help please! what do i look for on a cerbera?

[brakedust300]

going to see my possible first Cerbera on monday & could do with a few pointers on what to look for, im an engineer in the RAF so know the basic stuff to look for, but seeing as its not a basic car im guessing there are some certain things i need to pay attention to!
Any help will be appreciated

[350Matt]

Condition of the outriggers as they can corrode quite badly
When was the clutch last changed
If its a 4.2 does it have the 4.5 clutch
Does the aircon work - I should mention its never brilliant
do the fans come in when hot
does the remote locking / alarm work OK
When was the diff bush last changed
when was the suspension geometry last checked

That'll do for starters

Oh it should go like merry hell as well but don't be surprised if it feels a bit wayward if its still on std suspension

Matt

[brakedust300]

cheers mat
ok maybe im not as clued up as id like to think! what are outrigers?
its a 4.5 & i dont know about the suspension, ill ask about the clutch, how ofter do they need changing?

[Gazzab]

post up re the car you are looking at - we might know it.
Avoid dealers who dont specialise in TVRs.
Choose a known car from a pistonheader if you can.

[MackemPete]

Gazzab said:

Avoid dealers who dont specialise in TVRs.

I'd disagree with this one mate. I bought mine from a dealer who didnt know a thing about tvrs. Had it inspect by findasportscar and it was a good car at a very reasonable price. Also as he didnt know tvr's I got £1k more trade in for my old chimeara than I could have sold it privately for. done and done!

[Gazzab]

The inspection was a good call.
I stand by it as generally good advice. These type of dealers dont know what they are buying etc... (and this can sometimes work to your advantage)

[brakedust300]

im guessing that the old owner was on pistonheads as the car was forsale on hear a while ago before he part x'd it for a saab convertible.
The cerbera is going for a fantastic price (i wont say what yet till i have the keys!)
On a second note, what is the best club to join?

[MackemPete]

Gazzab said:

The inspection was a good call.
I stand by it as generally good advice. These type of dealers dont know what they are buying etc... (and this can sometimes work to your advantage)

Definatly agree with you there ! I wouldnt buy a tvr from a none specialist without independant inspection and I would obviously be more wary, but I wouldnt rule out a car just because it was in a normal garage.

[central]

brakedust300 said:

On a second note, what is the best club to join?

Er, Pistonheads?

[brakedust300]

is there not a specific cerbera owners club? my 300zx owners club was fantastic & saved me loads of time & money over the years!

[central]

http://www.tvr-cerbera.com/




But ALL the info you need is here on Pistonheads

[RUSSELLM]

I bought my last one from an independent dealer.

Used to belong to Slackalice on here.

He part ex'd it against a new Monaro. The Vauxhall dealer didn't want the Tiv hanging around for the traders to test drive, so they rang round the various indies they deal with & my indie bid on it & picked it up direct from Slackalices house.

It was A great buy for both him & me.

So they're not all bad

[baguaman]

you make sure you have at leat 4000 pounds set aside for problems....

if you buy a car without problems it means the previous owner has spent the money

[lee.]

History, History, History and not just stamps in the service book. i would want to see a good comprehensive history folder and would also want to get to know the previous owner as you can get a good idea of how well the cars been looked after. plus he would probably know more about the car and cerberas in general than a non tvr garage.

Don't forget these cars need regular servicing every 6k miles or 12 months plus tappets every 12k, if its due you could be in for a grand there alone.

First things to check are clutch, if its still on the original ajp clutch then there's a good chance that will require changing 1 to 1.5k. Diff bushes couple hundred quid, these are a consumable, shocks £500 upwards, tyres could be £170 a corner, starter motors have a habit of giving up on a regular basis as well £200 plus fitting for a standard tilton plus loads more.

Personally i wouldn't buy a car without seeing it first and for the sake of £300 i would have an independent inspection carried out and get it up on some ramps, these cars are usually cheap for a reason.

Oh and they dont have keys

[350Matt]

Outriggers are the chassis bars which run down the length of the car underneath the sills.
As they are tucked away then tend to collect lots of mud etc and so quietly rot away.
They are non-structural so carry no suspension loads etc but the seat belts do bolt to them so its nice to have them in good nick...

and yes there is a car club for Cerbies its called the TVR car club, and there are meets up and down the country well worth joining

Matt

[RUSSELLM]

brakedust300 said:

could do with a few pointers on what to look for

Ten year old Cerb, jobs that will cost a grand or more "ish"

Rotten chassis, heavy engine oil usage, head gaskets, clutch, shocks, 12k service.

Rest is relatively cheap

[Tyre Smoke]

baguaman said:

you make sure you have at leat 4000 pounds set aside for problems....

if you buy a car without problems it means the previous owner has spent the money this year

Edited for accuracy

[Tyre Smoke]

Matt, outriggers not structural????

Think they may be, are part of the chassis and a screaming MOT fail if corroded.

[brakedust300]

cheers all, ill get the car put up on ramps and have a good prod before parting with any hard cash, as for oil i guess there is no way of telling till i have driven her for a while, i get a standard 3 month warranty and will try and fight for a 6 month one for a little piece of mind

[Gazzab]

look at chassis aruond the exhaust manifold. That is really bad place on a car of that era.
Ensure Air con actually works.
Look for milky screeen surround.