What to look for on 2nd hand chimp

[jimmy]

I am looking at chimp 4l's and I have found a nice p plate 4l, when i started it in the showroom out of one of the exhausts came some black stuff which went on the carpet. It looked like oil but i am not sure. The car went well and no smoke came from the back at all. It has 30k miles on with 1 owner from new, its a p plate and they want 18k - does this sound good.. r James

[Dr chuff]

Jimmy, Price doesn't sound bad for a dealer. Is it a TVR dealer? The black deposit was most likely soot mixed with condensation, which appears in the exhaust pipes when they cool. The most important thing to check is the log book/history. If it's a reliable TVR dealer, evrything should be up to scratch. If it's not a TVR dealer (or TVR specialist), then they may know very little about fettling TVRs. Dr C

[steveab]

Sounds like a reasonable price, I've just bought a chim 4.5 from a (very reputable) dealer for 19K, 98R 1 owner, 12K miles. The car is immaculate except for a couple of chips in the door wells (which no-one sees) and the front was resprayed for stone chips before I bought it! Chims do seem to be coming down a great deal in price. 18K for a P sounds normal (although quite high mileage - a least all the major mechanical gripes will be ironed out. Funily enough I was looking at a Cerbera 4.2 P with similar mileage, although I had 5 owners (hmm!). My attitude is that if drives well and looks / feels right, and is backed up by a full TVR service history from a TVR dealer then grab it with both hands. If you do have any gripes, most TVR dealers give a 6month or more warranty so you've got some comeback. Enjoy!

[jimmy]

Guys The car has a full TVR service history but the person selling it is not a dealer and sells specialits cars such as tvr's and other performance vehicles. Steve where are you buying yours from, do they have a web site? thanks guys.. r J

[jimmy]

Dr chuff, it has full tvr service but is being sold by a non tvr garage.. is it not a good ideas to buy from such a garage? r j

[graham]

I bought my p plater 18 months ago from a non specialist, and no probs. as long as you check the car outproperly and drive as many as you can and it feels right, i dont think it matters where you buy from...

[Dr chuff]

It probably is fine, since it has a full TVR history, which presumably reads ok. The point I was making about non-TVR garages is that they may not check TVR particular areas, such as lower wishbones/bushes, stepper motor, manifold gaskets, etc. I believe there are TVR experts out there who will check out a prospective car for a fee, or most dealers will give it a once over. Have you tried checking out the car's provenance on the list or register? Dr C

[jimmy]

Dr chuff I have actually phoned the only prev. owner and had a good chat with him.. r J

[RobM]

If you get the reg-no, you can also ring the factory & verify the service history.

[jimmy]

nice one rob.. what u upto this weekend.. takeing her for a spin... r j

[RobM]

What else are weekends for Looks like its top off weather too. Dont go singing in the bath now, dont want any rain.

[RickyM]

When you took it out for a spin, did you go long enough to get the engine warm? I only ask as depending on what its had done to it, the clutch may be quite worn by now (something which ive found is easier to tell when the engine is warm). Check for hissing sounds from the back (diff bearings), Tread depth (silly I know, but why turn 18K into 19K?), and check the fans come on at 90 degrees and keep the engine at 90 degrees. Any other ideas anyone?