Hello and question on buying a Cerb for 17k

[ginkent]

Hello all, have been a voyeur of this forum (and your beautiful cars) on and off for a while, and have at last made a decision to join the mad world of owning a Cerbera. Trouble is, I can't find one (not in my budget at least).

which leads to my question, am I being realistic trying to find a Cerb for up to £17k?

in an ideal world, my criteria would be:
must have full history
must be a known car with a known past (i.e. for sale by a PH member)
any colour any model
not a Cat C/D

if I am realistic, maybe it's just the wrong time of year, or maybe I just need to be more patient?

[Twinkam]

Hi GK.
Well, I just did (spent quite a bit less than that, actually).
But you might have to 'kiss a few frogs' first.
My advice would be to get a thorough independent inspection done.
Mine cost £300. So be sure that you actually want that one before instructing the inspection.
And, having paid for that professional advice, follow it.
Good luck!
Rik

[jamieduff1981]

Hi,

All I can add to the above, is to set aside your money, add to it if you can, and just wait. These are relatively rare cars and your car will appear at some point.

I myself made the decision you have in the month of August a few years back, and didn't actually buy my car until the following January.

Get the money ready, and be ready to move on your Cerbera when it appears on the market. It can be something as haphazard as one of the dealers giving you a call to tell you they have a customer considering a sale, if not a car actually advertised actively.

Just be ready, and relax

[ginkent]

Twinkam said:

Hi GK.
Well, I just did (spent quite a bit less than that, actually).
But you might have to 'kiss a few frogs' first.
My advice would be to get a thorough independent inspection done.
Mine cost £300. So be sure that you actually want that one before instructing the inspection.
And, having paid for that professional advice, follow it.
Good luck!
Rik

thanks, and thanks for the feedback.
there's a guy advertising on fleabay to vet pre-purchase for 299, did you use them (Inter******) ?

jamieduff1981 said:

..I myself made the decision you have in the month of August a few years back, and didn't actually buy my car until the following January..

eeek. So I should learn some patience. Maybe not a bad idea, I imagine patience and waiting are key ingredients in TVR ownership

[philipbrown123]

Hi Gk. Up your budget to £18.5k and go for a green one ( best colour ) !

[ginkent]

philipbrown123 said:

Hi Gk. Up your budget to £18.5k and go for a green one ( best colour ) !

you have no idea how tempted I am. But my head is ruling right now, telling me not to dip into the keeping-it-maintained-war-chest

[sybaseian]

go and drive a few before you purchase.

Also try some of the other models as you may actually prefer those in reality.

[Byker28i]

ginkent said:

philipbrown123 said:

Hi Gk. Up your budget to £18.5k and go for a green one ( best colour ) !

you have no idea how tempted I am. But my head is ruling right now, telling me not to dip into the keeping-it-maintained-war-chest

Monthly payments sir. Put £250 a month away in a savings account to top up the war chest

[Twinkam]

I used Philip Phedonis, he's a TVR nut/racer/dealer with 20 years experience based in West London. I searched his name on here and found that others had recommended him. He was happy to travel to the South Coast to vet mine; naturally the further he has to travel the more he charges.
I've seen an advert for a chap in Yorkshire that does the same and charges similar. Had I been looking for a car oop North, then I might well have used him.
However, from my own recent experience, I can wholeheartedly recommend Philip, he knows his stuff and is very thorough. Money well spent IMHO.

[ginkent]

sybaseian said:

go and drive a few before you purchase.

how does that usually work? Most private sellers want to see full comp insurance before allowing a test drive.
tbh I haven't spoken to my insurance company, but is the idea to get a temp insurance each time?

[Speed 3]

ginkent said:

sybaseian said:

go and drive a few before you purchase.

how does that usually work? Most private sellers want to see full comp insurance before allowing a test drive.
tbh I haven't spoken to my insurance company, but is the idea to get a temp insurance each time?

Specialist dealers will be helpful as long as you're not taking the piss. They understand someone new to the marque/model needs to do a lot of research and testing before they decide what's best for them. Your budget does limit the dealer ones but don't rule it out, they generally don't source dogs so could be a saver in the longer term.

Also try to get to an owners meet, you'll get offered plenty of passenger rides and good advice.

[jamesh764]

A (not powerfully built) director at work has been making noises about selling his, and I think he is looking for around £17k. It is a yellow V8 and it has an MOT and a lever arch file full of history.

He lives near Ascot, so if you're interested I'll try and find out more about it tomorrow.

With regard to insurance on test drives, if you have car insurance of your own you will probably have third party cover. In the past I have been able to get temporary fully comp cover from my insurer - I think it cost me around a tenner for a day.

[ginkent]

thanks James, have sent you a mail.

and thanks everyone else for chiming in - really appreciate it

[ukkid35]

ginkent said:

you have no idea how tempted I am. But my head is ruling right now, telling me not to dip into the keeping-it-maintained-war-chest

That caught me out. I'd assumed you were buying as an investment - not to actually drive it. After all, why would you care whether it was Cat C/D - that's an instant discount which wouldn't affect the resale value proportionately.

Also, colour is not a consideration - not if you never intend to be seen in it.

And you want a FSH on a car that's nearly 20 years old - why? Who cares what happened before, the only thing that matters is the state it's in now. A fully restored car with a new chassis but no service history is worth twice that of a regularly serviced dog.

OK, so perhaps you're looking for a cheap investment vehicle, perhaps not. Should the rest of us care? I don't know, but it would make things clearer if you told us.

[ginkent]

ukkid35 said:

That caught me out. I'd assumed you were buying as an investment - not to actually drive it. After all, why would you care whether it was Cat C/D - that's an instant discount which wouldn't affect the resale value proportionately.

Also, colour is not a consideration - not if you never intend to be seen in it.

And you want a FSH on a car that's nearly 20 years old - why? Who cares what happened before, the only thing that matters is the state it's in now. A fully restored car with a new chassis but no service history is worth twice that of a regularly serviced dog.

OK, so perhaps you're looking for a cheap investment vehicle, perhaps not. Should the rest of us care? I don't know, but it would make things clearer if you told us.

fair question.

so maybe my noob is showing here.

I read that a cat c/d affects insurance, i assume massively, maybe i'm wrong there
i'm not mechanically minded at all, so i'd prefer to pay a little extra if it were to de-risk the purchase, if FSH does de-risk it - you suggest not.
do people really buy these only for investment? blimey - i don't know if i could walk past it not wanting to drive it.

if i had a choice of colours, I know what i'd pick, but I'm being realistic. colour is important, but it won't be a deciding factor

I'm looking for a weekend toy, in as good a condition as my budget can afford. And i'm looking for advice on getting that, hence me being here.

Edited by ginkent on Tuesday 14th June 21:18

[ukkid35]

ginkent said:

i'm not mechanically minded at all, so i'd prefer to pay a little extra if it were to de-risk the purchase,

I'd prefer others to contribute, but I reckon your best option would be a dealer car with a warranty. My understanding is that the Str8six warranty is genuine, and would probably be your best option. However I don't have any experience of that end of the market myself.

[Incognegro]

ukkid35 said:

ginkent said:

i'm not mechanically minded at all, so i'd prefer to pay a little extra if it were to de-risk the purchase,

I'd prefer others to contribute, but I reckon your best option would be a dealer car with a warranty. My understanding is that the Str8six warranty is genuine, and would probably be your best option. However I don't have any experience of that end of the market myself.

Fair enough all round. I too was like this a few years back... Apart from I had experience of getting my dads back on the road by using the big boys Power etc

When buying my own (very close to your budget) I bought from a owner on here that was very honest, well respected and knew the car. History was provided and very important to me.. Eg Nitrons had been fitted so I knew I wouldn't have shocks issues (had they not been touched the Bilstiens would have been waiting to leak)! Also history of engine rebuild and regular servicing showed that despite age the manner and method of keeping was correct.

If you really want to buy and someone really wants to sell a deal will be done

[RFC1]

ukkid35 said:

I'd prefer others to contribute, but I reckon your best option would be a dealer car with a warranty. My understanding is that the Str8six warranty is genuine, and would probably be your best option. However I don't have any experience of that end of the market myself.

I will contribute, I would doubt very much if you could buy a Cerb from Str8six for 17K with a warranty.
Not having a dig at ukkid35 just being realistic.

To the o/p good luck finding one in budget , you will not regret it if you buy wisely !!

Sandy

[Byker28i]

ukkid35 said:

And you want a FSH on a car that's nearly 20 years old - why? Who cares what happened before, the only thing that matters is the state it's in now. A fully restored car with a new chassis but no service history is worth twice that of a regularly serviced dog.

You're right, but a FSH, or history, shows the cars been looked after. What was done, when etc.

[2gins]

Useful thread for me too, will keep an eye. Not ready yet though, have the funds but no parking.