Help Please....
Discussion
First I wanted a Cerbera - in fact I still do, but I have been led to believe that this would be unwise as I require a 'real' car (25 miles commute each day). I've driven a Griff (the green 5.0 at Penninsula) and loved it, but have heard that the Chimaera is more user friendly for everyday use. I have also been tempted to look at a Marcos, and have been told that they are more reliable, have a better build quality and handle better - is this true ??
Help....
I want a FAST car and it has to be V8 for the awesome sound. However if I get a Griff am I going to wrap it around a tree if I need to drive in the wet etc...
I need lots of advice please!!
Help....
I want a FAST car and it has to be V8 for the awesome sound. However if I get a Griff am I going to wrap it around a tree if I need to drive in the wet etc...
I need lots of advice please!!
Gorvid
Welcome - I am fairly new myself having only got my Griff (500, 1998 in red) in May. You should get oodles of help here...
For me I would say - dont worry. I had never driven anything resembling the performance I get out of he Griff. My philosophy is simple - I drive it within the capabilities that I have. I am simply not a good enough driver to push the vehicle to the limits (or anyway near them) however this does NOT (and I really do emhasise the word NOT) detract from my enjoyment one iota.
Every time I drive it I grin and everytime I drive it I am more and more amazed. My experience is growing and I am more comfortable now - 2 months on - than I was at the beginning. I drove up to the lakes from Brum on Saturday, stayed the night and drove back Sunday morning. 190 miles each way - not a single problem. Everything was great - it handled superbly, loads of grunt, occasional 'fast' moments (if you know what I mean, ahem?), loads of looks, great MPG (190 miles and still a quarter of a tank left),very comfortable (didnt know I had been on a 3 hour drive). Oh...it didnt leak too much in the rain near Brum either!!
Myself and my wife are so enamoured by it that we have signed up for the EuroHoon trip in September (Belgium,Germany,Austria and Italy in 10 days).
lastly I would say that I am struggling to remember driving/life BG ie Before Griff
Futher to the above there are obviously the extra driving lessons that can be arranged and for some 'hairy moments', there are trackdays.
Good luck
Welcome - I am fairly new myself having only got my Griff (500, 1998 in red) in May. You should get oodles of help here...
For me I would say - dont worry. I had never driven anything resembling the performance I get out of he Griff. My philosophy is simple - I drive it within the capabilities that I have. I am simply not a good enough driver to push the vehicle to the limits (or anyway near them) however this does NOT (and I really do emhasise the word NOT) detract from my enjoyment one iota.
Every time I drive it I grin and everytime I drive it I am more and more amazed. My experience is growing and I am more comfortable now - 2 months on - than I was at the beginning. I drove up to the lakes from Brum on Saturday, stayed the night and drove back Sunday morning. 190 miles each way - not a single problem. Everything was great - it handled superbly, loads of grunt, occasional 'fast' moments (if you know what I mean, ahem?), loads of looks, great MPG (190 miles and still a quarter of a tank left),very comfortable (didnt know I had been on a 3 hour drive). Oh...it didnt leak too much in the rain near Brum either!!
Myself and my wife are so enamoured by it that we have signed up for the EuroHoon trip in September (Belgium,Germany,Austria and Italy in 10 days).
lastly I would say that I am struggling to remember driving/life BG ie Before Griff
Futher to the above there are obviously the extra driving lessons that can be arranged and for some 'hairy moments', there are trackdays.
Good luck
I was thinking along the same lines as regard to Chim/Griff... 4.0 / 5.0 etc.. (No Marcos info here...sorry)
The conlusions I came to were...
Griff over Chimaera...personal preference only (now budget allows)...boot is plenty big enough for what I need.
5.0 litre over the smaller engines as I knew (and it was pointed out to me by friends that if I had the 4.0, i'd want a 4.3 ...then want a 5.0 etc. etc. Again, nothing wrong at all with the 4.x's..they are all VERY quick cars.
I was worried about meeting a tree sideways as well, so i'm just going to get some driver training to address that.
The conlusions I came to were...
Griff over Chimaera...personal preference only (now budget allows)...boot is plenty big enough for what I need.
5.0 litre over the smaller engines as I knew (and it was pointed out to me by friends that if I had the 4.0, i'd want a 4.3 ...then want a 5.0 etc. etc. Again, nothing wrong at all with the 4.x's..they are all VERY quick cars.
I was worried about meeting a tree sideways as well, so i'm just going to get some driver training to address that.
Hi Gorvid,
I think the ability to drive confidently, any powerful rear drive car with no driver aids, all depends on your driving experience, knowledge of how the car reacts to driver input in all kinds of circumstances, confidence in the car's and your abilities and then when neccesary to treat it with respect. The Griffith and Chimera are well balanced cars with huge grip in the dry and wet (if you are careful). How much fun you want to have all depends on how you use the accelerator, brakes and steering! Treat them with some sensitivity and you will rarely go wrong! A good advanced driving course is a worthwhile investment.
Re reliability, they are handbuilt cars so you need to expect things to go wrong every now and then, however the engine and components are fairly simple so it is unlikely you should have any major problems. This is primarily down to the condition of the car, irrelevant of mileage. The other strong recommendation I would give is to drive them regularly as they don't like sitting around. Every journey is always such a brilliant experience anyway! If you need to rely on a Griff/Chim to get you to work every day I would probably suggest having another car as a safe guard though.
Hope that's some help
Laz
I think the ability to drive confidently, any powerful rear drive car with no driver aids, all depends on your driving experience, knowledge of how the car reacts to driver input in all kinds of circumstances, confidence in the car's and your abilities and then when neccesary to treat it with respect. The Griffith and Chimera are well balanced cars with huge grip in the dry and wet (if you are careful). How much fun you want to have all depends on how you use the accelerator, brakes and steering! Treat them with some sensitivity and you will rarely go wrong! A good advanced driving course is a worthwhile investment.
Re reliability, they are handbuilt cars so you need to expect things to go wrong every now and then, however the engine and components are fairly simple so it is unlikely you should have any major problems. This is primarily down to the condition of the car, irrelevant of mileage. The other strong recommendation I would give is to drive them regularly as they don't like sitting around. Every journey is always such a brilliant experience anyway! If you need to rely on a Griff/Chim to get you to work every day I would probably suggest having another car as a safe guard though.
Hope that's some help
Laz
Thanks for the help so far... (especially Jeffsy - you are obviously a few months down the path I intend to take - what did you drive before the Griff ??)
Does anyone have any opinions on what the pros and cons of a Cerbera / Griff / Chimaera / Marcos would be for 25 miles per day plus weekend fun...?
In the real world what is the difference between these cars?
Does anyone have any opinions on what the pros and cons of a Cerbera / Griff / Chimaera / Marcos would be for 25 miles per day plus weekend fun...?
In the real world what is the difference between these cars?
Gorvid
Good question - a mix of cars really. Company cars were standard 2.0l+ jobs (Peugeot, Omegas, and now an X Type). Private were another eclectic mix but the last 2 were a 2.5l V6 Cougar followed by an MX5 1.8i(the wife's car - I hasten to add!!). None of these per se prepared me for the experience of the Griff however coupled with 20 years and no bumps,crashes etc (very much touching wood here) plus I (think) I drive defensively due to the large amount of miles I drive each year through business.
For me it really is knowing your own limits and then building the experience up. If the conditions allow, I will open it up however very much being aware of the road,other drivers etc. I dont plan to take extra lessons nor to go on track days as I am not an all out speed-freak.I love the speed and handling and will probably never get to anywhere near the limits of thrill however Im sure I will reach my personal limits. Oh BTW Im only in my late 30's so not too doddery yet!!
We are so taken by the Tiv that we are already thinking in terms of a newer one next year (one of the last 100) some time or even moving to a Tuscan or another model (should we move house and get a bigger garage - vital BTW to keep insurance costs down)
One thing you could do (if you can hang on long enough that is) is go to the Griff Growl in August. It will be my first year going and some real kind folks on here (MrMaggit and BallisticBanana) have organised it. Im sure you will get a welter of free input there.
Enjoy
Good question - a mix of cars really. Company cars were standard 2.0l+ jobs (Peugeot, Omegas, and now an X Type). Private were another eclectic mix but the last 2 were a 2.5l V6 Cougar followed by an MX5 1.8i(the wife's car - I hasten to add!!). None of these per se prepared me for the experience of the Griff however coupled with 20 years and no bumps,crashes etc (very much touching wood here) plus I (think) I drive defensively due to the large amount of miles I drive each year through business.
For me it really is knowing your own limits and then building the experience up. If the conditions allow, I will open it up however very much being aware of the road,other drivers etc. I dont plan to take extra lessons nor to go on track days as I am not an all out speed-freak.I love the speed and handling and will probably never get to anywhere near the limits of thrill however Im sure I will reach my personal limits. Oh BTW Im only in my late 30's so not too doddery yet!!
We are so taken by the Tiv that we are already thinking in terms of a newer one next year (one of the last 100) some time or even moving to a Tuscan or another model (should we move house and get a bigger garage - vital BTW to keep insurance costs down)
One thing you could do (if you can hang on long enough that is) is go to the Griff Growl in August. It will be my first year going and some real kind folks on here (MrMaggit and BallisticBanana) have organised it. Im sure you will get a welter of free input there.
Enjoy
Thank you for those kind words, but don't forget Mr & Mrs Flipflopgriff!
We have some special guests on Sunday this year, as well as the usual stuff.
If you're thinking of going the V8 route with the Griffith (especially), the Growl is an excellent idea. Don't forget, it's free, too!
maggit
We have some special guests on Sunday this year, as well as the usual stuff.
If you're thinking of going the V8 route with the Griffith (especially), the Growl is an excellent idea. Don't forget, it's free, too!
maggit
Maggit and the FFG's have done all the work 
mrmaggit said:
You betcha! I think most people are coming for the Saturday evening Bar B Q and Sunday, and I'll guarantee you all you'll be doing a lot of picture taking and talking on Sunday.
Some of you may get a bit more.
maggit
I warn you I for one wont be taking any photos of you streaking at the Growl
BB
Gorvid said:
I want a FAST car and it has to be V8 for the awesome sound. However if I get a Griff am I going to wrap it around a tree if I need to drive in the wet etc...
I'm a bit late on this one but - for both reasons above I'd steer you towards the 4.0. Also, as this is the Griff forum, I can tell you that Chimaeras are for girls
Yes, you WILL wrap it round a tree if you drive carelessly, but that is down to you, not the car. So put your barbed-wire shirt on and venture forth
I can't speak for the Griff but I drove my S3 every day for 2 years through every convievable weather, snow, rain, hail, shine. And it fared up fine.
As for the Griff vs Chim arguement. It really comes down to what you like the look of the best. They are pretty much the same car under the plastic. But make sure you drive a lot of them as you may find a Griff 500 you hate and a Chim 400 you love or the other way around. The Chims are cheaper and have more variety of engines.
I rarely drive my Griff and rarely drive it in the rain, but if you're sensible and progressive you should have no problems.
I went from my tuned 1 litre mini, which handles like it's on rails, to my S3, to a Griff. Never done anything remotely stupid, except spinning on a patch of Diesel at around 15mph.
As for the Griff vs Chim arguement. It really comes down to what you like the look of the best. They are pretty much the same car under the plastic. But make sure you drive a lot of them as you may find a Griff 500 you hate and a Chim 400 you love or the other way around. The Chims are cheaper and have more variety of engines.
I rarely drive my Griff and rarely drive it in the rain, but if you're sensible and progressive you should have no problems.
I went from my tuned 1 litre mini, which handles like it's on rails, to my S3, to a Griff. Never done anything remotely stupid, except spinning on a patch of Diesel at around 15mph.
Well.....
I have been feeling a bit guilty recently because I have been using PH very much as a resource for lots of info about my Griff being a newbie myself. So now I can offer something back to the community as it were!
I was in a very similar situation a few months ago when looking to purchase my first Trev. I did my research, looked at all the options and came to the following conclusions:
1. Just do it! Not sponsored by NIKE just have realised after reading countless posts that you could umm and aah about getting your first Trev for ages whilst missing out on all the good weather and fun!
2. Go for the car that steals your heart. Yes you could have that slightly more sensible Chim 4.0 with PAS, low mileage and one owner but then again you could say f**k it and get the car you really want....mine was a 500HC Griff, Mark Adams chipped and Leven everything (pics to follow!!). You will only regret it if you go for a Trev on the basis that it is more sensible than the one you really want (it is a British sports car, not meant to be sensible!!)
3. Once you buy in to the TVR clan you will very quickly realise that the other stuff is irrelevant largely. Yes you can spend £600 for a main dealer service to ensure your maximum re-sale. OR you could go to Austec, get a free Mark Adams rolling road session as part of the service (if you time it right) and walk away with a bill less than £400 even with a few little jobs done
4. Finally just do it!
Hope to see the pics of your new Trev soon!
I have been feeling a bit guilty recently because I have been using PH very much as a resource for lots of info about my Griff being a newbie myself. So now I can offer something back to the community as it were!
I was in a very similar situation a few months ago when looking to purchase my first Trev. I did my research, looked at all the options and came to the following conclusions:
1. Just do it! Not sponsored by NIKE just have realised after reading countless posts that you could umm and aah about getting your first Trev for ages whilst missing out on all the good weather and fun!
2. Go for the car that steals your heart. Yes you could have that slightly more sensible Chim 4.0 with PAS, low mileage and one owner but then again you could say f**k it and get the car you really want....mine was a 500HC Griff, Mark Adams chipped and Leven everything (pics to follow!!). You will only regret it if you go for a Trev on the basis that it is more sensible than the one you really want (it is a British sports car, not meant to be sensible!!)
3. Once you buy in to the TVR clan you will very quickly realise that the other stuff is irrelevant largely. Yes you can spend £600 for a main dealer service to ensure your maximum re-sale. OR you could go to Austec, get a free Mark Adams rolling road session as part of the service (if you time it right) and walk away with a bill less than £400 even with a few little jobs done
4. Finally just do it!
Hope to see the pics of your new Trev soon!
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