Discussion
Just after some friendly advice please.
I will be purchasing a 94/95 4ltr Chim in a couple of months and was just wondering is there anyone out there that uses their car as daily transport all year round?, and also what are the major points to be looking out for when looking around a used Chim of that kind of age?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
WICKSY
Wicksy,
Try and go for a 450 rather than a 400 if you can, I was given that advise also, generally the 450 is a pokey beast but not as harsh as the 500. Its great for niping around town as well as flooring it on track days. It shouldn't cost you a great deal more to buy and insurance is the same.
If you're new to Tivs buy one from a main dealer so you have a bit of come back should things turn pear shaped.
Ensure it has a full service history (TVR approved). Also for a car of that age it should have done about 15 - 25 (or possibly more) miles. Try and avoid really low milage ones since they've sat in a garage (either none use, or being repaired.)
Other than that, usual used car rules will apply (damaged or badly worn / not cared for interior - means its been thrashed, probably by a non tvr enthusiast.)
Don't worry about stone chips on the front too much since even 6month old tivs get a bit battered there, since they're low slung. Alot of owners get the front resprayed every 2-3 years for that reason.
Hope it goes well, welcome aboard!!
Steve
List of things that should have gone wrong and been replaced by now:
Radiator
Steering rack
All the bushes on the wishbones
If you have a pile of receipts, look for these items - bushes are cheap, but replacing the whole car's worth is a bit more costly. New cars have small poly washers between the bush and the chassis and many replacements have these - prevents the bushes going so quickly.
I would recommend going for something with at least 25,000 miles on it. TVRs like to be used and the more you use them the more reliable they seem to be.
You also need to make a decision whether to go for PAS or not. I don't want to start a discussion on this, but there are two camps - those who love it and the purists who dislike it.
Trefor/.
Remember there's a lot of them to choose from and so don't jump at the first one you see.
Also, depending on your ownership expectency - go for a colour combo that's re-sellable (metallic or Starmist cars in blue, green or red with a biscuit, grey or black leather interior - magnolia gets grubby very quickly)
Oh, and my 450 gave me better mileage than my 400 - not that fuel consumption should be part of the decision criteria 
Ahhahahahah. Do it. You know it makes sense.
I've recently bought a 97P 4.0 Chimeara and it use as regular but non-essential transport. Prevention is better than cure has to be the motto here. It's never going to be as reliable as a VW, but if you get to know the car, roughly how it works and where the danger lurks you should be able to catch most things before they escalate. Get a book on the car and give it a proper read. May I also suggest you join the AA.
quote:
Remember there's a lot of them to choose from and so don't jump at the first one you see. Also, depending on your ownership expectency - go for a colour combo that's re-sellable (metallic or Starmist cars in blue, green or red with a biscuit, grey or black leather interior - magnolia gets grubby very quickly) Oh, and my 450 gave me better mileage than my 400 - not that fuel consumption should be part of the decision criteria
I was interested to see the "low mileage so it hasn't been thrashed" comment. How does that figure? It might only ever have been used for track days! While a guy who runs it on the motorway at 80mph for 50K miles probably has the best settle and most reliable car of the lot.
I'm a bit of a believer that car that is put through its paces a bit is probably a good bit more reliable that one that just pootles around the whole time. I've said before my last 2 cars (160K and 140K miles) where open throttle a good percentage of the time and the engines were still tip top when the rest of the bodywork rusted away (they were 1987 cars)
As long as people remember what things are bad for a car (revving it up from cold, leaving it idling to warm up, labouring, downchanging for engine braking etc etc) then a bit of lively use isn't going to hurt anything.
Cant agree more. I use mine everyday of the week averageing what, about 250 miles a week. I havnt really had a sniff out of it mechanically. Had to change the radiator, do the bushes, discs and pads, but apart from that nothing. Its a 97P and i got it with 26K on the clock previously owned by a doctor. Since then ive put on 15K and it runs like a dream. Needs a service soon, but you shouldnt really worry too much these days about a TVR certfified garage. As long as its been looked after you'll get the same money in the end. TVR certfied's are not all good and neither are non certifed's but there are some very good non-certifeds that in the end will become certified. Tip is just look after it, its a reliable car if you take care of the right bits. Hey and after all that do whats its meant for and have massive amount of fun, oh and its good for pulling the chicks aswell!!!!
I know, people seem to think that leaving an engine ticking over for 10 minutes before moving it is somehow a "good thing". Did anyone ever pull the plugs out of an engine that's been ticking over from cold and see just how manky they get? Cold tickover is one of the least engine-friendly operating points.
Start it, let the oil pressure come up, and drive away (just don't thrash it until it's at full temp.)
Unless as Trefor says, you have a formula1 style coolant preheater...
Edited by xain on Friday 10th August 09:58
Edited by xain on Friday 10th August 09:58
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