Chimaera around 6-7k!!!! Shall I ?????? HELP!!
Discussion
Hi to everyone! I am really looking forward to be part of your nice group!!
I am ready to fulfill a dream of mine since childhood (I am 23 1/2 by the way!), and search to buy a TVR Chimaera 4.0! I am looking for Chimaeras of the years 1993-95, around 6-7k!
So guys, I would really like to hear your opinions on the following subjects:
1) Is it possible to find a nice example and well taken-care Chimaera for this ammount of money
(6-7k)?
2) Do Chims of these years have any major disadvantages or maintanance issues that can provide an
insentive not to buy such a car?
3) How many miles should the 6-7k Chim that I am searching for have, in order to be sure that all
the major niggles have been fixed by the previous owner, and to avoid any possible unpleasant
surprises?
Shall i prefer a car with low or high miles on the clock??????
4) What else should i consider or look for??
Please guys, share your knowledge and experience with me!! Looking forward to hearing from you, or to be more precise, to hear the V8 music in my ears while driving top-down!!!
I am ready to fulfill a dream of mine since childhood (I am 23 1/2 by the way!), and search to buy a TVR Chimaera 4.0! I am looking for Chimaeras of the years 1993-95, around 6-7k!
So guys, I would really like to hear your opinions on the following subjects:
1) Is it possible to find a nice example and well taken-care Chimaera for this ammount of money
(6-7k)?
2) Do Chims of these years have any major disadvantages or maintanance issues that can provide an
insentive not to buy such a car?
3) How many miles should the 6-7k Chim that I am searching for have, in order to be sure that all
the major niggles have been fixed by the previous owner, and to avoid any possible unpleasant
surprises?
Shall i prefer a car with low or high miles on the clock??????
4) What else should i consider or look for??
Please guys, share your knowledge and experience with me!! Looking forward to hearing from you, or to be more precise, to hear the V8 music in my ears while driving top-down!!!
Hello mate.
1) Yes, provided you know what you're looking at.
2) The earliest cars (up until around the begining of '95, but it's not gospel) didn't all have power steering and most had the LT77 gearbox fitted. It's not a bad gearbox, but it's not as strong or slick as the Borg Warner T5 used in later cars (same as a Sierra Cosworth). You can tell by the position of reverse...left and up means the early one, right and down means the T5. Also check to see how many header tanks the car has. One revision of the cars was to fit another slightly smaller tank further down towards the rad. The original still remains, all be it with a brass plug screwed into the top of it. This keeps the car cooler in traffic. Combine it to a relocated number plate (off of the grille and lower down) and the car shouldn't have any temperature issues, although don't trust the gauge! They generally under read unless they've been modified to read from the original Rover sensor on the engine (and setup correctly!) There are numerous other little differences, and my general advice would be get the newest you can without buying a runt. Aim for 95/M reg, although early cars can be good too with proper care.
3) In my opinion mileage is generally one of the most hyped up load of b
ks going. Some swear by low mileages....but a car that has only ever been used for short stop start journeys will be a damn site worse a purchase than one thats done 100k motorway miles. Ok so the mile muncher will probably have more stone chips, but you'll only have to give it some paint once....unless you stack it!
Only real important things to look out for with mileages are:
Clutch...ours just wore out at 80k miles, and I wasn't complaining as it was the original! In fact the clutch still had life in it...it was was the release arm that died first! Make sure this has been done too.
Camshaft...known to start wearing at around 100k miles, although I've seen quite a few cars which made it past this mark easily. All boils down to whether every single owner of the car has looked after it correctly (frequent oil changes and sensible warm up procedures)
Bushes...more use means more worn bushes like suspension bushes, engine mounts etc. The parts are generally quite cheap though, and the arms tent to rot before the bushes wear! At the end of the day, rubber perishes and metal rusts, regardless of mileage.
General wear and tear...with more use comes more wear obviously, but it's not all bad. Ours has done 80k+ miles and put it this way....the velcro that holds the roof down has come unstuck and a bit of carpet is loose inside. I can live with that! All boils down to who built it and what kind of day they were having!
Service history is a good thing, as long as it's legit. If you've a good eye, then a lack of history could net a bargain and you can be sure the car is good by inspecting it, but a lack of history also makes it harder to sell on when you're bored!
4) Yes....the most important bit of all. RUST! Check the chassis as best you can. The most important areas are the outriggers. They run along the wheelbase and both sides and incorperate the jacking points front and rear. They also partially pass through the wheel arches behind the wheel. Take a prodding device and poke them...everything needs to be solid! Water and grime collect around them and rust them out from behind so sometimes you don't stand a chance. But if everything else around them seems fine, you pays yer money etc...
Ideally, check if the seller will allow you to jack it up at each corner. I'd get it in writing too. If he is confident of his car, he should have no problem with this.
I was in your boat too, at the lower end of the market. But hearing what others spend, I can't help thinking I'd probably have done the same thing even if I had more money. Ours is a 95 M reg, solid chassis, around 80k miles with most of the history there. It had one odd tyre on it and numerous other things had put previous viewers off, not least the bodywork which is the result of a bad repsray.
But you can see a bad respray. You can't always see shot outriggers, premature bore wear due to short journeys, dodgey bushes, leaks, dodgey electrics etc (although we didn't see a worn clutch!).
It's never broken down, goes like stink and drives totally straight and true. No knocks, rattles or nasty surprises. It even stays cool! Once it's painted, it'll be mint. My advice is look for something similar!
HTH
1) Yes, provided you know what you're looking at.
2) The earliest cars (up until around the begining of '95, but it's not gospel) didn't all have power steering and most had the LT77 gearbox fitted. It's not a bad gearbox, but it's not as strong or slick as the Borg Warner T5 used in later cars (same as a Sierra Cosworth). You can tell by the position of reverse...left and up means the early one, right and down means the T5. Also check to see how many header tanks the car has. One revision of the cars was to fit another slightly smaller tank further down towards the rad. The original still remains, all be it with a brass plug screwed into the top of it. This keeps the car cooler in traffic. Combine it to a relocated number plate (off of the grille and lower down) and the car shouldn't have any temperature issues, although don't trust the gauge! They generally under read unless they've been modified to read from the original Rover sensor on the engine (and setup correctly!) There are numerous other little differences, and my general advice would be get the newest you can without buying a runt. Aim for 95/M reg, although early cars can be good too with proper care.
3) In my opinion mileage is generally one of the most hyped up load of b
ks going. Some swear by low mileages....but a car that has only ever been used for short stop start journeys will be a damn site worse a purchase than one thats done 100k motorway miles. Ok so the mile muncher will probably have more stone chips, but you'll only have to give it some paint once....unless you stack it!Only real important things to look out for with mileages are:
Clutch...ours just wore out at 80k miles, and I wasn't complaining as it was the original! In fact the clutch still had life in it...it was was the release arm that died first! Make sure this has been done too.
Camshaft...known to start wearing at around 100k miles, although I've seen quite a few cars which made it past this mark easily. All boils down to whether every single owner of the car has looked after it correctly (frequent oil changes and sensible warm up procedures)
Bushes...more use means more worn bushes like suspension bushes, engine mounts etc. The parts are generally quite cheap though, and the arms tent to rot before the bushes wear! At the end of the day, rubber perishes and metal rusts, regardless of mileage.
General wear and tear...with more use comes more wear obviously, but it's not all bad. Ours has done 80k+ miles and put it this way....the velcro that holds the roof down has come unstuck and a bit of carpet is loose inside. I can live with that! All boils down to who built it and what kind of day they were having!
Service history is a good thing, as long as it's legit. If you've a good eye, then a lack of history could net a bargain and you can be sure the car is good by inspecting it, but a lack of history also makes it harder to sell on when you're bored!
4) Yes....the most important bit of all. RUST! Check the chassis as best you can. The most important areas are the outriggers. They run along the wheelbase and both sides and incorperate the jacking points front and rear. They also partially pass through the wheel arches behind the wheel. Take a prodding device and poke them...everything needs to be solid! Water and grime collect around them and rust them out from behind so sometimes you don't stand a chance. But if everything else around them seems fine, you pays yer money etc...
Ideally, check if the seller will allow you to jack it up at each corner. I'd get it in writing too. If he is confident of his car, he should have no problem with this.
I was in your boat too, at the lower end of the market. But hearing what others spend, I can't help thinking I'd probably have done the same thing even if I had more money. Ours is a 95 M reg, solid chassis, around 80k miles with most of the history there. It had one odd tyre on it and numerous other things had put previous viewers off, not least the bodywork which is the result of a bad repsray.
But you can see a bad respray. You can't always see shot outriggers, premature bore wear due to short journeys, dodgey bushes, leaks, dodgey electrics etc (although we didn't see a worn clutch!).
It's never broken down, goes like stink and drives totally straight and true. No knocks, rattles or nasty surprises. It even stays cool! Once it's painted, it'll be mint. My advice is look for something similar!
HTH
Edited by Kitchski on Tuesday 17th June 15:06
These cars are generally reliable if properly maintained. Better to buy a car with highest miles rather then one that hasn't seen much use. Make sure that the previous owner could afford to run the car. I always check the tires. If the car has cheap tires then walk away. If they can't afford good tires that what about the rest of the maintenance?
Guys thanx for the responses so far! another two questions: Can TVR's be serviced in Rover service points, or it must be specific TVR service points? And also, can they be used in long trips (to go from the UK to my homecountry Greece), and as daily drivers????
My previous questions are still on the line! Please guys, responseeeess!!!! I really want to buy a Chimaera like a crazy!!!!
My previous questions are still on the line! Please guys, responseeeess!!!! I really want to buy a Chimaera like a crazy!!!!
There are plenty of us that use Chimaeras as daily drivers (it is my only car and have done 10,000 miles in last year.
I've only had 2 problems that have left me at the side of the road - Power steering rack (sudden loss of fluid), and power steering rack (catastrophic failure with sudden loss of fluid)...
They are really practical (big boot) and great fun to drive as daily cars - Just watch the rear end in the wet to begin with
I've only had 2 problems that have left me at the side of the road - Power steering rack (sudden loss of fluid), and power steering rack (catastrophic failure with sudden loss of fluid)...
They are really practical (big boot) and great fun to drive as daily cars - Just watch the rear end in the wet to begin with
Edited by Timja on Tuesday 17th June 21:17
Whilst Waxoiled chassis are i'm sure great - don't assume that the chassis is fine because it's waxoiled. I have spoken to several owners that were caught out by this and the waxoil was just covering up a rusty chassis - Give it a good poke with a screwdriver and make sure it's solid!
Timja said:
Whilst Waxoiled chassis are i'm sure great - don't assume that the chassis is fine because it's waxoiled. I have spoken to several owners that were caught out by this and the waxoil was just covering up a rusty chassis - Give it a good poke with a screwdriver and make sure it's solid!
....and some have been known to rust from the inside!I paid that money for one K reg got 76k on the clock, engine rebuild, fdsh, i have had to change 2 calipers and hoses which came in at just over 100 quid-cheap ford fiesta parts! Sorry-no s02's i've just fitted Federal tyres costing £78 for 2 (why does everyone swear by s02's!? and to me they feel grippier than the so2's.so in a nut shell there are bargains out there to be had.I don't skip on anything needed for the car but am lucky enough to have some common dog and a mate as a mechanic!!
your thinking i live in a tent somewhere don't you! Gen,£78 for 2 with a nice spiral effect on the outer edges-got them from M+M tyres in middlesbrough,had a supra twin turbo 18in alloys 2 tyres £165 had no problem with them and these are Federal, haven't lost the back end yet! Well maybe once in the wet..but who doesn't!!
jim.2007 said:
Sorry-no s02's i've just fitted Federal tyres costing £78 for 2 (why does everyone swear by s02's!? and to me they feel grippier than the so2's.
I REALLY hope you got them trade..Seriously, the one thing keeping you on the blackstuff is the tyre.Try SO3s for better grip in damp conditions, far better than SO2s IME.
If it were me I would wait until the end of the year. There is serious finacial hardship on the way for a lot of people and there will be many more cars available. You will have a bit more money yourself in theory and you should be able to get a newer car. Ant it's winter when they're a bit cheaper anyway.
L.F.
L.F.
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