Cerbera prices falling , Why?

[MATHEW]

I have noticed over the last month that the prices for second hand Cerberas are falling to around 14 - 15K for a P reg 4.2 car.
Is there any reason for this eg supply and demand curve.

[thegamekeeper]

I suspect it is the cost of ownership

[Roadrunner]

I noticed this too. A tidy high spec mk1 elise commands a stronger premium these days. Not many people fancy the mega service / repair / rebuild costs.

[simpo one]

Is it because people are going for Tuscans and the new Tesco thingies?

[granville]

Because, like 007, their repuation precedes them!

[Roadrunner]

It can be a very annoying thing - reputation. That's why used porsche's are so damn expensive!

[joospeed]

the price trend is a direct reflection on how TVR dealers market the cars IMO. Thye realise the early cars are a liability and offer pitiful trade in deals .. if you can get a dealer to take an early cerbie don't expect much over 10k, this has a direct result on private sales figures which usually fall somewhere between the 10k trade in and 16-18k dealer sales price. .. good 97 4.5 for 18k anyone? very good 97 4.2 for 16k anyone .. 3 poor condition 96 4.2s for under 10k ? .. I've seen them all recently. For the seller if you can get 15 k plus for your early 4.2 you've done well, if you're a buyer you're getting the bargain of a lifetime ..

[Roadrunner]

It's a lot of car for the money, but it could be a lot of trouble too. Maybe worth the risk as a sunday toy, but not much other use.

[granville]

joospeed said: the price trend is a direct reflection on how TVR dealers market the cars IMO. Thye realise the early cars are a liability and offer pitiful trade in deals .. if you can get a dealer to take an early cerbie don't expect much over 10k, this has a direct result on private sales figures which usually fall somewhere between the 10k trade in and 16-18k dealer sales price. .. good 97 4.5 for 18k anyone? very good 97 4.2 for 16k anyone .. 3 poor condition 96 4.2s for under 10k ? .. I've seen them all recently. For the seller if you can get 15 k plus for your early 4.2 you've done well, if you're a buyer you're getting the bargain of a lifetime ..

Joo, do you think it reasonable to expect reliability from the 'high' miler early models [everything fettled?] and what type of warranty to boot - assuming from an authorized dealer?

Cheers, D.

[julianhj]

Joolz,

How much of a liability would a £18k 4.5 be, or even a £12k 4.2? Where have you seen cars sold at this price?

Even with high maintainence costs, that does seem like a total bargain - how much would a major service be on one of these? How often do they go really wrong? What sorts of bill could you expect?

>> Edited by julianhj on Saturday 23 November 16:16

[RUF 3]

I would have thought the biggest risk with a £12k Cerbera would be if it had an engine blowup. Then the cost is potentially 50% of the value of the car to sort it. Very few people who would buy a £12k car can cope with £6k to fix it. It could be argued that the AJP engine has a tendency to cost money as it gets older, and the cost to sort it becomes an increasing percentage of the cars' value, hence putting people off buying one. This in turn reduces the marketplace for older cars, and the price keeps falling. At the risk of causing an outcry, I would have thought that if somebody did a conversion using, say a 4.4 V8 BMW, it might provide a new lease of life for some cars. Certainly from my own point of view I sold my Cerbera as I was not prepared to take the risk of impending doom, although if I was offered an older Cerbera fitted with a different engine I could be very tempted.