Is '98 4.5 a safe(ish) bet?

[bigbazza]

Evenin all, I am about to turf in the family estate for a cerbie (ahhhh) wondered if I was correct in thinking that the best motor to go for as far as reliabilty would be a 4.5? I am looking at a '98 S what kind of problems could I face realistically? I would appreciate your help and look forward to joining all you "proper" TVR drivers soon

[crazycats]

Wouldn't say that a 4.5 is any more reliable than any other, have a search round previous threads, there's loads of advice there.

[gazzab]

A 98 4.5 is meant to be the cornerstone in Cerberas reliability improvements. Earlier cars WERE problematic. But all these cars are at least 5 yrs old and so now have the well used syndrome.

[simwimjim]

If this is your first High performance car I recomend getting some H.P. lessons. Going from a family car to a a Cerby is a big step power wise. You might think you can handle the 4.5 beast but trust me nothing can prepare you for it, you will be driving around in fear for a few months.

[philadcock]

I have a 98 4.5 which I bought when it was two years old with a full TVR service history and 11K on the clock.

As a guide main dealer servicing and parts excluding tyres has cost me 1K - 1.5K a year apart from this year which was a bit of a surprise at 3.8K.

Major items that I have had to fix in three years include new clutch slave cylinder, throttle pots, clutch plates, new wiper motor/assembly, new speed transducer (faulty readings to the speedo) and starter motor, most of which stop you using the car.

Also had to renew some shocks, two springs, door reed switches and the wing mirror fell off.

From reading other threads, most of these appear to be common problems.

It is a fantastic (but expensive) car to drive and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I'm taking a bit more of the work on myself now I understand the car better and although I will continue to get main dealer servicing I will be using an independent for problems that rear their head between services.

Phil.

[BigBazza]

Thanks for your replies, my PC crashed so haven't read any of them before actually picking the car up (Fast mover!! lol) I am now proud owner of '98 4.5 Cerbie all I can say for now is WOW and my popularity with neighbours has dwindled after a couple of early starts!