which cerb?

[westie boy]

ive finaly got the go ahead off the mrs to get my ass back into tvr
having had a 97 4.0 chimaera some 9 years ago this time it has to be a
cerbera (the one i always wanted) but back in 2000 they were just to
expencive trouble is now i dont know which one to go for, ive got upto
10k to spend so the 4.5 is out of the question ive also been reading
alot of bad things about the ajp engines? any advice would be greatful
as to what to look for and what mods need to have been done befor buying a cerb (also do the cerbs chassis suffer the same problems as the chims ie
out rigger corosion???) ta

[Greeny]

Employ / Take an expert with you to view any car you are interested in. 10k is near the bottom of the market, but there does seem to be a few 4.2's in the classifieds at the moment. However, if 10k is all you have to spend on the car, ie no back up fund, I would seriously consider if you can really afford one. Buying a Cerbera is a heart thing not a head thing, but if buying a 10k Cerbera, you should allow you head a little bit of a say.
Hope that helps

[westie boy]

forgot to mention i am a master tech for a german vehicle
manufacturer so i will be maintaining the cerb myself i
do fancy the 4.2 but obviously my budget will only strech
to a 96/97 ish model where as it would seem i could have a 2000 speed six for 10k why is this?? i have heard the 4.2s arnt shy of engine problems thanks for the reply

[Far Eastender]

Pre-2003 S6 engines are prone to fail at or around 40,000 miles, due to a weakness in the finger followers. It's pretty much certain (80% chance), that any S6 engines car that has gone over 40,000 miles has probably been rebuilt and therefor, less likely to fail than an engine that hasn't.

I speak as someone who has just had their engine rebuilt, although I did not suffer any catastrophic engine failure, when the engine was being repaired, it was internally damaged and was probably going to fail within a few thousand miles.

[Greeny]

Speed 6 engines have the worst reputation for engine problems, although not all. and there are some sorted engines out there now, hence you will get a younger model for your money. The 4.2 had early crankshaft failure problems, again some not all, make sure you get one with a rebuild or later crank. Talk to the owner, ask them lots of question, make sure they know the car inside out, even is they have not worked on the car themselves, make sure thay have paid someone to do so. Expect to see an exstensive folder of bills and history, not just the service manual Oh and chassis, get under the car and have a good poke around. You will not be able to see all the problem areas, but you should be able to tell if it has been looked after. Again, take someone with you who is familiar with these cars

[fatjon]

surprised you have heard much bad stuff about the AJP. It's a very sound engine. Pretty well proven in the TVR challenge series and not really noted for any kind of recurrent failures. There are a few out there with over 100k on them without rebuilds and parts are easy to get and not silly money. They are quite specialised to work on what with having pretty much no gaskets other than the heads but still they are not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination. The speed 6 is a whole different kettle of fish though and has some known major issues. Various companies claim to have solved them but such claims have come and gone over the years (as have the companies)and only time will really tell which ones work and which ones don't. The problem for me with the S6 is that the prices charged for some of the "fixed" versions is so high that they can afford to declare it fixed and not worry about warranty as you have already paid for the next three engines. The fingerless version looks like a strong candidate for the true title of "fixed" but it's not cheap. There were some VERY early 4.2 AJPs that had a potential crank problem but the number of reported failures can be counted on one hand and I think it was only a few pre 97 cars.

[al 350i]

your mechanical background makes you the perfect cerbera owner, most of the bills are going to be more labour than parts, as for engine choice there isn't much between the 4.2 or speedsix both have similar power, the speed six delivers it a bit better but the 4.2 will give more pops and bangs (decatted), the one thing they all share are crappy chassis's, i've been told that very early cars have better chassis (not left outside the factory for a while before being painted) and have a grey finish rather than white i don't know wether this is true or not.

however carefully you buy your always going to come across a few problems but they are some much fun when they are running you won't mind the odd break down

i would start with these:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1340077.htm

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1340077.htm

[itiejim]

I've just stripped my 1996 car down, engine, diff, 'box etc all out to refurb the chassis and I can confirm that it is in excellent condition. The earlier grey coloured chassis were outsourced rather than done in house and the quality is much better. Worst are supposed to be 98-99 but I guess that a lot comes down to luck and how that particular car has been looked after.

[Pursyluv]

I've just been through the same process as you're about to start and all i can say is don't rush into it as it is very easy to be seduced into buying one very quickly - i think i nearly bought about ten before i actually did. Read the PH forums / classifieds on a regular basis and speak to Cerb owners. I spent over 2 months bugging very helpful Cerb owners nationwide in an effort to understand what i was about to get into. I've no mechanical knowledge so you already have an advantage over me, but once i'd chosen my car i got a written report from Rob Ingleby and spoke direct to the TVR garage it had recently been serviced at. All common sense stuff i know, but it's too easy to let excitement get the better of you. I'll just be glad when i've got it, although snow is forecast on the day i'm hoping to collect it

[westie boy]

thanks for all your replies guys, i think the s6 is way out of
the question i mean the engine itself has its own place on this forum which is a shame coz this is just around the corner from me forumhttp://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/200920334227858/sort/priceasc/usedcars/make/tvr/model/cerbera/postcode/m410sy/radius/1500/page/1?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fusedcars%2Fpostcode%2Fm410sy%2Fradius%2F1500%2Fmake%2Ftvr%2Fmodel%2Fcerbera%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc%2Fpage%2F1&anchor=advert200920334227858&logcode=p
ill be keeping my eyes open for a chrimson starmist 4.2 then (fav colour)
or maybe get a chim until the right cerb comes along

[Spawn]

This one http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1377398.htm

[Pursyluv]

westie boy said:

thanks for all your replies guys, i think the s6 is way out of
the question i mean the engine itself has its own place on this forum which is a shame coz this is just around the corner from me forumhttp://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/200920334227858/sort/priceasc/usedcars/make/tvr/model/cerbera/postcode/m410sy/radius/1500/page/1?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fusedcars%2Fpostcode%2Fm410sy%2Fradius%2F1500%2Fmake%2Ftvr%2Fmodel%2Fcerbera%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc%2Fpage%2F1&anchor=advert200920334227858&logcode=p
ill be keeping my eyes open for a chrimson starmist 4.2 then (fav colour)
or maybe get a chim until the right cerb comes along

Good choice, the 4.2's are unbelievably cheap at the moment - if they are as good as the owners say they are, then there are some real bargains to be had.

[JensenA]

For any Cerb that you buy, I't's wise to leave £3k in the bank 'just in case'. You have a 50/50 chance that you'll still have £2k left in 12 months.