Cerbera advice please
Discussion
Hi everyone
Am new to the forum, but thought I would join as am interested in buying a Cerbera.
My question is - please could somebody point me in the direction of a buyers guide on the forum, if there is one?? I've had a look but without success unfortunately.
I have seen lots of bits of information about starter motor problems etc. but what I could really do with is an overview....
Thanks !
Will
Am new to the forum, but thought I would join as am interested in buying a Cerbera.
My question is - please could somebody point me in the direction of a buyers guide on the forum, if there is one?? I've had a look but without success unfortunately.
I have seen lots of bits of information about starter motor problems etc. but what I could really do with is an overview....
Thanks !
Will
BLUETHUNDER said:
Your buyers guide is here.Start asking your questions.
As above really, the search function is a bit fooked at the moment, so you might not get what you want from that at the moment.
Ask away, plenty of people on here, you can pretty much be certain any question will be answered.
Thanks Bluethunder....
First question is simply which model to go for? I have read (and please feel free to correct me!) that the speed six can be a temperamental engine - liable to trouble if it's been used hard without the oil warmed up properly. So I would look at the most 'reliable' of the two between a 4.2 and 4.5 - and am happy to hear peoples opinions? The only thing that puts me off about the 4.5 is the wheels. That sounds a bit strange but I am not a big fan of the big (18's) alloys with the really low profile tyres. I prefer the smaller wheels with the higher profile tyres....
Second question is problems known to these cars.. I'm quite handy with the spanners, and would not be too concerned about fitting a new starter motor for example or boot latches that don't work as they should. But are there many major mechanical issues I should watch out for??
Thanks again
Will
First question is simply which model to go for? I have read (and please feel free to correct me!) that the speed six can be a temperamental engine - liable to trouble if it's been used hard without the oil warmed up properly. So I would look at the most 'reliable' of the two between a 4.2 and 4.5 - and am happy to hear peoples opinions? The only thing that puts me off about the 4.5 is the wheels. That sounds a bit strange but I am not a big fan of the big (18's) alloys with the really low profile tyres. I prefer the smaller wheels with the higher profile tyres....
Second question is problems known to these cars.. I'm quite handy with the spanners, and would not be too concerned about fitting a new starter motor for example or boot latches that don't work as they should. But are there many major mechanical issues I should watch out for??
Thanks again
Will
I *really* ought to summarise what I considered when I bought one... always promised to. Never really found the time.
Anyway, although the search is broken at the mo, if you're considering spending a few thousand quid, you might just do what I did and start reading through the entire forum from start to finish over the course of a month. After a relatively short time you get the drift of threads from their titles and you just skim through them. I learned a lot this way.
If the car you've set your sights on happens to be owned by a PHer, you can then find his profile and his contributions to read up on his impressions of the car. There's no better history of a car than the current owner's impressions and experiences.
Quick summary:
Check chassis, particularly the outriggers (under and parallel to the sills). They are all shot now. Your task is to find one which doesn't need immediate attention or one that can be attended to without a full body-off restoration.
Which engine? Each has it's own fans and problems. History of that engine?
Don't be put off by higher mileages. This is generally thought to be a good thing as the car obviously spends more time on the road than being repaired.
Check ALL electrics. Don't just imagine the minor ones will be automatically work. We're talking doors (inside and outside buttons), window winders (button on dash and when you open/close the doors), washers and wiper motors (including 3 speeds and self-parking), boot opening, heated screen, heating controls, AC (if installed), ALL lights.
Does engine come up to temp and hold? Do both fans kick in (one at a time, sequential as temp continues to increase)?
Any knocks and bangs, particularly from the diff and rear suspension? For some reason only one of the 4 I test drove was quiet there.
General car history (bills, receipts, MoTs, etc).
Lastly, post details of any car you're interested in here. Someone will probably know something about it.
After you buy one, get ALL FOUR WHEELS ALIGNED. See other thread (be careful out there etc) for reasons.
Anyway, although the search is broken at the mo, if you're considering spending a few thousand quid, you might just do what I did and start reading through the entire forum from start to finish over the course of a month. After a relatively short time you get the drift of threads from their titles and you just skim through them. I learned a lot this way.
If the car you've set your sights on happens to be owned by a PHer, you can then find his profile and his contributions to read up on his impressions of the car. There's no better history of a car than the current owner's impressions and experiences.
Quick summary:
Check chassis, particularly the outriggers (under and parallel to the sills). They are all shot now. Your task is to find one which doesn't need immediate attention or one that can be attended to without a full body-off restoration.
Which engine? Each has it's own fans and problems. History of that engine?
Don't be put off by higher mileages. This is generally thought to be a good thing as the car obviously spends more time on the road than being repaired.
Check ALL electrics. Don't just imagine the minor ones will be automatically work. We're talking doors (inside and outside buttons), window winders (button on dash and when you open/close the doors), washers and wiper motors (including 3 speeds and self-parking), boot opening, heated screen, heating controls, AC (if installed), ALL lights.
Does engine come up to temp and hold? Do both fans kick in (one at a time, sequential as temp continues to increase)?
Any knocks and bangs, particularly from the diff and rear suspension? For some reason only one of the 4 I test drove was quiet there.
General car history (bills, receipts, MoTs, etc).
Lastly, post details of any car you're interested in here. Someone will probably know something about it.
After you buy one, get ALL FOUR WHEELS ALIGNED. See other thread (be careful out there etc) for reasons.
The SP6 rightly or wrongly has a pretty poor reputation, hence a whole forum section on it within PH. Those that have the SP6 love them, they certainly appeal, but it's hard to ignore the reliability problems. I'm no expert, so if you go that route, look 'thoroughly' into every aspect. I didn't because I wanted a 4.5 (faster 
)
With respect to the 4.2 and 4.5s, in the real world, there's not much between them performance wise, unless you come across a 'sorted' 4.5, then there seems to be a bit more of a gap in performance. I think some of the earlier 4.2s were known to have weak cranks (although maybe down to a particular batch?) and these would probably cover the cars you'd expect to have those wheels you like (not too sure if you mean the RLs or the Saturns?) however, this is certainly not common AFAIK.
From what I hear, the Cerbera is not exactly a difficult car to work on, just awkward, so if you're handy with the spanners, you shouldn't struggle with too much.
The starter motor problems you mention are an issue, as questions are raised regularly, but there are threads on this forum which some claim to have solved the issue, i'll have a look at that when and if mine goes.
What's your budget likely to be?
Are you aware of the running costs?
Ask more questions.
PS
Purple ones are the fastest.
)With respect to the 4.2 and 4.5s, in the real world, there's not much between them performance wise, unless you come across a 'sorted' 4.5, then there seems to be a bit more of a gap in performance. I think some of the earlier 4.2s were known to have weak cranks (although maybe down to a particular batch?) and these would probably cover the cars you'd expect to have those wheels you like (not too sure if you mean the RLs or the Saturns?) however, this is certainly not common AFAIK.
From what I hear, the Cerbera is not exactly a difficult car to work on, just awkward, so if you're handy with the spanners, you shouldn't struggle with too much.
The starter motor problems you mention are an issue, as questions are raised regularly, but there are threads on this forum which some claim to have solved the issue, i'll have a look at that when and if mine goes.
What's your budget likely to be?
Are you aware of the running costs?
Ask more questions.
PS
Purple ones are the fastest.
Thanks Dirty Boy.
Looks wise - having a quick glance around the forum - my ideal car would be the dark red one about a third of the way down the 'Spa Ring Pictures' thread. She's a beaut
The 6 cyl is out. I'm sure it's an awesome engine but I wouldn't want to be worried about major rebuild costs all the time.
In answer to your question about do I know what the running costs are - short answer is no I don't! I expect insurance to be mighty / tax from next year will probably be horrendous / tyres won't be cheap and fuel of course. But that's the obvious stuff.. Anything else I wouldn't have a clue to be honest...
One thing I did read (I think it was classic cars magazine last month) was that the 4.2 with different valve springs will rev all day to 8,300 rpm. Where's the power in these engines? As they are basically race engines do you have to rev them to get going??
Will
Looks wise - having a quick glance around the forum - my ideal car would be the dark red one about a third of the way down the 'Spa Ring Pictures' thread. She's a beaut
The 6 cyl is out. I'm sure it's an awesome engine but I wouldn't want to be worried about major rebuild costs all the time.
In answer to your question about do I know what the running costs are - short answer is no I don't! I expect insurance to be mighty / tax from next year will probably be horrendous / tyres won't be cheap and fuel of course. But that's the obvious stuff.. Anything else I wouldn't have a clue to be honest...
One thing I did read (I think it was classic cars magazine last month) was that the 4.2 with different valve springs will rev all day to 8,300 rpm. Where's the power in these engines? As they are basically race engines do you have to rev them to get going??
Will
Hi,
You'll come across stories of massive maintenance bills etc, but there are two sides, running a Cerb seems to be a bit of a lottery. If you're handy with spanners all the better as you will save a fortune in labour costs. I've had mine for almost a year, and apart from the little niggles they all seem to have from time to time, ( windows, temperature/air locks,) have only needed one wheel bearing two bulbs and wipers, all fitted by me for its recent MOT.
Only other cost was a new alloy and tyre after I hit a pot hole not long after getting it. It's very reasonable up until now.
If you get one be VERY careful out there especially at this time of year they are awsome cars and a massive step up from "normal" sports cars. I came from a 3.0 Alfa GTV was a reasonably quick car but nothing like the Cerb. It's a 4.2 by the way.
You'll come across stories of massive maintenance bills etc, but there are two sides, running a Cerb seems to be a bit of a lottery. If you're handy with spanners all the better as you will save a fortune in labour costs. I've had mine for almost a year, and apart from the little niggles they all seem to have from time to time, ( windows, temperature/air locks,) have only needed one wheel bearing two bulbs and wipers, all fitted by me for its recent MOT.
Only other cost was a new alloy and tyre after I hit a pot hole not long after getting it. It's very reasonable up until now.
If you get one be VERY careful out there especially at this time of year they are awsome cars and a massive step up from "normal" sports cars. I came from a 3.0 Alfa GTV was a reasonably quick car but nothing like the Cerb. It's a 4.2 by the way.
If you're running as a second car, and can garage it, I expect you'd be pleasantly surprised on insurance, I pay £387 including Euro cover and 3 named drivers (28 years old). Tax is on the low volume car rate and will therefore be £185 per year
Tyres expect to pay around £170 a piece (but then only you know how long you'll make them last
The 4.2 and 4.5 will rev happily, but don't be worried about having to rev them to get going, have a look at the power graphs on some of the threads on here, they produce near on 300lbft of torque at around 2,000rpm (don't quote me though) the power delivery is relentless!
The bottom end is apparently not dissimilar to a 1990's F1 engine.
V8 all the way, early 4.2's have a potential weak crank 96/97 but a lot have gone by now and been sorted. 4.5 had larger journal as did 98 on 4.2's - after that I don't think one engine size is more reliable or problematic than the other. If you can spanner a bit then LOTS of jobs can be handled by yourself, the forum is full of self fixers who will share advice and tip - just wish I was one of em as I have to pay a man who can.
If you want an actual suggestion then after a quick look in the classifieds, I would say you could do a lot worse than having a look at the 4.2 that Fernhursts are selling (blue one) - it has 18's but you'll get decent money for them if you so wished and could easily pick up a cheap set of 16"OZ (original 4.2 wheel) or 17"RL (original 4.5 wheel) alloys and pocket some change.
If you want an actual suggestion then after a quick look in the classifieds, I would say you could do a lot worse than having a look at the 4.2 that Fernhursts are selling (blue one) - it has 18's but you'll get decent money for them if you so wished and could easily pick up a cheap set of 16"OZ (original 4.2 wheel) or 17"RL (original 4.5 wheel) alloys and pocket some change.
Allandwf said:
Hi,
You'll come across stories of massive maintenance bills etc, but there are two sides, running a Cerb seems to be a bit of a lottery. If you're handy with spanners all the better as you will save a fortune in labour costs.
Most certainly. Got mine in the summer, had a collection of electrical problems with it (sidelights not working, just changed big fuse, alarm, TPS, door windows/buttons), also got certain issues to work on in the coming months (brake overhaul, suspension overhaul, cracked manifolds and tune). I reckon I could be well up over a thousand pounds in repair work so far if I had taken it to a garage, with a few thousand to come, but since I'm doing all the work myself I've currently only spent a couple of hundred, and will probably finish all the work less than a thousand out of pocket. And just to add, this isn't all "repair" work, a lot of it is renewing tired suspension bushes, renewing brake discs and caliper seals, basically getting the car back into tip top condition.You'll come across stories of massive maintenance bills etc, but there are two sides, running a Cerb seems to be a bit of a lottery. If you're handy with spanners all the better as you will save a fortune in labour costs.
Lots of good Cerbs for sale on here.
If the chassis has been ignored,it would probably be the worst thing that could happen if you get an MOT failure.
Engine on the 4.5 is strong and can be re-mapped to produce a smoother more powerful unit. 400BHP!
If you can find one that has had this done, together with the suspension having been uprated with new shocks for a decent price then your onto a winner.
All the rest of the stuff to check is the same as for any car.
But don't forget this is not a run-about it is a VERY high performance car!
So will need a bit more care and attention than most.
Just take your time to explore the performance envelope, with smooth throttle control being the key!
It is totally different to some other high performance cars, much more a raw beast of a thing.
Good Luck
Steve
If the chassis has been ignored,it would probably be the worst thing that could happen if you get an MOT failure.
Engine on the 4.5 is strong and can be re-mapped to produce a smoother more powerful unit. 400BHP!
If you can find one that has had this done, together with the suspension having been uprated with new shocks for a decent price then your onto a winner.
All the rest of the stuff to check is the same as for any car.
But don't forget this is not a run-about it is a VERY high performance car!
So will need a bit more care and attention than most.
Just take your time to explore the performance envelope, with smooth throttle control being the key!
It is totally different to some other high performance cars, much more a raw beast of a thing.
Good Luck
Steve
Dont buy on colour. Condition, condition, condition
Most bases have been covered by the learned gentlemen above.
As for running costs (fuel, insurance etc excepted) the 'rule of thumb' for the non spanner wielders like myself is circa £3k pa, some less, some more. From January to October and 6k miles I spent about £400 on mine, then I just had a £2k bill for new clutch (ok, not an annual item..hopefully!), diff seals, service and some other bits and pieces. But hopefully I'll see the rest of the year out under the £3k barrier
You really have two choices. Buy from a respected dealer (more money but hopefully a limited warranty) or a known PH car (cheaper and put some away in a slush fund). There's a few for sale at the moment and a couple of the guys hinting at selling. I expect some will pop their heads over the parapet shortly shouting "me me me!"
Good luck
Most bases have been covered by the learned gentlemen above.
As for running costs (fuel, insurance etc excepted) the 'rule of thumb' for the non spanner wielders like myself is circa £3k pa, some less, some more. From January to October and 6k miles I spent about £400 on mine, then I just had a £2k bill for new clutch (ok, not an annual item..hopefully!), diff seals, service and some other bits and pieces. But hopefully I'll see the rest of the year out under the £3k barrier
You really have two choices. Buy from a respected dealer (more money but hopefully a limited warranty) or a known PH car (cheaper and put some away in a slush fund). There's a few for sale at the moment and a couple of the guys hinting at selling. I expect some will pop their heads over the parapet shortly shouting "me me me!"
Good luck
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