Thinking of buying a TVR Cerbera, Please Help
Discussion
Hi Guys,
Sorry, I am a newby to the TVR world and this website.
But I am thinking of buying a TVR Cerbera ( 1999 4.5cc 420bhp 14,000 miles at £22,000 )
Firstly does this sound like a good deal? it is from a dealer and appears to be a very clean and nice car.
However, I am a little concerned as when I talk to people about buying a TVR they all seem to say that they always breakdown! is this the case? are they crap on reliability or do you think that all I am hearing is Pub Talk. I would hope that for my money I would get a good car that will get me to work every day. I am not looking to race it, maybe a one off track day would be nice, but in general just wish to enjoy the TVR brand and use the car daily.
Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Nick.
>>> Edited by nctwest on Tuesday 19th April 00:46
Sorry, I am a newby to the TVR world and this website.
But I am thinking of buying a TVR Cerbera ( 1999 4.5cc 420bhp 14,000 miles at £22,000 )
Firstly does this sound like a good deal? it is from a dealer and appears to be a very clean and nice car.
However, I am a little concerned as when I talk to people about buying a TVR they all seem to say that they always breakdown! is this the case? are they crap on reliability or do you think that all I am hearing is Pub Talk. I would hope that for my money I would get a good car that will get me to work every day. I am not looking to race it, maybe a one off track day would be nice, but in general just wish to enjoy the TVR brand and use the car daily.
Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Nick.
>>> Edited by nctwest on Tuesday 19th April 00:46
Welcome! I don't own one, but I think I can help.
The Cerb is one of those cars that requires healthy maintenance. Look for one with a good record of servicing, don't skip on the upkeep, and drive it regularly, and it will be fine. The AJP8 is generally considered more reliable than the S6's, but less so than the Rover V8's. Just know that it will require money for regular upkeep, and most owners will recommend you have a few thousand saved in case of any big problems. Minor electrical niggles are the most common thing, though.
You could have it checked out by the experts like Joospeed, James Agger (is that him?), and TVR Power.
Go and lurk around the Cerbera forum. There's quite a few owners in there will give you an honest opinion.
If you want a speedy exclusive expensive-to-maintain car that has the potential to both bring you to the brink of climax and the depths despair then jump right in!
It's kind of akin to meeting a really fit dolly at a nightclub who has stunning good looks and just wants to take you home and ride you to oblivion. Fantastic fun - but would you really want to settle down with someone like that??
If you want a speedy exclusive expensive-to-maintain car that has the potential to both bring you to the brink of climax and the depths despair then jump right in!
It's kind of akin to meeting a really fit dolly at a nightclub who has stunning good looks and just wants to take you home and ride you to oblivion. Fantastic fun - but would you really want to settle down with someone like that??
Chris (bluecerbera) 's car was featured in evo last month (or maybe the month before) and got a storming review. Described as a "gem" IIRC. That's a V8 that sounds similar to the one you're looking at. I think the article was 'best driver's car for 20k'. Conclusion was that bmw M5 was the best.
) and his car is just awesome. if you can get one half as good as that youll be VERY happy I think from reading the TVR forum, there have been many quality issues and many engine issues. I also considered a Cerbera before I bought my Z06 and I took the view it is a car you would probably love with your heart so long as you had pockets deep enough for heart surgery should it go wrong.
For me, the risk, however great or slight, however many "good ones" there are out there, that it would require major cash input at some stage, were too much and I could never rid myself of the deep-seated fear that I would end up with a liability that I could not afford to fix or would be unwilling to expend a lot of hard-earned cash on.
Since then, a friend has bought a Griffith and has had nothing but trouble in the several weeks he's owned it which has been traced to an ECU fault. Sadly, this merely underlines my own fears.Doubts I can live with, fears I respect.
Don't get me wrong, I have no persoanl experience of them. They look sensational and go like holy water in hell but even though there may be ten good ones for every bad one, it's still a lottery where your wallet is at risk if you get one of the bad ones (and they're obviously out there). Like anything with risk attached, you can walk away a loser or a winner, just understand the risk and ensure you can budget for it. That rule would apply to any car.
Having watched Fifth Gear and seen things still falling off the Sagaris and Tuscan II, your doubts will probably never recede until you try it and decide it's not for you or you are totally seduced. Just don't wear your rose-tints. It's your money and your desire you have to satiate so ultimately you habve to balance the risk factor, the desire factor and the alternatives.
For me, the risk, however great or slight, however many "good ones" there are out there, that it would require major cash input at some stage, were too much and I could never rid myself of the deep-seated fear that I would end up with a liability that I could not afford to fix or would be unwilling to expend a lot of hard-earned cash on.
Since then, a friend has bought a Griffith and has had nothing but trouble in the several weeks he's owned it which has been traced to an ECU fault. Sadly, this merely underlines my own fears.Doubts I can live with, fears I respect.
Don't get me wrong, I have no persoanl experience of them. They look sensational and go like holy water in hell but even though there may be ten good ones for every bad one, it's still a lottery where your wallet is at risk if you get one of the bad ones (and they're obviously out there). Like anything with risk attached, you can walk away a loser or a winner, just understand the risk and ensure you can budget for it. That rule would apply to any car.
Having watched Fifth Gear and seen things still falling off the Sagaris and Tuscan II, your doubts will probably never recede until you try it and decide it's not for you or you are totally seduced. Just don't wear your rose-tints. It's your money and your desire you have to satiate so ultimately you habve to balance the risk factor, the desire factor and the alternatives.
awesome, and I love it to death, and so far its been pretty reliable (alternator went but it was 11 years old).nervous said:
do you want me to say both those things? might be quicker than waiting. how about, "its shit, but go for it anyway"?
i like mine, makes me smile.
Merely taking the pee out of how the "should I buy a Cerb" threads normally descend -
Myself, I'd say look at the running costs and the usual faults, then if your happy to accept them - "go for it"
I like mine, it makes me smile, especially when it makes old grannies jump when I start it up.
My take on it:
If you can live with it breaking down once a year, and possibly meaning you're stuck without it for a couple of days when that happens, and can deal with annual running costs of approx £3k (petrol excluded), then go for it.
If you can't deal with it being broken for a single second, haven't got another car you could beg/borrow/steal for a couple of days, and £3k per year would plunge you into defaulting on mortgage repayments, etc. then don't buy one.
Will it go wrong? Absolutely, to one extent or another. Will the things that do go wrong be real problems? Maybe, maybe not. In 1 year of Cerb ownership the only problem that wasn't caused by dimwits at Halfords failing to fit a battery correctly was a blown fuse. You might suffer that, a slightly iffy indicator stalk, or similar. Others can give you great tales of woe - just like with any car. If you're buying from a dealer (and a known "good" dealer at that), then that can potentially help.
-J
If you can live with it breaking down once a year, and possibly meaning you're stuck without it for a couple of days when that happens, and can deal with annual running costs of approx £3k (petrol excluded), then go for it.
If you can't deal with it being broken for a single second, haven't got another car you could beg/borrow/steal for a couple of days, and £3k per year would plunge you into defaulting on mortgage repayments, etc. then don't buy one.
Will it go wrong? Absolutely, to one extent or another. Will the things that do go wrong be real problems? Maybe, maybe not. In 1 year of Cerb ownership the only problem that wasn't caused by dimwits at Halfords failing to fit a battery correctly was a blown fuse. You might suffer that, a slightly iffy indicator stalk, or similar. Others can give you great tales of woe - just like with any car. If you're buying from a dealer (and a known "good" dealer at that), then that can potentially help.
-J
Had mine 6 months, came from a "reliable" beemer 540 tried a brand new porsche 996 for 2 months, drove a private 7 year old cerb, and impulsed purchased.no problems other than a continued grinning problem, its individual, wonderful drive and knocks the boll**ks off 99.9% of anything on the road..and its fun fun fun fun fun 
fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun
fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun £22K from a dealer is very very very good. I guess you dont mean a TVR main dealer.
There is a 99 14K miles at an indie TVR Dealer for £24950. That is an ok price.
£22K from a dealer is very good.
They are NEVER 420 bhp (apart from in the mags and at the pub).
It will cost a fortune.
It will break down.
It isnt really the best everyday car.
dont drive it short journeys.
14K in yrs isnt really enough miles in my opnion. Going for ultra low miles is not sensible. But on condition and provenance.
There is a 99 14K miles at an indie TVR Dealer for £24950. That is an ok price.
£22K from a dealer is very good.
They are NEVER 420 bhp (apart from in the mags and at the pub).
It will cost a fortune.
It will break down.
It isnt really the best everyday car.
dont drive it short journeys.
14K in yrs isnt really enough miles in my opnion. Going for ultra low miles is not sensible. But on condition and provenance.
It boils down to this .....
1. can you afford a big bill if it does need some work ...
2. will you be upset if you are without it for few days to a week every so often ?
3. and the big one (imho) how near a GOOD independant servicing specialist are you (or does your lifestyle allow you to make the odd long train journey..)
It is a car that outperforms nearly everything on the road, and it cost about a third of other cars whith equal performance. Truth is, something has to give, so to be on the safe side - yes it will break - many people have low running costs too though, depends on mileage you do and luck. Things that go at some point - gearbox, clutch, tyres, starter motor, fuel pump etc. Also expect niggles with electrics and things.
Get the car fully checked by one of the people that this forum generally reccomends, look after it, drive it and accept that it isn't a Porsche ... it's way better than that (when it works..)
2. Sometimes it may take a little longer in the garage, because the good guys are busy (due to them being good) and sometimes parts may take a while to come. But hey, make sure you have a reserve car ...
3. You really should only take a Cerb to a Cerb specialist - I would say the list is : Joospeed, Austec, Topcats - that's about it really.
I took mine to a main dealer and regretted it massively - I had a number of major problems that were completely missed .....
Oh yeah - it'll go through petrol like nothing else.
Finally, it is a powerful car and can be a handfull, especially in the wet. Generally the handling is awesome, but every so often it will bite, so you have to be ready - but on the other hand if you drive it like a wuss there's no point ....
That's the downsides (although we all love it really don't we ?) - the upside is everything about the car, inside and out !
Looks fab, has a sense of occasion every time you go out, handles great, is VERY fast, is always involving to drive, sounds awesome and coughs and splutters like a motherf**ker !
Cerbs rule, buy one, but beware - it may cost a few quid....
1. can you afford a big bill if it does need some work ...
2. will you be upset if you are without it for few days to a week every so often ?
3. and the big one (imho) how near a GOOD independant servicing specialist are you (or does your lifestyle allow you to make the odd long train journey..)
It is a car that outperforms nearly everything on the road, and it cost about a third of other cars whith equal performance. Truth is, something has to give, so to be on the safe side - yes it will break - many people have low running costs too though, depends on mileage you do and luck. Things that go at some point - gearbox, clutch, tyres, starter motor, fuel pump etc. Also expect niggles with electrics and things.
Get the car fully checked by one of the people that this forum generally reccomends, look after it, drive it and accept that it isn't a Porsche ... it's way better than that (when it works..)
2. Sometimes it may take a little longer in the garage, because the good guys are busy (due to them being good) and sometimes parts may take a while to come. But hey, make sure you have a reserve car ...
3. You really should only take a Cerb to a Cerb specialist - I would say the list is : Joospeed, Austec, Topcats - that's about it really.
I took mine to a main dealer and regretted it massively - I had a number of major problems that were completely missed .....
Oh yeah - it'll go through petrol like nothing else.
Finally, it is a powerful car and can be a handfull, especially in the wet. Generally the handling is awesome, but every so often it will bite, so you have to be ready - but on the other hand if you drive it like a wuss there's no point ....
That's the downsides (although we all love it really don't we ?) - the upside is everything about the car, inside and out !
Looks fab, has a sense of occasion every time you go out, handles great, is VERY fast, is always involving to drive, sounds awesome and coughs and splutters like a motherf**ker !
Cerbs rule, buy one, but beware - it may cost a few quid....
Not sure where you are in the South East, but pop along to the TVRCC meet at the Rose and Crown in Dunton Green on the first of each month, lots of our members have Cerberas, more info available from our RO Nick www.pistonheads.com/members/showProfile.asp?memberId=3525
Also may I suggest Ride Drive www.ridedrive.co.uk/index2.html
Thanks guys.
I only wish it could have sounded a little better as the car I have seen looks so great, Royal Blue (purple) with colour coded interior.
I have to be honest, that this has put me off slightly, as I can not afford the big expensive of any major problems. Yea sure if its just a £400 or £500 bill every so often I can proberly find the money, but is it worth it?
My other choice has bee a Maserati 3200 GT 2000 year.
The bit I dont understand, is that if TVR are hand made in fewer numbers than the run of the mil car, then I would have thought it would be of such a quality hard to beat.
Any how, thanks for all your views it has been very much appriciated and I still wonder the streets with my £22k i my pocket. Any idea's? must be a 4 seater though.
Kind Regards to all,
Nick.
I only wish it could have sounded a little better as the car I have seen looks so great, Royal Blue (purple) with colour coded interior.
I have to be honest, that this has put me off slightly, as I can not afford the big expensive of any major problems. Yea sure if its just a £400 or £500 bill every so often I can proberly find the money, but is it worth it?
My other choice has bee a Maserati 3200 GT 2000 year.
The bit I dont understand, is that if TVR are hand made in fewer numbers than the run of the mil car, then I would have thought it would be of such a quality hard to beat.
Any how, thanks for all your views it has been very much appriciated and I still wonder the streets with my £22k i my pocket. Any idea's? must be a 4 seater though.
Kind Regards to all,
Nick.
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