Discussion
I am looking at buying a cerb before xmas, looking to spend up to £18k on one if funds allow!:laugh:
Now i dont want to go for a sp6 due to bad rep they seem to have, and i also feel if going for a cerb, it has to be the genuine lovely sound of that AJP V8 engine!
So...what im wondering is whats the best one to go for, a 4.2 or 4.5?
I have been told that the 4.5 is a more refined car to drive, and that the 4.2 is a more racey raw model. The cerb will be my 2nd (fun) car, so i prefere the racey type!
I also have seen a lot of people on here say that one day they hope to own a 4.5 compared to their 4.2????
Whats the views of the owners? ta!
Now i dont want to go for a sp6 due to bad rep they seem to have, and i also feel if going for a cerb, it has to be the genuine lovely sound of that AJP V8 engine!
So...what im wondering is whats the best one to go for, a 4.2 or 4.5?
I have been told that the 4.5 is a more refined car to drive, and that the 4.2 is a more racey raw model. The cerb will be my 2nd (fun) car, so i prefere the racey type!
I also have seen a lot of people on here say that one day they hope to own a 4.5 compared to their 4.2????
Whats the views of the owners? ta!
Toady1 said:
I am looking at buying a cerb before xmas, looking to spend up to £18k on one if funds allow! 
Now i dont want to go for a sp6 due to bad rep they seem to have, and i also feel if going for a cerb, it has to be the genuine lovely sound of that AJP V8 engine!
So...what im wondering is whats the best one to go for, a 4.2 or 4.5?
I have been told that the 4.5 is a more refined car to drive, and that the 4.2 is a more racey raw model. The cerb will be my 2nd (fun) car, so i prefere the racey type!
I also have seen a lot of people on here say that one day they hope to own a 4.5 compared to their 4.2????
Whats the views of the owners? ta!
- Brakes are better on the 4.5
- It's the daddy of the range
- It delivers about the same power as a 4.2 out of the box
- It offers more potential for tuning (relatively inexpensively)
- It costs more, but those costs are usually recooped when sold
- 4.2's are generally smoother without any tampering
So, it depends what you want! Either buy a 4.2 and spend the extra on Nitrons/better brakes, buy a std 4.2 and same some dosh or buy a 4.5 and know it can be improved in future...
lol! Obviously not every cerb owner is going to be posting their knowledge on here, and most people only post when they have a problem....which is prob why they get a bad rep. But the research i have done already has mostly told me to go for a 4.2 to start the cerbie ownership. But then if the 4.5 is much better then it would be far more cost effective to just pull out the stops and go for one to start with.
Im not really that bothered about reliability issues, as im sure i could sort most probs out myself ( being a mechanical engineer). Do the 4.5's suffer from bad camshafts like the 4.2?
Im not really that bothered about reliability issues, as im sure i could sort most probs out myself ( being a mechanical engineer). Do the 4.5's suffer from bad camshafts like the 4.2?
4.5s do suffer from camshaft problems if you had one like Daggarts...
Generally speaking, the early cams were bad, they got better... many 4.2s are running on original internals still... could just have been a quality issue with the builds....
Clutches were a MAJOR problem with earlier 4.2s and 4.5s...
The 4.2s also were known for electrical faults... although the earlier 4.5s suffered too...
IMO, I'd say, buy a fairly recent 4.5... less hassle in the long run, or buy one from an owner who knows his stuff and has spared no expense on the upkeep of his cerb.... Joolzes customers are usually a good bet...
Ceejay (the most powerful independantly proven 4.5) might be selling his next year... give him a shout?
Generally speaking, the early cams were bad, they got better... many 4.2s are running on original internals still... could just have been a quality issue with the builds....
Clutches were a MAJOR problem with earlier 4.2s and 4.5s...
The 4.2s also were known for electrical faults... although the earlier 4.5s suffered too...
IMO, I'd say, buy a fairly recent 4.5... less hassle in the long run, or buy one from an owner who knows his stuff and has spared no expense on the upkeep of his cerb.... Joolzes customers are usually a good bet...
Ceejay (the most powerful independantly proven 4.5) might be selling his next year... give him a shout?
4.2 Because it does exactly what it says on the tin where as the 4.5 needs 2k just to get within 20 bhp of what it says 
.
Seriously though the V8 Cerbs are all great imo!
Funnily enough I never wanted the 4.5.
When the 4.2 came out it was my dream car until I owned it and 0-60 in 4.0 seconds and 0-100 in 9ish is more than enough for me
.
I will concede however that the 4.5 I went in (Graham's) felt better put together but mine is an old one with 64k on the clock.
Duncan
. Seriously though the V8 Cerbs are all great imo!
Funnily enough I never wanted the 4.5.
When the 4.2 came out it was my dream car until I owned it and 0-60 in 4.0 seconds and 0-100 in 9ish is more than enough for me
. I will concede however that the 4.5 I went in (Graham's) felt better put together but mine is an old one with 64k on the clock
. Duncan
Unless you're really interested in engine HP the 4.5 offers nothing over the 4.2 other than slightly bigger brakes.
The 4.2 is nicer to drive.
the 4.5 costs more but is worth more when you sell it, as alrady mentioned. if you bought a 4.2 you might always wonder what it would have been like to own the daddy ..
The 4.2 is nicer to drive.
the 4.5 costs more but is worth more when you sell it, as alrady mentioned. if you bought a 4.2 you might always wonder what it would have been like to own the daddy ..
trackcar said:
Unless you're really interested in engine HP the 4.5 offers nothing over the 4.2 other than slightly bigger brakes.
The 4.2 is nicer to drive.
the 4.5 costs more but is worth more when you sell it, as alrady mentioned. if you bought a 4.2 you might always wonder what it would have been like to own the daddy ..
UkBob said:
Some say the 4.2 is easier around town
Interesting, in what way is the 4.2 easier around town and nicer to drive? is the clutch lighter?
From my own experience, the 4.2 has a less of a 'cc lag if you know what I mean, resulting in fairly smooth power delivery.... the torque curve is a little more forgiving on the 4.2's, less of a jump, those who wack their foot down in 2nd in a 4.5 know what I mean by the 'jump'...
The older clutches were softer, weaker though too.
The breathing is generally better, but they are known to 'pink' a fair bit when it gets REAL hot ie traffic jams in summer...
The older clutches were softer, weaker though too.
The breathing is generally better, but they are known to 'pink' a fair bit when it gets REAL hot ie traffic jams in summer...
Well Im more than happy with the response of my 4.2 so far, when its not back at the dealers being fixed that is! still exploring higher reaches of the available RPM as it still seems un-natural having a V8 that revs like a Jap bike.
>> Edited by spartacus on Thursday 18th August 23:20
>> Edited by spartacus on Thursday 18th August 23:20
Cat got your tongue? Whether you choose a 4.2/4.5 each car can have its problems its just personal preference, but then again all cars go wrong. I am a new Cerbera owner and had a list of things advised by this forum that would be preferable in checking things have been fixed on the car - {ie}Clutch,Speedo, Breaks, tappets etc , also the interior was a bit scappy on older models so it was looking for one with all the boxes ticked, in my experience looking around over the last few months you naturally have to spend a bit more even on the older models. I personally chose a 4.2V8 and its awsome!
trooperiziz said:
The breathing is generally better, but they are known to 'pink' a fair bit when it gets REAL hot ie traffic jams in summer...
Certainly not known to me or the other 4.2 owners I know...
It depends if you are listening for it, the sound and fluttering can be disguised behind the exhaust and cam noise.... its happening, trust me.... I cant recall which bank is the culprit, driverside I believe.
If yours and other 4.2 owners you know arent, proven by technical diagnosis, then theres just another 500+ odd to diagnose whatnot...
SXS said:
It depends if you are listening for it, the sound and fluttering can be disguised behind the exhaust and cam noise.... its happening, trust me.... I cant recall which bank is the culprit, driverside I believe.
If yours and other 4.2 owners you know arent, proven by technical diagnosis, then theres just another 500+ odd to diagnose whatnot...
Having restored and run an MGB for a fair number of years, I'm well aware of what pinking sounds like and can spot it a mile off
You'll have to let me know where I can get your portable diagnosis centre that allows you to diagnose pinking when you get stuck in a traffic jam on a really hot day
trooperiziz said:
SXS said:
It depends if you are listening for it, the sound and fluttering can be disguised behind the exhaust and cam noise.... its happening, trust me.... I cant recall which bank is the culprit, driverside I believe.
If yours and other 4.2 owners you know arent, proven by technical diagnosis, then theres just another 500+ odd to diagnose whatnot...
Having restored and run an MGB for a fair number of years, I'm well aware of what pinking sounds like and can spot it a mile off
You'll have to let me know where I can get your portable diagnosis centre that allows you to diagnose pinking when you get stuck in a traffic jam on a really hot day
No need to be sarcastic, my hearing is tone accurate
Editd:
Also note, when a flat-v8 pinks, its not the same noise as a crossover-v8 pinking... I know this from personal experience and I'm sure a mechanic will verify that... its is MUCH harder to notice 'pinking' on a flat-v8, unless it is quite severe!
>> Edited by SXS on Friday 19th August 11:30
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