a couple of questions...
Discussion
Hi Guys
Having owned a 400 before, I'm thinking of getting another Chimaera. Its the ultimate car. I'm getting no use out of my current car, where I did about 6-7k a year in my Chim.
Looking for a '98-2000 Imperial Blue if possible.
I'm not sure whether to go for the cheaper 400 or spend what appears to be an extra £2-4k on a 450 or a 500.
I would like a 500 as its top dog but will it be much more expensive in terms of fuel consumption, bills etc? The 450 seems the ideal choice for regular use but is more money.
Obviously there are performance differences but enough do deserve the extra cash?
I'm trying to get some informed answers if possible rather than the lads 'Get the 500!'
MPG - I know its a boring question - some people will post back with 'I dont care' but if fuel goes to £3 p/Litre it will matter to me on a 200mile beach trip. So how do the 400, 450 and 500 compare?
My 400 got about 19 on everyday work, 27ish on Motorway which is fine. It had a MC1 Cam and Mark adams Chip, felt pretty quick but I imagine the others are quicker...
Having owned a 400 before, I'm thinking of getting another Chimaera. Its the ultimate car. I'm getting no use out of my current car, where I did about 6-7k a year in my Chim.
Looking for a '98-2000 Imperial Blue if possible.
I'm not sure whether to go for the cheaper 400 or spend what appears to be an extra £2-4k on a 450 or a 500.
I would like a 500 as its top dog but will it be much more expensive in terms of fuel consumption, bills etc? The 450 seems the ideal choice for regular use but is more money.
Obviously there are performance differences but enough do deserve the extra cash?
I'm trying to get some informed answers if possible rather than the lads 'Get the 500!'
MPG - I know its a boring question - some people will post back with 'I dont care' but if fuel goes to £3 p/Litre it will matter to me on a 200mile beach trip. So how do the 400, 450 and 500 compare?
My 400 got about 19 on everyday work, 27ish on Motorway which is fine. It had a MC1 Cam and Mark adams Chip, felt pretty quick but I imagine the others are quicker...
MPG side, i find my 450 varys quite a bit dependant on the type of driving.
When i bought it, coming back from Essex (to Blackpool) it did 33mpg whcih was very reasonable.
Currently, my average drive consists of 40mins of slow stop start traffic a day, and 25mins of open country lanes, its averaging about 19mpg-25mpg if i'm particularly light on the throttle.
Its a 450, with decatted main and pre cats, mark adams chip, mild cam, lambda sensors still in place and working.
When i was TVR shopping, after talking to various people, including Dave at Automedan, Dave recommended a 450 to me as the generally best comprimise between running costs, and performance, and i followed his advice. I certainly have no compliants with my 450 but i feel personnally i'd be a little disappointed with a 400, performance wise.
Hope that helps
Matt
When i bought it, coming back from Essex (to Blackpool) it did 33mpg whcih was very reasonable.
Currently, my average drive consists of 40mins of slow stop start traffic a day, and 25mins of open country lanes, its averaging about 19mpg-25mpg if i'm particularly light on the throttle.
Its a 450, with decatted main and pre cats, mark adams chip, mild cam, lambda sensors still in place and working.
When i was TVR shopping, after talking to various people, including Dave at Automedan, Dave recommended a 450 to me as the generally best comprimise between running costs, and performance, and i followed his advice. I certainly have no compliants with my 450 but i feel personnally i'd be a little disappointed with a 400, performance wise.
Hope that helps
Matt
Thanks Matt, I think maybe the 450 is the ideal compromise.
So it seems a 450 is about the same as a 400 on fuel with a bit more pace.
When I sold the other I thought I'd go for a 450 next time but while I haven't seen it in the flesh this did strike me as good value - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/524101.htm.
So it seems a 450 is about the same as a 400 on fuel with a bit more pace.
When I sold the other I thought I'd go for a 450 next time but while I haven't seen it in the flesh this did strike me as good value - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/524101.htm.
Seems like a nice car, although i was advised to get a higher mileage car when i was looking, as the cam wears out quicker on low mileage ones.
(Something about low use, leaving metal in the engine exposed to corrode as the oil film subsides, which abrades off after starting, wearing the engine excessively)
Suppose it depends on whats important to you in a car.
Thanks
Matt
(Something about low use, leaving metal in the engine exposed to corrode as the oil film subsides, which abrades off after starting, wearing the engine excessively)
Suppose it depends on whats important to you in a car.
Thanks
Matt
TimmyArt said:
just spotted yours in the classifieds - Looks cool, like the wheels but looking for a blue one.
Why you selling?
Re the mileage - I had my cam done at about 47k. I obviously want a looked after car but not really on a massive mileage, minimum 30k miles
I got asked the same question on the TVRCC, so here's my copy and paste reply haha-Why you selling?
Re the mileage - I had my cam done at about 47k. I obviously want a looked after car but not really on a massive mileage, minimum 30k miles
Reason for sale is the same old same old, with the current housing prices, me and my mrs can't afford a house with any type of decent garage, and with the same amoutn of space the houses we are looking at have, three cars between us isn't an option, and none of them are in the types of places i'd like to leave a TVR outside all day.
So i'm selling up both of my cars, and buying a warm hatch, something like an Audi S3 or a Seat Ibiza Cupra, and parting with the TVR, for now at least..
I can understand that yellow isn't really the colour for some people, but i personally love it, if your going to have a TVR, it needs to be loud in everyway.
If you decide you can live with the colour, give me a shout and come and have a look at it, i very much doubt you'd be disappointed.
Best of luck on the car hunt though
Thanks
Matt
Fair enough. I know what you mean, mine will be kept on the road in the summer and carported at my parents in the winter. Not ideal but a garage is £40k here
I used to have an Orange 3000M Turbo (see profile pic) My dad's got a bright yellow Taimar SE.
I do like the bright colours in Chimaera's but mostly on other peoples! I know blue is a bit boring but I like it as does my ladyfriend. Always imagined having a yoke yellow one with a hard top when I was in my teens.
Good luck selling it
I used to have an Orange 3000M Turbo (see profile pic) My dad's got a bright yellow Taimar SE.
I do like the bright colours in Chimaera's but mostly on other peoples! I know blue is a bit boring but I like it as does my ladyfriend. Always imagined having a yoke yellow one with a hard top when I was in my teens.
Good luck selling it
I started with a 400, and this was the right decision for entry into TVR with only an MR2 and mk1 Celica ST as rwd background. After 2 years i changed the engine for a 500 unit and modified this a little to get an extra 100bhp over the 400 unit. Huge difference in performance. But with a good remap the 500 is more fuel economic than my 400 was under normal usage. The 500 is the best choice if you want to keep up with the newer TVR's and pretty much any other exotica on the road. Output powers from the 400, 450 and 500 units are so variable that some say a good 400 will keep up with a bad 500 etc. My 400 used to keep up with a friends 450. Another variable is the cars weight which obviously has an impact on performance and mpg.
There are quite a few modified cars on the market which offer great value for money. Suspension upgrades are a must to get the best out of the handling.
There are quite a few modified cars on the market which offer great value for money. Suspension upgrades are a must to get the best out of the handling.
I have had a 400, a 450 and several 500s (see my profile)
All are stonking good cars. For me the 500 is the only one to have. With regards to mpg (if that's of a concern) the 500 returns similar to 450 under normal use.
If you don't get a 500 you'll always be
I wonder if.........
But as I said, a goodun of any engine size is a pleasure indeed!
All are stonking good cars. For me the 500 is the only one to have. With regards to mpg (if that's of a concern) the 500 returns similar to 450 under normal use.
If you don't get a 500 you'll always be
I wonder if.........But as I said, a goodun of any engine size is a pleasure indeed!
When i was looking i wasnt botherd if it was a 400,450, or a 500 aslong as it was in the best possible condition for the budget i had ( most owners would agree this it top priority). You would be hard pushed to be dissapointed in any nice well maintained chim.
but thats easy for me to say in my 500
. , seriously though , if your not going to track-it and you don't need to brag with punto-driving-boy-racers about specs. ignore the badge at the back and have a good look underneath instead !. remember most of these cars are over 10 years old now 
.
but thats easy for me to say in my 500
. , seriously though , if your not going to track-it and you don't need to brag with punto-driving-boy-racers about specs. ignore the badge at the back and have a good look underneath instead !. remember most of these cars are over 10 years old now .Thanks for the replies chaps.
Yeh I'm very familiar with TVRs generally as between my family and best friends have had 10+ cars. Chassis is always a big priority. Condition will be the focus but obviously need somewhere to start.
I think as has been stated - if you have a 500, thats as far as you can go (mods aside) so you're not always thinking 'would that be faster etc'.
I live in Bristol and have a 5-20 minute drive before I'm out in the sticks, how do the 450s and 500s cope with sitting in traffic? Overheating and clutch/traffic driving, much the same as a 4?
Yeh I'm very familiar with TVRs generally as between my family and best friends have had 10+ cars. Chassis is always a big priority. Condition will be the focus but obviously need somewhere to start.
I think as has been stated - if you have a 500, thats as far as you can go (mods aside) so you're not always thinking 'would that be faster etc'.
I live in Bristol and have a 5-20 minute drive before I'm out in the sticks, how do the 450s and 500s cope with sitting in traffic? Overheating and clutch/traffic driving, much the same as a 4?
With a V8 it is all in the camshaft, regardless of engine size and if it hasn't been changed in the last 30K, chances are the lobes are probably round and not oval and the power output will be very well down. So regardless of engine size the first thing to ask is "When was the camshaft changed?". Metal from the camshaft goes round the engine and ruins everything else, especially the oil pump, then you get low oil pressure. A good oil pressure at tickover should be around 25-30 psi hot.
What the 450 and 500 boys are not mentioning is the increased potential for "Liner Slip". The bigger the hole in the block, the less metal there is around the liner and therfore they are more prone to this very expensive malady. In addition the longer the stroke the more out of balance secondary forces there are in a V8 engine, which makes them feel "Rougher".
IMHO a lightly tuned and chipped 400 in good fettle is more than adequate on the road with the power being very useable in normal driving conditions.
Purchase a nice suitably upgraded 400 wisely and then buy a 500 badge and save some money.
What the 450 and 500 boys are not mentioning is the increased potential for "Liner Slip". The bigger the hole in the block, the less metal there is around the liner and therfore they are more prone to this very expensive malady. In addition the longer the stroke the more out of balance secondary forces there are in a V8 engine, which makes them feel "Rougher".
IMHO a lightly tuned and chipped 400 in good fettle is more than adequate on the road with the power being very useable in normal driving conditions.
Purchase a nice suitably upgraded 400 wisely and then buy a 500 badge and save some money.
A 400 with a 500 badge is like puting a bently badge on a crysler
, they look the same but are not the same. 
perhaps i will call mine a aston db5 from now on......iv always wanted one of those.
Im now entering my 3rd year of trouble free motering( exept small stuff at the anual service). In my 500 .
i have driven a 400 and loved it, i am driving a 500 and still love it.
be proud of the car you buy. no need to mod it afterwards.
You sound like you have experiance so plum for a 450.
My 500 runs smoothly from cold, little lumpy sitting in traffic sometimes when cold . Once warm, it purs like a cat.
, they look the same but are not the same. perhaps i will call mine a aston db5 from now on......iv always wanted one of those.
Im now entering my 3rd year of trouble free motering( exept small stuff at the anual service). In my 500 .
i have driven a 400 and loved it, i am driving a 500 and still love it.
be proud of the car you buy. no need to mod it afterwards.
You sound like you have experiance so plum for a 450.
My 500 runs smoothly from cold, little lumpy sitting in traffic sometimes when cold . Once warm, it purs like a cat.
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