How much of a down grade is it?
Discussion
I'm looking at getting a 4.3 chimp (or maybe a griff)I had a 4.2 Cerbera before, but it cost a fortune to run!
Any info on what expect from it compared to the Cerbera. Has anyone else done the same thing or changed their Cerby for any other Chimp or Griff models? Be very intrested to hear your comments!
Any info on what expect from it compared to the Cerbera. Has anyone else done the same thing or changed their Cerby for any other Chimp or Griff models? Be very intrested to hear your comments!
Yes I went from a 4.2 Cerbera to a Tuscan to a Chimaera 4.0. The Cerbera to Tuscan was done on a whim and I must admit I did regret doing it.The Tuscan to Chimaera was brought about due to a down turn in business.But although it sounds as I am just saying it because I have had to down grade, I enjoy the Chimaera best of all.It is so useable compared to the other two.It is a pretty straight forward car mechanically and has more that ample performance and best of all the roof comes off! I do hanker after a cerbera now and again as I feel they look great with 18 inch wheels and headlamp conversion.But the fact that the roof does not come off stops me in my tracks.Yes the Cerbera and Tuscan have tremendous performance but in the real world of driving on the road the Chimaera is more than fast enough.
Believe it or not I actually miss my 450 Chimaera, found it much easier to drive round town and power slide - on tracks of course 
Don’t think you’ll miss to much performance up to 50ish but after that its going to be very different.
If it were me mycerbera I’d plump for a Griff or at least a 4.5 Chimaera – don’t get anything that’s 4l though. Gary’s also right the Chimaera/Griff is going to be soooooooo much cheap to run.
My 2p’s worth anyway
Paul
Don’t think you’ll miss to much performance up to 50ish but after that its going to be very different. If it were me mycerbera I’d plump for a Griff or at least a 4.5 Chimaera – don’t get anything that’s 4l though. Gary’s also right the Chimaera/Griff is going to be soooooooo much cheap to run.
My 2p’s worth anyway
Paul
p7ulg said:
rolexblue said:
– don’t get anything that’s 4l though.
Why?
Just my humble opinion p7ulg. Don’t get me wrong the 4l is a very fast car (I nearly bought one!) but it’s the old chestnut – if you’ve got a 4 don’t drive 4.5, if you’ve got a 4.5 don’t drive a 5 you’ll want the extra performance – well I did anyway.
I had been testing 4litre Chimaera’s for a while and nearly bought one thinking there was more then enough power, until one dealer got me in a 4.5
I bought it 
Just my experience/thoughts.
Paul
p7ulg
I forget the "book" spec for the 400 and 450 (240 and 285 bhp I think?) but this difference felt a lot more on the road. I found the "extra" very noticable in the real world of overtaking etc - it's all to do with this torque stuff which the bigger Rover V8's have buckets of.
Cheers
Paul
I forget the "book" spec for the 400 and 450 (240 and 285 bhp I think?) but this difference felt a lot more on the road. I found the "extra" very noticable in the real world of overtaking etc - it's all to do with this torque stuff which the bigger Rover V8's have buckets of.
Cheers
Paul
gazzab said: But of course a well sorted Cerbera could well be cheaper to run than a Chimp in need of tlc.
There are a lot of bespoke parts on the Cerbera and having to have valve clearances checked at almost every other service is always going to make even a well sorted cerbera more expensive to run.
I disagree.
A well sorted Cerbera (ie one where someone has invested a lot of money on the engine etc) COULD be cheaper to run than a Chimp that suddenly needs more work than normal. I agree that statistically a cerb is more expensive to run but I would have thought that this is only the case 80% of the time. If I had a well sorted Cerb I wouldnt just assume a Chimp is going to be cheaper , albeit you would hope it to be so.
A well sorted Cerbera (ie one where someone has invested a lot of money on the engine etc) COULD be cheaper to run than a Chimp that suddenly needs more work than normal. I agree that statistically a cerb is more expensive to run but I would have thought that this is only the case 80% of the time. If I had a well sorted Cerb I wouldnt just assume a Chimp is going to be cheaper , albeit you would hope it to be so.
Get my sixpenneth in. Had a Griffith 500 from new in August 1994 - did 16,000 miles over 2 years and it cost nothing at all to run other than tax/insurance, 2 services and fuel/oil. Didn't even need new tyres - but then I'm not a boy racer off the lights. Cost of ownership for those 2 years was low too with only £1350 depreciation - oh those were the days.
Cerbera is a total nightmare for ownership. Had 2, a 4.2 and a 4.5 now. Dare not count the costs but for the two over a total of 45,000 miles it must run to in excess of £13,000 repair bills plus servicing, etc. 4.2 didn't depreciate as mine was an early car bought at the motor show at a big discount and the factory looked after us poor sods who acted as test beds and development engineers. But the 4.5 depreciation is horrendous.
Looking back - wish I stuck with the Griff 500. In reality a Griff500 in the hands of someone who knows how to drive it is just as quick if not quicker as any Cerbera. I've been sat beside Gerry Marshall driving a Griff 500 on a track day who made every Cerbera look like it was going backwards - Like 10 seconds a lap backwards.
You pays your money, you takes your choice
Regards
John
Cerbera is a total nightmare for ownership. Had 2, a 4.2 and a 4.5 now. Dare not count the costs but for the two over a total of 45,000 miles it must run to in excess of £13,000 repair bills plus servicing, etc. 4.2 didn't depreciate as mine was an early car bought at the motor show at a big discount and the factory looked after us poor sods who acted as test beds and development engineers. But the 4.5 depreciation is horrendous.
Looking back - wish I stuck with the Griff 500. In reality a Griff500 in the hands of someone who knows how to drive it is just as quick if not quicker as any Cerbera. I've been sat beside Gerry Marshall driving a Griff 500 on a track day who made every Cerbera look like it was going backwards - Like 10 seconds a lap backwards.
You pays your money, you takes your choice
Regards
John
Sorry, I can't let that last comment slide (pun intended).
Gerry Marshall is going to be quicker in a 2CV than me in a Griff 500.. its a fallacious argument. Late last year Willie Green seriously embarrassed a Porsche GT2 in a 2.8i Capri round Goodwood!! - with me in total awe in the pasenger seat.
C'mon. I have had them both and I've driven them all. No way is a Chim or Griff (of any engine variant) as quick as a Cerby - not in a straight line, top end, not under braking nor round the corners.. it stands to reason that the Cerby being the younger and higher spec car is going to be better.
Of course, whether you prefer it or not is up to you. But setting aside driving ability, preference on looks, cost of ownership etc the Cerb is the superior vehicle dynamically. Besides - you don't get flames out of the exhaust of a 4.5 Chim
Gerry Marshall is going to be quicker in a 2CV than me in a Griff 500.. its a fallacious argument. Late last year Willie Green seriously embarrassed a Porsche GT2 in a 2.8i Capri round Goodwood!! - with me in total awe in the pasenger seat.
C'mon. I have had them both and I've driven them all. No way is a Chim or Griff (of any engine variant) as quick as a Cerby - not in a straight line, top end, not under braking nor round the corners.. it stands to reason that the Cerby being the younger and higher spec car is going to be better.
Of course, whether you prefer it or not is up to you. But setting aside driving ability, preference on looks, cost of ownership etc the Cerb is the superior vehicle dynamically. Besides - you don't get flames out of the exhaust of a 4.5 Chim
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