Buying Advice on a Cerbera
Discussion
Hi, I'm looking for any and all the advice I can get on buying a Cerbera. I'm new to TVR's. Drove the new T350 and simply loved it. However £33k+ is out of the question, and £17k - £20k is reality. I fancy a Cerbera, (its got a fixed roof, it looks and drives great etc,) and looking around there are a few 4.2's available under the £20k. However, when I speak to the TVR dealers they all advise against buying anything that old or basically under £23k as it will bring me more financial trouble and heartache than I could ever imagine!
My questions are; in real life is a £18.5k car going to be more trouble than it’s worth? Where can I get good TVR advice from when looking over private sell cars? And exactly what should I be looking for when I view cars? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My questions are; in real life is a £18.5k car going to be more trouble than it’s worth? Where can I get good TVR advice from when looking over private sell cars? And exactly what should I be looking for when I view cars? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Have a look at some of the profiles on here. Quite a few of the guys have put in running costs.
I have only had a service/ slave cylinder rebuild and a couple of little things but I am spending a few quid on upgrades to get the car how I want it.
I wouldn't be scared to buy a 17-19k cerb but check it out and ask some of us or the garage that serviced it for a true story of the car. Between the indies on here they've probably seen just about every cerb on the road.
I have only had a service/ slave cylinder rebuild and a couple of little things but I am spending a few quid on upgrades to get the car how I want it.
I wouldn't be scared to buy a 17-19k cerb but check it out and ask some of us or the garage that serviced it for a true story of the car. Between the indies on here they've probably seen just about every cerb on the road.
The running costs seem to fluctuate so much, from one car to the other. I’m prepared for the regular servicing and monthly maintenance costs, but blown engines, re-wiring, faulty brakes, clutch and suspension (things which I’ve been warned about) would be just a little too much! Should I only consider cars which have already had the engine rebuilds, in the theory that if it hasn’t had it done already, it will need doing very shortly?
Cliff, I'm looking (tentitively) into changing to a Cerb soon also, and in the same sort of price bracket. All I can say is that most people reckon on £3k a year for running costs. Personally I know of a few people who used a Cerb daily and had no problems at all, one did 18k miles in 18 months and only paid for petrol and services........If the car has been used regularly and looked after, there's no reason why an older one won't be as reliable as a newer one. In fact it could be better due to having all the initial problems fixed !!
cliff123 said:Find the right £18.5k and no, you will have the time
Hi, I'm looking for any and all the advice I can get on buying a Cerbera.
My questions are; in real life is a £18.5k car going to be more trouble than it’s worth? Where can I get good TVR advice from when looking over private sell cars? And exactly what should I be looking for when I view cars? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
of your life.
Find the wrong one and you could potentially add
another £6K to the £18.5k should the engine let go.
On old cars, clutches at £1.5k and clatter cams are weak
spots, so be very careful with what you look at.
Having bought my first Cerbera privately, I did enough
research to write a book on it, but still ended up
spending £4k more, 2/3 of which was inflicted on me,
while the rest was regular maintenance over 9 months.
You can get excellent Cerbera advice on here.
Hit the search key and above all else - take the advice!
If you want to cut to the chase and let some one
take away the worry, you can get an excellent
Cerbera by talking with this guy James Agger.
My second Cerbera came from James as have many
on this forum.
Hope to see you in one soon.
Go create some weather...
Graham
TCR The Cerbera Register
www.TVR-Cerbera.com
GCerbera said:
On old cars, clutches at £1.5k and clatter cams are weak
spots, so be very careful with what you look at.
Oi, I'm on 45k miles on clatter cams and I'm sure Steve H has been to the moon and back with his (please feel free to correct me Steve).
D.
17" rl7s and toyo proxies...V Good, much more stable
davidd said:Not taking a dig at the older cars David.
On old cars, clutches at £1.5k and clatter cams are weak
spots, so be very careful with what you look at.
Oi, I'm on 45k miles on clatter cams and I'm sure Steve H has been to the moon and back with his (please feel free to correct me Steve).
D.
17" rl7s and toyo proxies...V Good, much more stable
My '96 4.2 was on the original clutch when I sold her
with 45k on the clock and she had only needed some
cam work at 42k miles.
However, I think you'll agree, that the 'original
parts' club has a small membership?
Graham (GCerbera) mentioned hitting the search key, and taking a look over some past threads. This is good advice. Theres loads of info you can pick up on what to expect/what to look for, when buying a cerbera. I would guess that, the same questions gets asked a couple of times a month.
Regarding main dealers saying that anything under £23000 will give you heart ache. Thats can be true with all cars. Older they are, they'll cost you more. Remember, most of main dealers would prefer you to buy the T350 at £35000.
Regarding main dealers saying that anything under £23000 will give you heart ache. Thats can be true with all cars. Older they are, they'll cost you more. Remember, most of main dealers would prefer you to buy the T350 at £35000.
Being on the south coast, (it seems few TVR's venture this far south) I know of no one who owns a TVR, and hence, no-one with genuine experience of TVR's. Other than looking at paper work, receipts and listening to previous owners stories, is there anything which novice eyes (mine) would be able to spot when looking over a Cerbera? Is there anyone who can survey a private sell car before parting with my cash who really knows TVR's? (I shall also contact the garages described in the owners papers for car history). Thanks again for you replies.
ps. Its bloody exciting buying a tvr, but the stress compared to anthing else (ie: M3/R32) is amazing! But the noise!
ps. Its bloody exciting buying a tvr, but the stress compared to anthing else (ie: M3/R32) is amazing! But the noise!
One thing I've found about the "£3k per year" running costs is that because I've expected that kind of a hit from something going wrong, when it hasn't gone wrong, I've just spent the money on upgrades.
Outside of normal service items, in the last 8 months I've had the following unexpected bills (excluding trivial niggles I could've dealt with myself/ignored if I'd felt like it):
New battery (old one was OK, but a bit too low ampage) - £70
CV Gaiters (bound to perish sooner or later) - £200
New set of HT leads - £80
Total - £350.00
Now, take a look at my profile for everything else:
£1200 on front-end respray & blended headlights
£300 on sports exhaust
£250 on stereo
£700 on new wheels & tyres
£150 on handbrake, locking wheels nuts, etc.
Add to that the de-cat and pair of nitrons I'm having done next month, and you're well over £3k. Then there's the ECU upgrade, etc. on the list for the future...
I guess I just wouldn't underestimate how much you might want to spend on it, rather than have to!
Outside of normal service items, in the last 8 months I've had the following unexpected bills (excluding trivial niggles I could've dealt with myself/ignored if I'd felt like it):
New battery (old one was OK, but a bit too low ampage) - £70
CV Gaiters (bound to perish sooner or later) - £200
New set of HT leads - £80
Total - £350.00
Now, take a look at my profile for everything else:
£1200 on front-end respray & blended headlights
£300 on sports exhaust
£250 on stereo
£700 on new wheels & tyres
£150 on handbrake, locking wheels nuts, etc.
Add to that the de-cat and pair of nitrons I'm having done next month, and you're well over £3k. Then there's the ECU upgrade, etc. on the list for the future...
I guess I just wouldn't underestimate how much you might want to spend on it, rather than have to!
cliff123 said:
Being on the south coast, (it seems few TVR's venture this far south) I know of no one who owns a TVR, and hence, no-one with genuine experience of TVR's. Other than looking at paper work, receipts and listening to previous owners stories, is there anything which novice eyes (mine) would be able to spot when looking over a Cerbera? Is there anyone who can survey a private sell car before parting with my cash who really knows TVR's? (I shall also contact the garages described in the owners papers for car history). Thanks again for you replies.
ps. Its bloody exciting buying a tvr, but the stress compared to anthing else (ie: M3/R32) is amazing! But the noise!
Any of the indies can look over a car for you depending where it is, mine was about £100 when I had it done, came back with a list of stuff that was wrong , stuff that would need attention within x months and then other stuff which I might need.
D.
cliff123 said:
Being on the south coast, (it seems few TVR's venture this far south) I know of no one who owns a TVR, and hence, no-one with genuine experience of TVR's. ...
Plenty of Tivvers darn sarf in 'Ampshire!
But why not get up to VW on Sunday and have a look round and a chat. I'm sure there'll be a few Cerberas around with their owners - there the ones who are half deaf and grinning from ear to ear.......
The dealer you spoke to is talking nonsense. Had mine for nearly 18 months ('97 4.2) and it cost me under £20k. So far (touching wood!!!!) only had servicing to worry about - nothing else has gone wrong (except very minor niggles like boot release solenoid failing, replaced by my own fair hand).
Services can be on the expensive side, even with an indy, and I think £3k per year will probably even out to about the right amount.
I say go for it. As most on this forum would agree if you do your research and have your prospective purchase looked over by someone who knows the cars, you can't buy anything as stunning, fast or smile-inducing as a Cerby for the money.
Services can be on the expensive side, even with an indy, and I think £3k per year will probably even out to about the right amount.
I say go for it. As most on this forum would agree if you do your research and have your prospective purchase looked over by someone who knows the cars, you can't buy anything as stunning, fast or smile-inducing as a Cerby for the money.
Right now I wouldn’t be put off buying a Cerbera at any age for any price. I’d follow these rules….
1. Do your research on specs/models/upgrades/recalls etc etc....
2. Budget plus 5K. That's for insurance/fuel/servicing etc etc...
3. Find a very good independent garage who's a TVR enthusiast/specialist to look at the car that’s being considered then to look after her. A search on PH will source that person/s. I know a few that can help.
4. Consider buying from this site.
5. Don’t be put off with the horror/bad stories you hear on this site. Remember, you are buying a high performance sports car that's hand built but goes like sh!t of a shovel with thrill factor 10. There are plenty good stories to read.
6. Peace of mind = Buying from a dealer with a warranty.
7. Point 6 add another 3K to the motor, approx!!
8. Point 6 & 7 is not always the best policy!!
9. When you get it you'll forget about the niggles and smile like the time you first got laid. Oh that's all the time BTW.
10. Treat the bitch properly, that means taking her out as much as you can and giving her what she deserves. She won't like being left alone much
11. I'll be at VW this weekend so keep your ears open and I'll give you the low down on 4.5 ownership.
Oh, there's plenty more chap, upgrades, track days, your next Cerbera, to all consider.....
1. Do your research on specs/models/upgrades/recalls etc etc....
2. Budget plus 5K. That's for insurance/fuel/servicing etc etc...
3. Find a very good independent garage who's a TVR enthusiast/specialist to look at the car that’s being considered then to look after her. A search on PH will source that person/s. I know a few that can help.
4. Consider buying from this site.
5. Don’t be put off with the horror/bad stories you hear on this site. Remember, you are buying a high performance sports car that's hand built but goes like sh!t of a shovel with thrill factor 10. There are plenty good stories to read.
6. Peace of mind = Buying from a dealer with a warranty.
7. Point 6 add another 3K to the motor, approx!!
8. Point 6 & 7 is not always the best policy!!
9. When you get it you'll forget about the niggles and smile like the time you first got laid. Oh that's all the time BTW.
10. Treat the bitch properly, that means taking her out as much as you can and giving her what she deserves. She won't like being left alone much
11. I'll be at VW this weekend so keep your ears open and I'll give you the low down on 4.5 ownership.
Oh, there's plenty more chap, upgrades, track days, your next Cerbera, to all consider.....
cliff123 said:
Is there anyone who can survey a private sell car before parting with my cash who really knows TVR's? (I shall also contact the garages described in the owners papers for car history). Thanks again for you replies.
ps. Its bloody exciting buying a tvr, but the stress compared to anthing else (ie: M3/R32) is amazing! But the noise!
I've heard that Rob Ingleby at http://findasportscar.co.uk/ does a good job. He can find the car for you or inspect one you've found.
If you find a car you want to look at and want a second pair of eyes, I'm sure there would be people on here willing to come along and give their opinion if they are in the area. Opinion only though etc...
If want to see the trials and tribulations of buying a older cheaper Cerb, then do a search on my name, I've pretty much catalogued my experience on here.
If want to see the trials and tribulations of buying a older cheaper Cerb, then do a search on my name, I've pretty much catalogued my experience on here.
cliff123 said:
However, when I speak to the TVR dealers they all advise against buying anything that old or basically under £23k as it will bring me more financial trouble and heartache than I could ever imagine!
Agree with the others on this one - any dealer telling you that is trying to get you to spend more money. We didn't pay as much as £23k for our Cerb (1997 4.2), and all it's had since we bought it a year ago is servicing. Although admittedly, we couldn't even test-drive it when we bought it because the clutch had gone - but that was the dealer's problem.
Any dealer worth his salt will warn you that Cerberas can be expensive to run. But if you go into the deal with your eyes wide open, take your time and pick a good car and budget up to £5k a year for problems, you'll be fine. We're just spending last year's budget on some new wheels, springs and shocks since we didn't spend it on repairs!
SGirl said:
However, when I speak to the TVR dealers they all advise against buying anything that old or basically under £23k as it will bring me more financial trouble and heartache than I could ever imagine!
We're just spending last year's budget on some new wheels, springs and shocks since we didn't spend it on repairs!
Hi Sian.
Never say things like that. You may end up paying twice as much this year.
Not seen you on here for a bit...unless i'm on when you're not. Hope you are ok. Hope Sbaby is enjoying the cerb.
kojak69 said:
We're just spending last year's budget on some new wheels, springs and shocks since we didn't spend it on repairs!
Hi Sian.
Never say things like that. You may end up paying twice as much this year.
Not seen you on here for a bit...unless i'm on when you're not. Hope you are ok. Hope Sbaby is enjoying the cerb.
Hiya Kojak,
Very good point! I'd better keep quiet. Tam Lin is always telling me off for saying things like that!! I've been around the last couple of days, in between sorting out the ever-increasing inflow of W-word. Shame the outflow isn't increasing apace!
SBaby adores the Cerb. He was sitting in the driver's seat the other day and bouncing up and down with excitement!
He can't reach the pedals yet, though. Maybe see you at Joospeed sometime soon?
>> Edited by SGirl on Thursday 19th February 11:13
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