TVR to 996. Natural progression? - Page 2 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Has anyone made the move from a Chimaera to a 996. Any advice?

I spoke to someone with TVR history who was thinking about a 996 but after a few test drives he decided they're too civilised and went back to TVR. So I think it depends what you want. Why are you changing?

I think you'll find it dull, a Z4M is the closest.

Albeit 19 years old!

Might feel a bit lacking in character, a bit clinical. Get a Cerb.

I went from 996 Carrera 4 to TVR 4.5 Cerbera best move ever back then.

Gerradi said: I went from 996 Carrera 4 to TVR 4.5 Cerbera best move ever back then. I did the opposite in 2001, the repairs on the cerb funded a car that was 2x as expensive back then…..

T350 to 996 C4s My previous car to the t350 was an Elise 111s, a scalpel to the TVR's sledgehammer. The 996 is somewhere between the 2, not as brutal ss the tvr, not as sharp as the Elise. The 996 seems like a natural step forward to me. If i were you id also consider 997, my c4s could be available if youre interested

I'd caution anyone thinking about this move that parts and servicing and repairs can get expensive on a 996. They're far from solid. I don't want to clutter up this thread too much so if anyone is looking for further information then pop in here for a chat https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...

ATM said: I'd caution anyone thinking about this move that parts and servicing and repairs can get expensive on a 996. They're far from solid. I don't want to clutter up this thread too much so if anyone is looking for further information then pop in here for a chat https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16... Really! I have zero experience of TVR but I would be amazed if a TVR was more reliable than a 996.

I suspect you may have more things go wrong with a TVR but they cost less overall to repair the occasional biggie on a 911. Just guessing.

Lefty said: I suspect you may have more things go wrong with a TVR but they cost less overall to repair the occasional biggie on a 911. Just guessing. Correct Engines go pop or need rebuilding Gearboxes go pop or need rebuilding They rust too And then there is absolutely everything else

Yeah, thought so. I think, realistically, anyone buying any of these cars in the £20-30k range needs to accept they are “old” and were originally expensive cars. The running/maintenance costs only go up. Rust here in the UK can cost *lots* of money on any old car to keep at bay. There are hundreds of of stories of people buying “cheap” TVR’s and facing bills greater than their purchase price for chassis restorations and whatnot. My son is desperate for a Chim and keeps sending me ones for £10k. That’s all good…if hd accepts it might well need £10-15k spent on it soon-ish. Personally I’d rather buy a cheap car and sort it, knowing what work has been done and to what standard…

ATM said: Lefty said: I suspect you may have more things go wrong with a TVR but they cost less overall to repair the occasional biggie on a 911. Just guessing. Correct Engines go pop or need rebuilding Gearboxes go pop or need rebuilding They rust too And then there is absolutely everything else Applies to both, tvr has a unique ability to bork itself in my experience.

Bowks said: Has anyone made the move from a Chimaera to a 996. Any advice? Chimaera to Cayman GTS. Fantastic car and it actually goes around corners at serious speed .

I'm considering going the other way after 10 years of Porsche ownership. Maybe we should talk!

Nickpan, what have you got?

I had a Chimaera for 5 years and have had my 996 Turbo for over 3 years. The Chimaera felt "heavy" and was certainly "interesting" around corners. You can tell the 996 is made more for sportiness, while the Chimaera is more "old school." For outright experience and putting power to one side, I think the TVR is a better option. As someone else posted, it depends what you're looking for. You also need to try one. As for costs, assuming nothing goes bang, you're probably looking at paying about £2k a year to keep a 20 year old Porsche on the road.

Bowks said: Has anyone made the move from a Chimaera to a 996. Any advice? Two completely different cars, if you want a car with soul then the TVR wins hands down, if you want a car that is well built and does everything efficiently then the Porsche wins. The internet 'experts' (most quote others who know even less than them) will tell you that TVRs are unreliable, but in 18 years of TVR ownership I never had a breakdown/non starter or witnessed one on the untold eurohoons we did with other TVR owners. A lot of that reliability comes from proper maintenance and regular use - garage queens tend to be less reliable. If you enjoy and are capable of tinkering you will probably get more out of the TVR, if you like to get your 'chap' to do it for you then the Porsche is probably a better option for you. If something big goes bang the TVR will be a cheaper fix, the cost of Porsche captive parts are horrendous, servicing parts/consumables are about the same. TVRs are getting rare, Porsches are everywhere - when was the last time you saw a TVR driving down the road?

Just wanted to re-iterate a comment I saw up there that I think might be overlooked... I've driven quite a few TVR's (nearly bought numerous), owned Lotus's (which require simimilar levels of 'commitment') and also 986 and 987 Porsches. All the comments are right, in that TVR vs Porsche is a trade off in how 'composed' and capable you want your car to feel, but both will requure spending. a340driver said: a Z4M is the closest. This. Overlooked, probably becuase the 'regular' Z4 is dull as ditchwater. And most BMWs are entirely uninteresting, and the brand itself doesnt feel at all special these days. But the Z4M Roadster has a real character about it, was described when comtemporary as 'if BMW and built a TVR'. They are fast, flawed, a bit spiky and feel way more alive than any Boxster or 911. But - because its a BMW, they are reasonably reliable, they dont rot, they dont fill with water if you leave them outside, the interior isnt made of glue etc. They are a great option if you want something more 'spiky' than a Porsche but dont want to go all in with a TVR. And they have one of the all time, best ever internal combustion engines ever put in a car.

Had a Chimaera 400 and I recently owned a Griff 500. In between the 2 have been many cars of serious performance category. One of which was a BMW Z4 M Coupe. When people say, that is Germany's TVR, they are correct. It's a fantastic car with old school feel and the lovely silhouette of long bonnet and sit over the rear axle. It does everything extremely well and is fantastically engineered. Moving forwards to today and I have bought a 997.1 Porsche 911 Carrera S. I just made sure it had amazing history and ownership, and that the engine was healthy. It had to be manual as its a car to jump into when the weather is fine and DRIVE. It genuinely feels great and like the natural progression from all the other cars i've had. ( 79 in total ) I'm still learning it but I can't see me getting rid anytime soon. If you buy the Porsche and find out it's not for you, then just sell it. I don't think you'll lose anything on it. Values seem to be on the rise.

Got my first TVR Griffith in my mid 20's; a 2 year old Griffith 400. I'd dreamed of a V8 TVR since seeing and, more importantly hearing a 400SE a few years earlier. The 400 went and in '98 I had the ultimate dream of a factory build 500. Loved it, modded it to sprint/hillclimb. Great car. As someone who loved the TVR marque, I can truly say a 996/7 Porsche is in an entirely different league in terms of build quality and, on track, handling. I never realised the amount of chassis flex in a TVR until I put the full cage into my 500. Then there's the brakes. Absolutely nothing trail-brakes and corners like a modern 911. Handling and steering - if set up correctly - are utterly worlds apart. You will miss some of the hooligan element, but I think whether you want to track or do road trips, a 996/7 car is a brilliant change. My first 911 was a 996 turbo and, with the sunroof open, on a nice day, was almost as much 'wind in your hair' fun as an open-top. The car felt so comfortable on long trips too.

jonny996 said: ATM said: I'd caution anyone thinking about this move that parts and servicing and repairs can get expensive on a 996. They're far from solid. I don't want to clutter up this thread too much so if anyone is looking for further information then pop in here for a chat https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16... Really! I have zero experience of TVR but I would be amazed if a TVR was more reliable than a 996. I bought my TVR Chimaera 500 new in 2002, its now done 101,000 miles with just one breakdown.

ATM said: Lefty said: I suspect you may have more things go wrong with a TVR but they cost less overall to repair the occasional biggie on a 911. Just guessing. Correct Engines go pop or need rebuilding Gearboxes go pop or need rebuilding They rust too And then there is absolutely everything else Ex TVR now porker, fortunately 20 years ago I purchased a Cerbera and sold 6 years ago…it’s the only car I regret selling…Porsche are bland and incomparable. PS this was a TVR site.

Good Plan Ted said: ATM said: Lefty said: I suspect you may have more things go wrong with a TVR but they cost less overall to repair the occasional biggie on a 911. Just guessing. Correct Engines go pop or need rebuilding Gearboxes go pop or need rebuilding They rust too And then there is absolutely everything else Ex TVR now porker, fortunately 20 years ago I purchased a Cerbera and sold 6 years ago it s the only car I regret selling Porsche are bland and incomparable. PS this was a TVR site. Current Porsche owner here I've never owned a TVR My earliest memory was seeing an early wedge - I think it's called - with 400 or 420 - and possibly SEAC or whatever is the highest - badged on the back. It was red and the owner had a brother with a white one. It looked a bit ridicolous in a good way and sounded amazing. I never really found it aspirational but not sure why. The Porsdhws at the time were very much so. So I've never owned a TVR or even ever driven one. I know that's not necessarily a good thing just chiming in. For me the appeal of a Porsche is from when I was a kid and they just seemed good but not sure why.

Previously owned both, and am fortunate to still own both, albeit different cars now. Neither is what I would recommend as a daily, I have a 10-year-old Panda 4x4 for that which is a great little run around. Going from a Chim to a 996 they will feel worlds apart initially. TVR’s are old school, Chim’s Griff’s etc are to me a modern ish AC Cobra with a decent roof but without the silly prices. Not great “handling” cars, but they are grippy with decent traction, nice steering and not a bad ride either, there better than what a lot of people think, just “old School” which is their charm. Straight line speed as quite impressive too, and the V8 cars make a wonderful noise. Not much better on a sunny day, open road, roof down and little traffic. 996, indeed most 911 derivatives are brilliant cars, IMO the only “supercar” you can comfortably use daily if you wish, great steering, decent ride, wonderful traction, entertaining handling, very well put together motorcars. If you had to choose between both as your only car, the Porsche all day long, all IMO of course

Good Plan Ted said: PS this was a TVR site. The forum was called "Petrolheads" originally IIRC. I spoke to "the Ted" back then in late 90's and he tried to explain to me (non techie) what you could do with the forum and it went over my head. I was not the earliest adopter, but his experience in IT in the city meant he'd already seen this stuff in use.