TVR Chimaera
Registered from 1993 to 2002.
About this model
The TVR Chimaera is a two-seater sports car manufactured by TVR between 1992 and 2003. The name was derived from Chimera, the monstrous creature of Greek mythology, which was made of the parts of multiple animals.
From the Wikipedia article TVR Chimaera, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 1998 4.0 petrol. 31 of 296 tests failed, 10%.
Better than 95% of 1998 cars. The typical one fails 25%, across 269 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 42% | 13 |
| Lights and electrics | 32% | 10 |
| Suspension | 23% | 7 |
| Body and structure | 19% | 6 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 16% | 5 |
| Steering | 13% | 4 |
The defects inspectors cite
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Emissions levels exceed default limits
- Parking brake inoperative on one side
- Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 42% of its failures
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Parking brake inoperative on one side
- Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Suspension — 23% of its failures
- Exhaust and emissions — 16% of its failures
- Emissions levels exceed default limits
- Steering — 13% of its failures
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Lights and electrics — 32% of its failures
- Body and structure — 19% of its failures
- A door will not open using the relevant control or close properly
When it starts failing
At 60–80k miles this one fails 13% of its inspections, against the 23% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–40k miles | 10% | 17% | 49 | |
| 40–60k miles | 10% | 21% | 115 | |
| 60–80k miles | 13% | 23% | 94 |
258 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 40k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.