Newbie seeking advice
Discussion
Hi guys,
I am new to this forum and TVRs. I do not own one yet but am exploring the possibility of a 1993 Chimeara. I have been reading the posts on here and the advice seems to be spend as much as you can up front to avoid longer term costs. Well I have a limited budget so that whilst being sound advice is not practical in the short to medium term. A rolling restoration is probably my best bet of getting a TVR, it will live outside anyway. So last week I went and looked at one at the bottom end of the price range without an MOT.
Once the battery was reconnected it fired up first time, didn't smoke and idled nicely with good oil pressure, somewhere around 30 psi if I remember correctly. The engine bay was clean and there where no oil leaks. The engine sounded good with no rattles. I was taken for a short ride on a private road
, the thing flew and sounded awesome like a Jota on steroids, I was very impressed and couldn't hide my grin!
As I said previously it does not have an MOT, the owner said if he MOT'd it the price would rise. I checked out the MOT history and there where no advisories for the outriggers. I have no TVR experience so poked a camera underneath and took some photos which hopefully I have resized and attached. My intention would be to get them replaced but ideally of a time of my choosing. So based upon my limited pics and from your experience do you think that these may get through an MOT? If not is it possible to have them welded up as an interim measure prior to getting them replaced?
Your thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers Jack
I am new to this forum and TVRs. I do not own one yet but am exploring the possibility of a 1993 Chimeara. I have been reading the posts on here and the advice seems to be spend as much as you can up front to avoid longer term costs. Well I have a limited budget so that whilst being sound advice is not practical in the short to medium term. A rolling restoration is probably my best bet of getting a TVR, it will live outside anyway. So last week I went and looked at one at the bottom end of the price range without an MOT.
Once the battery was reconnected it fired up first time, didn't smoke and idled nicely with good oil pressure, somewhere around 30 psi if I remember correctly. The engine bay was clean and there where no oil leaks. The engine sounded good with no rattles. I was taken for a short ride on a private road
, the thing flew and sounded awesome like a Jota on steroids, I was very impressed and couldn't hide my grin! As I said previously it does not have an MOT, the owner said if he MOT'd it the price would rise. I checked out the MOT history and there where no advisories for the outriggers. I have no TVR experience so poked a camera underneath and took some photos which hopefully I have resized and attached. My intention would be to get them replaced but ideally of a time of my choosing. So based upon my limited pics and from your experience do you think that these may get through an MOT? If not is it possible to have them welded up as an interim measure prior to getting them replaced?
Your thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers Jack
Edited by ScrumpyJack on Friday 5th October 21:57
Edited by ScrumpyJack on Friday 5th October 22:09
latham91 said:
Hi Jack,
If you live any where near Calne N. Wilts you're welcome to pop in for a cuppa and a chat and I'll show you round mine which is a decent honest example which I self maintain. May give you some idea what to look out for...
Hi Latham,If you live any where near Calne N. Wilts you're welcome to pop in for a cuppa and a chat and I'll show you round mine which is a decent honest example which I self maintain. May give you some idea what to look out for...
That is very kind of you. I would like to take you up on your offer whenever it is convenient for you. Fortunately I live in Chippenham so not far away!
To the others that have taken the time to reply, many thanks it is appreciated. At this point in time I will put my sensible head on as I am inclined to walk away.
Cheers Jack
Steve_D said:
Is the paintwork in nice condition and your ideal colour? Is the interior in good condition and your ideal colour? Is it mechanically sound?
If you can answer yes to those then it is worth planning to have the outriggers. But, if the above questions are yes then it will likely be out of your budget.
It is dark blue (starmist?) with a cream interior which I do like. Interior is OK and acceptable to me. Everything appears to work and mechanically from my limited knowledge looks OK. There are a couple of chips on the paintwork on the front end around the grille. A blemish on the front wing and a larger blemish on the rear passenger side by the boot. There are also a couple of chips in the windscreen which have been highlighted as advisories in previous MOTs. The 2 rear tyres will need replacing at least.If you can answer yes to those then it is worth planning to have the outriggers. But, if the above questions are yes then it will likely be out of your budget.
If you double click on the pics above it will take you to some more pics on Flickr.
Cheers Jack
That is a shame CS. Looking at your pics I am so glad that I posted on here. Thanks for the offer which I am sure I will take you up on especially if you are considering letting yours go. I don't know if you are into bikes but I was working on this this afternoon. It is the equivalent of a TVR, raw with a great sound. I have an earlier version which is still a pile of bits I am considering letting go to help fund a TVR!
Just got back from Ed's after a very enjoyable and educational couple of hours. Not only did he give us a tour of his car, he raised it on his ramp so we got a good look underneath as well. He took us for a spin and I got my first experience of driving a TVR. To say I was apprehensive was an understatement. The adrenalin was flowing for quite some time after. What a great car and top bloke. Many thanks Ed.
It was good to meet Steve as well.
Cheers Jack
It was good to meet Steve as well.
Cheers Jack
Hi BM,
Thanks for your contribution it is appreciated. From my understanding the car was being used occasionally until the MOT expired a few months ago. Interesting what you say about the engine. Having been in Ed's today I would say performance was comparable however it was not my foot on the accelerator but both impressed me. What I did notice was it was louder than Ed's Chim. This may be as it had Cherry Bombs fitted. Being new to TVRs I know little about these. Is it a full exhaust system? I just checked the vehicle details on DVLA and the engine capacity is recorded as 3952cc,
Cheers Jack
Thanks for your contribution it is appreciated. From my understanding the car was being used occasionally until the MOT expired a few months ago. Interesting what you say about the engine. Having been in Ed's today I would say performance was comparable however it was not my foot on the accelerator but both impressed me. What I did notice was it was louder than Ed's Chim. This may be as it had Cherry Bombs fitted. Being new to TVRs I know little about these. Is it a full exhaust system? I just checked the vehicle details on DVLA and the engine capacity is recorded as 3952cc,
Cheers Jack
mach2 said:
If you're in Chippenham pop down the M4 to the boys at Amore autos. Mark and Paul are TVR nuts and will happily help you whether you end up buying from them or not. They can source a car to your spec and budget and also have ramps you can get the car up on before buying.
It will be the best few hours you will invest in before buying.
http://www.amoreautos.co.uk
Thanks Mach. Great advice I will get in touch with them. I think it would be time well spent.It will be the best few hours you will invest in before buying.
http://www.amoreautos.co.uk
Classic Chim said:
^^^^^^^^^ This
And the point made earlier in this thread, if the riggers are really as bad as a few pics make them look the centre sections of the chassis may well have serious corrosion too which requires a lot more work time to repair. Easily done with body off but a far more comprehensive job to do.
I’m sure there’s a TVR saying I heard once,,,,,, “There’s no such thing as a cheap TVR”
Luckily the Griff and Chim are cheap to own if you have a good one,,,,,, it just takes a tonne of money to make a good un so invariably it’s better to buy one that’s close to all done or had a long time very carefully dry use owner and if your unlucky might need riggers a few years down the line as that kind of car will have a good centre section you’d hope.
If your handy with the spanner’s and a welder I’d still be looking at getting the best mechanicals first as that’s the expensive stuff.
By the way welcome to the Chim forum and I seriously like your bikes
top man 
Good advice and taken onboard. I have dismissed the idea of purchasing this car. I am fairly competent with a spanner as I did a 4 year apprenticeship as a fitter and turner. Have recently undertaken an introductory course to welding and purchased a mig welder. Space is my issue, or lack of, as I have far too many bikes, many of which are projects. I am a bit of a Laverda addict. Thanks for the compliment!And the point made earlier in this thread, if the riggers are really as bad as a few pics make them look the centre sections of the chassis may well have serious corrosion too which requires a lot more work time to repair. Easily done with body off but a far more comprehensive job to do.
I’m sure there’s a TVR saying I heard once,,,,,, “There’s no such thing as a cheap TVR”
Luckily the Griff and Chim are cheap to own if you have a good one,,,,,, it just takes a tonne of money to make a good un so invariably it’s better to buy one that’s close to all done or had a long time very carefully dry use owner and if your unlucky might need riggers a few years down the line as that kind of car will have a good centre section you’d hope.
If your handy with the spanner’s and a welder I’d still be looking at getting the best mechanicals first as that’s the expensive stuff.
By the way welcome to the Chim forum and I seriously like your bikes
top man Das - It is a Saxon Motodd Laverda. One of circa 55 frames made by Nigel Hill of Saxon Racing and sold by Phil Todd of Motodd fame. I became obsessed and had 4 of these projects until recently, I sold the Mk1 but still have a Mk2, 3 and 4. There are only 5 of the Mk4 below. It has a rising rate anti dive front end which was copied by BMW and marketed as there Para-lever front end. This is a project that I have not started. In fact I sold the bike at the beginning of the year and recently bought it back!
Here is one of the 2 prototype Mk4's.
The Mk5 was raced by Sir Alan Cathcarte at Assen where he won!
Edited by ScrumpyJack on Tuesday 9th October 07:31
mach2 said:
If you're in Chippenham pop down the M4 to the boys at Amore autos. Mark and Paul are TVR nuts and will happily help you whether you end up buying from them or not. They can source a car to your spec and budget and also have ramps you can get the car up on before buying.
It will be the best few hours you will invest in before buying.
http://www.amoreautos.co.uk
Great advice Mach. I dropped in after work today to look at a more affordable S2 that was just advertised. Needs a lot of work but that was reflected in the price. I didn't realise that the V6 sounded so good and could be a consideration for the future. Very helpful guys with plenty of knowledge that they were happy to share and plenty of great cars. The outcome of the visit is when the cash is available to buy a car it will be one that is already sorted. I have the difficult decision of which bike/s to sell now! It will be the best few hours you will invest in before buying.
http://www.amoreautos.co.uk
Cheers Jack
So I went and looked at another locally advertised Chim being sold by a dealer. It didn't look bad for it's age and was in a colour that I liked. It had upgraded front calipers (why no rear as well?), 4 good Toyos and Nitron shocks. It also had deeper bucket seats than standard with the beige colour matching the interior, these where rigidly fixed to the floor with no adjustment. It started easily with nothing untoward out the rear end. Ticked over nicely but the oil pressure was about 15psi. It warmed up until the fans kicked in just below 90 deg C. Took it for a spin and it handled nicely with no rattling or other noises. The oil pressure seemed to drop to around 10psi (how accurate are the gauges?) and it did not seem to accelerate as well as the 2 I had recently been in (cheers Ed).
The advert did state fast road/track day car so I guess that it has been set up for the track and the seller did say it had been used on the track. Mileage was low but maybe it had a lot of track use?
I had my camera with me and stuck it underneath for a few snaps to look at when I got home. I am glad that I did.. The MOT history did not identify corrosion as an issue but looking at the pics when I got home I don't think it will be long before it is. So this is one I will walk away from. Check out the pics at the link as it may save you a journey.
Cheers Jack
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149151322@N05/albums...
DSC00165
The advert did state fast road/track day car so I guess that it has been set up for the track and the seller did say it had been used on the track. Mileage was low but maybe it had a lot of track use?
I had my camera with me and stuck it underneath for a few snaps to look at when I got home. I am glad that I did.. The MOT history did not identify corrosion as an issue but looking at the pics when I got home I don't think it will be long before it is. So this is one I will walk away from. Check out the pics at the link as it may save you a journey.
Cheers Jack
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149151322@N05/albums...
DSC00165Edited by ScrumpyJack on Saturday 20th October 19:44
Edited by ScrumpyJack on Saturday 20th October 22:46
Guys,
Thank you for your input, it is all helping me in this new environment. Your comments are appreciated and will hopefully help me in finding a suitable TVR for my budget. Yesterday was not wasted as I got to drive another TVR and have a good look around it and start to improve my awareness. Whilst this car had issues it did put into perspective the good points (sound and engine performance) of the first one I looked at. Well I am sure that I will keep on learning with the more I look at.
Ed - I remember your comments about oil pressure so will check out that thread.
Cheers Jack
Thank you for your input, it is all helping me in this new environment. Your comments are appreciated and will hopefully help me in finding a suitable TVR for my budget. Yesterday was not wasted as I got to drive another TVR and have a good look around it and start to improve my awareness. Whilst this car had issues it did put into perspective the good points (sound and engine performance) of the first one I looked at. Well I am sure that I will keep on learning with the more I look at.
Ed - I remember your comments about oil pressure so will check out that thread.
Cheers Jack
Edited by ScrumpyJack on Sunday 21st October 23:53
BeastMaster said:
I think if you are looking for a cheap car as a project then that is what you are going to get, the car looked like it was being sold through a dealer so is going to be more money than a private purchase, so was probably in the same place as the first car you visited for less money.
As you are finding out, its the underside of these cars which is key and that is where the cheap cars are - so unless you are willing to take on chassis work, or pay someone to undertake a restoration you will not find what you are looking for with the budget you have.
The good news is that the better cars are becoming stronger money, so a restoration can make the numbers work, at one time it would have been financial suicide to but such a car.
Good luck with the hunt, its now a good time to buy, just remember you only get what you pay for.
BM - You have hit the nail on the head here.As you are finding out, its the underside of these cars which is key and that is where the cheap cars are - so unless you are willing to take on chassis work, or pay someone to undertake a restoration you will not find what you are looking for with the budget you have.
The good news is that the better cars are becoming stronger money, so a restoration can make the numbers work, at one time it would have been financial suicide to but such a car.
Good luck with the hunt, its now a good time to buy, just remember you only get what you pay for.
I haven't looked at the forum for a while so was surprised to see this thread so active.
If the proprietor is reading this I was looking at the car with genuine interest and had no intention of wasting your time. I only commented on what I saw and besides the underside I would have been happy with the car knowing it required some work. I did spend an enjoyable couple of hours as you state and there was no criticism given or intended in my post of you or your business.
I did not lie to you. The photos acted as an aide memoire and used to benefit from others knowledge and experience. They where not taken to portray the car in a poor light. With the exception of one I posted here the rest are on a photo-hosting site. In hindsight I should have cropped the one with your business name showing, I have now deleted it.
I have never spent this much money on a car so when I do commit I want to be sure. As the car did not go up on a ramp the photos where very helpful as has been the input on the forum.
There has been some confusion with the 2 cars I looked at. On the photo-hosting site they are stored in different albums. But when accessing via a link it appears that they are not segregated and displayed in the sequence that they where taken.
The comment about "a wasted journey" was aimed at those who might have higher expectations of the chassis. I assume that the buyer had seen the pictures so did not have a wasted journey.
If the proprietor is reading this I was looking at the car with genuine interest and had no intention of wasting your time. I only commented on what I saw and besides the underside I would have been happy with the car knowing it required some work. I did spend an enjoyable couple of hours as you state and there was no criticism given or intended in my post of you or your business.
I did not lie to you. The photos acted as an aide memoire and used to benefit from others knowledge and experience. They where not taken to portray the car in a poor light. With the exception of one I posted here the rest are on a photo-hosting site. In hindsight I should have cropped the one with your business name showing, I have now deleted it.
I have never spent this much money on a car so when I do commit I want to be sure. As the car did not go up on a ramp the photos where very helpful as has been the input on the forum.
There has been some confusion with the 2 cars I looked at. On the photo-hosting site they are stored in different albums. But when accessing via a link it appears that they are not segregated and displayed in the sequence that they where taken.
The comment about "a wasted journey" was aimed at those who might have higher expectations of the chassis. I assume that the buyer had seen the pictures so did not have a wasted journey.
Edited by ScrumpyJack on Tuesday 30th October 20:03
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