Me again... 19 Year old going for a Chim...
Discussion
Chris71 said:
DIB350 said:
I have an S3 with a 24v Cossie lump and it's an absolute riot. Very quick and like a go cart in corners.
I can imagine. Mine was an allegedly-standard S3, but it felt pretty healthy - the guy I sold it to had previously owned a 4.0 Chim and he was quite shocked how well the S3 went. On a twisty road you'd have to be trying pretty hard to pull out a significant gap, I reckon. Always thought the Cosworth engine in an S3 (plus some bigger brakes and an LSD) would make a superb car.Back on topic - OP, if you do get a Chim I'd advise going for one with power steering. Half the cars I saw either had problems with their power assistance or had done in the past and that was one of the reasons I went for unassisted steering. To be fair, I think this contributes to the feeling of heft compared to the S3, and you need biceps of steel to wind on corrective lock in a hurry (which can be quite a common occurrence with a 500 on a damp day).
I am ideally aiming to get one with no power steering, depending if one is available in my price range..
I had an S2 then a V8s both without ps and now Chimaera with... I much prefer with.
When PS is fitted it's not that you can start driving with one finger,it still has a very stiff feel when on the move but just when you need to park life becomes easier.
Even when parking we are not talking lux barge material where one finger is all that's required.
Again these are all personal tastes,my advise would be drive one with then drive without and see what you like.
My personal taste is I would't buy one without PS.. But that is just my preference.
When PS is fitted it's not that you can start driving with one finger,it still has a very stiff feel when on the move but just when you need to park life becomes easier.
Even when parking we are not talking lux barge material where one finger is all that's required.
Again these are all personal tastes,my advise would be drive one with then drive without and see what you like.
My personal taste is I would't buy one without PS.. But that is just my preference.
I really appreciate all the replies and advice I have received, I did not expect so many people to contribute!
I only have one problem now... Convincing my parents! They know how much I am into my older cars and how I do not like many 'new' cars. My parents want me to get a car no older than about 8 years old as they want it to be reliable and practical for me, that's no fun!
I constantly go on about how beneficial it would be to me, it would give me something to work on, something I can travel to shows with and really enjoy whilst I am lucky enough to be able to afford it. It has got to a point now where they just ignore me every time I mention those three letters! My mum even said to me if you want something a bit different why don't you get a Range Rover... not sure how that would be more practical/sensible!
I only have one problem now... Convincing my parents! They know how much I am into my older cars and how I do not like many 'new' cars. My parents want me to get a car no older than about 8 years old as they want it to be reliable and practical for me, that's no fun!
I constantly go on about how beneficial it would be to me, it would give me something to work on, something I can travel to shows with and really enjoy whilst I am lucky enough to be able to afford it. It has got to a point now where they just ignore me every time I mention those three letters! My mum even said to me if you want something a bit different why don't you get a Range Rover... not sure how that would be more practical/sensible!
I use mine daily and it's my only car, use it to go to work and go shopping at Tesco. Clocked up around 10000 miles this year and it only broke down once, which was my own fault and quickly and easily fixed. Lives on the road outside in London and no one has touched it, it's completely waterproof and I have no problem in sun, rain or snow.
My previous and newer 5 series BMW and Audi S4 were less reliable and cost more to run/maintain.
Sort your parents out
My previous and newer 5 series BMW and Audi S4 were less reliable and cost more to run/maintain.
Sort your parents out
Edited by s p a c e m a n on Sunday 27th April 19:22
I've spent £2200 maintaining my "reliable" volkswagen over the last 11 months :/
Right now I'm using the tvr because the volkswagen is an unreliable piece of crap.
Just do what mi girlfriend did. She disappeared for a day and appeared home announcing "I've just bought a tvr"
Right now I'm using the tvr because the volkswagen is an unreliable piece of crap.
Just do what mi girlfriend did. She disappeared for a day and appeared home announcing "I've just bought a tvr"
Edited by MethylatedSpirit on Monday 28th April 07:47
MC00K said:
Chris71 said:
DIB350 said:
I have an S3 with a 24v Cossie lump and it's an absolute riot. Very quick and like a go cart in corners.
I can imagine. Mine was an allegedly-standard S3, but it felt pretty healthy - the guy I sold it to had previously owned a 4.0 Chim and he was quite shocked how well the S3 went. On a twisty road you'd have to be trying pretty hard to pull out a significant gap, I reckon. Always thought the Cosworth engine in an S3 (plus some bigger brakes and an LSD) would make a superb car.Back on topic - OP, if you do get a Chim I'd advise going for one with power steering. Half the cars I saw either had problems with their power assistance or had done in the past and that was one of the reasons I went for unassisted steering. To be fair, I think this contributes to the feeling of heft compared to the S3, and you need biceps of steel to wind on corrective lock in a hurry (which can be quite a common occurrence with a 500 on a damp day).
The general handling balance is actually pretty benign but I can't help thinking it would be difficult to put on a lot of corrective lock in a hurry. It also makes the unassisted cars feel a bit unwieldy - the chassis reacts quite quickly, but the steering just feels a bit too stodgy.
I'm sure someone with a chest wig and a medallion will now come in from the Griff forum and tell us that's what makes it a man's car, but I'd rather the car felt a bit more alert, particularly with that much torque and a lightly loaded rear end. It just gives you a bit more margin for error.
Chris71 said:
I'm sure someone with a chest wig and a medallion will now come in from the Griff forum and tell us that's what makes it a man's car, but I'd rather the car felt a bit more alert, particularly with that much torque and a lightly loaded rear end. It just gives you a bit more margin for error.
I'm not quite powerfully built either, but I come from the opposite direction: unlike most modern cars I feel I can really drive a non-PAS Chimaera without having to moderate my inputs, at least on 205-section fronts the weighting feels completely natural and in keeping with the other controls, and I like the fact that you need to be deliberate with your inputs on a car that for its lightness and relatively small footprint will never be the ultimate in stability.With the later cars with the super fast steering rack and light, assisted steering I'm never quite at ease behind the wheel, the car never feels settled and it's easy to destabilise the car with small inputs for instance when the car runs after road imperfections.
However, I would definitely recommend PAS for a track driven Chim or Griff on wider and/or sticky tyres as the steering tends to become rather too heavy by any standards once the tyres are at their operating temperature. Even then, I would prefer an aftermarket electric PAS system above the troublesome hydraulic OEM set up.
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