Chimaera or V8S

[Ladyboy]

Hi all

Can anyone offer any sort of comparison on the above 2 cars. What sort of price could I pick up a decent V8S for? Not that many seem to come up so the air of exclusivity is rather appealing however I don't want want to lose out on too much of the performance that I'd get with a Chim.

Decisions decisions.

[shnozz]

Ladyboy said:

Hi all Can anyone offer any sort of comparison on the above 2 cars. What sort of price could I pick up a decent V8S for? Not that many seem to come up so the air of exclusivity is rather appealing however I don't want want to lose out on too much of the performance that I'd get with a Chim. Decisions decisions.

erm, you wont lose out on any of the permance, its the same engine assuming you are thinking of a 4 litre chimaera

Prices are pretty much the same for a sorted V8S as they are for an early sorted 4 litre chim - ie expect to pay around £11k although high mileage/not A1 condition etc may mean both models can be had for less.

[pies]

V8S sorted 10k

[shmern]

pies said:

V8S sorted 10k

Ahem ! Are you offering yours for 10k ?

*sniff* *sniff* (Leave it Podie!)

Shmern

[pies]

not finished playing with it yet

I only know of concourse class V8S's going for more in the last year,only buying from a dealer will push the price above 10k IMHO

[Shmern]

Ladyboy said:

Hi all Can anyone offer any sort of comparison on the above 2 cars. What sort of price could I pick up a decent V8S for? Not that many seem to come up so the air of exclusivity is rather appealing however I don't want want to lose out on too much of the performance that I'd get with a Chim. Decisions decisions.

I've had this problem recently, I was after a V8s (or early Griff) but was offered an S plate Chimaera for a very decent price. However after lots of umming and ahing Im still on the hunt for a V8s (or Griff 2nd) for one main reason. My current S2 is a weekend car, or if I've had a hard day in work then a quick weekday evening blast to give me a rush. The V8s would be to improve on the S2. I.e. I want to get into it on not so regular times and get a quick buzz.

As good as the Chimaera is, and I do love them too, it's much more of a 'Daily Car' than the S.(Probably better put to say a stunning sports car that can be used everyday) I hope that doesn't offend any Chim owners cos it's not meant to put the Chim down, it's just the S is much more.... whats the word.... RAW.

In fact I think if i wasn't to buy a V8s (or Griff) then I think a Caterham or Westfield might be in order. (Altho only for kicks while i looked for another TVR )

Shmern


>> Edited by Shmern on Thursday 29th July 20:20

[Shmern]

pies said:

not finished playing with it yet I only know of concourse class V8S's going for more in the last year,only buying from a dealer will push the price above 10k IMHO

Ah well had to ask !

I think your right, In my short time researching recently, all the cars are sub £10K, the only one recently above that was the BRG one at Henley which was only 22K !!

Hope I get one soon, getting that 'can't stop thinking about them' feeling when i was looking for the S2 last year !!!

Shmern

[stephen pook]

I've just sold my S3 and bought a 4l modified Chim. It's probably slightly more powerful than a 4l HC.

The Chim seems more refined in terms of smoothness etc. It handles better on poor roads where the S was a bit 'jittery' due it's go-kart like handling. On a smotth road probably little difference.

The S is more exhilerating at lower speeds and I would definately agree it has a more raw feel to it. For flying round the back roads I'd say the S is probably more fun but in fact you'll be able to go quicker in a Chim. The Chim is a bit more practical as an everyday car... bigger boot etc.

This is hardly a highly qualified opinion as I picked up the Chim today and I've only done about 50 miles in it. But they are my initial thoughts for what they're worth.

I LOVE both cars!!

Steve.

[JSG]

Get a V8S

[V8Smith]

Ladyboy said:

Hi all Can anyone offer any sort of comparison on the above 2 cars. What sort of price could I pick up a decent V8S for? Not that many seem to come up so the air of exclusivity is rather appealing however I don't want want to lose out on too much of the performance that I'd get with a Chim. Decisions decisions.

Having driven both and owning a V8S I can say if its an every day car, go for the Chim of Grif but as a second car go for the V8S its much more fun to drive! You wont loose out on the performance of the Chim, a friend of mine has a Chim 450 and when we go for a blast he cant keep up so you wont find the V8S slower than a Chim!

As for values of V8S's like Pies says I think most tend to be around the £10K mark. There were a few sold by Offords recently all for around £13K and not fantastic examples to be honest. Just had mine valued by Offords at around £12-£12,500 but I have spent a lot of money on mine!

All IMHO

Mike

[Chuggaboom]

Lets see...S forum...balanced response...oh, come on, what do u expect !?!?

V8S...more noise if pre cat...same go unless 450/500 Chim...

Yes...smaller boot

...but loads more exclusivity.

And they cost less.

Get 1....NOW.

[S3 Kieran]

Is V8S a bit lighter than a Chim? - enough to make a power:weight difference??

Keep 'em coming Pookie - I'm soaking up all references to the change up for my intended change next summer.

I need a V8!

[shnozz]

S3 Kieran said:

Is V8S a bit lighter than a Chim? - enough to make a power:weight difference?? Keep 'em coming Pookie - I'm soaking up all references to the change up for my intended change next summer. I need a V8!

Against a standard V8S the difference is not noticeable at all. Its neck and neck as you would expect.

Whilst I still love the S, I wanted something more modern looking and I loved the style of the Chims and Griffs from when I was a teenager. I also got fed up of people asking me if the S was a triumph, to which the stock response of "yes, it was a great success" got rather tiresome. I had done the S with a stonking S3 so felt I needed to justify the cost of the upgrade to a V8 and get something more than just a different engine under the hood, especially since I had previously looked into a cossie conversion anyway.

[veg]

I've had an S1 S2 V8S and have had my Griff 500 for 5 years. If speed and acceleration is your thing go for the 500 but for fun the V8S is the best car I've had. Fully sorted about £11000 with nitrons/tornado chip. Bargain.
When I get a double garage I'm going to hunt my old one down. They are superb.

[Ladyboy]

Ok, to open it up a bit what about an S3? I realize in terms of performance we are talking a marked diffence here but we are also talking about spending 4-5 k less than the 12k I had put aside for a Chim. Very tempting but is it worth it?

How well have the S3s held their value over the last few years?

[shnozz]

Ladyboy said:

How well have the S3s held their value over the last few years?

very well indeed. Buy carefully and it won't depreciate a bean. Since I bought mine quite some time ago the prices have remained unchanged.

Mind you, having said that, I dont think the bottom end of the Chimaera market has changed much either.

I would say with any of these cars they have done their depreciating and you wont lose much, if anything, come resale.

[Pies]

Performance wise on the road at legal speeds the S 2,9 series are not far behind at all and IMHO probably a bit more fun as you dont have to go as fast before you are "working" the car

There are some good ones available at the mo, expext £7k ish for a fully sorted one.I doubt the price will drop too much over the next couple of years

all IMHO

[Ladyboy]

Thanks guys. Would an S3 be more reliable than a Chim? The other factor is that this will be very much a weekend car and I know the Chim doesn't like to be sat gathering dust. I also gather gather it is fairly easy to squeeze a few more horsies out of the S3, does this coma at a massive cost?

[shnozz]

Ladyboy said:

Thanks guys. Would an S3 be more reliable than a Chim? The other factor is that this will be very much a weekend car and I know the Chim doesn't like to be sat gathering dust. I also gather gather it is fairly easy to squeeze a few more horsies out of the S3, does this coma at a massive cost?

I wouldnt say either of them would be more reliable than the other. Both cars like to be used and if you leave them standing for days on end you are likely to have problems with either. Both engines are heavy old reliable lumps that are not stressed in the slightest - hence the bhp figures so poor for what are relatively large cc engines.

Easy to squeeze a few more horses out of an S3? Really, tell me what you know then cos i think its the other way around personally. Either way its a costly exercise. The 2.9EFI doesnt lend itself to easy modification from what I have seen. A proper tune up at Austec (aka "a full Podie) seems the best way to extract more power and torque but generally there isnt a lot you can do with these engines. Those craving more power have normally had to replace the engine entirely - GBgaffer stuck a 24V Cosworth engine in his S and Joospeed has just acquired a 4.2 Cebera engine to put in his S.

[wwesty]

Just wanted to say "thanks" for this thread....cos its answered a lot of my thoughts!! I'm currently looking to sell my Westfield and get something a "little" more practical so have been thinking S/early Chim/Griff. I'm most attracted to the V8s but as has been said they are rare.

So I'm now thinking along the S3 route which has the added attraction of being about the same budget as I should get for the Westy...

But will I be wishing I had waited for a V8......???