Discussion
Hi guys
Realising we cant go away with the new baby in a Chimaera so thinking of a Cerbera. Would have to also buy sensible family car so budget could be 9k perhaps 9.5
The Chimaera has surpassed my expectations for reliability and repairing/maintaining it myself is a sinch. Is the Cerbera an entirely dufferent ball game? i.e does it require lots of specialised tools, are things easily accessed under the bonnet? Starter, water pump etc etc??
Realising we cant go away with the new baby in a Chimaera so thinking of a Cerbera. Would have to also buy sensible family car so budget could be 9k perhaps 9.5
The Chimaera has surpassed my expectations for reliability and repairing/maintaining it myself is a sinch. Is the Cerbera an entirely dufferent ball game? i.e does it require lots of specialised tools, are things easily accessed under the bonnet? Starter, water pump etc etc??
Think classic supercar in terms of costs to run it and ease of working. Most things dont require special tools but some will require engine out.
A £9K cerb is right at the bottom of the market and so it will take a while to find a good one. Most at that price level wont have reams of recent bills and spend etc etc and many will potentially need engine and / or chassis work (both of which will get expensive even for most DIYers).
Do a search on here as there are plenty of threads re what to look out for and how to diy most things.
Find a good un you should be ok with a following wind.
A £9K cerb is right at the bottom of the market and so it will take a while to find a good one. Most at that price level wont have reams of recent bills and spend etc etc and many will potentially need engine and / or chassis work (both of which will get expensive even for most DIYers).
Do a search on here as there are plenty of threads re what to look out for and how to diy most things.
Find a good un you should be ok with a following wind.
dog man said:
Hi guys
Realising we cant go away with the new baby in a Chimaera so thinking of a Cerbera. Would have to also buy sensible family car so budget could be 9k perhaps 9.5
The Chimaera has surpassed my expectations for reliability and repairing/maintaining it myself is a sinch. Is the Cerbera an entirely dufferent ball game? i.e does it require lots of specialised tools, are things easily accessed under the bonnet? Starter, water pump etc etc??
Great cars, and not dreadfully complicated to look after. However, cam chain, sump off, oil / water pump removal involves engine out...Realising we cant go away with the new baby in a Chimaera so thinking of a Cerbera. Would have to also buy sensible family car so budget could be 9k perhaps 9.5
The Chimaera has surpassed my expectations for reliability and repairing/maintaining it myself is a sinch. Is the Cerbera an entirely dufferent ball game? i.e does it require lots of specialised tools, are things easily accessed under the bonnet? Starter, water pump etc etc??
You probably can get into one for 9.5k, but I guess you'd be looking at a less looked after one (or one which needs some tidying) which may not be a good idea, depending on how keen you are to get your hands dirty.
Personally, if you're going to play with it yourself, I'd be happy buying something at that price point but ONLY if the chassis is properly solid (96-97 car and then post 2002 seem better) and there is no proper engine work required. All the rest of it is fairly straightforward.
itiejim said:
ONLY if the chassis is properly solid (96-97 car and then post 2002 seem better)
Whats speical about the 96-97 chassis, or what went wrong with the 98-01 ones? Or is it just a case of if they have lasted that long then they must have been looked after so probably better...It's a VERY rough rule of thumb. The early cars chassis were powder coated by an external company which seems to have stood the test of time reasonably well.
In the late 90's TVR decided to powder coat their own, but really didn't know what they were doing to start with... I've spoken to folks at the factory who talk of the bare chassis being stored outside where they got surface rust on them and were then wheeled in a couple of weeks later to be powder coated over the top
Later on they got their act together and the later cars seem to be better. I certainly know of one 1999 Cerb owner whose car had a replacement chassis from the factory in 2001/2 due to corrosion!!
In the late 90's TVR decided to powder coat their own, but really didn't know what they were doing to start with... I've spoken to folks at the factory who talk of the bare chassis being stored outside where they got surface rust on them and were then wheeled in a couple of weeks later to be powder coated over the top
Later on they got their act together and the later cars seem to be better. I certainly know of one 1999 Cerb owner whose car had a replacement chassis from the factory in 2001/2 due to corrosion!!
gruffalo said:
Engine is as strong as an Ox, no real problems should be experienced, several on here are at 100K miles or more and still going strong, depends on how they have been looked after.
Which engine? Surely all three have very different strengths and (potentially fatal) weaknesses.The engines can need work - there are a sigificant number of people trading in engine rebuilds for S6 and V8 ALP engines.
In my view and in my experience a S6 with a recent (rebuild since approx 2005) and any AJP should generally be good for 50K and sometimes a lot more.
But hey I have had AJP engines out for work 5 times or so.
If you are interested in facts then speak to indies that work on these cars to get an idea of engine longevity and running costs.
Most of the time an AJP is a solid engine. Most of the issues with Cerbs tend to be niggles that you could easily DIY repair. As said above check chassis carefully in particular check the out riggers. Its more difficult to check the hidden chassis tubes eg those near the manifolds.
In my view and in my experience a S6 with a recent (rebuild since approx 2005) and any AJP should generally be good for 50K and sometimes a lot more.
But hey I have had AJP engines out for work 5 times or so.
If you are interested in facts then speak to indies that work on these cars to get an idea of engine longevity and running costs.
Most of the time an AJP is a solid engine. Most of the issues with Cerbs tend to be niggles that you could easily DIY repair. As said above check chassis carefully in particular check the out riggers. Its more difficult to check the hidden chassis tubes eg those near the manifolds.
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