£3k ruuning costs myth or ....
Discussion
just reading the thread started by someone wanting advice on what to buy and what not to buy and i noticed again the statement that Cerbs and Tuscans need around £3k pa just to keep them on the road.
where does this figure come from?
In addition to servicing I've ony spent £50 on a wash wiper control unit.
The more Cerb owners i meet, the more convinced I am that the £2-3k rule of thumb is based on the experiences of a minority of Cerb owners...
£2-3k running costs... myth or fact?
cb
where does this figure come from?
In addition to servicing I've ony spent £50 on a wash wiper control unit.
The more Cerb owners i meet, the more convinced I am that the £2-3k rule of thumb is based on the experiences of a minority of Cerb owners...
£2-3k running costs... myth or fact?
cb
carlb said:
just reading the thread started by someone wanting advice on what to buy and what not to buy and i noticed again the statement that Cerbs and Tuscans need around £3k pa just to keep them on the road.
where does this figure come from?
In addition to servicing I've ony spent £50 on a wash wiper control unit.
The more Cerb owners i meet, the more convinced I am that the £2-3k rule of thumb is based on the experiences of a minority of Cerb owners...
£2-3k running costs... myth or fact?
cb
where does this figure come from?
In addition to servicing I've ony spent £50 on a wash wiper control unit.
The more Cerb owners i meet, the more convinced I am that the £2-3k rule of thumb is based on the experiences of a minority of Cerb owners...
£2-3k running costs... myth or fact?
cb
Do you get free servicing?
carlb said:
just reading the thread started by someone wanting advice on what to buy and what not to buy and i noticed again the statement that Cerbs and Tuscans need around £3k pa just to keep them on the road.
where does this figure come from?
In addition to servicing I've ony spent £50 on a wash wiper control unit.
The more Cerb owners i meet, the more convinced I am that the £2-3k rule of thumb is based on the experiences of a minority of Cerb owners...
£2-3k running costs... myth or fact?
cb
where does this figure come from?
In addition to servicing I've ony spent £50 on a wash wiper control unit.
The more Cerb owners i meet, the more convinced I am that the £2-3k rule of thumb is based on the experiences of a minority of Cerb owners...
£2-3k running costs... myth or fact?
cb
How much were your services (2x£600=£1200), did you fit the £50 wiper unit yourself or pay labour?
Add in half a set of tyres per year (£300), plus some unscheduled repairs (£500) and its not a cheap car to keep on the road.
Even the bits without moving parts, seem to be able to break!! How about front suspension uprights made out of cast iron bearings in light alloy uprights, small amount of iron corrosion and the uprights break. Add to this my exploding cat and a front spring snap!!
I had 3 new diffs, an engine rebuild, an exploding cat, 3 speedo's, numerous steering wheel ribbons, front spring collapse, alarm unit and so forth go wrong.
You will say 'you had a bad one' I will retort 'I must have had 2 bad ones'
I ended up buying a 996 as the £200 a service made it so much cheaper to run.
Bennno
Edited by bennno on Monday 19th June 15:53
I've come close in the two years that I've had it. That said, I have had minor imporvements done at the same time as having some things fixed (if you see what I mean).
I certainly think that you COULD have a cheaper annual cost, but if you want to make a recommendation, I would have stuck to that amount.
I certainly think that you COULD have a cheaper annual cost, but if you want to make a recommendation, I would have stuck to that amount.
carlb said:
in addition to servicing I've spent £50
the 2-3k statement appears to exclude servicing
if it does include servicng where does all the other money go?
6000 mile sevice around £600, £3k - £600 leaves £2,400
12,000 mile service inc tappets £1,000, £3k - £1,000 leaves £2k
the 2-3k statement appears to exclude servicing
if it does include servicng where does all the other money go?
6000 mile sevice around £600, £3k - £600 leaves £2,400
12,000 mile service inc tappets £1,000, £3k - £1,000 leaves £2k
if you did 12k miles per annum as most people do in their primary car, which is often where the question originates then you would have done £1600 already.
did you fit the £50 wiper / wash box yourself or pay the garage?
add in a set of tyres once every two years at £700 then you are close to 2k without any mechanical melodrama. a bit of fettling like a set of leaking dampers (I had 4) and you will quickly get to £2.5 or £3k without trying.
Bennno
Carl,
Wasn't your car only just 3 yrs old when you sold it?
I would say that the majority of Cerberas out there are considerably older, mine is a '97 does need constant fetteling, the day will come when I've replaced all the big bits and then, touch wood, It'll start behaving itself.
I'm not into the £3K mark, but probaball not far short.
Tim
Wasn't your car only just 3 yrs old when you sold it?
I would say that the majority of Cerberas out there are considerably older, mine is a '97 does need constant fetteling, the day will come when I've replaced all the big bits and then, touch wood, It'll start behaving itself.
I'm not into the £3K mark, but probaball not far short.
Tim
i'm only trying to ascertain the origination and validity of the claim
i fitted the control unit myself, this is no big achievement as its just a unplug the old and plug in the new.
i would say that the majority TVR owners are not using the car as primary transport and therefore 12k pa milage is not applicable, I've never seen the sum attributed to a particular milage figure
all cars need annual servicing and general maintanence, tyres etc
my point is that i'm not convinced that many cerb owners face an annual bill of £2k or more just to keep the car on the road in addition to the servicing and fueling costs
i fitted the control unit myself, this is no big achievement as its just a unplug the old and plug in the new.
i would say that the majority TVR owners are not using the car as primary transport and therefore 12k pa milage is not applicable, I've never seen the sum attributed to a particular milage figure
all cars need annual servicing and general maintanence, tyres etc
my point is that i'm not convinced that many cerb owners face an annual bill of £2k or more just to keep the car on the road in addition to the servicing and fueling costs
Here goes,
Clutch £500 (would cost £1300 if fitted, did it myself)
Clutch slave seals £600
Starter motor £700
New springs all round and shocks £600
Rebuilt engine £4200 (needs doing every 25 - 30 K)
Decat £200 (they don't make replacement any more)
Master brake cylinder £100 (garage fitting £700)
Oil pressure gauage £182
Tyres - £250 per pair
So on and so on, not including servicing!
All the above occurred within 2yrs on what I took to be a mint 99 cerbera with 18K (now 36k)
Clutch £500 (would cost £1300 if fitted, did it myself)
Clutch slave seals £600
Starter motor £700
New springs all round and shocks £600
Rebuilt engine £4200 (needs doing every 25 - 30 K)
Decat £200 (they don't make replacement any more)
Master brake cylinder £100 (garage fitting £700)
Oil pressure gauage £182
Tyres - £250 per pair
So on and so on, not including servicing!
All the above occurred within 2yrs on what I took to be a mint 99 cerbera with 18K (now 36k)
Interesting, very interesting indeed this thread, I do spend 3k a year on keeping the
Cerb in tip top form. This year so far, one clutch and all the bits to go with it, 1K, one interim service, plus rectifying a handling problem (doggy Shocks) 1K. When the garage handed back the car after the service I was advised that the induction hoses need replacing, and the oil cooler hoses as well, yes another 1K. I do approximately 3/4000 miles a year and the servicing equates to £1 for every mile traveled. Speaking to other owners at an event last week their servicing cost ranged from 98p a mile to £1.38 a mile.
Cerb in tip top form. This year so far, one clutch and all the bits to go with it, 1K, one interim service, plus rectifying a handling problem (doggy Shocks) 1K. When the garage handed back the car after the service I was advised that the induction hoses need replacing, and the oil cooler hoses as well, yes another 1K. I do approximately 3/4000 miles a year and the servicing equates to £1 for every mile traveled. Speaking to other owners at an event last week their servicing cost ranged from 98p a mile to £1.38 a mile.
In research for an article on Cerbs 2 years ago I found one 4.5 with 80k+ with no work having been completed on the engine and another with around 110k with no work either. Both cars serviced regularly. The former was used initially for long distances (bet that was a real experience) but then mainly as a track day car. The latter as an everyday car.
The chap with the 80k+ knew of other V8s with greater mileage than his.
I've no stats to back it up but my impression, based on anecdotal evidence alone, is that the V8 is a very reliable engine. I discussed reliability with engineers at a dealer - Dream Machines I seem to remember - and they said they knew of no other supercar engine that was so reliable, their words not mine. Both mechanics had worked at dealers for other famous name, and more expensive, sports cars. Mostly slower ones as well. They also pointed out that most of the ancilliaries were very easy to get at and work on as they were located in the V. The oil pressure switch is difficult to get at and one of the mechanics said (as a joke, I think) that it would be cheaper to remove the dash and drill a hole in the bulkhead to get at it! He tried to point it out to me but I couldn't see it. When I said this he said that he'd never seen it either. As an aside, I helped a friend with a Volvo V6 to change his camshafts. A previous owner had cut a hole in the bulkead to allow the offside one to be removed without having to take out the engine. We saw this quite clearly after removing the engine and auto box as a lump. So it's not just TVR!
I've spoken with other mechanics and they all say the V8, especially the 4.5, is reliable. One said that no-one in their right mind would hammer the engine. Full power is not for the feint-hearted.
In talking with Cerb owners, the £3,000 lump is a generally agreed sum. If you don't spend it one year, you should keep it for the next. Whilst this might seem a lot, it is peanuts compared to some supercars. You cannot expect Fiesta costs with that amount of performance. There are few cars that are its equal. Is there any production road car that beats a 4.5 Cerb? Such performance doesn't come with cheap running costs, although the Cerb's is cheaper than most others.
I have no knowledge of the Speed 6 Cerb costs or reliability.
The chap with the 80k+ knew of other V8s with greater mileage than his.
I've no stats to back it up but my impression, based on anecdotal evidence alone, is that the V8 is a very reliable engine. I discussed reliability with engineers at a dealer - Dream Machines I seem to remember - and they said they knew of no other supercar engine that was so reliable, their words not mine. Both mechanics had worked at dealers for other famous name, and more expensive, sports cars. Mostly slower ones as well. They also pointed out that most of the ancilliaries were very easy to get at and work on as they were located in the V. The oil pressure switch is difficult to get at and one of the mechanics said (as a joke, I think) that it would be cheaper to remove the dash and drill a hole in the bulkhead to get at it! He tried to point it out to me but I couldn't see it. When I said this he said that he'd never seen it either. As an aside, I helped a friend with a Volvo V6 to change his camshafts. A previous owner had cut a hole in the bulkead to allow the offside one to be removed without having to take out the engine. We saw this quite clearly after removing the engine and auto box as a lump. So it's not just TVR!
I've spoken with other mechanics and they all say the V8, especially the 4.5, is reliable. One said that no-one in their right mind would hammer the engine. Full power is not for the feint-hearted.
In talking with Cerb owners, the £3,000 lump is a generally agreed sum. If you don't spend it one year, you should keep it for the next. Whilst this might seem a lot, it is peanuts compared to some supercars. You cannot expect Fiesta costs with that amount of performance. There are few cars that are its equal. Is there any production road car that beats a 4.5 Cerb? Such performance doesn't come with cheap running costs, although the Cerb's is cheaper than most others.
I have no knowledge of the Speed 6 Cerb costs or reliability.
One point not covered in my article on Laurence's superb Cerb was the ground clearance. I went looking for photo opportunities and drove to Bosham. On the way out I drove along a poorly repaired road with a couple of humps that were very sharp indeed. I would not have taken my Chim over them but the Cerb dealt with them with no scraping sounds. Remarkable. And the ride was very good as well, certainly the equivalent at least of my early Chim, but without its softness. Fair enough, the seats helped here.
The £3k is in addition to normal servicing costs. Compared to, say, an equivalent Ferrari (although to be fair, equivalent here means a wee bit slower) this is cheap indeed.
The £3k is in addition to normal servicing costs. Compared to, say, an equivalent Ferrari (although to be fair, equivalent here means a wee bit slower) this is cheap indeed.
First Cerb for me cost £13K in repairs and servicing PLUS tyres, fuel and ins in 2 yrs. So £6.5K pa. I used indies to keep the costs down.
Second cerb has cost me almost £3K in a year (albeit about £700 is for new wheels). Although I havent added up the bills so I guess I am probably being generous and it has cost me more. BUT I dont like to have a single niggle and so get everything sorted as soon as poss.
Having been a TVR owner on and off for 9 yrs and having owned 2 cerbs and having contributed to the forums for as long as they have been around I am sure £3K is a sensible allowance. I dont believe many are MUCH less but many are MUCH more. What I dont account for is those who DIY.
If you believe it is easy to run one for less then thats great. Personally I dont believe it.
Second cerb has cost me almost £3K in a year (albeit about £700 is for new wheels). Although I havent added up the bills so I guess I am probably being generous and it has cost me more. BUT I dont like to have a single niggle and so get everything sorted as soon as poss.
Having been a TVR owner on and off for 9 yrs and having owned 2 cerbs and having contributed to the forums for as long as they have been around I am sure £3K is a sensible allowance. I dont believe many are MUCH less but many are MUCH more. What I dont account for is those who DIY.
If you believe it is easy to run one for less then thats great. Personally I dont believe it.
slackalice said:
Oi Derek. I forgot to mention that I have had the Cerb lowered at the same time as having the suspension repaired, yeap Handel's a dream, shame about the exhaust !!!
Just as well I didn't mention it, then. You are a bit of a perfectionist (if you can have degrees of being a perfectionist) so I would assume that your costs could be lower for anyone who didn't want to change his dampers every three weeks. Hell of a car. It was impossible for me to come up with any way of improving it.
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