Discussion
Having been a biker for a number of years I am in the process of jacking it all in a buying a sports car. I am currently looking at the Chim 4.5, and am after some advice.
Is it plausable to use these cars every day...? Work is a 70 mile round trip... Is this just crazy..?! What are the servicing costs with these beasts..? I'm guessing it can't be too much worse than my bike + car ..?!
Or am I better just playing it safe, with say a BMW ...(sorry)
Please help...
Is it plausable to use these cars every day...? Work is a 70 mile round trip... Is this just crazy..?! What are the servicing costs with these beasts..? I'm guessing it can't be too much worse than my bike + car ..?!
Or am I better just playing it safe, with say a BMW ...(sorry)
Please help...
No problem as a every day car other than in winter when the roads can be too greasy. The engines are very toquey and so will very easily cause the rear wheels to go faster or slower than they should be. The result is usually pretty terminal; car switches ends before you can do a thing about it.
A well looked after, serviced, loved car that has had regular use, i.e. not low mileage or high mileage, should be reliable and I use mine every day but I feel comfort in the fact that there are three other cars at my disposal.
A well looked after, serviced, loved car that has had regular use, i.e. not low mileage or high mileage, should be reliable and I use mine every day but I feel comfort in the fact that there are three other cars at my disposal.
We've had a Chimaera 450 for five years now.
My wife used to use it to do a commute just like your one, summer, winter, rain, shine.
Servicing was twice a year (every 6K miles) and because SOMETHING would always be broken it costs between £500 and £1000.
Mostly it would need to go see a specialist in between times for something else too. I reckon you can run a Chimaera on £2K per year, plus insurance, plus tax, plus petrol. It'll do mid twenties to the gallon on a commute like that.
If you have a "good one" and fix everything that breaks immediately it should be reliable enough - probably.
My wife's went through a period of some years where it was good enough, no problem. Then it had a period of being a total shed. During that part we bought a Vectra for daily driving as we could not live with the "will-it-won't-it-get-me-to-work" nature of the thing.
I recommend giving it a try. But reserve budget for a "runner" for the days it doesn't want to know or simply those days where its icy.
Our Chim is USELESS in the ice and snow. Absolutely useless. Its perfectly OK in the wet - with a light right foot.
My wife used to use it to do a commute just like your one, summer, winter, rain, shine.
Servicing was twice a year (every 6K miles) and because SOMETHING would always be broken it costs between £500 and £1000.
Mostly it would need to go see a specialist in between times for something else too. I reckon you can run a Chimaera on £2K per year, plus insurance, plus tax, plus petrol. It'll do mid twenties to the gallon on a commute like that.
If you have a "good one" and fix everything that breaks immediately it should be reliable enough - probably.
My wife's went through a period of some years where it was good enough, no problem. Then it had a period of being a total shed. During that part we bought a Vectra for daily driving as we could not live with the "will-it-won't-it-get-me-to-work" nature of the thing.
I recommend giving it a try. But reserve budget for a "runner" for the days it doesn't want to know or simply those days where its icy.
Our Chim is USELESS in the ice and snow. Absolutely useless. Its perfectly OK in the wet - with a light right foot.
Hi
Have a quick look at my profile.
I agree with all the above. Divide your mileage by 6000 & then multiply by £700, for servicing. I averaged 22 mpg, be it a 4, 4.5 or 5 litre Chimaera (strangely!)
Don't forget tyres.
As also said, these cars are hopless in ice & snow, but then we don't get much of that.
But...they're about as much fun as you can have with your trousers on.
>> Edited by 2 Smokin Barrels on Tuesday 4th January 19:30
Have a quick look at my profile.
I agree with all the above. Divide your mileage by 6000 & then multiply by £700, for servicing. I averaged 22 mpg, be it a 4, 4.5 or 5 litre Chimaera (strangely!)
Don't forget tyres.
As also said, these cars are hopless in ice & snow, but then we don't get much of that.
But...they're about as much fun as you can have with your trousers on.
>> Edited by 2 Smokin Barrels on Tuesday 4th January 19:30
Cheers all,
I really think it is only a matter of time before the bike has to go, too many near (and some even nearer...ouch) misses in my time.
Having had a sports bike, I think the TVR looks like the way to go. Hope to start test drives over the coming months... yeh ...!
No doubt you will hear more from me in the future... :-)
I really think it is only a matter of time before the bike has to go, too many near (and some even nearer...ouch) misses in my time.
Having had a sports bike, I think the TVR looks like the way to go. Hope to start test drives over the coming months... yeh ...!
No doubt you will hear more from me in the future... :-)
There seems to be a distinct affinity betwixt bikes and TVRs- have a look at this thread that I remembered from a couple of years back:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=36388&f=13&h=0&hw=bikers+tvrs
Happy New Year all btw..
Kenny
ps- I use my Chimaera for the daily commute (only car)- but deliberately chose a 4ltr due to running costs and ease of coping with the worst winter conditions.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=36388&f=13&h=0&hw=bikers+tvrs
Happy New Year all btw..
Kenny
ps- I use my Chimaera for the daily commute (only car)- but deliberately chose a 4ltr due to running costs and ease of coping with the worst winter conditions.
As said the car should be fine for it, although no-one seems to have mentioned that the roof WILL leak (awaits "mine doesn't" "mine doesn't"), and once the inside of the car is wet, you have ice on the inside of the windscreen on a morning in the winter too and its a bugger to de-mist.
18,000 miles a year.. hmmm.. don't expect residuals to be brilliant if you pile the miles on though, other than that go for it
Cheers
Matt
18,000 miles a year.. hmmm.. don't expect residuals to be brilliant if you pile the miles on though, other than that go for it
Cheers
Matt
Podie said:
M@H said:
Jem said:
mine doesn't, mine doesn't !
sorry, I had to
J
Mine neither...
I put a Leven car cover on mine... not the cheapest, but two minutes and I'm off... also demists nice and quickly.
Yeah, but how do you see through it when you're driving..?
Seriously chaps, I really wouldn't want to be sat in my Chim on the stop/start queuing commute trip in driving rain on a dark winters morning/night. They are great cars on an empty B road, but we all know they aren't designed for Traffic queues.. we all become gauge watchers then
Cheers
Matt
>> Edited by M@H on Wednesday 5th January 11:15
M@H said:
M@H said:
Jem said:
mine doesn't, mine doesn't !
sorry, I had to
J
Mine neither...
I put a Leven car cover on mine... not the cheapest, but two minutes and I'm off... also demists nice and quickly.
Yeah, but how do you see through it when you're driving..?
Seriously chaps, I really wouldn't want to be sat in my Chim on the stop/start queuing commute trip in driving rain on a dark winters morning/night. They are great cars on an empty B road, but we all know they aren't designed for Traffic queues.. we all become gauge watchers then
Cheers
Matt
>> Edited by M@H on Wednesday 5th January 11:15
When you do the hours I do in the office, traffic jams aren't an issue…
To be honest I find the Chim no worse than any other car on cold mornings… although you do need to be a little more careful and awake to make sure you keep it on the black stuff.
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