Discussion
Sorry guys - sure it's often asked....
After having just sold my second Chimaera, I am really tempted by a Cerb. To be honest, I am not a particular fan of convertibles anyway, fancy a change, plus the performance of the cerb appeals.
From reading on the forum, I am thinking 4.2 or 4.5. My local TVR dealer warned me that they were starting to have problems getting parts to repair the AJP engines and I should stay clear - but this seems to be a bone of contention on here.
Anyway, rule of thumb seems to be £3k pa for running costs on average. This scares me slightly... where does the expense come in?
Cheers in advance...
After having just sold my second Chimaera, I am really tempted by a Cerb. To be honest, I am not a particular fan of convertibles anyway, fancy a change, plus the performance of the cerb appeals.
From reading on the forum, I am thinking 4.2 or 4.5. My local TVR dealer warned me that they were starting to have problems getting parts to repair the AJP engines and I should stay clear - but this seems to be a bone of contention on here.
Anyway, rule of thumb seems to be £3k pa for running costs on average. This scares me slightly... where does the expense come in?
Cheers in advance...
Edited by nig-gtv on Saturday 20th October 02:57
You will get hundreds of different exampls of what exactly made up the £3K. Some (a few) will say that their car cost em peanuts to run.
£3K is a lot less than I ever hit pa on my 2 cerbs.
£3K in my view does NOT include tyres, MOT, ins or fuel.
It covers servicing and repairs (eg radiators, temp sensors, electrics, starters, wheel bearings, suspension failures, big fuse(!), batteries etc.. Trust me - if you cant afford £3K pa then dont do it. UNLESS you can do all the work yourself and you are confident you can source parts then it MIGHT be cheaper.
The cars are also getting much older now. So teh 'trend' data isnt avail for the new probs that a 10 yr old TVR has (eg chassis rot).
£3K is a lot less than I ever hit pa on my 2 cerbs.
£3K in my view does NOT include tyres, MOT, ins or fuel.
It covers servicing and repairs (eg radiators, temp sensors, electrics, starters, wheel bearings, suspension failures, big fuse(!), batteries etc.. Trust me - if you cant afford £3K pa then dont do it. UNLESS you can do all the work yourself and you are confident you can source parts then it MIGHT be cheaper.
The cars are also getting much older now. So teh 'trend' data isnt avail for the new probs that a 10 yr old TVR has (eg chassis rot).
nig-gtv said:
Sorry guys - sure it's often asked....
My local TVR dealer warned me that they were starting to have problems getting parts to repair the AJP engines and I should stay clear
Anyway, rule of thumb seems to be £3k pa for running costs on average. This scares me slightly... where does the expense come in?
footnote]Edited by nig-gtv on Saturday 20th October 02:57[/footnote]
Nature abhors a vacuum and the market soon fills a vacant opportunity. Once there is a parts shortage, someone will make money from supplying the part.My local TVR dealer warned me that they were starting to have problems getting parts to repair the AJP engines and I should stay clear
Anyway, rule of thumb seems to be £3k pa for running costs on average. This scares me slightly... where does the expense come in?
footnote]Edited by nig-gtv on Saturday 20th October 02:57[/footnote]
My cerbera 4.5 has cost about £6k to run in the last 15,000 miles. Mind you, that is over 6 years and I am not including fuel, depreciation or insurance. My engine and suspension used half that amount and were sorted professionally. The rest was for bits and maintenance and I did almost all other work myself. The engine has new Mobil 1 and filter every 2000 miles which I regard as an insurance! At 23,000 miles it uses hardly any oil and has excellent oil pressure. Never thrash the engine until it is thoroughly warmed.Tyres are about £600 a set and a battery lasts years if looked after properly. If you intend to pay someone else to do all the work, it obviously costs much more. If you want everyday high mileage transport, it will definitely cost much more. Petrol alone will cost thousands and the figures others quote then seem accurate.
Had my 4.5 Cerb 2years,done 8000miles in it,in that time spent approx 4k on it,this includes big service,new clutch&slave/master cylinder which i fitted myself,new rear shocks,rebuilt steering rack,new battery&new radiator.Think this seems about average when you look at other posts on the Cerb forum.
Edited by esso on Tuesday 23 October 19:26
SimonSparrow said:
alderley said:
Petrol alone will cost thousands and the figures others quote then seem accurate.
You're not kidding. I think I've spent cira £9k on petrol over the last 4.5 years 
Everyone else, all costs are in my profile for the past six or so years... we're not putting depreciation in (its never for sale outside of this family im afraid) and we dont include petrol - pretty much everything else is included though.
Im not going to break down the costs (though we have these recorded elsewhere) as it'll take ages and im really rather lazy.Edited by BCA on Tuesday 23 October 19:40
£2.5k in 8,000 miles in 5 months - including tyres, brakes, 6k service and new exhaust.
Tyres are consumables and exhaust snapped (one of those things) which make up the majority of the cash - still very (very) good value.
I have no idea what I've spent on petrol/oil - I just don't care, every fill-up means you're going on another of those 30 mile milk runs.
You'll love the misses asking you to go to the shops! "See you in a sec Hun, pop, pop, bang!"
Tyres are consumables and exhaust snapped (one of those things) which make up the majority of the cash - still very (very) good value.
I have no idea what I've spent on petrol/oil - I just don't care, every fill-up means you're going on another of those 30 mile milk runs.
You'll love the misses asking you to go to the shops! "See you in a sec Hun, pop, pop, bang!"
Dont know if i've just been lucky but £2700 in 20 mths not including ins and fuel but does include new shocks and tyres all round and a brand new rim, the shocks were more choice than needing to change them, granted only about 5k miles but done 4 track days with it , hence the rim and tyres. The running costs did put me of a bit before i bought mine but have found it no where near as bad as i thought it could be. For a second car / toy i dont think its to bad. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE JUST BUY ONE. And if you ever get pissed of with the cost of it just go out for a drive then you will remember why you have one or if that doesnt work, trust me it will, sell it. At least you can say youve had one.
Thanks for all the input - sounds ok actually.
Has anyone here gone from Chim to Cerb? I am contemplating running a Cerb as my only car (I only do about 5-6ka pa, currently split between my 'weekend' car - ie TVR, and an Audi A4 Avant). I found my recently sold Chim tedious on long journeys - but it was mainly the wind noise round the hood seals etc, rather than the exhaust noise. How does the Cerb compare... I know it isnt going to be an Audi A4, but I suspect in standard form it is probably quieter transport on a long run?
Has anyone here gone from Chim to Cerb? I am contemplating running a Cerb as my only car (I only do about 5-6ka pa, currently split between my 'weekend' car - ie TVR, and an Audi A4 Avant). I found my recently sold Chim tedious on long journeys - but it was mainly the wind noise round the hood seals etc, rather than the exhaust noise. How does the Cerb compare... I know it isnt going to be an Audi A4, but I suspect in standard form it is probably quieter transport on a long run?
nig-gtv said:
........ but I suspect in standard form it is probably quieter transport on a long run?
Uh, not really. The cerb may be a little more refined than the chim, but not even close to my girlfriends newish ford fiesta. As someone once said, its a race car with a nice interior. Although this could just be mine and maybe everyone else's wafts them along in Jag-like comfort
Try a few and see what you think. Also the S6 model is worth a look as its meant to be easier to live with daily, there have been engine issues, but if you go in with your eyes open should be fine.
Certainly if I was buying one again, I'd happily consider an S6.
I went from a chim to cerb.
I had a brand new Chim and at the time and it was a very useable everyday car.
The Cerbs I dont like to use everyday. They feel more fragile, are noiser and more expensive to use. They tired me out on a commute more than a Chim. Personally I wouldnt use one every day. Depends on your state of mind - if you 'go with the flow' then go for it. if you get annoyed by gremlins when you are running late then maybe get a cheap run around as well (I have a BMW 5 series for sale for under a grand !).
I had a brand new Chim and at the time and it was a very useable everyday car.
The Cerbs I dont like to use everyday. They feel more fragile, are noiser and more expensive to use. They tired me out on a commute more than a Chim. Personally I wouldnt use one every day. Depends on your state of mind - if you 'go with the flow' then go for it. if you get annoyed by gremlins when you are running late then maybe get a cheap run around as well (I have a BMW 5 series for sale for under a grand !).
I went from Chim to Cerb. If just cruising along the motorway at constant speed I find my Cerb is quieter - doesn't have the sort of booming exhaust or hood noise of the Chim. But as soon as you open the throttle that all changes!! Cerbera is LOUD.
In terms of driving, Cerbera braking & handling & grip feel superior & the acceleration is awesome - put your foot down at motorway speeds & it isn't far removed from nailing it at 40. You don't get quite the instant pull from 1k rpm from the Cerb V8 as you do from the RV8 - it needs revs. So you blip it to pull away (I kept stalling the thing when I first got it!) and from 2-3k upwards the power builds & builds til its screaming at 7000+rpm.
Personally I find Cerbera too hectic for day to day commuting & its hellish in traffic jams (hence I have another car for that). With an RV8 you can stick it in a gear & its a bit like an automatic - with the Cerb once you have enough revs to not stall, its too quick for stop start traffic I find. Also, with my mileage it would be expensive & always being serviced!
As a sports car for going out and blasting about I much prefer it to the Chim. You might miss the roof off I guess, though I find that the performance, feel, noise & looks outweigh that. Also, you get a couple of pretend seats in the Cerbera
In terms of driving, Cerbera braking & handling & grip feel superior & the acceleration is awesome - put your foot down at motorway speeds & it isn't far removed from nailing it at 40. You don't get quite the instant pull from 1k rpm from the Cerb V8 as you do from the RV8 - it needs revs. So you blip it to pull away (I kept stalling the thing when I first got it!) and from 2-3k upwards the power builds & builds til its screaming at 7000+rpm.
Personally I find Cerbera too hectic for day to day commuting & its hellish in traffic jams (hence I have another car for that). With an RV8 you can stick it in a gear & its a bit like an automatic - with the Cerb once you have enough revs to not stall, its too quick for stop start traffic I find. Also, with my mileage it would be expensive & always being serviced!
As a sports car for going out and blasting about I much prefer it to the Chim. You might miss the roof off I guess, though I find that the performance, feel, noise & looks outweigh that. Also, you get a couple of pretend seats in the Cerbera
I also went from a Chim to a Cerb. They are totally different cars, don't make the mistake of thinking a Cerb will be like a Chim with a roof. I always loved - and still do - the sound of the RV8, and I still remember my horror the first time I heard a Cerbera start up, I thought it sounded like a clapped out Diesel. At first I found the Cerb to be very slow, and I was very disssapointed with the performance, but loved the looks and sense of occasion of the car. But it was slow because I was still driving it the same way I drove the Chim, after all it was a big V8 wasn't it, so it should have loads of grunt all the time - Wrong, it might be a V8, but it's two 4 cylinder engines bolted together, drive it like a it's a Honda Vtec, and the thing it flies.
If I was to have a car for everyday use I'd go for the Chim, a more relaxing car to drive, and not as fragile. If your daily drive involves a lot of heavy traffic, and stop start motoring, you'll get stressed out in the Cerb, the little niggly problems that happen are 'liveable' if, like me, it is your hobby car. But for everyday use those niggly problems would make it a pain in the a$$,
Edited to add........ Just re-read this and it sounds like I don't like the Cerb !! I LOVE it, I have so much more passion for it than I ever had for the Chim. It's like going out with a 'bad' girl, she may be a bit rough round the edges, but just look at her, she looks stunning, and nothing will make you feel the way 'Miss Cerb' can
If I was to have a car for everyday use I'd go for the Chim, a more relaxing car to drive, and not as fragile. If your daily drive involves a lot of heavy traffic, and stop start motoring, you'll get stressed out in the Cerb, the little niggly problems that happen are 'liveable' if, like me, it is your hobby car. But for everyday use those niggly problems would make it a pain in the a$$,
Edited to add........ Just re-read this and it sounds like I don't like the Cerb !! I LOVE it, I have so much more passion for it than I ever had for the Chim. It's like going out with a 'bad' girl, she may be a bit rough round the edges, but just look at her, she looks stunning, and nothing will make you feel the way 'Miss Cerb' can
Edited by JensenA on Thursday 25th October 14:57
Mine didn't live for very long, but the service was about £600, insurance £350 and the smile huge. You can't really count fuel as that will depend on what you use her for and how you drive. Tyres were a bit dear at 150, but they do seem to have gone up a lot this year. I do want another one when the insurance comess through...
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