TVR chimaera

[golfg60 0]

Chaps,

 

Its been a while since i had a car i enjoyed. I've been to see a few TVR's and would like the Chimaera. I've seen a few but i'm not 100% sure. Has anybody on the forum got one or driven one? Thoughts please??

 

Cheers

 

Tom

[ReekieVR 0]

hi !

 

What you want to know ?

 

sorry that was a short reply - am busy all afternoon but will reply this eve.

 

basics are:

1. get a good one/dont worry about mileage - they need to be driven to be reliable/use a 'finder' who knows what they are talking about - worth the extra money.

2. join pistonheads, tvrcgb and purchase the tvr bible.

3. 4l is fast and 'more' reliable ( some say ) and probably drives - better around town, 4.5 is very fast and smooth, 5l has much more torqu, but probably not that much faster that a 4.5

4. get a days tuition with 'ride drive' if you have little experience with rwd, no traction control, light, sports cars.

5. be very carefull in the wet.

 

hope this keeps you going.

 

two others on here run them ( jonrb for 1 )

[golfg60 0]

To be honest mate i'm not sure. The people i have spoken to about them have mainly put them down but without really supporting the negative comments. What are they like for reliabilty, performance, fun etc etc?

I'm really up for getting one but need confirmation from people that actually owned one or know about them rather than people quoting car magazines.

[Goldie 2]

Ive only been take out in one as my brother in law had a 5.0 v8 one before getting a Tuscan...

 

Performance = massive, it was a monster and the fun factor was huge.....

[ReekieVR 0]

You are going to need about £1k a year to run it ( excluding petrol and ins ) plus a 1K contingency fund in case.

 

The trick is to get a good one. There are loads of lemons out there. I have been running mine for 18 months now and it hasnt put a foot wrong. He starts every time ( touch wood ). The chassis is the week point on these. Its very exposed and can rust if not maintained properly with waxol and regular checks. This is why very regular serviceing is a must ( doesnt have to be dealer but not a standard garage please ).

 

They are mental fun, i have dont a trackday around knockhill in mine and it was nutts. Blowing the track fezzas away. Chims have a big boot ( roof goes in here, but you can still get a couple of large holdals in and some shopping if done propa )

 

0-60 is normally between 4.2 and 5 depending on engine / tune. 70 - 120 in 4th in mine is insane with the 5l torqs ! But the nosie beats all else. Thats what puts the silly grin on your dish !!! I think i put a sound file up somewhere.

[ReekieVR 0]

sound file here

[golfg60 0]

Cheers for the info there mate.

 

The sound of that engine is mad, i cant wait to get one now. Is there much difference between the 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 litre engines and also the engines with HC? looking at the performance figures there doesnt seem to be a huge deal but surely the torque difference must be huge?

 

I'm going to a TVR dealer tonight to look at 2 of them, one on an M plate and the other on an S - both 4 ltrs. the garage says that they cars are all checked for the usual TVR problems and will come with 3 months warranty.

[ben16v 0]

caios G60pwr has a cerb

 

here

[ReekieVR 0]

The best thing to do is to contact your local TVRCGB, meet some owners who will tell you what you need to know about owning one. Get some rides out in various versions.

 

Some info off tvrcgb:

 

Berkshire

Meet 3rd Tuesday of the month at

The Swan, Three Mile Cross near Reading (Junction 11 off M4) from 7.30pm

 

Contact Graham Maidlow

Tel: 0118 9696965

or 07790 197904 (mobile)

email: mailto:[email protected]

Wesite: http://www.tvrcc-berks.co.uk

 

Just go along to the meet next week !

 

Standard advice is 'dont buy the 1st one you see !' If you end up with a lemon you will learn to hate it very quickly ( as will your wallet )

 

As i recall the hc is just a badge and all later v8 (serpentine) engines are hc.

[ReekieVR 0]

Some extra info here at Chimaerapages

[ReekieVR 0]

How did you get on at the stealers golfg60 ?

[golfg60 0]

Hi mate,

 

Cheers for the link to that info!!

 

It went really well, the car i orgininally went to look at was a bit rough so i ruled that out. He then showed me an R plate, imperial blue mint condiotion for 10k. The only down side was the mileage at 90k. I wasnt bothered so much by that though because it had a fully history and the dealership had serviced it from new so they were well familiar with the car. It drove really well too. I'm just trying to find a decent insurance quote. The best yet is £650 from Priviledge. Who are you insured with?

 

Tom

[ReekieVR 0]

Adrian Manning (A manning:-01491578759. Relevant ph thread here) is the club recomended insurer ( you get free unlimited trackday cover too !) plus a good discount if you join the club. They are normaly the cheapest anyway.

 

Will this be a 2nd car or your only one ? Thing is if its a 2nd car you have to start a new no claims up on it, but as insurers know that most tvrs are smashed within 1st year of ownership, the second year price drops a lot. Sayin that £650 for a 28yo is a pretty good quote man ! Get limited mileage on it if its a weekender etc.

 

Re looking for one:

 

Read this

 

And if you can spare the funds use him or him to inspect your car before you buy it. Dont just take the dealer's word for it ( esp on a 90k car. FYI -a new chassis or engine is about 8 - 12K.)

 

Have a look at loads before you buy - trust me there are some peaches out there, but the ratio to lemons is high.

[golfg60 0]

Spot on mate - some really good info there. Thanks!!!

 

Yeah, you wouldnt believe the amount of insurers that have turned me down as this is the first TVR i've owned - they all said to come back after a year.

 

I will have a look at a few more, i was all set to put my deposit down until i spoke to you. To be fair the mileage has put me off, even though it sounded nice and pulled well with no knocks etc.

 

Thanks for the help though - really appreciate that. I'll keep you posted on how i get on pal.

 

Tom

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

Ive had my Cerbera a couple of months now. Starting to get a bit more used to the savage personality of the car! Still have to take it to a track to get a proper feel for the car though. I reckon a track day with tuition is essential for a new TVR owner. Even going in a straight line on the powers hairy! There just so fast and mental powerful its to dangerous to get anywhere near the limits on the road. Ive unfortunately had some big bills already, clutch, master cylinder, slave cylinder and front disks. So far Im putting it down to initial post purchase problems, well hopefully it be okay for a bit now. Another thing with the maintenance on them is that a slight squeak or funny feeling from the car is to scary to ignore. Any geometry problems or wobbles really show in a car that so tight and powerful. Have I said powerful, dangerous, fast and mental enough yet?

 

By the way John at Brentacre sorted me out with a brilliant price on my insurance, even though its not a VAG.

[ReekieVR 0]

Are you using heel/toe caios ? It seems to be essential to drive them properly - the revs drop to nothing when you dip the clutch. Plus you have to avoid clutch / engine braking on the downshift - especially in the wet.

Its taken me about 6 - 9 months to get into it and i am still learning !

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

Yeah I am actually, well trying. :lol: I had some race driving tuition in preparation for doing my ARDS test and my instructor told me to practice it on the road. Locked up the rears of an Exige dropping down a gear at the end of the hanger straight at Silverstone, must have been doing over 130mph++. 8) :lol: I can see why its an important technique to get right on the track. At the moment Im doing it mostly because it sounds so great in the Cerbera! Not really done much hard breaking or slowing down yet because my front discs where absolutely ragged!! Quite surprised how good the brakes are now Ive got some new discs, still feeling the limits of them but I think the going to be incredible.

 

Have to agree there, the wet is stupid scary! 8) Even when the sun goes in and there some moister in the air, I swear its tractions effected by even that slight condition change. :lol: :wink:

[Kick Up The Rs 0]

Try ClassicLine (Ian Fray) in Leicester.

 

I used to insure my old Tivs through them and they were absurdley (sp.) cheap.

 

Limited mileage & mirrored NCB though.

[Pau1 0]

I've just bought a Chimaera 5 ltr. Looked at heaps before i found this one. Its true that there is alot of Lemons out there but its well worth buyin a good one from the start. I pick mine up in a couple of weeks, I'll let you know how it all goes in the end.

[ReekieVR 0]

Great stuff Paul1. You gonna join the tvrcgb-scotland? There are loads of runs and meets - be good to see you on some ! ( Central meet - 1st sat of the month @ 12:30 Menstrie nr Stirling. Normally an hour & 1/2 run beforehand - meet 11am stirling services, not always though ).

 

Get some pics up when you get it.

[Pau1 0]

Yeah will do. I've joined the TVR club GB already is there a seperate one for Scotland?

I'll be sure to get picys up when i get her. Already bought some clear indicators for her. Theres just no need for orange indicators... LOL

 

Had to buy that plate that was for sale too, off of Rob. S 5LTR. Can't wait.

[ReekieVR 0]

Yeah will do. I've joined the TVR club GB already is there a seperate one for Scotland?

 

No - sorry to be confusing ! There is a yahoo group which is where all the Scottish runs and meets are organised though:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tvr-scotland/

 

You'll need to join yahoo. I just get the digest sent regularly as an email.

 

Re: the club mag - its very well done. Did you get this months with the tvrpower superchargers SC400, SC450 and SC500 ? Can you imagine the loonacy ??!!

[Pau1 0]

Yes, i got that issue... Great timing that was... Already got me thinking... LOL

Need to get used to driving it properly first though but it looks like it'll be the way to go in the future.

Very impressed with the quality of the Magazine in general though.

I was thinking about a 5 stud conversion and a set of Spyders but i dont want to ruin the handling...

 

Yahoo, membership to the group now pending.

[Campaign 0]

Funnily enough, I was chatting to James Agger last week at the Ashby Folville meet (I went to school with him). He was asking me about where to get Corrado wing mirrors from for his Tuscans... he has a really nice Tuscan in at the moment with green flip-paint...More pics at Autoposter.co.uk

[Pau1 0]

haha, yeah the Corrado Mirror Mod should definetly be done.