Ok, how about this one - the 4.5 pushes a massive 420bhp through the rear tyres in standard form & reaches 0-60 in 3.9 secs, which can't be bad. It looks so much better than the skyline inside and out, and I hardly need to mention the noise... but does anyone have any experience of these? ie - reliability/handling etc?

 

There seem to be loads out there for sale with very few miles on the clock. Any ideas? (other than the obvious insurance and fuel costs)

 

Thanks again in advance,

 

Ch

Had a lend of one for a few hours once (red rose one). Very nice car. Brakes were awsome. Handling seemed good but twitchy and a bit unforgiving (not really pushing it so hard to gauge). Interior to die for but didn't feel all that well screwed together TBH.

I'd try the owners club for advice, they're a friendly lot (but VERY biased).

Had a lend of one for a few hours once (red rose one). Very nice car. Brakes were awsome. Handling seemed good but twitchy and a bit unforgiving (not really pushing it so hard to gauge). Interior to die for but didn't feel all that well screwed together TBH.

I'd try the owners club for advice, they're a friendly lot (but VERY biased).

 

Thanks for the info John. I was going to ask them, but I really wanted unbiased views - When I had my 300, I would always say that it was a great car (which it was) I would never say that it had any major drawbacks because I loved it so much. I still do and I want it back, but I checked it out the other day - £5,000 to buy her ...and a whopping £16,000 on top to repair/recondition/renovate/tune. Still, I'd always say it's a great car!

 

I've heard so many horror stories about the TVR's so I kind of need more info like yours. Ta mate

 

Ch

i CAN GIVE YOU 1ST HAND KNOWLEGE. oops sory caps

 

Its a TVR so be ready to tune it every 5 miles and although they have got a lot better, I am pretty sure they hired the electricians from fiat. rest of it all does what it says on the box. when its tuned and the electrics arnt fooking about

i agree with John - I was driven round an airfield in a gorgeous red one last year (bruntingthorpe) and although its obviously a TVR and therefore oozes looks and performance, the interior felt like it was rattling itself apart (but then we WERE doing 180mph!!!!) :D :D :D

Hmmm, Try http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?f=6&h=0

 

The TVR V8 is a troublesome beast, don't confuse it with the Rover V8 as used in the Griffith and Chimaera. The one in the Cerbera is TVRs own design and has been prone to a lot of reliability problems, ranging from snapping followers to breaking cranks! Most you see advertised will have been rebuilt under warrenty or out of necessity, budget £4-£5K for a rebuild. I think you'll find a lot of the problems have now been ironed out but if you're looking to buy one get one that's already been rebuilt by TVR power.

 

Mileages are low because they tend to be second, or even third cars, prices are greatly influenced by mileage. They also need the tappets adjusting on a regular basis and TVR main dealers know what to charge! But, there are a lot of highly reputable and trusted independants out there such as http://www.austec.co.uk.

 

Budget £20K for a good useable example and £2K pa for servicing.

 

I'm considering changing my Chimaera in for one at the end of the year, but having said that I'm off to test the new Exige on Thursday so who knows. :D

 

HTH

 

Tim

Get youself a few tubs of super-glue! You'll need that to stick bits back on when they drop off. I heard this 1st hand from a guy who works for TVR. That was a few years back so may have got better.

Still, for the price of them compared to performance it is pretty good, especially when you look at the price of a porsche or jag!

Get youself a few tubs of super-glue! You'll need that to stick bits back on when they drop off. I heard this 1st hand from a guy who works for TVR. That was a few years back so may have got better.

 

...and I've heard that a lot of Zeds smoke and break down a lot.

 

Both true statements but hearsay is hardly constructive is it?

 

The Chimaera seems to be screwed together well enough, considerings it's hand built in a shed in Blackpool. If you buy a TVR you know what you're walking into, each and every car built by TVR is built to customer spec and you're buying a 'specialist' car, so expect some quirks.

 

I also agree that if anything is the achiles heel of the RV8 TVRs it seems to be the wiring, but we're not talking about the RV8, we're talking about the AJP8. :D

 

Tim

the newer cars seem to be held together quite well,

 

the old ones 10years+ you will need some superglue, duct tape and a staple gun to keep those buggers together :)

My workmate has a fairly new Cerbie and he says it's as unreliable as buggery, he's had all sorts of problems, mainly electrical and build quality and there is no way on this planet it could ever be used as a daily driver.

 

He does say it is sh1t off a hot shovel tho' :D

Thanks all,

 

I think I'll have to have a good hunt for a decent one. By the way, Tim, do you know if there's any more room in the cerbera than in the chimera? I hope so as I'm 6'8" and can't fit in the chimera. I'm off to a tvr garage this weekend, but if the answer is no, it'll save me the drive!

 

Cheers,

 

ch

Hi Charles the Cerb is a great car - very usable as a regular car. If you buy well and get it serviced correctly by a specialist - you'll be ok. Check out TVR site on Pistonheads. If I wasn't changing to an Esprit I think the Cerb would be next on my list.

 

Good luck.

Geoff.

Hi Charles the Cerb is a great car - very usable as a regular car. If you buy well and get it serviced correctly by a specialist - you'll be ok. Check out TVR site on Pistonheads. If I wasn't changing to an Esprit I think the Cerb would be next on my list.

 

Good luck.

Geoff.

 

 

Thanks Geoff, I'll do that. I was actually looking at the esprit myself - the 3.5 TT V8 looks very promising...I think the cerb comes first though - I spent £16k on the 300 in one year, so I'm sure I can cope with the cost of fixing it when it breaks. I just love that interior and the noise...

 

Good luck mate- there's a lovely black esprit in this weeks Top Marques magazine for about 25k

My mate had a cerbera speed six about 2/3 years ago,

quickest car ive ever been in - awesome acceleration, but it was going back to the dealer in Exeter every other week, it really was a pig! Eventually he had enough and sold it.

Is the speed six Tvr's own engine?

6' 8"!!!! Bloody 'el Charles, u a basket ball player? Or was it the 3 Weetabix a day?

LONG POST ALERT ;)

 

This is an area of which I have some "experience".

 

I owned a '97 4.2 Cerbera for 2.5 years. Cherry pearl, full creme leather, sports exhaust etc. mmmmm :cool:

 

They are unpredictable beasts!!! Not in driveability, but in terms of reliablity ...

 

On the plus side, the performance, noise, experience is second to nothing I've experienced. The popping and banging when you back off, the noise in tunnels etc. - fantastic. No problem (in driver seat anyway) for medium to tall people as the driving position has you almost lying down!! Did 2x 3000+ mile trips round Europe with it (including 18 hours from Newcastle to Geneva in one go) and it was pretty much fine (except adding a litre of oil every 500 miles!!! Racing motorbikes in Italy!! Everyone loved the car over there. Had one fella in a services in Italy with a brand new saab convertable looking at mine, looking at his and then shaking his head. Like the Zeds, there is a comradeship with people flashing/waving as they see each other. Despite the power, they are easy to control. Steering is direct, and TVR's attempt at traction control (aka an extremely long throttle travel) allows you to moderate power easily!! I could even drive it in snow (although wouldn't recommend it).

 

Negative side - As has been said, they can be unreliable. I spent a LOT on keeping mine on the road. I did run it almost every day though!!! Drive shaft snapped when doing a 3-point turn (partially blocked a busty road for about 30 minutes :cry: ), overheated a few times (always in awkward position in busy traffic), and then the clincher, one of the cylinder head studs sheared off, requiring a full referb and costs of around £10k (aka my house deposit). Sounds like a bag of spanners when you start it up cold (mind you it makes up for it when warm). Even when it is working fine, any little noises you hear send you wondering how much it is going to cost. This does impact the enjoyment a bit, as you spend more time worrying. "If I floor it here how much is it going to cost."

 

 

Despite the costs etc., I was fully heartbroken when I decided to get rid of it :cry: . I almost got my money back when I sold it (although not the costs and upgrades obviously).

 

4.5 is supposed to be a bit smoother, although they reckon not noticeably much faster. Speed six had problems in the early days, but may be a more reliable choice now!?!?

 

Advice: Don't let me put you off, I had 2.5 excellent years. Be prepared that it will cost you more than your car loan, insurance and service costs!!! Shop around to get a good one (later the better). Remember really low mileage can mean that its been an occasional car (which is fine), or that it has spent a lot of time off the road. Slightly higher mileage obviously means it has been running regularly!!

 

Someone at TVR told me that "TVR spend the same amount on Research & Development for a new model as Toyota would spend on the door handles for a new model". It may be an exaggeration, but explains a lot!!! :rofl:

aha... saw the title thread "Cerbera" and thought i'd find you Rich (touslecoq)!

 

If there's one car that provokes a lot of discussion it's the Cerb...

 

I too had one (98, Moonraker Black, Cream Interior) although you can probably guess that from my user name :o (had the cerb when I joined this forum).

 

I only had it a year (the beast got me a little speeding ban :( ) and loved the car to death when it was working well and on an open road.

 

The rest of the time it worried the s***e out of me as it over-heated, rattled and clonked and generally sounded like it was going to do something very expensive to itself. It only ever broke down properly on me once (a 50p fuse went that needed the top of the engine to be taken off to get to = £500 quid thank you very much). But I think one of the reasons I sold it was the fear of it breaking down more. I know if it had done/cost the same to me as Touslecoq's did to his i'd have felt very bitter!

 

The bit that really got to me was sitting in traffic (something that's an increasingly regular occurance). I could never just relax and sit there as the temp gauge would start to creep up, then go mad (it's a bi-metallic strip that at a point just flicks and points the needle straight up!). I used to find myself getting stressed at the merest sign of a traffic jam in summer!

In fairness, mine never went bang (lots of steam and stuff on a regular basis though) and Rich's sat in very hot weather in the middle of Nice (or was it Cannes) last year with no problems - I just never felt like it was going to be ok and that's an uncomfortable feeling when a new engine is 8k.

 

So i guess i'm just agreeing with a few people on here. They are great cars when running right (you should hear one with a proper sports exhaust like touslecoq's had last summer - awesome!) but you need to walk into it with your eyes open.

 

And if you do get one, make sure you get the 18inch Spider alloys fitted - looks the dog's.

 

Chris

I quite fancy one of these, it is the 8-ish sec 0-100 that appeals to me :D

 

Bit of a Diablo-eater I understand :cool:

 

My only doubt was the reliability, though so I though I'd keep the Zed a bit longer until I can afford a Paramount Performance prep'd XKR (conversion can give over 500 reliable BHP) :cool:

 

Richard :)

Guys, thankyou all so much for the tips - sounds like it has as many bad points as good ones! Still, I'll take one for a test drive this weekend and see if I can fit. (Mark, no mate - my mum forgot to tell me to start smoking!)

 

I have a feeling I'll fall in love with it - which is never a good thing when buying a car!

 

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

Ch

Good luck mate. I can almost guarantee that (if it is a good one) you will fall in love with it.

 

Few more points ...

- I would ALWAYS buy from a proper TVR dealer,

- Make sure you get a warranty (they should do the full one as well - I think the half one aint worth paper its printed on).

- Preferably the dealer will have serviced it (if not from new, for a reasonable period), check the receipts etc to see what it has had done. People often keep the receipts because they prove it has had x,y,z upgrade done. However this can also show that it has needed a lot of work.

- If you decide to buy and are thinking about upgrading the wheels to the 18" spider (tuscan) ones, do it straight away (or agree a price) as the dealer will probs be able to do a deal. They may not be arsed once you've bought it.

XKR - paramount performance - very nice.

 

Was thinking of buying one this year (until I ended up with a zed on the drive).

 

Test drove the Racing Green version last year with the Racelogic paddle shift. It didn't have the full power upgrade but was pretty quick!!! I am still thinking about getting one and having the Arden A-type bodywork done in Germany. I spoke to one of the guys at Arden about it. Costs a bit, but I reckon they look fantastic! Corrects everything I didn't like about the XKR shape. Think I'd better start putting thel ottery on lol.

 

http://www.arden.de

 

http://www.arden.de/index.php?id=48

Good luck mate. I can almost guarantee that (if it is a good one) you will fall in love with it.

 

Few more points ...

- I would ALWAYS buy from a proper TVR dealer,

- Make sure you get a warranty (they should do the full one as well - I think the half one aint worth paper its printed on).

- Preferably the dealer will have serviced it (if not from new, for a reasonable period), check the receipts etc to see what it has had done. People often keep the receipts because they prove it has had x,y,z upgrade done. However this can also show that it has needed a lot of work.

- If you decide to buy and are thinking about upgrading the wheels to the 18" spider (tuscan) ones, do it straight away (or agree a price) as the dealer will probs be able to do a deal. They may not be arsed once you've bought it.

 

Thanks mate - good point, I'll bear that in mind!

 

Ch

Haven't had a look for a while but check this site out...

 

Car Survey...Click here!

 

Do love the Cerb though, but if I was gonna think about wasting that amount of wonga would buy a ready built Ultima GT-R instead! ;)

XKR - paramount performance - very nice.

 

Was thinking of buying one this year (until I ended up with a zed on the drive).

 

Test drove the Racing Green version last year with the Racelogic paddle shift. It didn't have the full power upgrade but was pretty quick!!! I am still thinking about getting one and having the Arden A-type bodywork done in Germany. I spoke to one of the guys at Arden about it. Costs a bit, but I reckon they look fantastic! Corrects everything I didn't like about the XKR shape. Think I'd better start putting thel ottery on lol.

 

http://www.arden.de

 

http://www.arden.de/index.php?id=48

 

That XKR on the opening page is f'kin hideous! Might as well put a big sticker on the back...

 

...loads of money and f'k all taste!

 

Just my 2penneth of course. :D

 

Tim

hahaha! just had a look at that site - you're right, the one with the wing is HORRIBLE. That's one car that shouldn't have something like that stuck on it.

 

I have seen others though and they are REALLY nice. :)