cerbera advice please

[andyleeds]

hi everyone i am wondering if anyone can help with some info as i am thinking about buying a cerbera......

i have had 2 tvr's at previous points in my life, an S3 which leaked but mechanically was great; and a 4L chim lovely car, didnt leak but had a bit of hot start issue....

i have always fancied a cerb but have never got round to getting one, i have always been put of by the amount of things that go wrong especially the big bits.

i have done a little bit of research and am aware of the chassis issues, overheating, gearbox and engines that go pop. but i was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on the different engine choices ajp, speed six, 4.2 4.5 etc etc as its all rather bewildering.

i was once told by a tvr mechanic to avoid anything pre '98 cars.......thats about all i have. thanks in advance.

best

andy

[Gazzab]

Hi
I would ignore the TVR mechanic! That advice doesnt make a lot of sense...
Carefully check any TVR especially a 98/99/00 car for chassis rot.
the 4.2 and 4.5 are a flat plane crank in-hosue V8 putting out 360 - 440 bhp depending on mods and general health. A reasonably robust powerplant albeit they are getting on a bit now.
the S6 cars are a lot cheaper generally as the S6 has a whole forum dedicated to the engine problems. Engines built post 2005 seem to be better (or at least that is the general concensus).
Whats your budget? The more money you have then generally the better car you will probably end up with.
Look for a known car with lots of recent bills for expensive items.

[G20RG B]

Buy as new as possible, there is some real value in SP6 Cerbs at this time. Early SP6 cars 2000,2001.2002 had some engine problems 2003 was better and 2004 onwards have been reliable. Lots of parts available for the SP6 as there are a lot of them on the road, Cerbera, Tucan, T350, Tamora and Sagaris.

I would say the same if it was a V8 you are after ,buy as new as possible but they are a lot more expensive,There are also issues with the AJP8, look back through the posts and there are plenty that have had rebuilds also.

So my advice is buy as new as you can afford either a SP6 or AJP8 , full history in the spec colour you want and ENJOY...

And keep your fingers crossed..

Edited by G20RG B on Sunday 20th June 21:47

[andyleeds]

all very scary, this the sort of thing that i was thinking abouti reall prefer the old style of headlight.....

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1793115.htm

[Gazzab]

I would recommend looking at TVR specialists cars or private ads from known owners. Unless of course you can better research the provenance of the car you posted.

[The real Apache]

andyleeds said:

all very scary, this the sort of thing that i was thinking abouti reall prefer the old style of headlight.....

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1793115.htm

I'd be wary of buying anything from a company called Boyz Toyz to be honest

[Killer Rhubarb]

Ignore all the negativity surrounding the SP6. I'm on my 2nd and they are fine with no more problems than any other model engine of this breed. Things go wrong with all TVR's... It's made in a chicken shed and not by japanese robotrons remember.

As with everything, if you look after it correctly and make sure when purchasing, the seller speaks with authority and enthusiasm about the car he is selling and can back it up with proof he has looked after it - then its rock out with the old cock out my friend!