advice on buying (sorry to bore you owners)
Discussion
I came to the same conclusion as you, had a Fireblade, which became too silly on the road. I recently bought a cerb, which is FANTASTIC, I think they can be expensive to run, however if you can weild a set of spanners, then most things you can sort yourself, I've had a couple of problems since I've had it, but thanks to this site, and some paitence on others behalf thev've been sorted, normally at no cost whatsoever. I think the cerb is no more expensive to run than any other TVR, but I stand to be corrected on that one!!!
As for getting kids in the back, they'd better be pretty small, have you seen those crazy seats yet ?!!!
My final thought is.....stop dreaming, go and do it, you won't regret it, no other car is anything like it.
As for getting kids in the back, they'd better be pretty small, have you seen those crazy seats yet ?!!!
My final thought is.....stop dreaming, go and do it, you won't regret it, no other car is anything like it.
Well I have a family, so I wanted a 2+2 sports car, having had one,
I though, ok let's have a more 'suitable' car.
Then I woke up and grabbed a Cerbera!
The Car is perfectly suitable for a family, my daughter
of 8 1/2 loves it, is VERY comfortable in the back,
the boot holds more than most cars due to it's depth
and it's as comfortable around town as on the 'open' roads.
Yes the costs do run higher than a mass produced car,
but to have a rocket on wheels, with all the style and
elegance one could muster in a car and with prices starting
from under 16k - what more could you ask?
You need to be careful when buying though.
DO NOT buy the first you view unless you have
done your research first.
A good car will need a service (about £300 from an indi )
every 6k or annually. If something major fails...and it could,
you could expect a bill as high as 5k for an engine.
Fuel will cost more generally as Optimax is a good buy,
so shop around ( paying 75.9 here ) and I got 277 miles
on the last tank with some fairly nippy driving and
some town use.
Recommend a recovery cover and warranty if you
can get one, might ease the dent to the wallet should
the worst occur.
For all that, the Cerbera is the best damn car ever designed
in my view. I've never ever wanted to go for a drive
every single day...just for the sake of it.
You will always find those that have been bitten
and regret having one, but for every one of those,
you will find 100 more that would never want
anything else.
Take the above into account and you won't be sorry
if you join us!
Good luck..
Go create some weather...
Graham
TCR The Cerbera Register
www.aauk.biz/Cerbera/index.htm
I though, ok let's have a more 'suitable' car.
Then I woke up and grabbed a Cerbera!
The Car is perfectly suitable for a family, my daughter
of 8 1/2 loves it, is VERY comfortable in the back,
the boot holds more than most cars due to it's depth
and it's as comfortable around town as on the 'open' roads.
Yes the costs do run higher than a mass produced car,
but to have a rocket on wheels, with all the style and
elegance one could muster in a car and with prices starting
from under 16k - what more could you ask?
You need to be careful when buying though.
DO NOT buy the first you view unless you have
done your research first.
A good car will need a service (about £300 from an indi )
every 6k or annually. If something major fails...and it could,
you could expect a bill as high as 5k for an engine.
Fuel will cost more generally as Optimax is a good buy,
so shop around ( paying 75.9 here ) and I got 277 miles
on the last tank with some fairly nippy driving and
some town use.
Recommend a recovery cover and warranty if you
can get one, might ease the dent to the wallet should
the worst occur.
For all that, the Cerbera is the best damn car ever designed
in my view. I've never ever wanted to go for a drive
every single day...just for the sake of it.
You will always find those that have been bitten
and regret having one, but for every one of those,
you will find 100 more that would never want
anything else.
Take the above into account and you won't be sorry
if you join us!
Good luck..
Go create some weather...
Graham
TCR The Cerbera Register
www.aauk.biz/Cerbera/index.htm
I'm with GCerbera on this.
I have an almost 11 yoa, 6.5st son & a twig like 9 yoa daughter, both of which say they will happily ride in front or back as long as I will let them. The 11yoa suffers from ME meaning amongst other things he is sensitive to odd sounds & smells. I had to try him in the cerb before buying, as any problem would have ended my immediate Cerbera longings. The upshot of which was that although he is adamant he cannot ride in my 156 Alfa, he is more than able to ride in the cerb. In fact he prefers to ride in the back of the cerb, which with sports exhaust & large resonating rear exhaust trims sounds like a cross between a drag racing motorbike and an explosion in a large church bell factory
!
If not done already, try your kids in one for size. Note that the passenger side seat slides further forward than the drivers, hence you will see cerbs sometimes described as 3plus1's as you can get a larger body in there.
Regarding costs, yes they can be expensive to run, but so are all supercars. Search this forum for comments and you will get the good, the bad & the very ugly. As a general point I would also say use all TVR's regularly. They sulk if left too long in the garage and daft things conk out. Get to a local TVRCC meeting & ask questions.
Good luck with the hunting & email me offline if you want a chat.
Jerry
I have an almost 11 yoa, 6.5st son & a twig like 9 yoa daughter, both of which say they will happily ride in front or back as long as I will let them. The 11yoa suffers from ME meaning amongst other things he is sensitive to odd sounds & smells. I had to try him in the cerb before buying, as any problem would have ended my immediate Cerbera longings. The upshot of which was that although he is adamant he cannot ride in my 156 Alfa, he is more than able to ride in the cerb. In fact he prefers to ride in the back of the cerb, which with sports exhaust & large resonating rear exhaust trims sounds like a cross between a drag racing motorbike and an explosion in a large church bell factory
! If not done already, try your kids in one for size. Note that the passenger side seat slides further forward than the drivers, hence you will see cerbs sometimes described as 3plus1's as you can get a larger body in there.
Regarding costs, yes they can be expensive to run, but so are all supercars. Search this forum for comments and you will get the good, the bad & the very ugly. As a general point I would also say use all TVR's regularly. They sulk if left too long in the garage and daft things conk out. Get to a local TVRCC meeting & ask questions.
Good luck with the hunting & email me offline if you want a chat.
Jerry
To add a bit of balance to the thread... if you're wanting all 3 kids + wife in the car, you could be out of luck. I certainly wouldn't recommend trying to perch someone inbetween the two rear seats. Personally, the one time I tried getting in the back, I got stuck & almost had to be helped out! (6ft, 12.5st) It can get quite stuffy in the car too when it's hot & you're travelling slowly. Especially if the air-con's playing up.
Having said that, I've never experienced anything like it... Had the good fortune to drive a few friends' cars (911 turbo, etc), and none of them brings anywhere near the same grin to my face.
As for the right thing to do... The decision's down to whether you want something needlessly fast and downright beautiful, or whether you want to compromise on that a little for something that's more appropriate in the summer. To me, it came down to whether I wanted a car to be seen driving, or a car to drive. Driving won, and I'll gladly suffer the heat + laugh at anyone that tries getting in the seat behind me.
Having said that, I've never experienced anything like it... Had the good fortune to drive a few friends' cars (911 turbo, etc), and none of them brings anywhere near the same grin to my face.
As for the right thing to do... The decision's down to whether you want something needlessly fast and downright beautiful, or whether you want to compromise on that a little for something that's more appropriate in the summer. To me, it came down to whether I wanted a car to be seen driving, or a car to drive. Driving won, and I'll gladly suffer the heat + laugh at anyone that tries getting in the seat behind me.
£300 for a service ?! You will pay more than that generally ie a 6K is just over £300 and a 12K is nearer £500 with an indie.
You will often have other items to get covered in a service. So I would say allow £700 for services (or £1K for main dealers).
Parts are expensive. Front brake discs are £400 each for a 4.5. Exhausts £250. Tyres ???. Nose respray every 3 yrs at £700, air con regas, upgrades (suspension and wheels are de rigour) etc mean the cars ARE expensive to run.
Engine work can get very expensive. A total rebuild at the factory can be nearing £8K I guess if it includes heads, top and bottom ends and pistons. Most rebuilds are between 3 and 5 K though I guess. Rebuilds are quite rare on AJPs though.
The rule of thumb is to alllow £3K a year for servicing, parts and maintenance.
So people get away with less.
You will often have other items to get covered in a service. So I would say allow £700 for services (or £1K for main dealers).
Parts are expensive. Front brake discs are £400 each for a 4.5. Exhausts £250. Tyres ???. Nose respray every 3 yrs at £700, air con regas, upgrades (suspension and wheels are de rigour) etc mean the cars ARE expensive to run.
Engine work can get very expensive. A total rebuild at the factory can be nearing £8K I guess if it includes heads, top and bottom ends and pistons. Most rebuilds are between 3 and 5 K though I guess. Rebuilds are quite rare on AJPs though.
The rule of thumb is to alllow £3K a year for servicing, parts and maintenance.
So people get away with less.
crazycats said:
I came to the same conclusion as you, had a Fireblade, which became too silly on the road. I recently bought a cerb, which is FANTASTIC, I think they can be expensive to run, however if you can weild a set of spanners, then most things you can sort yourself, I've had a couple of problems since I've had it, but thanks to this site, and some paitence on others behalf thev've been sorted, normally at no cost whatsoever. I think the cerb is no more expensive to run than any other TVR, but I stand to be corrected on that one!!!
As for getting kids in the back, they'd better be pretty small, have you seen those crazy seats yet ?!!!
My final thought is.....stop dreaming, go and do it, you won't regret it, no other car is anything like it.
crazycats said:
I came to the same conclusion as you, had a Fireblade, which became too silly on the road. I recently bought a cerb, which is FANTASTIC, I think they can be expensive to run, however if you can weild a set of spanners, then most things you can sort yourself, I've had a couple of problems since I've had it, but thanks to this site, and some paitence on others behalf thev've been sorted, normally at no cost whatsoever. I think the cerb is no more expensive to run than any other TVR, but I stand to be corrected on that one!!!
As for getting kids in the back, they'd better be pretty small, have you seen those crazy seats yet ?!!!
My final thought is.....stop dreaming, go and do it, you won't regret it, no other car is anything like it.
Many thanks 4 reply & yes my kids are small!
If the wife dont fit she has just got a new bike & maybe she wont have to go to the gym 4 times a week!!
GCerbera said:
Well I have a family, so I wanted a 2+2 sports car, having had one,
I though, ok let's have a more 'suitable' car.
Then I woke up and grabbed a Cerbera!
The Car is perfectly suitable for a family, my daughter
of 8 1/2 loves it, is VERY comfortable in the back,
the boot holds more than most cars due to it's depth
and it's as comfortable around town as on the 'open' roads.
Yes the costs do run higher than a mass produced car,
but to have a rocket on wheels, with all the style and
elegance one could muster in a car and with prices starting
from under 16k - what more could you ask?
You need to be careful when buying though.
DO NOT buy the first you view unless you have
done your research first.
A good car will need a service (about £300 from an indi )
every 6k or annually. If something major fails...and it could,
you could expect a bill as high as 5k for an engine.
Fuel will cost more generally as Optimax is a good buy,
so shop around ( paying 75.9 here ) and I got 277 miles
on the last tank with some fairly nippy driving and
some town use.
Recommend a recovery cover and warranty if you
can get one, might ease the dent to the wallet should
the worst occur.
For all that, the Cerbera is the best damn car ever designed
in my view. I've never ever wanted to go for a drive
every single day...just for the sake of it.
You will always find those that have been bitten
and regret having one, but for every one of those,
you will find 100 more that would never want
anything else.
Take the above into account and you won't be sorry
if you join us!
Good luck..
Go create some weather...
Graham
TCR The Cerbera Register
www.aauk.biz/Cerbera/index.htm
Many thanks for advice
I expect to pay a bit more for running costs,but i am only a poor builder & would not be that happy about a £5K bill coming in as i would have to work a saturday !!
suffolkfox said:
I'm with GCerbera on this.
I have an almost 11 yoa, 6.5st son & a twig like 9 yoa daughter, both of which say they will happily ride in front or back as long as I will let them. The 11yoa suffers from ME meaning amongst other things he is sensitive to odd sounds & smells. I had to try him in the cerb before buying, as any problem would have ended my immediate Cerbera longings. The upshot of which was that although he is adamant he cannot ride in my 156 Alfa, he is more than able to ride in the cerb. In fact he prefers to ride in the back of the cerb, which with sports exhaust & large resonating rear exhaust trims sounds like a cross between a drag racing motorbike and an explosion in a large church bell factory
If not done already, try your kids in one for size. Note that the passenger side seat slides further forward than the drivers, hence you will see cerbs sometimes described as 3plus1's as you can get a larger body in there.
Regarding costs, yes they can be expensive to run, but so are all supercars. Search this forum for comments and you will get the good, the bad & the very ugly. As a general point I would also say use all TVR's regularly. They sulk if left too long in the garage and daft things conk out. Get to a local TVRCC meeting & ask questions.
Good luck with the hunting & email me offline if you want a chat.
Jerry
Thanks for help Jerry,
I would like to e mail you off line for chat but i am crap on P.C.s & dont know how to find your e mail address?
j_s_g said:
To add a bit of balance to the thread... if you're wanting all 3 kids + wife in the car, you could be out of luck. I certainly wouldn't recommend trying to perch someone inbetween the two rear seats. Personally, the one time I tried getting in the back, I got stuck & almost had to be helped out! (6ft, 12.5st) It can get quite stuffy in the car too when it's hot & you're travelling slowly. Especially if the air-con's playing up.
Thanks for reply
I am the same & like to drive hard.But i tend to be a bit reckless.
I hope that they can take it as i have been told to treat them careful,which i find a bit strange when they are built for speed ?
Having said that, I've never experienced anything like it... Had the good fortune to drive a few friends' cars (911 turbo, etc), and none of them brings anywhere near the same grin to my face.
As for the right thing to do... The decision's down to whether you want something needlessly fast and downright beautiful, or whether you want to compromise on that a little for something that's more appropriate in the summer. To me, it came down to whether I wanted a car to be seen driving, or a car to drive. Driving won, and I'll gladly suffer the heat + laugh at anyone that tries getting in the seat behind me.
gazzab said:
£300 for a service ?! You will pay more than that generally ie a 6K is just over £300 and a 12K is nearer £500 with an indie.
You will often have other items to get covered in a service. So I would say allow £700 for services (or £1K for main dealers).
Parts are expensive. Front brake discs are £400 each for a 4.5. Exhausts £250. Tyres ???. Nose respray every 3 yrs at £700, air con regas, upgrades (suspension and wheels are de rigour) etc mean the cars ARE expensive to run.
Engine work can get very expensive. A total rebuild at the factory can be nearing £8K I guess if it includes heads, top and bottom ends and pistons. Most rebuilds are between 3 and 5 K though I guess. Rebuilds are quite rare on AJPs though.
The rule of thumb is to alllow £3K a year for servicing, parts and maintenance.
So people get away with less.
Thanks for help
Its good that you are honest & £3K a year i could just afford, but is still quite a lot.
But i wonder what other cars can do all the things i need for £18k.
gazzab said:
£300 for a service ?! You will pay more than that generally ie a 6K is just over £300 and a 12K is nearer £500 with an indie.
You will often have other items to get covered in a service. So I would say allow £700 for services (or £1K for main dealers).
Parts are expensive. Front brake discs are £400 each for a 4.5. Exhausts £250. Tyres ???. Nose respray every 3 yrs at £700, air con regas, upgrades (suspension and wheels are de rigour) etc mean the cars ARE expensive to run.
Engine work can get very expensive. A total rebuild at the factory can be nearing £8K I guess if it includes heads, top and bottom ends and pistons. Most rebuilds are between 3 and 5 K though I guess. Rebuilds are quite rare on AJPs though.
The rule of thumb is to alllow £3K a year for servicing, parts and maintenance.
So people get away with less.
Thanks for help
Its good that you are honest & £3K a year i could just afford, but is still quite a lot.
But i wonder what other cars can do all the things i need for £18k.
builder, crap on pc,s 18k to spend, worried about the rep of the cerbs bills, sounds like me a year ago!
The bills are big but i had twice as many jobs since i got mine so it makes up for it. PEOPLE LOVE THEM !
1st question: what is it (bless em)
2nd question: what do you do (builder)
3rd question: can you come an do my kitchen!
do it mate you wont reggret it!!!
The bills are big but i had twice as many jobs since i got mine so it makes up for it. PEOPLE LOVE THEM !
1st question: what is it (bless em)
2nd question: what do you do (builder)
3rd question: can you come an do my kitchen!
do it mate you wont reggret it!!!
iaiin said:
I have 3 kids & a normal car but have saved up for a toy.
Yamaha R1 to much danger,cerbera fun & can fit kids in back (at a squeeze), 5 lt chimera & roof of, griff 5 lt & roof of. Can someone tell me the right thing to do.Have been imformed that cerbera are pricey to run.
Hi. Today was my second day with Cerbera used mint 4.2L. During the shopping I drove a Chimaera as well which also was magnificient. Cerbera is unbelievable, v.v fast and has a magnificient noise (after the first 10 min of starting). To me the aesthetics of the interior are unmatched. It's a huge crowd puller.
Chimaera has the disadv of being Rover 240bhp but is convertible and has lower running costs. A nearby TVR enthusiast (a Tuscan owner) says Chimaera is more practical, Cerbera has a high running cost and his own next car would be Griffith.
Perhaps the budget would be a guide as well. ~£17000 - buy Cerbera, ~£13000, Chimaera. Cerbera is mad, Chimaera is convertible.
Speak to this enthusiast - glen.lowe@virgin.net
He gives a very sincere advice. Good luck.
kstead said:
builder, crap on pc,s 18k to spend, worried about the rep of the cerbs bills, sounds like me a year ago!
The bills are big but i had twice as many jobs since i got mine so it makes up for it. PEOPLE LOVE THEM !
1st question: what is it (bless em)
2nd question: what do you do (builder)
3rd question: can you come an do my kitchen!
do it mate you wont reggret it!!!
Thanks for reply
They do sound nice but the 30K miles engine rebuild scares the shit out of me ((£5k )!
if i work any harder to pay for it my back will break!!
munirrathore said:
I have 3 kids & a normal car but have saved up for a toy.
Yamaha R1 to much danger,cerbera fun & can fit kids in back (at a squeeze), 5 lt chimera & roof of, griff 5 lt & roof of. Can someone tell me the right thing to do.Have been imformed that cerbera are pricey to run.
Hi. Today was my second day with Cerbera used mint 4.2L. During the shopping I drove a Chimaera as well which also was magnificient. Cerbera is unbelievable, v.v fast and has a magnificient noise (after the first 10 min of starting). To me the aesthetics of the interior are unmatched. It's a huge crowd puller.
Chimaera has the disadv of being Rover 240bhp but is convertible and has lower running costs. A nearby TVR enthusiast (a Tuscan owner) says Chimaera is more practical, Cerbera has a high running cost and his own next car would be Griffith.
Perhaps the budget would be a guide as well. ~£17000 - buy Cerbera, ~£13000, Chimaera. Cerbera is mad, Chimaera is convertible.
Speak to this enthusiast - glen.lowe@virgin.net
He gives a very sincere advice. Good luck.
many thanks
I will e mail that bloke & see what he thinks.
If i got chimera or griff i would get 5 ltr model, is there anyone who can tell me the performance diffrence with a 4.2 cerb & is it worth extra money?
Perf difference between a Cerbera and Chimp/Griff?
Lots of threads on this.
Engines completely different. Chalk n cheese.
Basically an AJP is a revvy race car engine and a rover v8 is a lazy american torque thing. Cerbera will blow away rover based cars. Totally different league.
They are just totally different propositions.
Lots of threads on this.
Engines completely different. Chalk n cheese.
Basically an AJP is a revvy race car engine and a rover v8 is a lazy american torque thing. Cerbera will blow away rover based cars. Totally different league.
They are just totally different propositions.
GCerbera said:
Fuel will cost more generally as Optimax is a good buy, so shop around ( paying 75.9 here )
The cheapest Optimax round here is 82.9!! But back on-topic.... I fit in the back of a Cerb, and I'm 5'3". If the kids (or the wife
) are shorter you shouldn't have any problems. Edited to add: The difference in performance between the Griff 500 and the Cerb 4.2 is very noticeable. The Griff is very quick, but the Cerb is even quicker. The Cerb's handling is better, and if you manage to fail to keep it shiny side up it has a roll cage. The Griff doesn't even have side impact protection...
We replaced my Griff 500 and Tam Lin's Porsche 911 with a Cerb 4.2 a few months back due to the arrival of SBaby, and we haven't regretted it for a second. Well, I must admit I was really sorry at the time to see the Griff go, but the Cerb is absolutely fantastic, the best car we've ever had. And so far all it's cost us is the price of a baby seat and some pedal extenders, plus gallons and gallons of Optimax.
>> Edited by SGirl on Monday 21st July 10:24
SGirl said:
Fuel will cost more generally as Optimax is a good buy, so shop around ( paying 75.9 here )
But back on-topic.... I fit in the back of a Cerb, and I'm 5'3". If the kids (or the wife
Edited to add: The difference in performance between the Griff 500 and the Cerb 4.2 is very noticeable. The Griff is very quick, but the Cerb is even quicker. The Cerb's handling is better, and if you manage to fail to keep it shiny side up it has a roll cage. The Griff doesn't even have side impact protection...
We replaced my Griff 500 and Tam Lin's Porsche 911 with a Cerb 4.2 a few months back due to the arrival of SBaby, and we haven't regretted it for a second. Well, I must admit I was really sorry at the time to see the Griff go, but the Cerb is absolutely fantastic, the best car we've ever had. And so far all it's cost us is the price of a baby seat and some pedal extenders, plus gallons and gallons of Optimax.
>> Edited by SGirl on Monday 21st July 10:24
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