Vehicle Inspection ???

[PAS]

Is it worth having a vehicle inspection done prior to purchasing a Cerbera Speed Six ??

The deposit I have put down, is subject to a vehicle inspection if I choose to have one done.
Main dealer ... take their word for it, given that there is 12 months warranty included ?

Having spoken to a contact at the factory who asked the service team up there, he recommended an AA inspection.

I would be surprised if your average AA guy know what to look for.

Any recommendations ??

[gazzab]

AA inspection is good for a general inspection of body, elex etc I guess. I dont think they know about TVR engines though. The speed six engine needs to be a careful purchase.

[whatever]

The advice given to me was "Always get an inspection, even if you're buying from a main dealer".

Anecdotally, it might be appropriate to swap the word "especially" for the word "even" in the above advice.

Anyway, I wouldn't waste your mooney on the AA. Find your local specialist (whoever that may be for Warwickshire) and get them to have a look at it.

I'm not saying anything about the S6 engine, per se, but I would definitly get the car looked at.

Also, check the archives here as there's loads of history on what to look for when buying a cerb -- this sort of question comes up quite often.

Good luck!

[759btg]

AA is utterly pointless, a friend of mine had them inspect a Clio for his girlfriend, he was too busy. Everything fine, she bought it, he picked it up. Clutch totally worn out to the point that it could barely be driven. AA denied it was like that and refused any compensation, got the usual "read the small print" answer, basicly the AA inspection is worthless.

[Jarcy]

759btg said: AA is utterly pointless, a friend of mine had them inspect a Clio for his girlfriend, he was too busy. Everything fine, she bought it, he picked it up. Clutch totally worn out to the point that it could barely be driven. AA denied it was like that and refused any compensation, got the usual "read the small print" answer, basicly the AA inspection is worthless.

I second that. Had my Tiv AA inspected, and after my clean bill of health, it cost me £2,600 to get it serviced. The problem is that what to an AA inspector says is 'within acceptable tollerances, and appropriate of a vehicle of this age', is certainly not acceptable for a high performance specialist vehicle. Also if they don't spot something, they'll say that it wasn't apparent at the time of the inspection, or that they couldn't reasonably be expected to spot the fault during their inspection. Too much of your fee is taken up reporting on the obvious stuff, like condition of bodywork, tyres, brake pad wear, interior condition. No mention at all on the condition of the chassis.

I'd have said it was £230 down the drain, if I hadn't managed to claw back £130 in compensation for the one issue that they did admit liability on (leaking diff seals).

[TimS]

Try Rob Ingleby (www.findasportscar.co.uk). He was recommended to me by Joolz and has just had a look at the 4.2 that I hope to pick up next week He certainly seems to know a fair bit about Cerbs.

[DeeGee]

I used Rob Ingleby's services. Straight talking & knowledgeable, however you can only give so much detail and obviously no G/tees that internal/ invisible items are 100%.

I bought privately based upon his inspection & well founded comments; within a week of purchasing I faced a £1200 upgraded clutch replacement caused by a £0.20 slave cylinder hydraulic seal problem in the bellhousing. He isn't psychic!

I'd still recommend his inspection for peace oif mind if your knowledge (like mine) is limited, as any 3rd party W/tee would have provided very limited contribution to my issue