possible new owner of a chim
Discussion
Been looking at lots of topics over the last few weeks as im possibly going to change my current impreza for either a chimaera or a griffith,but unsure as to which as both seem very similar to an uneducated non tvr person..... current car has 300+ bhp and i would like similar performance from which ever car i decide to go for,any owners care to elaborate why i should go one route or the other?
Posted this in the griff section also for their opinion
Posted this in the griff section also for their opinion
Edited by rigga on Friday 14th March 09:23
Before the 'big girls drive Griffs' bunch start telling you to get a Chimaera, I'll say the 2 cars are very very similar, it really boils down to which you prefer the look of.
The Chimaera is a little more practicle, but thats still practicle with a small 'p'.
If you compare like with like regarding engine size performace will be the same, although a standard car might feel a little slower than the Scooby, but it's a very very very VERY different driving experiance. Liberties that can be taken in a Scooby will see you backwards through a hedge in any TVR, for a while you will probably be a lot slower.
Neither car has any driver aids, rear wheel drive, no Traction control, no ABS, and power steering being an option make a fast drive a challenging experiance.
I've only driven an EVO but after the TVR it did feel fast, but no quicker than the TVR, but very dull and very easy to drive fast, so reverse that for a TVR experiance.
A friend has both a Scooby and a TVR and has done back to back driving on a trackday and the Scooby put in faster lap times, escpecially in the wet, but the TVR was much more fun.
The Chimaera is a little more practicle, but thats still practicle with a small 'p'.
If you compare like with like regarding engine size performace will be the same, although a standard car might feel a little slower than the Scooby, but it's a very very very VERY different driving experiance. Liberties that can be taken in a Scooby will see you backwards through a hedge in any TVR, for a while you will probably be a lot slower.
Neither car has any driver aids, rear wheel drive, no Traction control, no ABS, and power steering being an option make a fast drive a challenging experiance.I've only driven an EVO but after the TVR it did feel fast, but no quicker than the TVR, but very dull and very easy to drive fast, so reverse that for a TVR experiance.
A friend has both a Scooby and a TVR and has done back to back driving on a trackday and the Scooby put in faster lap times, escpecially in the wet, but the TVR was much more fun.
raceboy said:
A friend has both a Scooby and a TVR and has done back to back driving on a trackday and the Scooby put in faster lap times...
At first glance I would agree with that outcome but it does somewhat depend on which scooby vs which TVR of course, together with what fettling has been done to either (in particular to the Chim)...but as standard and all things being equal it seems an outcome that is to be expected.However, the scooby by comparison is quite a soul-less machine and will almost drive you round the track, depositing you back at the track-side refreshment suite in a time you could brag to your kids about later that day whilst you don't really have to be that...er...'involved' or even skilled to achieve it.
Any 'good' time you might achieve in the TVR will be harder earned and more of a lasting testament to your driving.
However, Thrills & Spills per £ - and on the road - and it's a no-brainer. If I had both outside my house on a fine Sunday morning in June I'm afraid the Scooby would rust.
im said:
raceboy said:
A friend has both a Scooby and a TVR and has done back to back driving on a trackday and the Scooby put in faster lap times...
At first glance I would agree with that outcome but it does somewhat depend on which scooby vs which TVR of course, together with what fettling has been done to eitherAny 'good' time you might achieve in the TVR will be harder earned and more of a lasting testament to your driving.
TVR was a V6 S and the Scooby was a mildly tweeked 5 door 99ish UK car.
im said:
However, Thrills & Spills per £ - and on the road - and it's a no-brainer. If I had both outside my house on a fine Sunday morning in June I'm afraid the Scooby would rust.
Got to agree with that, I quite like the idea of Scooby as my daily snotter, but wouldn't dream of doing my Sunday afternoon hoon in one, and the ones I've seen on trackdays look quick but the owners always seem to have to drive like nobs to have any fun in them, and usually end up backwards in the gravel when they run out of talent and find the car can't save them. Is your Scooby putting 300+ out at the wheels or at the fly? The reason I ask is that, having just bought an S14a as a daily driver I've noticed that everyone in the Jap world seems to quote their power at the fly, whereas everyone in the TVR world quotes from the wheels. This makes a huge difference when you consider that a scooby with 4x4 loses around 25% of its power through the drive train.
Having said that, the TVR is also obviously n/a and very torquey, so it will give you A LOT more power down low, which is why it's so easy to spin the wheels up and lose it when coming off a roundabout/motorway on-ramp etc...!
Despite this, the scooby will probably be quicker when covering most roads, but the TVR will almost certainly feel quicker due to the amount of involvement you have in the experience (and the engine/exhaust noise of course!)
If choosing between a Griff and a Chim, it really does come down to looks. They are effectively the same car with a different body/dashboard, the only other difference being the Griff has slightly harder shocks though you'll probably end up uprating them on either to get the handling up closer to the scooby so it really doesn't matter.
I chose a Chim due to the fact I could get a 4.6 version in great nick as opposed to a 4.0 pre-cat Griff. I also much prefer the look of the Chim (especially from the back) and don't really like the look of the Griff's headlights, though this is of course just my personal opinion! Also the bigger boot in the Chim is bloody useful and I use it a lot (not for golf bats though!).
Go and try a few, it's the only way to make your mind up. Then de-cat it and wonder why you didn't get one years ago!
Having said that, the TVR is also obviously n/a and very torquey, so it will give you A LOT more power down low, which is why it's so easy to spin the wheels up and lose it when coming off a roundabout/motorway on-ramp etc...!
Despite this, the scooby will probably be quicker when covering most roads, but the TVR will almost certainly feel quicker due to the amount of involvement you have in the experience (and the engine/exhaust noise of course!)
If choosing between a Griff and a Chim, it really does come down to looks. They are effectively the same car with a different body/dashboard, the only other difference being the Griff has slightly harder shocks though you'll probably end up uprating them on either to get the handling up closer to the scooby so it really doesn't matter.
I chose a Chim due to the fact I could get a 4.6 version in great nick as opposed to a 4.0 pre-cat Griff. I also much prefer the look of the Chim (especially from the back) and don't really like the look of the Griff's headlights, though this is of course just my personal opinion! Also the bigger boot in the Chim is bloody useful and I use it a lot (not for golf bats though!).
Go and try a few, it's the only way to make your mind up. Then de-cat it and wonder why you didn't get one years ago!
Edited by thenick on Friday 14th March 12:16
thenick
Just seen your profile and I have 1 question:
Can you please tell me how the fluck as a student you can afford to buy, insure, tax and run both a TVR and S14A?
I had to bloody drive a 1955 beetle when I was at uni...and eat stuff I could catch that was scuttling across the floor of my 'digs'!
Just seen your profile and I have 1 question:
Can you please tell me how the fluck as a student you can afford to buy, insure, tax and run both a TVR and S14A?
I had to bloody drive a 1955 beetle when I was at uni...and eat stuff I could catch that was scuttling across the floor of my 'digs'!
It takes a special amount of dedication to be honest... Though it's not as hard as you might think!
For one, I have very few outgoings, no tax and a lot of free time even though I do one of the more demanding subjects. Because of this I am able to work three jobs and then of course have a student loan! I do all of the servicing and as much work as possible on the TVR myself so it doesn't cost a lot to run but I didn't really like running the TVR so much (have done around 12k a year so far). So I bought the S14 with some inheritance I had sitting in an account (everything else, TVR etc has been my own money though). After doing a pretty detailed costs breakdown of running the Chim and the S14, I was pretty shocked to see that it actually saves me money overall!
So if I run the TVR 5k a year and the S14 7k, including tax, mot, fuel, insurance, oil changes etc, and add the residual value of the S14 at the end of one year, it works out that I actually gain a few hundred quid a year as opposed to running just the TVR. Cool eh? Most of it was due to the insurance reduction thanks to Hagerty's but the fuel savings play a big part.
So it takes up pretty much all of my earnings, the rest just going on food, a few nights out etc and the mortgage (another story). Seems to work well though and has done for about a year and a half now. Its a bit nuts but I couldn't be happier!
For one, I have very few outgoings, no tax and a lot of free time even though I do one of the more demanding subjects. Because of this I am able to work three jobs and then of course have a student loan! I do all of the servicing and as much work as possible on the TVR myself so it doesn't cost a lot to run but I didn't really like running the TVR so much (have done around 12k a year so far). So I bought the S14 with some inheritance I had sitting in an account (everything else, TVR etc has been my own money though). After doing a pretty detailed costs breakdown of running the Chim and the S14, I was pretty shocked to see that it actually saves me money overall!
So if I run the TVR 5k a year and the S14 7k, including tax, mot, fuel, insurance, oil changes etc, and add the residual value of the S14 at the end of one year, it works out that I actually gain a few hundred quid a year as opposed to running just the TVR. Cool eh? Most of it was due to the insurance reduction thanks to Hagerty's but the fuel savings play a big part.
So it takes up pretty much all of my earnings, the rest just going on food, a few nights out etc and the mortgage (another story). Seems to work well though and has done for about a year and a half now. Its a bit nuts but I couldn't be happier!
thenick said:
So it takes up pretty much all of my earnings, the rest just going on food, a few nights out etc and the mortgage (another story). Seems to work well though and has done for about a year and a half now. Its a bit nuts but I couldn't be happier!
Well done Nick!!!Although a student with a TVR, S14, Mortgage and a 'few nights out' is bloody remarkable!!!
Your destined to be rich Nick
raceboy said:
Before the 'big girls drive Griffs' bunch start telling you to get a Chimaera, I'll say the 2 cars are very very similar, it really boils down to which you prefer the look of.
The Chimaera is a little more practicle, but thats still practicle with a small 'p'.
If you compare like with like regarding engine size performace will be the same, although a standard car might feel a little slower than the Scooby, but it's a very very very VERY different driving experiance. Liberties that can be taken in a Scooby will see you backwards through a hedge in any TVR, for a while you will probably be a lot slower. Neither car has any driver aids, rear wheel drive, no Traction control, no ABS, and power steering being an option make a fast drive a challenging experiance.
I've only driven an EVO but after the TVR it did feel fast, but no quicker than the TVR, but very dull and very easy to drive fast, so reverse that for a TVR experiance.
A friend has both a Scooby and a TVR and has done back to back driving on a trackday and the Scooby put in faster lap times, escpecially in the wet, but the TVR was much more fun.
raceboy says it all really, it's like comparing Jordan & Kylie, both will get you there quickly but it will be a different experience along the way. I went from an impreza to a 4.5 Chimaera and haven't looked back. The impreza lasted 18 months, i've still got the Chimaera after nearly seven years....The Chimaera is a little more practicle, but thats still practicle with a small 'p'.
If you compare like with like regarding engine size performace will be the same, although a standard car might feel a little slower than the Scooby, but it's a very very very VERY different driving experiance. Liberties that can be taken in a Scooby will see you backwards through a hedge in any TVR, for a while you will probably be a lot slower.
Neither car has any driver aids, rear wheel drive, no Traction control, no ABS, and power steering being an option make a fast drive a challenging experiance.I've only driven an EVO but after the TVR it did feel fast, but no quicker than the TVR, but very dull and very easy to drive fast, so reverse that for a TVR experiance.
A friend has both a Scooby and a TVR and has done back to back driving on a trackday and the Scooby put in faster lap times, escpecially in the wet, but the TVR was much more fun.
im said:
thenick said:
So it takes up pretty much all of my earnings, the rest just going on food, a few nights out etc and the mortgage (another story). Seems to work well though and has done for about a year and a half now. Its a bit nuts but I couldn't be happier!
Well done Nick!!!Although a student with a TVR, S14, Mortgage and a 'few nights out' is bloody remarkable!!!
Your destined to be rich Nick
I like many have owned a few scooby's and the like but never really stuck with any brand for long, my tiv is the longest i've ever owned a car but thats not to say i haven't thought about selling and if someone knocked on the door and really twisted my arm i may let it go but then again i'd still have to think about it unlike any other car appart from my 911 i would just bite there hand off for the right money so i guess there is something special about em, you can also mix it with the big boys for WELL under 15k witch is becoming rare these days but a word of warning coming from your scoob you better buy the 5ltr or u'll regret it! My freinds 5 grand scoob sticks with my 5ltr up to a ton then starts to gasp for air just when the lungs on the 5 start working.
wThanks for all the replies guys,unfortunatly still undecided hich one i prefer out of the two,will only be a weekend and sunny day toy should i decide to buy one,would hope to keep the impreza as a everyday car as its very practicle and swift........ ill keep looking and hopefully decide before the summer ends,also noticed a speed six tuscan is in my price range,would prefer a v8 though.
Edited by rigga on Sunday 16th March 09:30
If you decide your after a very fast Chimaera in excellent condition, this is the one for you:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/404942.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/404942.htm
rigga said:
Gotta say that is very very nice,and with the best looking wheel set out there,and funnily enough on my doorstep too.......
Your welcome to come and have a look - its mine!I see from your profile that your a train maintenance fitter - where abouts?
I'm a Production Manager at Oxley train maintenance depot (Wolverhampton).
L33 said:
rigga said:
Gotta say that is very very nice,and with the best looking wheel set out there,and funnily enough on my doorstep too.......
Your welcome to come and have a look - its mine!I see from your profile that your a train maintenance fitter - where abouts?
I'm a Production Manager at Oxley train maintenance depot (Wolverhampton).
thenick said:
Some bloody hard work
A man after my own heart. Well played Well made my mind up and a chim it is........like a few posters commented above this is really down to the look of the car as they do seem very similar to me,just prefer the rear end of the chim to the griff,and really havn't seen a pic of a griff front end that makes it look appealing at all,to answer a point made by nick,yes my impreza is rated at the fly powerwise,like you say this is the norm it seems for the jap performance scene,are tvr's rated at the rear wheels for power figures then? or mix and match to get some bar room kudos?...... next option is powerplant option,negate the 400 as not an option as id hate to buy one and find pretty quickly its not enough after the initial hit,so 450 4.6 or 500 5 ltr....... is the cross bolted crank 450 the better engine out of the two or are the differences minimal, a friend who runs a cerb with a ls1 motor had a chim previous with a 4.6 engine with 4.0 pistons to give higher comp,he suggests a "cammed" 4.6 would give better power than a stock 500 motor...... opinions welcomed
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