Feedback from Cerbera owners please.
Discussion
Hello all, I'm a newbie here and looking for your feedback on Cerbera ownership.
What it is, I've recently been toying with the idea of joining you lot in owning a Cerbera but before doing so would like to know a few things about them.
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? I've done a bit of research on the web and the main weak point appears only to be the clutch / clutch release bearings. Also noted a few points about electrics intermittently playing up. What kind (if any) of experiences have you all had with your cars not playing ball? I've also read about R plate onwards being a bit more reliable than the pre 97, can anyone elaborate?
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - although this kinda ties in with question 1, can I rely on it getting me to and from work everyday?
3. Are they easy to maintain? What kind of lead time are you looking at for parts? How often do they need serviced / cam belts? What about costs of parts, are they ridiculously expensive or would you say they're reasonably priced?
4. Fuel Consumption - what figures are you guys getting?
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
What it is, I've recently been toying with the idea of joining you lot in owning a Cerbera but before doing so would like to know a few things about them.
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? I've done a bit of research on the web and the main weak point appears only to be the clutch / clutch release bearings. Also noted a few points about electrics intermittently playing up. What kind (if any) of experiences have you all had with your cars not playing ball? I've also read about R plate onwards being a bit more reliable than the pre 97, can anyone elaborate?
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - although this kinda ties in with question 1, can I rely on it getting me to and from work everyday?
3. Are they easy to maintain? What kind of lead time are you looking at for parts? How often do they need serviced / cam belts? What about costs of parts, are they ridiculously expensive or would you say they're reasonably priced?
4. Fuel Consumption - what figures are you guys getting?
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Pib1978 said:
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? I've done a bit of research on the web and the main weak point appears only to be the clutch / clutch release bearings. Also noted a few points about electrics intermittently playing up. What kind (if any) of experiences have you all had with your cars not playing ball? I've also read about R plate onwards being a bit more reliable than the pre 97, can anyone elaborate?
They are every bit as unreliable as people make them out to be on here - but you'll find most problems are tedius little things that wont stop you getting from A to B. The clutchs are a weak point, as are starter motors - but the symptoms for these failing are usually apparent before they go.
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - although this kinda ties in with question 1, can I rely on it getting me to and from work everyday?
Yes. They seem to work best when used regularily - 50k miles of ours was done over the past 5 years (commuting/european trips/ trackdays/ sprints/ hillclimbs/ speed trials/ shopping etc etc) Will cost a fair bit in servicing though.
3. Are they easy to maintain? What kind of lead time are you looking at for parts? How often do they need serviced / cam belts? What about costs of parts, are they ridiculously expensive or would you say they're reasonably priced?
Easy to maintain - err, no. As for parts - depends, some specialists/dealers stock certian parts - whereas others can be ridiculously hard to come by. They need to be serviced every 6000miles and cam belts?? cam chain perhaps? err - even TVR dont know. Parts again vary from reasonable to extortionate depending on who looks after your car.
4. Fuel Consumption - what figures are you guys getting?
19mpg average over the past few years... best was 28+ IIRC - fuel is the least of your worries.
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland?
Havent a clue
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Go into it with your eyes open and you'll own one of the best cars to ever grace asphalt.
Ben has pretty much covered all the points, but the only thing I'd add is that no supercar is cheap to run and you do need to be aware that certain parts can be dear. And the breakers know exactly how much the parts are worth, too.
They're very usable, but you need to be really careful in the wet: fat low profile tyres, no ABS and no safety aids make the difference between dry grip and wet grip to be vast. Trust me on this one - crashed my last one on a straight bit of road and wrote it off...
As for working on them yourself, it depends how handy you are. A friend of mine does absolutely everything himself on his, from replacing clutches to rebuilding engines and gearboxes. I've replaced driveshafts, CV joints, exhausts, cats and clutch master cylinders on mine and found them to be fiddly to work with, but okay. They're harder to work on than say a Ford Escort, but equally men put them together and men can fix them.
However, all of the ownership niggles pale into insignificance the first time you open one up on a nice bit of road. Mine has the 4.2-litre V8 and it's superb. Above 100mph few cars (or bikes) can put a candle to a Cerb and they're surprisingly civilised on the motorway too. Just watch your speed - for some reason you never feel as if you're going that fast until you look at the speedo...
A German sportscar will definitely be more reliable. A Japanese sportscar will be far easier to live with. But if you want the ultimate in pure driving experiences, unfettered by electronic junk, then it has to be a TVR.
They're very usable, but you need to be really careful in the wet: fat low profile tyres, no ABS and no safety aids make the difference between dry grip and wet grip to be vast. Trust me on this one - crashed my last one on a straight bit of road and wrote it off...
As for working on them yourself, it depends how handy you are. A friend of mine does absolutely everything himself on his, from replacing clutches to rebuilding engines and gearboxes. I've replaced driveshafts, CV joints, exhausts, cats and clutch master cylinders on mine and found them to be fiddly to work with, but okay. They're harder to work on than say a Ford Escort, but equally men put them together and men can fix them.
However, all of the ownership niggles pale into insignificance the first time you open one up on a nice bit of road. Mine has the 4.2-litre V8 and it's superb. Above 100mph few cars (or bikes) can put a candle to a Cerb and they're surprisingly civilised on the motorway too. Just watch your speed - for some reason you never feel as if you're going that fast until you look at the speedo...
A German sportscar will definitely be more reliable. A Japanese sportscar will be far easier to live with. But if you want the ultimate in pure driving experiences, unfettered by electronic junk, then it has to be a TVR.
HI PIB,
1sounds like uve done your homework,
1 clutch cyl,1.5 hrs to remove box first time, depending on experiance and facilaties,you need to know a bit or have a reasonable wallet.electrics are quite crap probibly the worst gremlins here from experianceand cheap conectors,held together by velcrow and un protected pcbs,overated fuses etc.
2 some cars are unreliable pick of the drawer it seams some are old trouble free some new friday night/monday morning cars no set patern ,there more of a toy than a practicality,dont need a second car they are the second car
3depends on knolage and ability ,service at 6k i think, no cam beltsstarter will set u back about 250 pads 25
4 worst mpg 8 good around 15 i think ,if your botherd about mpg you buy a diesel
metro
not sure about dealers in scotland,i use one in NE and parts appear ollmost before i order them
THE ABOVE ARE MY VIEWS others may differ. butyou need to ask questoins about GRIN FACTOR AND MILES PER SMILES. BETTER THAN A VIAGRA (SO IM TOLD). some conpanies sell warentys and thers allways a lot of help and advice on here if you do have any niggles.
1sounds like uve done your homework,
1 clutch cyl,1.5 hrs to remove box first time, depending on experiance and facilaties,you need to know a bit or have a reasonable wallet.electrics are quite crap probibly the worst gremlins here from experianceand cheap conectors,held together by velcrow and un protected pcbs,overated fuses etc.
2 some cars are unreliable pick of the drawer it seams some are old trouble free some new friday night/monday morning cars no set patern ,there more of a toy than a practicality,dont need a second car they are the second car
3depends on knolage and ability ,service at 6k i think, no cam beltsstarter will set u back about 250 pads 25
4 worst mpg 8 good around 15 i think ,if your botherd about mpg you buy a diesel
metro
not sure about dealers in scotland,i use one in NE and parts appear ollmost before i order them
THE ABOVE ARE MY VIEWS others may differ. butyou need to ask questoins about GRIN FACTOR AND MILES PER SMILES. BETTER THAN A VIAGRA (SO IM TOLD). some conpanies sell warentys and thers allways a lot of help and advice on here if you do have any niggles.
I think the problem with threads such as this is people are scared to tempt fate but my experience so far is as follows. This I will temper by saying that I have only owned my present Cerb for only 2 months but to date it has been V good and the more I drive it the better it runs.I previously owned a 97 4.2 for about 12 months and in this time I did suffer a buggered clutch but apart from this it was perfect. All the minor things that were wrong with my present car (2000 -4.5) I have sorted myself ,and that with a very limited spannering ability. I don't know about using a Cerb every day but in my buisness I do 45k on average a year so that makes it a no go but I do know people who do. One thing to consider is that people like myself only post when we have something to moan about(shame on me) so the balance of good and bad is out of kilter.
Steve
Steve
Pib1978 said:
Hello all, I'm a newbie here and looking for your feedback on Cerbera ownership.
What it is, I've recently been toying with the idea of joining you lot in owning a Cerbera but before doing so would like to know a few things about them.
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? I've done a bit of research on the web and the main weak point appears only to be the clutch / clutch release bearings. Also noted a few points about electrics intermittently playing up. What kind (if any) of experiences have you all had with your cars not playing ball? I've also read about R plate onwards being a bit more reliable than the pre 97, can anyone elaborate?
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - although this kinda ties in with question 1, can I rely on it getting me to and from work everyday?
3. Are they easy to maintain? What kind of lead time are you looking at for parts? How often do they need serviced / cam belts? What about costs of parts, are they ridiculously expensive or would you say they're reasonably priced?
4. Fuel Consumption - what figures are you guys getting?
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Points of help:
4.0, 4.2 and 4.5 are almost identical performance.
4.0 is more aimed towards everyday use. Softer suspension, progressive torque, 6 cylinders. I've driven all of them and if your thinking about sitting in traffic every day on Union Street in a 4.5 you'll soon get pissed off with shakey left leg syndrome! 4.5 has on average 360bhp forget the 420bhp stated.
Try to get a post 2001 car as you get the new style seats/interior etc. The car will cost 3K a year to keep in tip top condition. I've had mine 1.5 years and its cost me almost bang on 4.5K. You could get away with not looking after it at all and saving on the 4.5K but it will not be easy to sell again. Insurance is 550quid with direct line (I'm 29 with full no claims). Electrics on the newer cerbs are far better than the older ones. Have had zero probs with this.
Fuel consumption is about 20mpg
There are two places in Scotland who will look after your car. Dreadnought in Calendar and V8 SPorts and Classics in Drem(South Edinburgh). Both are excellent. Forget Glenvarigill they will not be doing TVR this time next year.
Cost of parts is reasonable. They dont make the 4.5 or 4.2 engnine anymore so no doubt parts will become more expensive.
If your passing by Dunfermline let me know and you can have a shot.
Cheers,
Jamster
PS Worth every penny. Super star syndrome for only a few quid.
Hi Phil - my straightforward answers (only my opinion) given below -
Pib1978 said:
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? No
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - No
3. Are they easy to maintain? - No
4. Fuel Consumption - Not good, but then thats not why I bought one
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland? There are some in Scotland but not sure where
gbbird said:
Hi Phil - my straightforward answers (only my opinion) given below -
Pib1978 said:
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? No
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - No
3. Are they easy to maintain? - No
4. Fuel Consumption - Not good, but then thats not why I bought one
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland? There are some in Scotland but not sure where
Agree with Greg
cerber450 said:
Dreadnought TVR in Calender Scotland I beleive is still a dealer!
Craig.
edited to say: I dont know how reliable they are but they did come recommened to me if I ever need a TVR dealer when I'm back home!
>> Edited by cerber450 on Wednesday 15th June 15:06
Dreadnought aren't a dealer. All they do is service and repair the cars. They have one of the top TVR mechanics in the world there in Claire Luti (prob spelt her name wrong!). Her dad owns the business. Very highly respected in TVR land.
I have had 3 Cerbs all 4.5's 1999, 2001 and current car 2004 also a brief peroid in a Chimera 4.5.
I have also been fortunate enough to own Boxters and 911's amongst many other sports cars and without question TVR make fanstastic cars.
The Cerbera 4.5 is in my opinion simply one the best cars on the globe:
1. It looks fantastic externaly
2. Its a work of art inside
3. It drives like nothing else you will ever drive
4. It will make you smile every time you fire it up
With regard to relaibility my view is that all you hear about TVR'S being unreliable is rubbish and often from non TVR owners. Clearly there have been some issues with certain engines the speed 6 initaily was a nightmare but is largely well sorted now.
I have never had any major issues with any of my cerbs the odd squeak and rattle are part of the hand made proposition
The only issue i can recall was the throttle pots going on my first car, fairly common i believe and simple and inexpesive to repair.
Servicing is important with such performace cars but in real terms is not overly expensive but important to plan for the cost.
I have also been fortunate enough to own Boxters and 911's amongst many other sports cars and without question TVR make fanstastic cars.
The Cerbera 4.5 is in my opinion simply one the best cars on the globe:
1. It looks fantastic externaly
2. Its a work of art inside
3. It drives like nothing else you will ever drive
4. It will make you smile every time you fire it up
With regard to relaibility my view is that all you hear about TVR'S being unreliable is rubbish and often from non TVR owners. Clearly there have been some issues with certain engines the speed 6 initaily was a nightmare but is largely well sorted now.
I have never had any major issues with any of my cerbs the odd squeak and rattle are part of the hand made proposition
The only issue i can recall was the throttle pots going on my first car, fairly common i believe and simple and inexpesive to repair.
Servicing is important with such performace cars but in real terms is not overly expensive but important to plan for the cost.
Pib1978 said:
1. Are they really as unreliable as they're made out to be? I've done a bit of research on the web and the main weak point appears only to be the clutch / clutch release bearings. Also noted a few points about electrics intermittently playing up. What kind (if any) of experiences have you all had with your cars not playing ball? I've also read about R plate onwards being a bit more reliable than the pre 97, can anyone elaborate?
2. Are they a realistic everyday car - although this kinda ties in with question 1, can I rely on it getting me to and from work everyday?
3. Are they easy to maintain? What kind of lead time are you looking at for parts? How often do they need serviced / cam belts? What about costs of parts, are they ridiculously expensive or would you say they're reasonably priced?
4. Fuel Consumption - what figures are you guys getting?
5. Are there any reliable TVR specialists up here in NE Scotland?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
1 They can be very reliable, but have a habit of consuming running parts brakes etc. TVR made various updates in 98 although many earlier cars now have new engines etc.
2 Some use there Cerberas every day even in central London, i wouldn't have it as an only car though.
3 Parts can be a problem unless you are "in the know" i would deal with Noel V8 sports and classics. brakes and clutches are expensive because they are race spec.
4 not too bad can't give a figure but others have.
5 as i said if you don't mind the drive use Noel.
Go for it..
Without doubt the dogs wotsits (being technical!!) and thats from someone who is suffering from electrical problems as we speak, I would not even consider trading it in for anything else not even another TVR, It would have to sit alongside the Tuscan and the Sagaris but trade the Cerbera in..? never!!! As it is not my daily car I cannot honestly comment on reliability, but I wish it was so I could Before I bought this one I looked at from this point of view: If I don't I wish I had and life's too short 
Before I bought this one I looked at from this point of view: If I don't I wish I had and life's too short cashbox said:
1. It looks fantastic externaly
2. Its a work of art inside
3. It drives like nothing else you will ever drive
4. It will make you smile every time you fire it up
The points mentioned above make you grin like a loon. If I was a billionaire, Id pay a million quid for a cerb, even if it cost 50k to keep on the road each year. There... just isnt anything like it!
Reliable... many are, some are less so. Chuck a little money at it and its running again, often better than new.
Mine is a daily driver, and I use it every day. Its the only car I have and works well
Buy one, and you'll never look back
4.2 Cerb running as everyday/work car for last 6 months or so, (wifes car) and using my Chim 4.0 every day apart from that period for the last three years. Initially a few items to sort out, but running fine. Niggly electrics, part by part sorting out.
Costs posted above are accurate, and your own assessment good.
Go for it: you start the day with a grin on your face, I would not part with either car.
Costs posted above are accurate, and your own assessment good.
Go for it: you start the day with a grin on your face, I would not part with either car.
I would agree with most comments.
My advice is to buy one, but keep approx £3K - £4K in reserve a year for service and breakdowns.
Don't kid yourselve that you'll be lucky - it will break and it does cost, so find a quality TVR service engineer.
After all it's a hand built supercar that hasn't had the testing that normal cars get.
Having said that you can reduce your risk by taking out a £50 parts and labour warranty from the AA that will cover you for upto three £500 breakdowns in a year.
You'll curse it every time she breaksdown but once you get out on the road, you forgive her and assure yourself that this is hobby so cost be dammed.
Cheers
My advice is to buy one, but keep approx £3K - £4K in reserve a year for service and breakdowns.
Don't kid yourselve that you'll be lucky - it will break and it does cost, so find a quality TVR service engineer.
After all it's a hand built supercar that hasn't had the testing that normal cars get.
Having said that you can reduce your risk by taking out a £50 parts and labour warranty from the AA that will cover you for upto three £500 breakdowns in a year.
You'll curse it every time she breaksdown but once you get out on the road, you forgive her and assure yourself that this is hobby so cost be dammed.
Cheers
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