Cerbera's are a poor man's car - PART 2
Discussion
the TBR must go down bery well there. 
Tokyokev said:
Sorry, I am butting in a bit late with my reply as I'm 9+ GMT.
I stepped out of a US130k GT3 and into a US70k Cerb (spent US10k since) - my other option was a Gemballa styled 996 Turbo (would have broke the bank however)...and my only motivations for settling/choosing the Cerb, were 'thrills' and 'originality'. The Cerb is a mistress, not a wife.
This seemingly 'irrational' decision, can only be described as 'love' - here at Saatchi & Saatchi, we call it a 'Lovemark' and IMO it best defines the irrational behaviour of TVR/Cerbera owners and their lustful passion for the brand.
Allow me to briefly explain:
Lovemarks transcend brands. They deliver beyond your expectations of great performance. Like great brands, they sit on top of high levels of respect - but there the similarities end. Lovemarks reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection that you just can’t live without. EVER. Take a brand away and people will find a replacement. Take a Lovemark away and people will protest its absence. Lovemarks are a relationship, not a mere transaction. You don’t just buy Lovemarks, you embrace them passionately. That’s why you never want to let go.
A Mercedes will always get a high respect rating - it's bullet proof, it's a universal symbol for quality. But love? Not IMO - many previous onwers of SL's have moved over to the new BMW 6 - betrayal!
For me, I am almost 100% certain that I will move to a Sagaris after the Cerb - my Lovemark is TVR. I have moved to a country were servicing and parts cost 3 times more than the UK. I have to educate the mechanic myself on how to fix it. Where the fuse box is, what oil to put in...everything. I did not take on this challenge because the car was 'cheap'.
The conclusion:
You cannnot place a monetary value on a Lovemark...nor can you compare it with others, as like is not for like - only the love sick fool can justify the relationship. It is in the eye of beholder.
And in the case of TVR's, others envy it, regardless of value or status...and secretly they all wish they had the big hairy balls to buy one. Money or not.
A wise man once said, "Money cannot buy class".
I'll get off my soapbox now.
Best
K
I stepped out of a US130k GT3 and into a US70k Cerb (spent US10k since) - my other option was a Gemballa styled 996 Turbo (would have broke the bank however)...and my only motivations for settling/choosing the Cerb, were 'thrills' and 'originality'. The Cerb is a mistress, not a wife.
This seemingly 'irrational' decision, can only be described as 'love' - here at Saatchi & Saatchi, we call it a 'Lovemark' and IMO it best defines the irrational behaviour of TVR/Cerbera owners and their lustful passion for the brand.
Allow me to briefly explain:
Lovemarks transcend brands. They deliver beyond your expectations of great performance. Like great brands, they sit on top of high levels of respect - but there the similarities end. Lovemarks reach your heart as well as your mind, creating an intimate, emotional connection that you just can’t live without. EVER. Take a brand away and people will find a replacement. Take a Lovemark away and people will protest its absence. Lovemarks are a relationship, not a mere transaction. You don’t just buy Lovemarks, you embrace them passionately. That’s why you never want to let go.
A Mercedes will always get a high respect rating - it's bullet proof, it's a universal symbol for quality. But love? Not IMO - many previous onwers of SL's have moved over to the new BMW 6 - betrayal!
For me, I am almost 100% certain that I will move to a Sagaris after the Cerb - my Lovemark is TVR. I have moved to a country were servicing and parts cost 3 times more than the UK. I have to educate the mechanic myself on how to fix it. Where the fuse box is, what oil to put in...everything. I did not take on this challenge because the car was 'cheap'.
The conclusion:
You cannnot place a monetary value on a Lovemark...nor can you compare it with others, as like is not for like - only the love sick fool can justify the relationship. It is in the eye of beholder.
And in the case of TVR's, others envy it, regardless of value or status...and secretly they all wish they had the big hairy balls to buy one. Money or not.
A wise man once said, "Money cannot buy class".
I'll get off my soapbox now.
Best
K
Kev, big respect to you mate, you are a barve man running a Cerb so far from home, how do you cope with getting hold of spares?
and a lot of love for TVR, great post Kev.
Is finding parts a bit like this
It's the job of advertising types to analyse our emotional response to purchasing - which clearly you are - and god knows it's an emotional decision to own any TVR let alone a Cerb! TVR somehow gets under the skin and once you've had it nothing else in the same price range scratches the itch. But... Can you have the strength of emotion that makes a Lovemark without some finding that it's a Hatemark?
Edited by Ffirg 005 on Saturday 23 September 15:01
Tokyokev said:
And in the case of TVR's, others envy it, regardless of value or status...and secretly they all wish they had the big hairy balls to buy one. Money or not.
Absolutely true.
There is a flip side to the 'poor man's sportscar' thing (which I think is bollox TBH) and it's that TVRs are a relatively discreet choice if you don't want to ram your wealth down people's throats.
Personally, I enjoy the reputation the Cerbera has earned as a tough car to drive fast. That they terrify many road testers is all part of the very special aura around this particular car. The value of mastering the Cerbera has nothing to do with money, it's a private challenge that in my experience nothing else comes close to (except maybe the Porsche GT2 'widowmaker' or the Koenigsegg). The GT2 doesn't look unique enough and the K'egg CCX costs over £400,000.
hatemarks.
Now there's a debate that could go on for weeks. it's a very interesting question.
I guess we all have our hatemarks but we don't spend our time worrying about them, but we always have our pennies of critisism to add for another brand - for me, it's BMW's. based purely on a few not so nice people I once met who drove them. But I am sure for them BMW is a Lovemark. My hatemark.
So yes, I guess you neeed hate to have love. Or we'd all be driving M5's!
Hatemarks...tbc.
Best
K
Now there's a debate that could go on for weeks. it's a very interesting question.
I guess we all have our hatemarks but we don't spend our time worrying about them, but we always have our pennies of critisism to add for another brand - for me, it's BMW's. based purely on a few not so nice people I once met who drove them. But I am sure for them BMW is a Lovemark. My hatemark.
So yes, I guess you neeed hate to have love. Or we'd all be driving M5's!
Hatemarks...tbc.
Best
K
but if you could have bought the 996 you would 
Been reading these threads with interest. I'm fairly well off all things considering and was looking to get the AMV8 but instead (after the prices "used" were higher than RRP) I got the Nissan 350z. Why? Because it just looked so nice and felt so good to drive (track days proved it was more capable than more expensive kit, the brakes never fade with red stuff pads). I'm glad I did it too as I'd have been frittering money on the Aston really.
It got more looks and comments than friends Porsche's or m3's etc yet cost a fraction of those. It taught me that prestige isn't what I am after, I want a good car for the price - looks are important and it looked very nice too.
I then sold the 350z and now am getting a monaro - yes a vauxhall, I cant get enough of spending little and getting lots for my money. Not even a VRX, just bog standard and loving it!
So anyway back to the TVR thing, I personally think that the TVR really looks and sounds the part. They certainly go and stop and all for a fraction of the cost of the so called prestige cars.
The true test of just how good a car is, is when you get out do people think you are a wanker?
If you get out of one of these or are in a queue in one of these I guarantee the majority will say wanker -
Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, M3
Sure they have the pedigree but they also have that bad rep of 80s and 90s "Barclay's Bankers".
No if you were to get out of a TVR, people will like you - you have class, style and enjoy the car. You got it for what it is not for what it makes you. The same with the Aston, you get out of that and people will think "yeah that bastard has a few quid but he's got an Aston"
The tosser test is always a good one I think.
Saying all that, I have just bought a 2 door vauxhall omega - but I'm happy, its anonymous yet its got more welly than most - it certainly is a street sleeper and am sure that people who know what it can do will respect that.
Just face it, the type of person that looks down on a person because of the car they drive are well, deserving of pitty.
Been reading these threads with interest. I'm fairly well off all things considering and was looking to get the AMV8 but instead (after the prices "used" were higher than RRP) I got the Nissan 350z. Why? Because it just looked so nice and felt so good to drive (track days proved it was more capable than more expensive kit, the brakes never fade with red stuff pads). I'm glad I did it too as I'd have been frittering money on the Aston really.
It got more looks and comments than friends Porsche's or m3's etc yet cost a fraction of those. It taught me that prestige isn't what I am after, I want a good car for the price - looks are important and it looked very nice too.
I then sold the 350z and now am getting a monaro - yes a vauxhall, I cant get enough of spending little and getting lots for my money. Not even a VRX, just bog standard and loving it!
So anyway back to the TVR thing, I personally think that the TVR really looks and sounds the part. They certainly go and stop and all for a fraction of the cost of the so called prestige cars.
The true test of just how good a car is, is when you get out do people think you are a wanker?
If you get out of one of these or are in a queue in one of these I guarantee the majority will say wanker -
Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, M3
Sure they have the pedigree but they also have that bad rep of 80s and 90s "Barclay's Bankers".
No if you were to get out of a TVR, people will like you - you have class, style and enjoy the car. You got it for what it is not for what it makes you. The same with the Aston, you get out of that and people will think "yeah that bastard has a few quid but he's got an Aston"
The tosser test is always a good one I think.
Saying all that, I have just bought a 2 door vauxhall omega - but I'm happy, its anonymous yet its got more welly than most - it certainly is a street sleeper and am sure that people who know what it can do will respect that.
Just face it, the type of person that looks down on a person because of the car they drive are well, deserving of pitty.
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