Bit of advice please.....
Discussion
Hi guys, been a long time Porsche man, but sold the 993, and fancy a change. TVR's have always appealed to me, in particular the Cerbera, so ive been looking for a while, and think i may have found the car. Just a few questions that need answering please.....
The car in question is a 2002 4.5, and according to the sellor it has all the right bits on, never let him down, fsh, and is immaculate, etc, etc.....but then he would say that!!!
What i would like to know is what factory options/modifications should the car have/had done, and are there any 'must haves' which will increase it desirability. I will have the car up on a ramp, and give it a good going over, just need to know if the car has any foibles to look for in particular, or should i get a specialist inspection done?
The other concern i have is one of reliability. Would a car of this late model year, have been sorted by the time it hit the streets, or does it have specific issues?. The vehicle will not be a daily driver, so i dont need bullet proof dependability, but a regular starter would be nice.....
Kind regards....
The car in question is a 2002 4.5, and according to the sellor it has all the right bits on, never let him down, fsh, and is immaculate, etc, etc.....but then he would say that!!!
What i would like to know is what factory options/modifications should the car have/had done, and are there any 'must haves' which will increase it desirability. I will have the car up on a ramp, and give it a good going over, just need to know if the car has any foibles to look for in particular, or should i get a specialist inspection done?
The other concern i have is one of reliability. Would a car of this late model year, have been sorted by the time it hit the streets, or does it have specific issues?. The vehicle will not be a daily driver, so i dont need bullet proof dependability, but a regular starter would be nice.....
Kind regards....
Use the search facility - there's been several similar threads, probably including mine 
From memory - if the cars got a few upgrades on it it'll stop you buying them later. Uprated shocks perhaps.
I'd say aircon is a must in summer if yours is working - them seem to be tempremental otherwise you open the windows.
Other than that, one that's been looked after.
From memory - if the cars got a few upgrades on it it'll stop you buying them later. Uprated shocks perhaps.
I'd say aircon is a must in summer if yours is working - them seem to be tempremental otherwise you open the windows.
Other than that, one that's been looked after.
I would get a specialist look at it myself if you are not familiar with the marque. The fact that its a late car means that the chassis should be in tip top condition, but still get it checked.
First thing I would do is find out where its been serviced and speak to them about the car, most are more than willing to talk about eh cars tehy service and will give you an insight into the owner if they say all the advisories are done at the same time. Expect lots and lots of receipts to back up the service history too.
The silly thing I have with cars is that one of the first thing I look at is the tyres, if its shod in a no-name brand (ask here if you are not sure) then it raises the questions where else has the money been saved on this 195mph car
.
As to desirable extras, a late cerb should already be loaded and unlikely to be without aircon (make sure it works!) and full leather.
Common things that may have been changed even at that age is clutch, clutch master and or slave cylinder seals, starter motor (I'm sure others will add more). Do a search of the forums is the best overall advice.
When you get one, drive it like a granny until the road and weather improves
.
First thing I would do is find out where its been serviced and speak to them about the car, most are more than willing to talk about eh cars tehy service and will give you an insight into the owner if they say all the advisories are done at the same time. Expect lots and lots of receipts to back up the service history too.
The silly thing I have with cars is that one of the first thing I look at is the tyres, if its shod in a no-name brand (ask here if you are not sure) then it raises the questions where else has the money been saved on this 195mph car
. As to desirable extras, a late cerb should already be loaded and unlikely to be without aircon (make sure it works!) and full leather.
Common things that may have been changed even at that age is clutch, clutch master and or slave cylinder seals, starter motor (I'm sure others will add more). Do a search of the forums is the best overall advice.
When you get one, drive it like a granny until the road and weather improves
.I've been a Porsche owner for many years and invested in a 2001 Cerb S6 in March of this year. It's diffcult to make a comparison between the two brands as they are so different. One point that I would make is that you really have to 'drive' the TVR. It's raw power and doesn't suffer poor driving glady.
You'll find many discussions on reliability, I've never had any problems, but I also ensure that the car is always serviced on time and follow all the great guidance that you can find so easily on Pistonheads. FYI, I've done 6,000 miles from March to September, mainly on the autobahns in Germany, so I haven't gone easy on her either.
I'll certainly be buying another Porsche one day, but not before I've had a few more years in TVR's (just so long as my reactions are quick enough.)
You'll find many discussions on reliability, I've never had any problems, but I also ensure that the car is always serviced on time and follow all the great guidance that you can find so easily on Pistonheads. FYI, I've done 6,000 miles from March to September, mainly on the autobahns in Germany, so I haven't gone easy on her either.
I'll certainly be buying another Porsche one day, but not before I've had a few more years in TVR's (just so long as my reactions are quick enough.)
thanks for the advice guys, ive had a search on the forums and note, that like any powerful, complex, sports car, it appears to be the same basics to look out for:- history, provenance, condition, owner, and the air con....it was crap on the 993 as well!!!!
im looking at the car this week-end, i know the details at the moment are a bit sketchy, but any idea of price??? its a private sale, 1 owner from new, 2002(02) 4.5, 22k miles, tvr sports exhaust, ftvrsh, , fully loaded(allegedly!)and in pristine condition....
ballpark figure please...
kind regards....
im looking at the car this week-end, i know the details at the moment are a bit sketchy, but any idea of price??? its a private sale, 1 owner from new, 2002(02) 4.5, 22k miles, tvr sports exhaust, ftvrsh, , fully loaded(allegedly!)and in pristine condition....
ballpark figure please...
kind regards....
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