chimaera as everyday car?
Discussion
ive been thinking of buying a chim for a while but need to know if its practical as an everyday car. after reading the posts about the many gremlins tvr's seem to have im not so sure.the car will live outside,be driven short distances( 2 miles) quite alot both of which dont do batteries much good and tvr's seem to suffer here.the car cant be garaged due to motorbikes. i really cant have a car that will let me down as the boss aint very forgiving!! ive owned ducati's which p@ssed me off that much i got rid, i dont want the same from a car..any thoughts would help, otherwise i'l end up buyin a mass produced pile of german cack!!
wacjac said:
the car will live outside,be driven short distances( 2 miles) quite alot both of which dont do batteries much good and tvr's seem to suffer here.
A 2 mile journey isn't going to do any car any good really, and as it takes that long to warm up the oil your going to be driving to work and back on tickover revs, I'd save the money, keep the bikes for the weekend, and buy a pushbike
Go for it, the Chimaera is a really reliable vehicle with most parts not bespoke to TVR such as the Ford brakes etc meaning cheap for bits. Battery problems are a myth, they only give problems when left for excessive amounts of time such as laid up for winter as would any vehicle. The centre roof panel is carbon fibre so gives one of the best drives when the weather is bad. The boot is huge and the best bit of all it snaps knicker elastic from 100 yds!
2 miles each way and nothing else would probably not the best recommendation for any car. Anyway, once you get it that 2 mile journey home will probably turn in a five or ten mile trip home as you start taking unnecessary detours just for the hell driving it some more.
Go for it, loads of people on here use their TVRs for the daily commute and have no problems.
Go for it, loads of people on here use their TVRs for the daily commute and have no problems.
Hi Joe,
I too found myself asking this same question back in July when I bought my first Tiv. I use her every day and commute about three miles each way. Never had a problem apart from having to abandon in the snow. Did not sleep much that night I can tell you knowing my Chim was stuck in a country lane and not on my drive! Go for it! I guarentee you'll never go back to a 'normal' car.
I too found myself asking this same question back in July when I bought my first Tiv. I use her every day and commute about three miles each way. Never had a problem apart from having to abandon in the snow. Did not sleep much that night I can tell you knowing my Chim was stuck in a country lane and not on my drive! Go for it! I guarentee you'll never go back to a 'normal' car.
rat said:
Being soft tops, many leak if left outside for long enough. You're not going to get the best out of it, or do it much good in 2 miles either. Though my 12 mile journey to work usually ends up being a 30 mile pleasure trip when I take the Chimaera.
IMVHO, That should read "Being soft tops, many leak if left outside for long enough, and are not cared for correctly"
Ours leaked when we first got it, but with some TLC, most of the leaks appear to have departed. That said, most (I agree not all) softtops leak to some extent, if only a little. I know of someone that has an MGF and has the hard top on it for the winter. The carpets live in the boot as he regularly has half an inch of water sloshing around in the footwell.....
>> Edited by TheHobbit on Monday 23 February 22:54
My honest and simple answer is the Chimaera is not the car you are looking for. It simply won't like a 2 mile trip every day - buy a Polo or Corsa. It will leak, despite what everyone says, at some point or every time it rains, either way you will get wet footwells.
I used mine every day for over 12 months but did an eleven mile trip to work. It never let me down, lived outside and always started on the first turn of the key. But it did leak, I felt guilty when the car was filthy, I felt cold scraping the ice of the inside of the windscreen, I got draughts over my knees in winter, I often wished (at 0530am) that I had a eurobox, but at 0535am I was glad I didn't.
It's your choice, but use your head not your heart. A TVR is not a mass produced box, it has it's quirks which means it's an enthusiast's car, not a shopping trolley.
I used mine every day for over 12 months but did an eleven mile trip to work. It never let me down, lived outside and always started on the first turn of the key. But it did leak, I felt guilty when the car was filthy, I felt cold scraping the ice of the inside of the windscreen, I got draughts over my knees in winter, I often wished (at 0530am) that I had a eurobox, but at 0535am I was glad I didn't.
It's your choice, but use your head not your heart. A TVR is not a mass produced box, it has it's quirks which means it's an enthusiast's car, not a shopping trolley.
hmmm... I didn't make my last post very clear.... I *would not* use a chim for a 2 mile trip every day. you'll kill it. you'll kill most things with a 2 mile trip each day. diesels are about the only thing that will cope, but it'll still kill the battery, as you're never gonna run the engine long enough to reclaim the energy used starting the engine.
we killed our last "second" car by MrsHobbit driving it all the time..... we vowed when we change the "second" car we would both drive both cars each week, so that I didn't run up the 30k I do each year on one car, and MrsHobbits 4 mile trip wouldn't kill the other. Both cars seem happy with the balance.
we killed our last "second" car by MrsHobbit driving it all the time..... we vowed when we change the "second" car we would both drive both cars each week, so that I didn't run up the 30k I do each year on one car, and MrsHobbits 4 mile trip wouldn't kill the other. Both cars seem happy with the balance.
Would you rather go to work in a tin box or drive a TVR every day? I have a 6 mile run and have had no leaks, no battery problems and in fact no problems of any sort. The Chim is more reliable than my damn Golf! Economical in traffic it isnt but what the hell. Its worth it.
People who say a TVR is not a daily car have either got a bad example or havent tried it.
Firing up a Chim sure as hell cheers me up on a Monday morning.
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff