Are they really that unreliable ?

[chrisw]

As a prospective Cerby owner I have been scouring the adds for an early 4.2 (can't afford anything newer)
I have read about various faults on this site and would expect some niggles but I have seen cars advertised with rebuilt top or bottom ends - or even rebuilt completely at small mileages. Saw one advertised with a new clutch at 37k ?
Is this sort of major work normal or a result of abuse ? I am stretching things (££) a bit to buy one in the first place (I shouldn't really but ........) and don't want to face major expense like engine rebuilds.

Many thanks for any replies.
Chris.

[AndyTather]

>>Are they really that unreliable ??

Yep, they can be. Having some spare cash can come in handy to sort out problems that present themselves well after purchase, inspection etc. As you find on this site Cerbera's chew starter motors for no reason, ECU's go up in smoke and leaks of coolant,oil and water appear etc. Having a spare car is very handy for all the time off the road being fixed

But don't let that put you off, when they go, boy !!! do they go Nothing compares to the speed, looks and that noise !!!

[joospeed]

If I was being honest with you chris I'd say don't buy one. Many cars are reliable, but 37k miles for a clutch is a good one. Don't expect to run a cerbie on a shoestring budget, you'll quickly come unstuck and you'll be dissatisfied with TVRs in general and be sobbing on our shoulders in a few months time. You can minimise risk by buying the right car in the first place but I still reckon 1500 pounds a year is the minimum you should budget for to keep an early car going, later cars are much better of course but also more expensive in the first place. servicing can be as little as 500 pounds per year especially if you're prepared to get your own hands dirty, but you've only got to have a set of tyres and brake discs / pads extra to completely blow your yearly allowance. BUT having said that, get the right car, treat it with respect and don't skimp on getting faults fixed and you'll have a permanent smile a mile wide... the cerbie really is that good ! Maybe you should consider something like a griff500 though? .. they look great, are more reliable than the cerbie in most cases (plus are cheaper to repair if they do go wrong) and have more than enough performance in normal driving, only on a fast track would you notice it lacking compared to the ajp engined monster.

>> Edited by joospeed on Thursday 22 August 08:12

[grantberkeley]

A friend of mine has a Cerby 4.5 - he sat down and did the figures . . . . overall it has cost £1.50 per mile to run.

HTH

Grant

[granville]

Hi Chris,
I'd have to agree with JooSpeed; if you don't want a headache then in my experience, the Griff makes a lot more sense reliability-wise: it's a Chimera with attitude and in most contexts, the Griff is on a par with a Rapier missile for fast and explosive savagery.
Do something nasty with the exhaust system and they'll hear you coming 3 counties away...

[Rosso Paul]

I've had a Cerb and a Griff. Fantastic fun in the Cerb and I never tired of its looks and performance, but I always had nagging doubts about reliability. Never let me down in a big way, but plenty of niggles and was backwards and fowards being fixed. I'll stick with the Griff.

Paul

[Peter]

Must go with the general consensus here...I've covered 7000 miles trouble free in a Chim 4.0 and 24000 "eventful" miles in a Speed6 Cerbera. Nothing Can match the Cerbera for performance/thrills/sounds but in my experience they need constant - especially the SP6 - attention and you're never far from the dealer.I'm sure I had my own coffee cup at the dealers! Also, to keep them in tip-top condition through authorised dealers for warranty/FTVRSH is very,very expensive.So much so that I sold-up and got a Z3M coupe instead.If I were you I'd stick with the proven Rover V8.

[anonymous-user]

I'd agree with that as well.... I always have a TVR "slush fund" of around £2,000 in case of faults (of which I've had a few - see profile!).

Had engine rebuild at 16k miles and new clutch at 18k

Running costs are around £1.60 a mile !

Saying that... last 6 months I've had no problems at all and I've very nearly forgiven the car for the nightmares it caused me when I first bought it.

Good luck if you buy one, but make sure you have some extra cash lying around in case of problems.

[Graham]

IF you Baulking at the thought of a clutch at 37k miles then are you sure you dont want a volvo?

On any car of this type then id have expected a clutch between 25-50k as a matter of course ( just changed a very worn one on my chim at 40k


I dont think reliability is really your issue, it sounds like day to day running costs might be a problem ( which if not done will lead to a very unreliable car).

I'd have thought 1500 quid to run a cerb on basic maint was too low, i budget 1500-2000 quid on a 8-12k pa Chimaera...
in 3 years and 30k miles i've had a wiper motor,speedo sender and a water pump pack up. everything else is basic maint tyres ect..

id have thought double joolz's figure to 3k to run the car and if you can afford that buy one if not consider a griff or a chim

cheers
hope that helps
G

[G7TVR]

Yes, go with Graham there on a higher budget - more than 3K being realistic. My '97 4.2 just cost me about 6K so far this year (including a top end rebuild at 28,500 miles).
But this month I will have finished paying off the car so it's all mine. And that means I'll be able to save £500 quid a month to go towards next years running costs. I stupidly decided this time last year not to get a warranty 'cos I wanted to fit a sports exhaust and adjustable shocks! At least I got my moneys worth out of the warranty when the engine needed rebuilt at 8,000 miles (due to slipped timing chain).
But ask me if I have any regrets after 3 years of ownership - none at all - I can't think of anything better to spend my hard earned money on! It's as bad as having a mistress when it comes to trying to hide the costs from the wife though .

[chrisw]

Well, all I can say guys, is thanks for your honesty. I will probably put the Cerbera dream on hold for a while. I would love a Griff or a Chimaera but I really need more than two seats as my wife and 6 year old son would like to enjoy the experience as well. I am looking for something (with more than 2 seats) that will put a permanent smile on my face when I drive it and I thought the Cerbera fitted the bill - but not at the moment with those running/repair costs.

Thanks again for your comments,
Chris.

[Thom]

quote:especially if you're prepared to get your own hands dirty

To which extent can one work on the engine without breaking the factory warranty?

>> Edited by Thom on Saturday 24th August 10:12

[Steve Williams]

Hi Chris,

I bought a 1996 4.2 Cerbera in Dec 2001 with 29K miles. Engine had been rebiult under warranty once already @ 10K. So far it has cost me a massive £3.5k for 30,000 service + putting things right at main dealer, and now a complete engine rebuild at TVR with new heads, big ends etc due to previous owner running car low on oil - cost £6k +
My advice is to spend as much as you can on a newer car and have it inspected if private sale.
However, still love the car but must run engine in below 3000 rpm for 600 miles !

Good luck,
Steve Williams

[waddler]

I bought a 99 speed six a couple of months ago with the help of Rob Ingleby. Car had no major faults but needed a 24,000 service, 3 new tyres, valve clearances and a few minor bits and bobs

This cost 1,500 at TVR dealer.

I guess based on this you are looking at 1,500 a year (depending on milage) plus a slush fund for any major work to be done.

Also, if you buy a car less than 3 years old with FSH you can purchase a spirit warranty from a TVR dealer. This costs 700 a year but should help cover major costs should things go badly wrong.

[R6CKT]

I also bought a yellow 99 cerbie sp6 brand new. With in one year the warranty had covered 3 engines 2 gear box's and a rear diff to name but a few bits.
Thank goodness I had it via a leasing company as my company car.
In total they worked out it had £24,000 spent on it in the first year strangely enought they got me something else instead a 4.5L
I am sure my old sp6 is still arround hope no one on here has it !!!!!

[gizmouk]

I bought an R reg 4.2 18 months ago with 14K miles on it. It's cost me about £2.5K to keep going over that time - exhaust back box, clutch master cylinder, front springs and dampers, new battery. Plus of course huge insurance and around 18 mpg if you're lucky. I love it, but you do need to have a good overdraft facility !

Chris K R225 NWT Red 4.2

[mwilson]

On the subject of warranties paying for the larger things such as engine rebuilds, does anyone know if the spirit warranty (claims up to retail value) will pay for a speed six engine rebuild, or do they consider this to be wear and tear. I was hoping that by taking out the warranty, I would avoid having to pay for such things.

[gazzab]

My warranty didnt pay anything towards my 4.5 engine rebuild.

[anonymous-user]

The Sprint Warrenty I had wouldn't pay anything towards my engine rebuild.

Think that there's a thread on here somewhere about the nightmare I had with mine.

[chrisw]

Having read the various replies to my original post - most of which make very expensive reading - I think I will look for a 911. I know it's not a Cerbera, or as quick, but it looks good, has nearly 4 seats and a rebuilt engine or gearbox might hopefully last more than a few thousand miles.

Thanks for your previous comments.

Chris.