Cerbera Pitfalls
Discussion
Hi All,
I am a newbie as is probably obvious. For years I have wanted a Cerbera, my concerns are the age old reliabilty issues. I am not against risk, as I own and Alfa and a Ducati...but with a TVR it has seemed a 'bridge too far'
My question then, can I avoid pitfalls in buying and then ownership, warranty and repairs. Although it would be second car I don't it to be off the road for months on end as it would break my heart..
If anyone can help I would really appreciate it.
Ken
I am a newbie as is probably obvious. For years I have wanted a Cerbera, my concerns are the age old reliabilty issues. I am not against risk, as I own and Alfa and a Ducati...but with a TVR it has seemed a 'bridge too far'
My question then, can I avoid pitfalls in buying and then ownership, warranty and repairs. Although it would be second car I don't it to be off the road for months on end as it would break my heart..
If anyone can help I would really appreciate it.
Ken
Hi mate,
The people who swear that TVR's are unreliable are people who fall into one of two categories either; 1) They have never owned a TVR, but Dave a mate of mate's 3rd cousin twice removed says that they are, or 2) They have owned one but never bothered to look after it or treat it correctly and consequently it became troublesome.
The truth is they are similar in many ways to an Alfa, as long as you treat it right it'll be fine. You can't jump into them and hammer it from cold like you might get away with in a BMW, etc, and you really can't miss services like you might get away with in a Merc, but if you use common sense and are a true petrolhead (which as an alfa owner you must be) you'll be fine. It's really simple general rules to follow, such as warming up correctly before using too much right foot, checking oil and water, regular servicing and oil changes, etc, etc.
I've had loads of cars over the years and the two most trouble-free cars have been a TVR and an Alfa.
One thing that I recommend is regular use, the more you use them the better they get. Years ago, both myself and a colleague had TVR's and each of us used them daily racking up almost 40k miles in a year each and other than me running out of petrol once, neither of the cars let us down. Go forth....
The people who swear that TVR's are unreliable are people who fall into one of two categories either; 1) They have never owned a TVR, but Dave a mate of mate's 3rd cousin twice removed says that they are, or 2) They have owned one but never bothered to look after it or treat it correctly and consequently it became troublesome.
The truth is they are similar in many ways to an Alfa, as long as you treat it right it'll be fine. You can't jump into them and hammer it from cold like you might get away with in a BMW, etc, and you really can't miss services like you might get away with in a Merc, but if you use common sense and are a true petrolhead (which as an alfa owner you must be) you'll be fine. It's really simple general rules to follow, such as warming up correctly before using too much right foot, checking oil and water, regular servicing and oil changes, etc, etc.
I've had loads of cars over the years and the two most trouble-free cars have been a TVR and an Alfa.
One thing that I recommend is regular use, the more you use them the better they get. Years ago, both myself and a colleague had TVR's and each of us used them daily racking up almost 40k miles in a year each and other than me running out of petrol once, neither of the cars let us down. Go forth....
Hi i too was in your position until march when i bought a tvr
loads of info on here and lots of helpfull people as well ,do as much reserch as you can talk to owners at shows,go to differnt dealers talk to them as lots of them are realy helpfull so are the specialists and dont buy the first you see,private sale or dealer you will have to decide .
good luck
loads of info on here and lots of helpfull people as well ,do as much reserch as you can talk to owners at shows,go to differnt dealers talk to them as lots of them are realy helpfull so are the specialists and dont buy the first you see,private sale or dealer you will have to decide .
good luck
I've had my Cerb 4.5 for over 4 years now. I've looked after her with regular maintenance and check her over regularly for wear and tear that could cause an issue.
In the early days of ownership she was a little troublesome but nothing that cost me a few hundred to sort out. Now I've had her for over 4 years I know all the pit falls and she is amazing.
A well looked after cerb is a happy one. Warm it up properly and keep and good eye on her with regular maintenace and you'll be a happy cerb owner.
Si
P.S. Was out in Cerb in the saturday sun last weekend and the effect it has on the public is amazing, lots of thumbs up and knoding heads. Even the wife likes it and she is not a car person!
In the early days of ownership she was a little troublesome but nothing that cost me a few hundred to sort out. Now I've had her for over 4 years I know all the pit falls and she is amazing.
A well looked after cerb is a happy one. Warm it up properly and keep and good eye on her with regular maintenace and you'll be a happy cerb owner.
Si
P.S. Was out in Cerb in the saturday sun last weekend and the effect it has on the public is amazing, lots of thumbs up and knoding heads. Even the wife likes it and she is not a car person!
I've been bitten on the bum several times with cars. Check the history, where it's been serviced, get independantly inspected, buy off known PHer and you should be OK.
Problem is you never know for sure how it has been treated, and whether or not the car has any flaws waiting to materilaise. You can reduce the risk but you can't eliminate, so be prepared with a contingency fund. If you can't afford it you may be best to leave it. But if you do take the plunge, you'll love it
Problem is you never know for sure how it has been treated, and whether or not the car has any flaws waiting to materilaise. You can reduce the risk but you can't eliminate, so be prepared with a contingency fund. If you can't afford it you may be best to leave it. But if you do take the plunge, you'll love it
Agreed.They need regular use.I bought a car with known problems.None serious,just silly things.But it all ended up with one big bill at an indie.I got the car back,and still had a few problems,but all these resulted from parts and work carried out by the indie.Since then(touch wood)Every things been fine,and its been having regular use through out the year.
Go on!You know you want one...........
Go on!You know you want one...........
I agree with all of the above...
- regular use
- usual care & maintenance
...are key.
But if looking - why not ask the seller:
- has the engine been overhauled or upgraded?
- clutch been replaced?
- starter motor?
- springs & dampers?
- what has been changed on the car from original?
- check who has done the servicing and when?
For my part - had 4 fantastic years of ownership. Yes I have done some work - but well worth the effort!
- regular use
- usual care & maintenance
...are key.
But if looking - why not ask the seller:
- has the engine been overhauled or upgraded?
- clutch been replaced?
- starter motor?
- springs & dampers?
- what has been changed on the car from original?
- check who has done the servicing and when?
For my part - had 4 fantastic years of ownership. Yes I have done some work - but well worth the effort!
I agree with all of the above...
- regular use
- usual care & maintenance
...are key.
But if looking - why not ask the seller:
- has the engine been overhauled or upgraded?
- clutch been replaced?
- starter motor?
- springs & dampers?
- what has been changed on the car from original?
- check who has done the servicing and when?
For my part - had 4 fantastic years of ownership. Yes I have done some work - but well worth the effort!
- regular use
- usual care & maintenance
...are key.
But if looking - why not ask the seller:
- has the engine been overhauled or upgraded?
- clutch been replaced?
- starter motor?
- springs & dampers?
- what has been changed on the car from original?
- check who has done the servicing and when?
For my part - had 4 fantastic years of ownership. Yes I have done some work - but well worth the effort!
Its very much dependent on the car, you can’t always say that low mileage cars are a problem, I have had a 8K mile 2 year old Griff SE that was enough to put anyone off TVR’s forever, thankfully it didn’t and I have had numerous reliable Tivs since, the Cerb I had a few years back had done just 2K miles when I bought it and was great apart from some starter motor nightmares which once resolved proved very reliable, my current Griff with 49K on the clock has had plenty of faults but never left me completely stranded unless you count losing her sump plug in Ireland, not the cars fault, mountain sized speed humps! Totally agree that the best thing is to drive them, they hate being laid up but you do get “Friday Afternoon” cars too. Of all the Tivs I’ve had, the Cerbs the one I miss.
Ok I am convinced, I will use as a 2nd or 3rd car and keep the mileage to around 6k annually. Thanks for all the tips reference care and maintenance. The whole experience sounds thoroughly worthwhile...I definately don't mind minor issues and the ownership sounds fantastic. I take on board all said and will follow these guidelines when purchasing. I may indeed before purchasing ask around about the vehicle considered and if anyone does know anything untoward about the car then I would be glad to hear it...but again THANKS for all the tips. I will now start the process ridding myself of my 335, anyone want it?!
I am sorry but I disagree with you.
I own 2 TVR's; a Speed 6 Cerbera and a Chimera. The Cerb is a brillant car, but be under no misunderstanding as how much these cars cost to run. I have never had a service that didn't cost over £2k, Ok there was one that cost £400 but resulted in serious engine damage. A Cerb is going to cost at least £4K a year in parts and labour. The mileage each year makes no difference.
Part of the issues with mine have been down to the Speed 6 engine, but friends have spent similar amounts with V8's.
Plain truth is that it's a Supercar developed on a shoe string. As a result it cost more to service than a Porsche that has had millions spent on R&D.
Be very careful with the garages you choose to service your car. They all have faults in varying degrees. Just don't get too friendly with them, as they'll start to take you for granted and the level of service falls.
You'll find that many of the favourite service centres have two camps of customers. Those that pledge undying love for their Indy (yet to be bitten) and those you have seen the truth but keep quite for a variety of reasons:- Indy has promised to fix issue so you don't wish put that deal in jeopardy, fed up with Indy and have a life after all, no name and shame policy on PH and those who don't wish to rock the boat so go else where.
On the positive side, the TVR owners I have met have been a fantastic bunch of individuals and even though the Cerbera has cost over £25,000 in 3 year to maintain (no fuel or insurance included), it was money well spent for the friends I have made.
I own 2 TVR's; a Speed 6 Cerbera and a Chimera. The Cerb is a brillant car, but be under no misunderstanding as how much these cars cost to run. I have never had a service that didn't cost over £2k, Ok there was one that cost £400 but resulted in serious engine damage. A Cerb is going to cost at least £4K a year in parts and labour. The mileage each year makes no difference.
Part of the issues with mine have been down to the Speed 6 engine, but friends have spent similar amounts with V8's.
Plain truth is that it's a Supercar developed on a shoe string. As a result it cost more to service than a Porsche that has had millions spent on R&D.
Be very careful with the garages you choose to service your car. They all have faults in varying degrees. Just don't get too friendly with them, as they'll start to take you for granted and the level of service falls.
You'll find that many of the favourite service centres have two camps of customers. Those that pledge undying love for their Indy (yet to be bitten) and those you have seen the truth but keep quite for a variety of reasons:- Indy has promised to fix issue so you don't wish put that deal in jeopardy, fed up with Indy and have a life after all, no name and shame policy on PH and those who don't wish to rock the boat so go else where.
On the positive side, the TVR owners I have met have been a fantastic bunch of individuals and even though the Cerbera has cost over £25,000 in 3 year to maintain (no fuel or insurance included), it was money well spent for the friends I have made.
ha 335...I was going to let it go! JohnBear - that really is sobering, 25k is steep! I am not sure with all my other vices that would fit...it makes a 911 look cheap, but I want a cerbera. Can anyone shed any light on the 'engine development' story. In that they apparently 'got it right' by the end of the run?
ks. Never surf porn and PH at the same time...ever!RayVonn said:
Hi mate,
The people who swear that TVR's are unreliable are people who fall into one of two categories either; 1) They have never owned a TVR, but Dave a mate of mate's 3rd cousin twice removed says that they are, or 2) They have owned one but never bothered to look after it or treat it correctly and consequently it became troublesome.
The truth is they are similar in many ways to an Alfa, as long as you treat it right it'll be fine. You can't jump into them and hammer it from cold like you might get away with in a BMW, etc, and you really can't miss services like you might get away with in a Merc, but if you use common sense and are a true petrolhead (which as an alfa owner you must be) you'll be fine. It's really simple general rules to follow, such as warming up correctly before using too much right foot, checking oil and water, regular servicing and oil changes, etc, etc.
I've had loads of cars over the years and the two most trouble-free cars have been a TVR and an Alfa.
One thing that I recommend is regular use, the more you use them the better they get. Years ago, both myself and a colleague had TVR's and each of us used them daily racking up almost 40k miles in a year each and other than me running out of petrol once, neither of the cars let us down. Go forth....
Spot on, couldn't have put it better myself. The people who swear that TVR's are unreliable are people who fall into one of two categories either; 1) They have never owned a TVR, but Dave a mate of mate's 3rd cousin twice removed says that they are, or 2) They have owned one but never bothered to look after it or treat it correctly and consequently it became troublesome.
The truth is they are similar in many ways to an Alfa, as long as you treat it right it'll be fine. You can't jump into them and hammer it from cold like you might get away with in a BMW, etc, and you really can't miss services like you might get away with in a Merc, but if you use common sense and are a true petrolhead (which as an alfa owner you must be) you'll be fine. It's really simple general rules to follow, such as warming up correctly before using too much right foot, checking oil and water, regular servicing and oil changes, etc, etc.
I've had loads of cars over the years and the two most trouble-free cars have been a TVR and an Alfa.
One thing that I recommend is regular use, the more you use them the better they get. Years ago, both myself and a colleague had TVR's and each of us used them daily racking up almost 40k miles in a year each and other than me running out of petrol once, neither of the cars let us down. Go forth....
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