V8V clutch

[philip600]

Hi, having sold my TVR Cerbera I'm back contemplating buying a V8V, I've read about clutches sometimes lasting only 30 - 40k miles but wondered what signs ( apart from slipping ) to look for if the clutch is on its way ? Is there any thing that may suggest it is getting towards the end of its life ?
Also looking at prices my budget ( £30k - £32k ) will hopefully get me a very decent early Vantage or a not so good facelift model with higher mileage, which would you recommend I go for, are the improvements to the facelift models worth the compromise ?
The car will be a second car mainly for weekend use, maybe 5k - 6k miles a year at most.
Thanks, Phil.

[telum01]

If it's a Sportshift, a dealership can check thickness which can give you an approximation of how much life is left.

[Manx V8V]

You might need to squeeze the budget up just a little bit if possible, to get a "good" early V8V.

I started out at your budget level but after a while I ended up biting the bullet and adding £5k to the budget as all I could find was highish mileages, stone chipped, and/or questionable service history at £30k.

Having said that, mine is 2006 and was from a dealer (3 months ago) so it's possible you might find a nice 2005 for private sale if you search around and are prepared to buy privately and take the risk on any potential problems, I personally wanted the small amount of comfort offered by a dealer if anything went wrong.

Not sure on clutches, mine had done 43000 miles when I bought it, and had documented proof of a clutch at around 35000 miles, so that was also worth the extra initial outlay at purchase for me.

But happy hunting whatever you decide.

[bogie]

If you are buying a low mile 10 year old car, with no record of having a clutch, expect to do it during your ownership

If you are buying an avg mile car, say 50k or more on it, check the history for proof of clutch change

I still reckon manual clutches last longer based on anecdotal evidence on here, I think people just didnt have the best habits with the original sportshift and that made the situation worse for wear. Later cars had a number of changes to prolong clutch life and help owners to use the gearbox properly

[messar]

When my clutch failed, it was instant. (2007 V8V with about 25k miles). Interestingly, it wasn't the disk itself, but the pivot ring in the pressure plate that failed - it snapped, and kept the clutch from disengaging. I'd only had the car for about 2k miles, so not sure of what had happened in the past.
Matt

[The_Orange]

I've learned from this forum (and my dealer) that the clutch can last a very long time if you drive it carefully, even on the early models. My car has now 25.000 km and I drive it like an old man. So, if everything goes well, my clutch should last a lifetime (I only drive it 1.000 km a year or so).

What worries me on the other hand, is a sportshift failure that has nothing to do with the clutch thickness. A failure that will leave me stranded at the red lights or so. You know, putting in neutral, waiting for the light to turn green, and then not being able to shift into first or something like that.

Sometimes on these board, a thing likes that comes up, so it's not uncommon for that to happen.