looking for advice on purchasing a cebera

[Steviebop]

hello all.
i am close to buying a beautiful cebera, a couple of questions..
this is the 4.5 2000 model its ex Japan 35000 km not miles so quite low.
the guy who bought it in had some engine problems , had water leek into one cyclinder then it was started and broke the liner, it has been repaired new valves head work bearing etc.
but has any one heard of this before and if its been repaired properly , will not make any difference. ?
if i buy this car it will be in storage for awhile and driven only twice a year but engine started once a month, is there anything i should know about storing these cars ?
thanks for your help..

[Jhonno]

Starting it once and month and not driving it, is the worse thing for it.. You will be prone to head gasket rot for a start.

The issue had isn't unheard of, they are wet linered, the water leak was probably due to the liner moving.

[GT6k]

You might be lucky but realistically this looks like a recipe for disaster. I had a housemate who used to store his sports car over winter whilst I used mine all the time through salt and snow. Mine kept working while he spent the first 2 months of each summer fixing all the stuck things and leaky things that came from it not moving for 6 months.

[Steviebop]

Ok thanks for reply, there must be a way of storing these car safely, the car will in nz and under cover if that makes any difference, what about starting more regularly or in regards to head gasket damage , a really top quality anti freeze or even draining the water from the cooling system?
Thanks

[robsco]

Of all the TVRs I’ve owned (three of which Cerberas), the car that gave me by far the most trouble was the car I used most sparingly. It could be coincidence but just my experience. I still forgave it everything though.

[FarmyardPants]

Don't drain the coolant. I would keep it on a battery conditioner rather than disconnecting the battery (the alarm has its own battery which I think benefits from continuous power). Keep it full of fuel. I would take the car for a proper run (an hour or two) every 3-4 months rather than just let it idle more regularly.

But reading your initial post, I can't help but wonder why you would want to buy a Cerbera if it's only going to be driven twice a year? As an investment? Seems a bit of a waste!

[Steviebop]

Ok thanks for that , its just I really want a Cebera there such a cool car, and this one has low kms and is in mint condition , but I don't want to ruin it and have to keep throwing money at it.
I don't really understand how these cars are any different that most cars, I have a sierra cosworth in storage for years and only drove it a couple of times a year without any problems ?

[Mr Cerbera]

Hi Steve,

I know that you will not understand any logic to it but DON'T buy a Cerb.

I have had mine for 100K (Miles) and she only behaves well when she's used regularly (Min 2x a week).

These cars have souls and, in your intended hands, she would die.
Buy yourself a Corvette or summat.

Good Boy

[Steviebop]

Ok so if ceberas don't like being used for long periods of time , which I don't understand how can they be any different , what kind of things can go wrong! And is this just realated to cebera or al tvr-s ?

[NuddyRap]

Moisture sits, connectors corrode, bolts sieze, lots of things requiring lubrication don't have any so attract condensation which reacts with whatever it is on, things become stiff, fluids separate, static weight deforms rubber, constant compression of rubber and springs conditions them, cables stretch, mounts weaken from unchanged point loading, ball joints squeeze themselves.... It goes on and on.

They are still very mechanical cars and they're like living things. They need love too be kept happy more than many normal cars.

[black_potato]

I would think humidity controlled storage would help