Should I judge a book by its cover?

[rabbitrunner]

I know Fernhurst have been trading for many years but should i assume if the car is priced at the higher end of the market, the car's a good one?

http://pistonheads.com/sales/1698799.htm

It does come with "their" 12 month warrenty but what is a warrenty these days? Should their warrenty give me peace of mind?

Sorry for this "Newbie" hitting you with lots of questions, having being in the market for several years now (since Year 2000) for a Cerbera I'm going to bite the bullet any day soon, it's now become a mission.

One more question, my wife wants me to get another 996tt, although it was a fantastic car I'm wanting to get the Cerbera out my system, am I making the right choice (in your opinion)?

Thanks in advance

RR

[JensenA]

Of course you are making the right decision - but what else would you expect us to say on here

Fenhurst have a good reputation and wouldn't be selling a lemon, so I think you can rest assured it will be a good one. The 996T is a great car, cold, clinical and efficient. The Cerbera just oozes charisma, it is a very special car and every time you drive it is an 'occasion'. In terms of build quality the Porsche is far better, but that is not to say that the Cerbera is badly built. It's just the the quality of many of the components like Wiper motors and Electrical units can't compare with a company that is part of the the VAG Group. You'll find that some components like the front indicators are bonded in (posh word for glued) whereas the Porsche will have proper mass produced items that bolt in to nicely thought out 'holes' in the body work.
Mechanically they are a solid, relatively simple car, and a car that you can practically do all your own maintenance on. Be prepared for a few little niggles that will require fixing now and then, and also be prepared to spend time on the car, and be someone that doesn't mind getting their hands dirty occasionally. It is probably not a car that you will want to drive every single day to and from work in the rush hour on cold wet December mornings. But the sum of the car makes it very, very special, and if you have had a hankering for one for years, then go for it, you'll soon realise just why we all love them so much

[rabbitrunner]

Cheers Jenson, wise words that I agree with 100%.

The 996 was/is a great car with great build quality, I understand what I'm getting into

C lean it
E njoy it
R ide it
B reak it
E nd up fixing it
R ide it again
A nd enjoy

I'm wanting one soooo bad now I guess I'm a little worried that when i get her she may let me down, another reason why i think I'm going to get the best car i can on the market, rather than the best car i can afford, or want to afford.


Roll on a day off to get the chance to go look.

[JensenA]

They are actually a lot more reliable than their (un-deserved) reputation would have you believe. One owner has done over 100k miles on his engine with no problems. Mine has taken me down to the south of France (and back ) 2 times with absolutely no fuss or drama. The engine is based on an early 90's F1 engine, and it is solid and robust, provided it's been looked after. 'Looked after' means don't thrash it from cold. I think there are a few to many people buying them now because they are ridiculously cheap, and don't appreciate the importance of allowing an engine like the AJPV8 to warm up properly, and thrash it from cold. Be wary of buying one from someone who has only had it for a few months, and also when you go and look at one, judge the owner as well as the car.
Cerbera's from a known PH'r on here are normally a good choice as they have all been looked after, and many of the niggles sorted out. No 2 cars are the same, so drive as many as you can, and buy on condition, not age.

[Gazzab]

The owner of that blue/black cerb is on here. In the flesh it looked very very clean except for the purple intake pipes which were totally trashed.
The owner had previously bought a tuscan with no oil in it and so swapped that for the cerbera. He had the cerbera for a couple of weeks and then it went back to the garage. It has been for sale since shortly after Chatsworth (is that April?). So its been hanging around.

[400+bhp]

top end !!!!!!!!!!! you not kidding half the price then half again and add together 18k ish
my view wow cant believe it

[Gazzab]

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2261725.htm

This ones more like it? Ask Andy at APM if its any good, stick £3K in the bank and jobs a good un.

[rabbitrunner]

Gazzab said:

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2261725.htm

This ones more like it? Ask Andy at APM if its any good, stick £3K in the bank and jobs a good un.

This is another choice and I'm on the doorstep to where he works
Being honest, wasn't sure about the interior colour but a photo can be lying.
Guess if I saw it and liked it I'd be very interested but buying private at £22k I would be nervous.
Worth a call though, I'm hoping to get a few hours fri to look at the fernhurst, maybe I'll phone up the 22k one during week to see if it's convenient during the day.

Guess the one thing I don't want to do is rush, but it's been so long on the shopping list I'd like to get one tomorrow

Thanks again

[VPower]

rabbitrunner said:

Cheers Jenson, wise words that I agree with 100%.

The 996 was/is a great car with great build quality, I understand what I'm getting into

C lean it
E njoy it
R ide it
B reak it
E nd up fixing it
R ide it again
A nd enjoy

I'm wanting one soooo bad now I guess I'm a little worried that when i get her she may let me down, another reason why i think I'm going to get the best car i can on the market, rather than the best car i can afford, or want to afford.

Roll on a day off to get the chance to go look.

On the other hand you could have no problems with it, just like mine!

Coming up for three years with only normal maint and some upgrades I wanted to do.
I've done more miles in France than the UK in mine and it's never missed a beat!

Better built cars out there for sure, but few with the drama, charisma and bang for your buck of a Cerbera!

[rabbitrunner]

Totally agree, my 996tt split a coolant hose that meant the engine coming out (9 hrs from memory @ £120 per hr plus parts) and my RS6 was on it's 2nd set of DRC (suspension refits at £silly cost) with 3rd set booked into the workshop before the car got written off.
It's like every car you buy, new or used, you get the good and the bad, not always connected to the vehicle badge.

Thanks again for feedback.

RR

[.Mark]

With regard to the Fernhurst warranty, I doubt you will find better. It's absolutely no quibble and no 'oh lets check the small print' things just get fixed.
Yes, you'll pay more for a Fernhurst car but it'll more likely than not be bang on and well worth the peace of mind.
Good luck

[RacerMDR]

Buy the ticket take the ride

I've cars from Fernhurst - they are brilliant, couldn't fault them.

You are paying a bit more for piece of mind and the warranty.

Sounds totally fair to me - they are a business :-)

highly recommend them

[Gazzab]

rabbitrunner said:

Gazzab said:

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2261725.htm

This ones more like it? Ask Andy at APM if its any good, stick £3K in the bank and jobs a good un.

This is another choice and I'm on the doorstep to where he works
Being honest, wasn't sure about the interior colour but a photo can be lying.
Guess if I saw it and liked it I'd be very interested but buying private at £22k I would be nervous.
Worth a call though, I'm hoping to get a few hours fri to look at the fernhurst, maybe I'll phone up the 22k one during week to see if it's convenient during the day.

Guess the one thing I don't want to do is rush, but it's been so long on the shopping list I'd like to get one tomorrow

Thanks again

If Andy says its a good car, the owner knows his onions etc then you're fine (subject to all the usual car buy caveats and the special TVR ones!).
The issue I have with garages is where does the stock come from? How do you then look the owner in the eye and find out how the car has been used, cared for etc..

[davidd]

The Fernhurst car is I think probably a bit much, they are a great bunch of people but I bought a similar car (age spec) with a pile of upgrades for £8k less privately last year. It has done 60k miles and I did spend a grand on it sorting out some little things that Fernhurst would no doubt do for you.

I'm sure it is an epic car but negotiate hard..

Mind you I'm more than happy to see prices harden

D

[996dom]

rabbitrunner said:

Gazzab said:

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2261725.htm

This ones more like it? Ask Andy at APM if its any good, stick £3K in the bank and jobs a good un.

This is another choice and I'm on the doorstep to where he works
Being honest, wasn't sure about the interior colour but a photo can be lying.
Guess if I saw it and liked it I'd be very interested but buying private at £22k I would be nervous.
Worth a call though, I'm hoping to get a few hours fri to look at the fernhurst, maybe I'll phone up the 22k one during week to see if it's convenient during the day.

Guess the one thing I don't want to do is rush, but it's been so long on the shopping list I'd like to get one tomorrow

Thanks again

This is my Cerb, the interior looks a lot better in the flesh and the Pebble Lamonta doors and roof lining plus light blue stiching really lift it IMO.

But please come and have a look and a test drive, especially if your so close thers no excuse. I can be available anytime, you can also call Andy who only saw it a couple of weeks ago and commented on what a good clean example it was.

Cheers
Dom

Edited by 996dom on Monday 29th November 18:46

[.Mark]

Gazzab said:

rabbitrunner said:

Gazzab said:

http://pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2261725.htm

This ones more like it? Ask Andy at APM if its any good, stick £3K in the bank and jobs a good un.

This is another choice and I'm on the doorstep to where he works
Being honest, wasn't sure about the interior colour but a photo can be lying.
Guess if I saw it and liked it I'd be very interested but buying private at £22k I would be nervous.
Worth a call though, I'm hoping to get a few hours fri to look at the fernhurst, maybe I'll phone up the 22k one during week to see if it's convenient during the day.

Guess the one thing I don't want to do is rush, but it's been so long on the shopping list I'd like to get one tomorrow

Thanks again

If Andy says its a good car, the owner knows his onions etc then you're fine (subject to all the usual car buy caveats and the special TVR ones!)

Exactly this with mine.