Where to put my money, opinions please.

[TJRJ]

I would like some advice, I am looking to spend £20000 on a Cerbera. Would it be better to buy a cheaper car and spend the money restoring it, i.e. chassis off referb or buy a minter and and fix the problems as and when they come along? comments please

[Cavey]

I would say the later and more original the car the stronger its value is likely to be. £20k is an interesting budget point at the moment as it won't get you a really late or low mileage car but you can have your pick of really good earlier cars, many of which will have been restored.

Personally I'd just find one you really like and enjoy it. I don't think well maintained Cerbs are going to go down much from here (but at the end of the day who knows?).

[Englishman]

I doubt you will find a minter for £20k, but everyone will have their own opinion of what constitutes a one.

Unless you can do mechanics/trimming/painting to a professional standard yourself you will always find it is cheaper to buy a car that is either original and maintained to high standard or has been restored rather than buying cheap and then restoring as you can easily spend another £20K if chassis, engine, paint and interior all needed major work.

[fatjon]

A late original car is going to be minimum 10 years old and possibly as rotten as a peach and possibly badly maintained. Buy largely on condition not age and if you are not experienced in these type of cars get an independent expert inspection. There are near mint cars out there like mine (which is not for sale) along with some right lemons 5 years newer. Chassis is a very important point to check as that's a big expensive job probably followed by engine, paintwork and interior trim in terms of cost. Personally I would buy a 98 car with a recent full chassis overhaul and sound or new v8 engine over a 2005 6 pot that has spent it's entire life by the sea and been serviced by bodget and scarper.

20K well spent will get you a very sound car but do your homework and be willing to walk away if either the car or the seller fail to inspire confidence. A recent clutch is a plus as is a recent service, expensive shocks etc but if the engine is hanging in there by a thread and the hidden bits of the chassis are rotten you have got a couple of grands worth of addons in exchange for an 8 grand bill.

[ukkid35]

The other thing to consider is time off the road. I have not read any body off restoration stories on here that have taken less than a year. Perhaps there are some that are turned round by Willow or RTRacing in three months or so, but why don't we hear about them?

[Jhonno]

Are you a project, getting hands on with the spanners kind of guy, or get in and drive?

That will answer it for you.. IMO.

[m3coupe]

Well here's my two pence worth on this subject.

First question is do you want to drive the car any time soon? If so, you buy a car that is road ready and deal with any issues that come up (which hopefully they won't). If you are prepared to wait then a project may be the way forward.

Secondly, is the car going to be a keeper or just an itch needing scratched? If it's just going to be an itch then again I would say buy a car as near to perfect as you can get so you can enjoy it. If it's going to be a keeper then again a project may be the way forward.

Third, it's already been mentioned but are you wanting/able to do any of the work yourself? If you are and want to get your hands dirty, project is a great way to go in my opinion, if it isn't then you'll be spending a lot more than you intended very quickly.

Lastly it will depend on what you want your car to look like and whether your desired engine, interior and exterior colour is available. If you can get all those 3, then why not spend your budget on a sorted car and deal with the chassis should it be required.

I have had the same thoughts but i'm very firmly on the project side. The car will be a keeper for me and I really like the idea of "saving" a car. By the end of it i'll know every single part of the car and know it's been done correctly.

Couple that with the fact there is no car to my knowledge out there with the paint work or interior colour scheme that I want means i'd have to get that done at some point anyway.

I know buying a car that requires work will cost me more in the long run but i'll have the exact car I want and the pleasure of having completed most of the work myself.