Questions, Questions.

Questions, Questions.

Author
Discussion

MARKYS

Original Poster:

612 posts

258 months

Thursday 26th December 2002
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Having just tried a 4.2 last weekend I have a couple of questions.
1 will it fit up my drive, mate has a Chim if it goes up will a Cerby.
2 The car I tried was a N reg 4.2, found it easyier to drive than expected had bunny hopping syndrom around town is this normal and also the bonnet by the drivers side windscreen started to lift at 100mph is that normal.
3 Have a nearly new Subaru Impreza STi to flog before I buy a Cerb, should I part exchange at a dealer or sell privatly.
4 hope to spend betwen 25 - 30 K, I understand that is better to spend more on a newer car with 10K+ miles as most problems should be sorted.
5 Any advise or pointers anyone can give me when looking at one.

Thank you.

Mark.

MARKYS

Original Poster:

612 posts

258 months

Thursday 26th December 2002
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Also what about a Warranty, should I, if so which one ?

chimburt

751 posts

260 months

Friday 27th December 2002
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i believe the clearance is not so forgiving. get one round from the showroom and try it!
i think they are a bit bouncy around town - but you may find a 4l chim the same - it may simply be because of what you are used to. try more.

Chris

269 posts

285 months

Friday 27th December 2002
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You may want to think about buying a late 97 car and keeping some money back for maintenance and any general sorting that's likely to be required.

Having bought an early Cerb around 6 months ago (and still loving it), I was amazed at the pretty massive variations in condition of the cars I went to look at (around 7-8 in total)- some were pretty ropey, but there was not a corresponding variance in the price.

In the end I found an early low mileage car in mint condition and paid less than my originial budget, which has meant the subsequent bills have been easier to bear (nothing major - servicing, brake disks, and some minor bits and pieces - but still mounts up!). I suspect that even if I'd bought a later car, the bills would have been about the same.

Having said all that, if you're planning on using the car every day, the above may not apply!

m14cus

9 posts

257 months

Thursday 2nd January 2003
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I'm also looking at buying a Cerbera. Hoping to part with around £20K. What is the most expensive thing to go wrong and what should I look for when buying privatley.,

Chris,

You seem to have done alot to you car considering you have only had it 6 months. How much has it cost you so far???

I've had servicing quotes that seem resonable but have also had the hint from the dealer that they always require more work. What have existing Cerbera owners usually had to stump up for a service.

Cheers

anonymous-user

55 months

Thursday 2nd January 2003
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Engine, clutch and gearbox have got to be the most expensive bits.

Using the car everyday (10,000 miles per year) have left me with maintainence & servicing bills around £4500 a year. Saying that I have always used a TVR dealer to carry out all the work, but have recently found an excellent independent with whom I hope to cut my bills in half.

(Take a look at my profile for more details).

madasahatter

374 posts

268 months

Thursday 2nd January 2003
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m14cus,

I think it is fair to say that what Chris has done to his car is more the rule, rather than the exception.

The most expensive thing to go wrong? Well, the engine in a full rebuild is likely to cost about 4.5k which isn't something that you want to do too often!! There again, the V8 Cerbies are more reliable than people probably think. The engines are pretty well sorted - I have heard it said that the other bits are the problem (lambda sensors, starter motors, brake disks, radiators, A/C, instrumentation, electrics etc).

Cerberas are great to own and drive, but they are expensive. As long as you are going in with your eyes open you will enjoy the time with the car.

Steve

Edited to add: A chim going up the drive is not an indication of whether a Cerbie will - the Wheel base is longer on a Cerbie, and you will appreciate that this is an important factor in things like driving up ramps...

>> Edited by madasahatter on Thursday 2nd January 12:03