Does Size matter to a Virgin?
Discussion
Well thanks to all your great replies I now have a new question that needs your help.
I have a choice of two Chimaeras to pick so whats important:
Should I pick a 20,000 mile 4 or a 40,000 mile 4.5
They are both the same and I have to admit a 4.5 was my first aim. So does distance or size matter most?
Any hints or tips greatly received
I have a choice of two Chimaeras to pick so whats important:
Should I pick a 20,000 mile 4 or a 40,000 mile 4.5
They are both the same and I have to admit a 4.5 was my first aim. So does distance or size matter most?
Any hints or tips greatly received
I know a 4.0 owner and a 4.5 owner.
The 4.5 certainly goes and the owner never complains of the power it has
The 4.0 owner is looking for upgrades to make it quicker.
Not an ideal comparison I know but Id always go for the quicker one.
Mileage is not as important as condition. I saw 20,000mile Griffs that were a mess underneath where as the 50,000 one I bought has a clean well protected chassis.
The 4.5 certainly goes and the owner never complains of the power it has
The 4.0 owner is looking for upgrades to make it quicker.
Not an ideal comparison I know but Id always go for the quicker one.
Mileage is not as important as condition. I saw 20,000mile Griffs that were a mess underneath where as the 50,000 one I bought has a clean well protected chassis.
.Mark said:
Oh you mean Phil? You got to tell him Lexus rear lights and 24" bling wheels will not make it go faster.
Spraying it Starmist Blue however adds 75BHP.
if I had a Speed 12 cerbera I would want to Nos it to make it faster so not a fair comparison.
Personally I didnt notice a massive difference in performance between the 4, the 4 HC, the 4.5 and the 5 litre I test drove. On the road in the 4 I do notice a difference when in convoy with DustyC in the 5 litre Griff but most of that is down to the fact its blue
As someone has already said, I would worry more about condition than engine size or mileage. A bit of driver training and a 4 litre owner would be all of the back of a 5 litre owner etc. Likewise I have been hassled by 2.9 litre S3's being well driven. A decent suspension set up also makes a huge difference on the real life roads as personally i feel the standard TVR set up is shite for the power and performance of any of the cars.
shnozz said:
As someone has already said, I would worry more about condition than engine size or mileage. A bit of driver training and a 4 litre owner would be all of the back of a 5 litre owner etc. Likewise I have been hassled by 2.9 litre S3's being well driven. A decent suspension set up also makes a huge difference on the real life roads as personally i feel the standard TVR set up is shite for the power and performance of any of the cars.
I agree with all that too. Just buy which ever one you like best, as long as its blue you'll be ok
I went from a Cerbera to a 4.0 Chimaera and I've never once thought "oooh I miss the power". Compared to most cars on the road, any chimaera is a very fast beast. When buying mine I looked across all engine sizes and eventually plummed for the one in best condition, regardless of mileage or engine size - thats the golden rule when buying a TVR, as many on this thread have already stated.
If it bothers you that much (or other peoples comments) then go for a 4.5 - but I personally wouldnt do this on engine size alone, more how you felt about the qualities of the individual car.
As I found on my test drives, and living with the Chimaera I really would not be able to tell much difference on a day to day basis. On a runway straight maybe, but not on my daily commute or A/B road blasts. But then if you go for a 4.5, why not go for a 5.0, if you go for a 5.0 why not go for NOS, etc, etc.......
I think that as a TVR virgin you will find a 4.0 certainly does the cherry taking job with style!
Cheers,
Tommomic
If it bothers you that much (or other peoples comments) then go for a 4.5 - but I personally wouldnt do this on engine size alone, more how you felt about the qualities of the individual car.
As I found on my test drives, and living with the Chimaera I really would not be able to tell much difference on a day to day basis. On a runway straight maybe, but not on my daily commute or A/B road blasts. But then if you go for a 4.5, why not go for a 5.0, if you go for a 5.0 why not go for NOS, etc, etc.......
I think that as a TVR virgin you will find a 4.0 certainly does the cherry taking job with style!
Cheers,
Tommomic
Having test driven a 4.0, 4.5 and a 5.0 at Henly and Fernies we ended up getting a 4.0 because we liked a particular car the most and it happened to be a 4.0
Nice tight chassis and plenty of urge. We've it 16 months and are still very happy with it.
My advice would be to not get too hung up on the engine size but go for the best car overall.
Nice tight chassis and plenty of urge. We've it 16 months and are still very happy with it.
My advice would be to not get too hung up on the engine size but go for the best car overall.
bsdnazz said:
Having test driven a 4.0, 4.5 and a 5.0 at Henly and Fernies we ended up getting a 4.0 because we liked a particular car the most and it happened to be a 4.0
Nice tight chassis and plenty of urge. We've it 16 months and are still very happy with it.
My advice would be to not get too hung up on the engine size but go for the best car overall.
Agreed - there's fast 4s and slow 4s, just like 4.5 & 5s.
I've an early '93 4.0 which after its first track day with me showed that I appear to have a fast 4 even compared to 5's !!
Just drive all versions (like I didn't !!!) and don't buy on looks alone - but Blue cars are better !!!
Trev McM
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