Buying my first TVR
Discussion
Hi, I soon hope to buying my first Chimaera, and just wondered if anyone can give me some general advice, on what to look for, questions to ask the dealers etc.
Ive got about 25K to spend (assuming I get 5K-ish p/x) so I should be able to get something quite nice...right?
Ideally I want 4.5 or 5.0 on a 1999(T), PAS, Griff Wheels, CD-Stacker, is this realistic, or am I asking to much?
I'm scared of spending that much cash privately, which is a shame, since there seem to be a lot of nice looking cars out there, so have decided to buy from dealers, as a warrenty is given, but they do charge big bucks. Any opinions here?
Any help or advice will be most appreciated, as the whole thing is somewhat overwhelming and so easy to walk into a showroom and want the first TVR you see.
Ive got about 25K to spend (assuming I get 5K-ish p/x) so I should be able to get something quite nice...right?
Ideally I want 4.5 or 5.0 on a 1999(T), PAS, Griff Wheels, CD-Stacker, is this realistic, or am I asking to much?
I'm scared of spending that much cash privately, which is a shame, since there seem to be a lot of nice looking cars out there, so have decided to buy from dealers, as a warrenty is given, but they do charge big bucks. Any opinions here?
Any help or advice will be most appreciated, as the whole thing is somewhat overwhelming and so easy to walk into a showroom and want the first TVR you see.
1. Buy Steve Heath's excellent book on the Griffth & Chimaera (www.tvrbooks.co.uk/) as there is a section on buying secondhand that is essential reading.
2. You only get the Griffith 500 6-spokes on a Chimaera 500.
3. Do not buy the first one you drive, no matter what the temptation!
2. You only get the Griffith 500 6-spokes on a Chimaera 500.
3. Do not buy the first one you drive, no matter what the temptation!
For that money you can pick the colour you want too. £25K will allow you to get something rather nice. I know of a chap that is selling his 4.0 T with PAS and Aircon via Fernies and asking £23K - with a 12 month waranty. So you go for it....
Check the independants and some of the main dealers (slightly higher prices) but in general you are aiming at the right price and you should get exactly what you want.
Cheers,
Paul
Check the independants and some of the main dealers (slightly higher prices) but in general you are aiming at the right price and you should get exactly what you want.
Cheers,
Paul
Adrian Blyth (www.adrianblyth.co.uk/) has a nice looking one that you might be interested in:
Chimaera 5.0 1999/S
Cooper green with magnolia hide, butterscotch carpets and dashtop, black hood, power steering, multi CD and rear speakers, s/steel kickplates, magnolia dials, Griffith alloys, two owners, 15,000 miles, full service history, a first class example in a classic colour combination: £23,950
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Chimaera 5.0 1999/S
Cooper green with magnolia hide, butterscotch carpets and dashtop, black hood, power steering, multi CD and rear speakers, s/steel kickplates, magnolia dials, Griffith alloys, two owners, 15,000 miles, full service history, a first class example in a classic colour combination: £23,950
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I don't believe that a franchised dealer offers enough for the premium they charge. The warranty offered will be backed off to a 3rd party and will not cover wear and tear. It is amazing what is classified as wear and tear when you come to make a claim.
If you have to p/x your current car then trawl around some of the better independents (that's what I did). Or sell it privately. I had a Mazda MX6 - I know the hard way that they do not sell easily.
If I was buying again then I would buy privately (and no I'm not trying to talk up my car - I'm not selling).
As for what you can get for the money, it is a buyers market, but less so this time of year with the summer coming.
There are many, many threads on here discussing what to look for, where to buy from etc etc.
All I would add is that if you are scared of spending £25k privately are you not also uncomfortable spending that much at a dealer? Why not spend £18-£20k privately (get it inspected) and stick £5-£7k in the bank just in case it all goes wrong?
Just my opinion.
If you have to p/x your current car then trawl around some of the better independents (that's what I did). Or sell it privately. I had a Mazda MX6 - I know the hard way that they do not sell easily.
If I was buying again then I would buy privately (and no I'm not trying to talk up my car - I'm not selling).
As for what you can get for the money, it is a buyers market, but less so this time of year with the summer coming.
There are many, many threads on here discussing what to look for, where to buy from etc etc.
All I would add is that if you are scared of spending £25k privately are you not also uncomfortable spending that much at a dealer? Why not spend £18-£20k privately (get it inspected) and stick £5-£7k in the bank just in case it all goes wrong?
Just my opinion.
25K should get you a nice example of what you are looking for, however I would bargain in some sort of warranty into the deal.
Dealers will charge a 2.5K - 5K premium over what one pays privately, but you do get some peace of mind. Servicing work etc runs at around £50 - £60 an hour (standard across all prestige marques really) at a dealer and an independant will charge about half that(who from the posts on here seem equally good) so it really all comes down to the TVR stamp.
Hope this is a good starting point, but there really is a WEALTH of information here on Pistonheads and you've made a wise choice looking here in general!
Matt.
Dealers will charge a 2.5K - 5K premium over what one pays privately, but you do get some peace of mind. Servicing work etc runs at around £50 - £60 an hour (standard across all prestige marques really) at a dealer and an independant will charge about half that(who from the posts on here seem equally good) so it really all comes down to the TVR stamp.
Hope this is a good starting point, but there really is a WEALTH of information here on Pistonheads and you've made a wise choice looking here in general!
Matt.
Getting back to the "Dealer or Private" take the middle ground!
If you go for an Independent of the standing of someone like Adrian Blyth as JonRB recommends, you'll be in relatively safe hands.
TVRs get a reputation because many cars need little niggles sorting out - mostly because they are not driven regularly enough for the things to come to light and be sorted in the ordinary day to day care.
A specialist will give you the sort of re-assurance that you won't get with a private sale, and you hear too many many times that AA/RAC don't know what they're looking at (but there's no real mystery to how a Chimaera works!!) (Well not unless it doesn't!!!!)
But also, are you going to care for it or will you expect someone else to service and sort it? If the latter find yourself someone you can trust to do that before you buy. You could always find yourself a local expert who you can trust and pay for them to check over any potential purchase which you expect them to then service?!
Anyway, also to echo JonRB don't buy the first one.......
.....not like some of us mugs do!!! (Went to look at an S3 meself, can't afford anything newer.....grumble, grumble)
Ron (Black Griff, small bank balance, large grin)
If you go for an Independent of the standing of someone like Adrian Blyth as JonRB recommends, you'll be in relatively safe hands.
TVRs get a reputation because many cars need little niggles sorting out - mostly because they are not driven regularly enough for the things to come to light and be sorted in the ordinary day to day care.
A specialist will give you the sort of re-assurance that you won't get with a private sale, and you hear too many many times that AA/RAC don't know what they're looking at (but there's no real mystery to how a Chimaera works!!) (Well not unless it doesn't!!!!)
But also, are you going to care for it or will you expect someone else to service and sort it? If the latter find yourself someone you can trust to do that before you buy. You could always find yourself a local expert who you can trust and pay for them to check over any potential purchase which you expect them to then service?!
Anyway, also to echo JonRB don't buy the first one.......
.....not like some of us mugs do!!! (Went to look at an S3 meself, can't afford anything newer.....grumble, grumble)
Ron (Black Griff, small bank balance, large grin)
quote:Errrm, ah. Blush.
Anyway, also to echo JonRB don't buy the first one.......
.....not like some of us mugs do!!!
Ok, ok, I confess! I bought the first one I drove! Well, the 2nd if you count the fact that I took the Hawthorns (yes, yes, I bought from a dealer too!) 4.0 demonstrator out, said "too slow", then drove a 500 they had for sale and bought it on the spot. Ah well.
www.bedlingtonmotorcompany.co.uk A couple of us up north have dealt with them. Paul is the man to speak to. He is aiming to get big in selling TVR's. He uses NOELV8 to check and sort them. He is currently advertising an S Reg 500 chimaera in dark Met Blue with Magnolia hide, 10000mls for £21995. They are very pleasant and straightforward people to deal with and Noel is no idiot when it comes to fixing TVRs.Worth the call.
Pepsi
Would echo all that's been said. I bought my 4.0 Chim only a month or so ago and that was after looking for about six months. Jeremy, Waldonway STILL have yours do they? Must be worth a ridiculous offer ...
I listened to everyone on this site, bought the 'bible', read every thread, then read 'em again ... and still bought from a dealer. Why? Because when you're spending that much money, and you're gonna be spending 10k more than I did
, it's nice to get a warranty and to buy a car that's been well sorted with a full history. There are better dealers than others, but I would say don't just look to buy from a franchised one – the independents are excellent and you'll soon pick up who to get to know and who not to from reading this site. Can't say I'll think the same (buying from dealer) when I buy the Tamora (oh, I've beaten you to it Plotloss 
Only jokin' boys
DIDN'T buy the FIRST one either.
Sadly, you're in the Norwich area which has no dealers at all so you're gonna have to travel a bit to get what you want – if you fancy a trip out to TMS at Melton then give me a shout, you'll be going past me front door
>> Edited by MikeyT on Wednesday 3rd April 18:34
Would echo all that's been said. I bought my 4.0 Chim only a month or so ago and that was after looking for about six months. Jeremy, Waldonway STILL have yours do they? Must be worth a ridiculous offer ...
I listened to everyone on this site, bought the 'bible', read every thread, then read 'em again ... and still bought from a dealer. Why? Because when you're spending that much money, and you're gonna be spending 10k more than I did
, it's nice to get a warranty and to buy a car that's been well sorted with a full history. There are better dealers than others, but I would say don't just look to buy from a franchised one – the independents are excellent and you'll soon pick up who to get to know and who not to from reading this site. Can't say I'll think the same (buying from dealer) when I buy the Tamora (oh, I've beaten you to it Plotloss Only jokin' boys
DIDN'T buy the FIRST one either.
Sadly, you're in the Norwich area which has no dealers at all so you're gonna have to travel a bit to get what you want – if you fancy a trip out to TMS at Melton then give me a shout, you'll be going past me front door
>> Edited by MikeyT on Wednesday 3rd April 18:34
I was holding out for a dealer sourced 500 but spent ages looking for the combo I wanted (FTVRSH, metallic red or blue, Leven switchgear, CD stacker, PAS, two tone leather) so resorted to looking at private. I ended up with a private 1999V, 20K mls, all the specs I was looking for in fantastic GTS Viper pearl blue for £21k. BUT, I did an HPI check, got Fernhursts to fully inspect it (£60 - verdict 'mint'), and got a full 2yr Warranty Holdings warranty direct from them for £575 (Fernies wanted £1275 for the same policy).
I reckon I saved at least £5k which should pay for a lot of repairs (assuming WH renege on some things) and got exactly what I wanted. So far it's been faultless though (touch wood).
I reckon I saved at least £5k which should pay for a lot of repairs (assuming WH renege on some things) and got exactly what I wanted. So far it's been faultless though (touch wood).
quote:
I was holding out for a dealer sourced 500 but spent ages looking for the combo I wanted (FTVRSH, metallic red or blue, Leven switchgear, CD stacker, PAS, two tone leather) so resorted to looking at private. I ended up with a private 1999V, 20K mls, all the specs I was looking for in fantastic GTS Viper pearl blue for £21k. BUT, I did an HPI check, got Fernhursts to fully inspect it (£60 - verdict 'mint'), and got a full 2yr Warranty Holdings warranty direct from them for £575 (Fernies wanted £1275 for the same policy).
I reckon I saved at least £5k which should pay for a lot of repairs (assuming WH renege on some things) and got exactly what I wanted. So far it's been faultless though (touch wood).
Hey late,
Was this the one on the classifieds a while back (Ascot)?
Looked fantastic in that colour.
Mine has two tone full leather – I quote from the handbook (posh voice) – "Irish mist and Ocean Haze" – basically light and dark green an I love it!
As soon as I saw it had the TVR logo stitched on the headrests I said to the missus "Gotta have it love, sorry" . She laughed and reached for her cheque book!
>> Edited by MikeyT on Wednesday 3rd April 23:56
Well...thanks guys...I didn't expect quite so much so quickly. I'll be honest I am most likely to buy from a dealer/specialist, but at least I've got something to think about with regards to a private buy.
But, how good are the warrenties you can buy from WH?
Are they really worth the paper they are written on?
MikeyT...Melton is indeed one of the closer dealers to me, so I may have to make a trip that way, I was supposed to a couple of weeks ago to test drive the Bentley Amethyst car, but they messed me about, and now its gone. I'll give you a shout sometime then..cheers
RUF3, I looked at the car at Bedlington on the website...nice!, but its over 200 miles away from here...
but thanks anyway, maybe I'll go if things don't go well elsewhere.
Finally, just wanna say THANKS to all of you once more.
But, how good are the warrenties you can buy from WH?
Are they really worth the paper they are written on?
MikeyT...Melton is indeed one of the closer dealers to me, so I may have to make a trip that way, I was supposed to a couple of weeks ago to test drive the Bentley Amethyst car, but they messed me about, and now its gone. I'll give you a shout sometime then..cheers
RUF3, I looked at the car at Bedlington on the website...nice!, but its over 200 miles away from here...
but thanks anyway, maybe I'll go if things don't go well elsewhere. Finally, just wanna say THANKS to all of you once more.
I nearly bought the first one I saw, it looked good, 39k had 5 owners and a copy of the Service History from TVR (Where the original was I don't know).
I wanted and independent check and the owner became really anti- AA inspection, he lost the sale because he refused to have it done.
That was a private seller, see my Thread on here Seller from Hell for more details on that one.
That nearly put me off buying privately, but I thought I'd look at another, an R Reg one for £15500.
It has 52500 miles but has been serviced by the same dealer,TMS, has only had 2 owners both women, and the last owner had the receipts from the year she owned it, photos from the original advert when she bought it, and would only have Paul at TMS look at it.
The car was trailered up to TMS when it was serviced from Milton Keynes.
She would regularly take it into the Corvette dealer in Milton Keynes to get it topped up with oil!!The front has been resprayed as there are only a couple of stone chips and the interior is immaculate.
Being a later model it has the PAS and optional lumbar and Aircon (which has just been re-gassed.
It has also got 2 brand new SO3's on the front and I've got a spare SO2 (Virtually brand new) aswell that came off the car.
The other one had worn out, (apparently it is a well know fact that cars in Milton Keynes tend to wear out the same plane in their Tyres due to all the roundabouts).Someone told my dad that it must be true.
So don't discount buying privately, there are good ones out there that are well cared for.
Where could you get a series 2 Chim at a dealer for £15500.
Lee
I wanted and independent check and the owner became really anti- AA inspection, he lost the sale because he refused to have it done.
That was a private seller, see my Thread on here Seller from Hell for more details on that one.
That nearly put me off buying privately, but I thought I'd look at another, an R Reg one for £15500.
It has 52500 miles but has been serviced by the same dealer,TMS, has only had 2 owners both women, and the last owner had the receipts from the year she owned it, photos from the original advert when she bought it, and would only have Paul at TMS look at it.
The car was trailered up to TMS when it was serviced from Milton Keynes.
She would regularly take it into the Corvette dealer in Milton Keynes to get it topped up with oil!!The front has been resprayed as there are only a couple of stone chips and the interior is immaculate.
Being a later model it has the PAS and optional lumbar and Aircon (which has just been re-gassed.
It has also got 2 brand new SO3's on the front and I've got a spare SO2 (Virtually brand new) aswell that came off the car.
The other one had worn out, (apparently it is a well know fact that cars in Milton Keynes tend to wear out the same plane in their Tyres due to all the roundabouts).Someone told my dad that it must be true.
So don't discount buying privately, there are good ones out there that are well cared for.
Where could you get a series 2 Chim at a dealer for £15500.
Lee
Pepsi
I've been toying with the idea as well and went to check out a couple at Fernies and Adrian Blyth last weekend. I know it's a bit far to travel for you but they have got a good selection and well worth the visit. Fernies very knowledgeable, apart from the fact that they took the p*ss out of my SLK. They let me take a 450 out by myself, which was nice of them although I think it needed tweaking a bit. But they have got a good selection in your price range and below. They've got a beautiful 5.0 litre, for £23.5K, silver T reg.
Adrian Blyth is about a 10 minute drive away and they've got a gorgeous 450, in a light silver blue colour, leven kit on board, portland grey leather, 11K miles. They want 23K for it and according to the website it's "Coming soon". It's not, it's there and looks fabulous. They are using it as their daily runaround. It's about 3k over what I want to pay, but if it wasn't (or I can secure another credit card!) I would have it.
I'd definitely advise a visit, not only because they seem genuine places, but the roads to and from them are wicked, even enjoyed it in my SLK! Just thing of the fun you could have driving your new purchase home
So good luck and hurry up, before I beat you to it
I've been toying with the idea as well and went to check out a couple at Fernies and Adrian Blyth last weekend. I know it's a bit far to travel for you but they have got a good selection and well worth the visit. Fernies very knowledgeable, apart from the fact that they took the p*ss out of my SLK. They let me take a 450 out by myself, which was nice of them although I think it needed tweaking a bit. But they have got a good selection in your price range and below. They've got a beautiful 5.0 litre, for £23.5K, silver T reg.
Adrian Blyth is about a 10 minute drive away and they've got a gorgeous 450, in a light silver blue colour, leven kit on board, portland grey leather, 11K miles. They want 23K for it and according to the website it's "Coming soon". It's not, it's there and looks fabulous. They are using it as their daily runaround. It's about 3k over what I want to pay, but if it wasn't (or I can secure another credit card!) I would have it.
I'd definitely advise a visit, not only because they seem genuine places, but the roads to and from them are wicked, even enjoyed it in my SLK! Just thing of the fun you could have driving your new purchase home
So good luck and hurry up, before I beat you to it Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff