Advice for a first time Chimp buyer
Discussion
Hi. At last I am looking to purchase a used Chimp with a budget of £25K. I have looked in Hawthorns TVR in Farnham and they were v helpful. Is there anything I should be made aware of with regard to purchasing and running a used one? Should I go for a 4, 4.5 or 5 litre?
All advice would be v much apreicated.
Theres no real formula for choosing between a 4, 450 or 5 - basically the quicker you want to go (with the least mpg) then the bigger the engine - if its your first ever TVR, i would suggest the 4l - ive just bought one of these (my first TVR), and believe me its plenty quick enough - the 5l is almost another second quicker in the 0-60 stakes, but i think it would just scare me, and the MPG is alot less aswell - Im not sure if im correct in saying this (please correct me if im wrong), but they all use similar components, gearbos,diff, etc - which means that the 5 litre versions will be a lot more stressed than the 4l's due to all that extra grunt (some 90BHP more!!) - if this is so, then a 4l should theoretically be more reliable.
I think the best thing is to go a test drive them, and decide for yourself - be prepared to pay a deposit the moment you start the engine 
good luck.
Chris
good luck.
Chris
I had the same thoughts when i bought mine ( 2 yrs ago ). I opted for the 4.0 as it's my only car & I didn't fancy hauling a thirsty 5.0 about. Although the 4.0 is thirsty enough if you ask me My advice would be 3-4 years old, around 20k miles on the clock, Its a good market for buyers at the moment. I think you'd get a what you want and >5k change out of your budget. Test as many as you can, then buy one
rob.
My advice would be 3-4 years old, around 20k miles on the clock, Its a good market for buyers at the moment. I think you'd get a what you want and >5k change out of your budget. Test as many as you can, then buy one
rob. 
I took the plunge last year and purchased my first chimp a new 4.5. I use the
car as my main mode of transport and I must say so far it’s never let me down.
As for engine size the 4.5 is very quick but I wish I’d opted for the 5ltr version,more power, more noise & not quite as common as the 4/ 4.5 ltr version, which could be a plus point a resale time. I guess that the only down side is fuel consumption, but then who every said that running a performance car was going to be cheap !!!
My advice would be to try and drive the various models and decide which one is for you. If you can try and take someone along with you who has knowledge of the marques. Good luck.
Edited by youth on Monday 30th April 10:52
I have read about cars on this site, which have apparently been an absolute nightmare. However, I think that the majority of tiv’s are reasonable reliable and just suffer from quirky problems.
On my car, which I purchased brand new last year I have covered nearly 14k
in just over 12 months. The list of repairs are as follows.
· Brake light’s not working
· Head lamps incorrectly adjusted
· Drivers side door solenoid packed up
· Drivers door mirror became loose
· Fuses for fans blew
· New radiator required after 10,000 miles
· Leak in drivers side foot well
· Blown gasket
As you can see nothing particularly major has gone wrong, all fixed under the TVR warranty ( apart from rad ). A lot of the problems are caused by the dealers, so make sure that you buy from a decent one. looking through the site will give you some indication of the good and bad ones.
Buy the latest model you can afford that has been used regularly, try and speak with the former owner to find out the history. Or get an independent specialist to check the car out before you by it.
Edited by youth on Monday 30th April 11:37
I bought my 500 new in 1999. It has been brilliant. It has suffered its share of TVR nasties. These are as follows:
1. Trim fell off - wrong glue (replaced under warranty
2. Wing mirror whistled tunes at speed (Repaired under warranty)
3. Crankshaft pulley bolt snapped (Aaargh) (Whole pulley assembly and bolt replaced by TVR even though car was outside warranty)Was considered to have been overtorqued at build.
4. A bit of trim fell off the door seal.
The 500 is significantly faster than my previous 400 and you never feel as if it is underpowered (until you try the Tuscan!)
MPG has been around 21, though on a long trip I have seen as much as 25.
I recommend the experience.
John
quote:Edited by johnwilk on Monday 30th April 14:05
Hi. At last I am looking to purchase a used Chimp with a budget of £25K. I have looked in Hawthorns TVR in Farnham and they were v helpful. Is there anything I should be made aware of with regard to purchasing and running a used one? Should I go for a 4, 4.5 or 5 litre? All advice would be v much apreicated.
quote:Experience is good, but limited, as i havnt actually picked it up yet - im buying it off a friend (so i know its reliable), but im trying to sell my MX5 at the moment, hoping to pick it up in a weeks time, and i cannot wait
Thx Fordy. I think you confimred my thoughts about the eingine size and yep I can well believe that once I turn the key I will not be walking out of the showroom without a new set of keys in my hand. How are you finding the experience?
Ive found that the dealer markups were to high for me, so i looked privately, if you look carefully and allow for a £1K service, you can still pick up a good one for 2-3K cheaper than a dealer. One thing i would recommend, as im sure most on here will - is to buy Steve Heaths book on the Griffith and Chimaera - gives details of what to look for and troubleshhoting guide,etc - bit like a haynes manual, but with more knowledge!!!
cheers
Chris
quote:I got my copy from Amazon. Took AGES to come but did actually arrive in the end! It IS most definitely worth reading. By the way: Doesn't matter if you get a 450 or 500 IMHO. Either of these models is quite powerful enough to have you s***ing yourself! (They're GREAT!) http://www.amazon.co.uk
Cheers fordy - is this available at most bookshops or on the web somewhere?
quote:Got the book from the TVR club, came next day. Chimp im getting is a 1995-M reg 4 litre in Amythist purple, with full magnolia hide and PAS and all the ally trim bits on it (indicator stalks and the like) - Just need to get rid of my MX5, and its proving more difficult than i thought - anyone know anyone that wants one - its a 1.8iS in red 1996, asking £8.3K for it. cheers Chris
Cheers fordy - is this available at most bookshops or on the we b somewhere? what chimp are u getting and what spec??
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