come for help.
You'd be made welcome at a local monthly meet - with or without a TVR and there'll be people ready to answer questions and show you their cars. I'm not sure where in Bucks you live, but I'm not far from J19 (Watford) on the M25 and would be more than happy to show you my car as an example. By the way, bought a year ago, it has neve let me down, never missed a beat and always delivered bucket loads of fun on demand since the day I picked it up in March last year (he said touching wood)
Hope some of this helps. Nick.
Various 'facelifts' were carried out on both the front and rear. For your budget you'd be looking at a post frontal facelift and possibly the last major rear facelift where the number plate was recessed and angled with lighting from above. The rear lights were also changed at that time. Mine, a May '98, was just a month or so after this change. There are several pics on my profile and one showing the rear.
Everyone will tell you the obvious 'buy on condition and history'. There are many aspects to consider (not least the chassis) but there are some excellent online resources. Amongst them, specifically for the Chimaera... http://www.chimaerapages.com/default.php and more generally the TVR Car Club's website's public areas at http://www.chimaerapages.com/default.php
Reading these PistonHeads forums you'll see there's a huge font of knowledge and experience with answers to most questions avaialble. You may also notice that there are recurring technical issues. But the fact that many relatively small issues are recurring is what builds up the knowledge base and quick problem solving. You also have to know that there's a big Chimaera/Griffith owning population out there who don't have issues so simply are not featuring here to dilute the ones that do come for help.
You'd be made welcome at a local monthly meet - with or without a TVR and there'll be people ready to answer questions and show you their cars. I'm not sure where in Bucks you live, but I'm not far from J19 (Watford) on the M25 and would be more than happy to show you my car as an example. By the way, bought a year ago, it has neve let me down, never missed a beat and always delivered bucket loads of fun on demand since the day I picked it up in March last year (he said touching wood)
Hope some of this helps. Nick.
Chimaera no doubt. Great fun, reasonable running costs and a fantastic sound, especially with the Offords cherry bomb exhaust. : Try this one: http://pistonheads.com/sales/442949.htm
: Try this one: http://pistonheads.com/sales/442949.htmEdited by S6 Devil on Thursday 3rd April 06:51
Chimaera - Wedge owners may claim it's not 'exciting' enough but going to any TVR coming from a mainstream car will be a big enough shock for your system as it is; a 4.0-4.5 Chim is without doubt the most driveable and 'liveable with' old-school TVR, plus it's got the best build quality of the range (they did make it long enough to gain some experience ) and most people would class it as drop-dead gorgeous where S models have a bit more of the traditional/'cottage industry' look about them and Wedges are still very much an acquired taste.
) and most people would class it as drop-dead gorgeous where S models have a bit more of the traditional/'cottage industry' look about them and Wedges are still very much an acquired taste.
900T-R said:
4.0-4.5 Chim is without doubt the most driveable and 'liveable with' old-school TVR
Yes but the full 'TVR effect' I think you'd want to choose one without PAS and do something with the exhaust. I drove a standard 4.5 once and compared to the 4.0 Griff I had at the time (precat, no PAS) it seemed like an ordinary car - and you don't want that!One issue with breaking the budget and having a Cerbera is that you lose the RV8. Actually two issues - if you want to get the roof off on a sunny day you'll need a jigsaw...
Simpo Two said:
900T-R said:
4.0-4.5 Chim is without doubt the most driveable and 'liveable with' old-school TVR
One issue with breaking the budget and having a Cerbera is that you lose the RV8. Actually two issues - if you want to get the roof off on a sunny day you'll need a jigsaw...DonnyMac said:
Did anyone say... CERBERA ...?
£10k isn't enough, but budgets are for breaking!
Having had the thrill of owning one I understand that comment £10k isn't enough, but budgets are for breaking!
.....BUT if you have to break a budget to own one then you really don't want the running costs that go with Cerberas.
It would be awful to buy one, experience what it's like then have to sell cos you can't afford to run her.
Best go with a Chimaera........wonderful TVRs and, as has been mentioned above, the easiest to maintain..........
and you won't need a jigsaw
YP
Thanks very much for all your comments and opinions! As most people have said, I think the Chimaera makes most sense - I definitely don't wnna be buying a bargain basement TVR, so would rather a decent Chimaera than a poorly Griff or Cerbera!
On that note, I've now moved to the Chimaera forum with some questions, if you fancy taking a look: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Thanks again,
Mike
On that note, I've now moved to the Chimaera forum with some questions, if you fancy taking a look: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
nikman said:
You'd be made welcome at a local monthly meet - with or without a TVR and there'll be people ready to answer questions and show you their cars. I'm not sure where in Bucks you live, but I'm not far from J19 (Watford) on the M25 and would be more than happy to show you my car as an example. By the way, bought a year ago, it has neve let me down, never missed a beat and always delivered bucket loads of fun on demand since the day I picked it up in March last year (he said touching wood)
Hope some of this helps. Nick.
Thanks for the offer Nick, I'd really like to take you up on that. I'm not far from you by the sounds of it, over near Amersham myself - whereabouts are you? Feel free to PM me, and please let me know when the next meet is!Hope some of this helps. Nick.
Thanks again,
Mike
What about this one....?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/440875.htm
There's nothing wrong with either model but having owned a couple of S's & a Chim I'd say the S is better as a pure toy (more fun/involving and a "bit different" to the frequently seen Chim) whereas the more refined Chim is better for everyday or long distance use.
Good luck with your search
Longers
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/440875.htm
There's nothing wrong with either model but having owned a couple of S's & a Chim I'd say the S is better as a pure toy (more fun/involving and a "bit different" to the frequently seen Chim) whereas the more refined Chim is better for everyday or long distance use.
Good luck with your search
Longers
I agree that a Chimaera would be your best bet - and £10k in the current climate should buy you a good one. I'm on my second - first had 70k on the clock when I bought it and I had very few troubles, my latest had only covered 1k pa and gave headaches until I used it regularly. Buy on condition, not mileage and preferably from an enthusiast. Try and drive a few - they can feel quite different. Happy hunting
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