Cerbera for sale: Advise Please. C18ERE

[Ultimike]

Hi Guys

I am interested in the Cerbera 4.2 C18ERE for sale below and would welcome any knowledge/history you might have on this particular car. Any additional ownership tips and what to look for would also be greatly appreciated.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...

Many thanks

[JezF]

It looks like a tidy car. I'd personally far prefer to buy from either an enthusiast or a TVR specialist, not a general sportscar dealer as the Cerb is far from a normal car which requires specialist knowledge. Also there is a distinct lack of detail in the description, I'd want to know a lot more about the cars history and where it was serviced.

They are cars that need to be looked after, chassis is very important and as others will tell you they can monster you on bills, especially if you have engine issues.

[Speed 3]

Looks decent on the face of it. MOT history says only 1300 miles in 3 years but its not been off road for any great period so just looks like a very lightly used example. Chassis on the early Cerberas can be a problem - do as much inspection as you can although low miles and condition from the pictures suggest its been garaged. Usual caveats on low usage - check for fluid leaks / hose conditions. V8 pretty robust even from early deliveries. Be thorough with Service History check and if anyone does know the car, seek their advice (I don't). In many people's opinion, a more used (but not abused) TVR is a better bet but if its been serviced properly it could be OK. Although from an indie, their offer offer of TVR spacialist inspection sounds promising depending on who by. Cerbera's can be a money pit though as the first of the bespoke TVR's with very expensive non-mainstream parts so even if it does pass inspection and you take the plunge, ensure slush fund in place !

Very impressive Ultima BTW.

Edited by Speed 3 on Monday 28th December 20:28

[JezF]

It's worth asking where it's been serviced recently. APM is probably the best place to go in Hants.

[Gazzab]

It's an early one and so the chassis is probably ok. These cars were from an era when Tvr did a pretty good job with the chassis.
The advert reads to me like 'this car hasn't had much money spent on it for a few years and hasn't been serviced by a specialist every year'
I think this car is the one that has wet carpets and has been leaky for years but I could be wrong.

[harry henderson]

I always thought that the early Cerbs, pre 98, the ones with the silver powder coating faired better than the latter white ones. Mine is a 96 with silver powder coating and it's still in good nick. I'd look at as many as you can because they vary in condition massively, I'd defo get a look over from a specialist or long term enthusiast owner because they will see problems you couldn't even imagine.

Edited by harry henderson on Monday 28th December 21:17

[ukkid35]

Looking at your car history begs the question - why do you want an early 4.2 Cerb with a fairly steep asking price?

So it's low mileage, but in practice you end up replacing a significant proportion of parts on age rather than mileage. As others have hinted the chassis is the big unknown, '96 is better than '98, but if it's lived by the sea all bets are off.

If you want to do 500 or even 1000 dry road miles a year it could well be the car for you.

[Speed 3]

harry henderson said:

I always thought that the early Cerbs, pre 98, the ones with the silver powder coating faired better than the latter white ones. Mine is a 96 with silver powder coating and it's still in good nick. The thick end of 20k seems a lot for a 96 car, for not a lot more you could have your pick.

Interesting thought, given the Cerb never really evolved dramatically over the years and the later Tuscan style lights are not to eveyone's taste, I'd have thought a mint early car (particularly with a decent chassis) would have presented a good long term investment ? There does seem to be a very wide spread of asking prices for very little variation in spec (moreso than the T-cars IMO) in the C-cars, condition/history aside. In my view £17k (before negotiation) is quite a bit under £20k.

[harry henderson]

Speed 3 said:

harry henderson said:

I always thought that the early Cerbs, pre 98, the ones with the silver powder coating faired better than the latter white ones. Mine is a 96 with silver powder coating and it's still in good nick. The thick end of 20k seems a lot for a 96 car, for not a lot more you could have your pick.

Interesting thought, given the Cerb never really evolved dramatically over the years and the later Tuscan style lights are not to eveyone's taste, I'd have thought a mint early car (particularly with a decent chassis) would have presented a good long term investment ? There does seem to be a very wide spread of asking prices for very little variation in spec (moreso than the T-cars IMO) in the C-cars, condition/history aside. In my view £17k (before negotiation) is quite a bit under £20k.

I completely agree, for some reason when I was replying I had it in my head that the asking price was £19995. I'm not slagging Cerberas, I love them but they do seem to get a bit of a raw deal on second hand values, even the TVR club gave the values a hammering ealier this year in their value guide.

Edited by harry henderson on Monday 28th December 21:43

[Ultimike]

Speed 3 said:

Looks decent on the face of it. MOT history says only 1300 miles in 3 years but its not been off road for any great period so just looks like a very lightly used example. Chassis on the early Cerberas can be a problem - do as much inspection as you can although low miles and condition from the pictures suggest its been garaged. Usual caveats on low usage - check for fluid leaks / hose conditions. V8 pretty robust even from early deliveries. Be thorough with Service History check and if anyone does know the car, seek their advice (I don't). In many people's opinion, a more used (but not abused) TVR is a better bet but if its been serviced properly it could be OK. Although from an indie, their offer offer of TVR spacialist inspection sounds promising depending on who by. Cerbera's can be a money pi

t though as the first of the bespoke TVR's with very expensive non-mainstream parts so even if it does pass inspection and you take the plunge, ensure slush fund in place !

Very impressive Ultima BTW.

Edited by Speed 3 on Monday 28th December 20:28

My thanks for your advice and the kind comments on the Ultima

[Ultimike]

Gazzab said:

It's an early one and so the chassis is probably ok. These cars were from an era when Tvr did a pretty good job with the chassis.
The advert reads to me like 'this car hasn't had much money spent on it for a few years and hasn't been serviced by a specialist every year'
I think this car is the one that has wet carpets and has been leaky for years but I could be wrong.

Sound words. I have the same thoughts. This plus the fact the advert says there are six! Previous owners has me concerned and hence to understand if the TVR Community had any info on this car.

[portzi]

Ultimike said:

Gazzab said:

It's an early one and so the chassis is probably ok. These cars were from an era when Tvr did a pretty good job with the chassis.
The advert reads to me like 'this car hasn't had much money spent on it for a few years and hasn't been serviced by a specialist every year'
I think this car is the one that has wet carpets and has been leaky for years but I could be wrong.

Sound words. I have the same thoughts. This plus the fact the advert says there are six! Previous owners has me concerned and hence to understand if the TVR Community had any info on this car.

Cerbera chassis's are prone to rot on the near side manifold area and around the air filter here as water can get in and it can saturate the chassis and with the heat from the manifolds not helping the powdercoat to peel exposing the mild steel tubing. Unfortunately this area is impossible to see unless you start stripping engine parts out. Personally l would like to see pictures of this repair either done or a piccy of this area being intact, easier said than done

Edited by portzi on Monday 28th December 23:43

[Ultimike]

ukkid35 said:

Looking at your car history begs the question - why do you want an early 4.2 Cerb with a fairly steep asking price?

So it's low mileage, but in practice you end up replacing a significant proportion of parts on age rather than mileage. As others have hinted the chassis is the big unknown, '96 is better than '98, but if it's lived by the sea all bets are off.

If you want to do 500 or even 1000 dry road miles a year it could well be the car for you.

I have always admired TVR'S. I love their bonkers design, sound and the fact that ownership is more like being a custodian rather than owner. It's how I feel about the Ultima. The Ultima is the extreme of this but it needs huge care and popping out for a car meet or fun drive or outing with Sporting Bears means a long and full preflight check and ideally I would like an additional car that gives me a similar albeit a different sense of awe but is a little more useable when I want to pop out for a run on the weekend.

[Speed 3]

Might just be a coincidence but would suggest this fella might just be a previous owner....



Hasn't been active on PH for a numbers of years under that username but this looks like his business:

[Ultimike]

Speed 3 said:

Might just be a coincidence but would suggest this fella might just be a previous owner....



Hasn't been active on PH for a numbers of years under that username but this looks like his business:

Yes I had noticed the registration was a user profile and I have sent him an email but I have not had a reply as yet. I didn't see the details of his business though so my thanks for providing this. I suspect as his profile has been inactive for some time that he was one of the early owners of this car and it would be good to get some more recent history.

[Ultimike]

Unfortunately it looks like this business is no longer trading as the telephone number doesn't connect and the last activity on their Facebook page was in 2012. So with six perilous owners if I go ahead it looks like a case of buyer beware!

[Speed 3]

Not sure if this was a Freudian slip but could be accurate

Ultimike said:

Unfortunately it looks like this business is no longer trading as the telephone number doesn't connect and the last activity on their Facebook page was in 2012. So with six perilous owners if I go ahead it looks like a case of buyer beware!

Patience is always a virtue when shopping for TVR's, although it's often worth seeing a dodgy one or two to help you compare when you come across a good 'un. I wouldn't get overly hung up on colours - history and condition is more important, trim & paint can always be changed and given the multitude of options available when new, it would be hard to find a car in your ideal combo in the right condition.

[wurzlegummage]

I was very precious about choosing my cerbera. Finding one in mint condition can be tricky.

All advice here is excellent, however from my experience I would caveat, chassis colour means nothing. I've seen both types trashed from rust. It comes down to how well it's been kept. Some people bought these cars with no intention of keeping them and drive them in all weather conditions ( get ready for the comments).

I am a shipwright by trade and can assure you that steel and water, especially with salt content, end up going down the Weetabix route.

Get together a list of the nasty faults. Check they are ok. The rest you can fix for relatively cheap if you can turn spanners. I'm learning quickly about these cars, now I have hands on one, and they are not as hard to fathom out as you might think.

Happy to come along and look her over with you. Good luck.

[wurzlegummage]

I was very precious about choosing my cerbera. Finding one in mint condition can be tricky.

All advice here is excellent, however from my experience I would caveat, chassis colour means nothing. I've seen both types trashed from rust. It comes down to how well it's been kept. Some people bought these cars with no intention of keeping them and drive them in all weather conditions ( get ready for the comments).

I am a shipwright by trade and can assure you that steel and water, especially with salt content, end up going down the Weetabix route.

Get together a list of the nasty faults. Check they are ok. The rest you can fix for relatively cheap if you can turn spanners. I'm learning quickly about these cars, now I have hands on one, and they are not as hard to fathom out as you might think.

Happy to come along and look her over with you. Good luck.

[Ultimike]

Thanks for all the advice and assistance. The search will continue and I will update you all on how I progress.