Cerbera - Are they reliable
Discussion
Seen one for sale recently £18k 20,000 miles FSH (dealer), reliablility is the question, what can i expect service wise and general ruuning costs.
Any info appreciated
£18K is sort of right for a tatty '96. Specially from a dealer. I would be a little wary. Private might be OK...
They cost much more to run than Chimaeras and Griffs - not because they're worse on fuel or tax or insurance which is the same (...ish), but because parts are so much more expensive. A gearbox for my Griff cost me a few pints over £400.00, with the Cerbera you could add a zero.
I didn't tell you this but a (blackpool based) birdie recommened it has an engine rebuild every 24K for the V8 - which the one you saw probably is...
I'm not putting you off, hell I'm still serious about running a Tuscan racer next year...
I stuck a grand in the bank for the unexpected on the Griff for the year, seemed about right. I reckon 3-5K for the Cerb. (flame me if you dare...)
The Cerbera is a beautifull car, and very fast: accelerating hard during a test drive made me think it was the same as the Griff - 'till I looked at the speedo...
(at the risk of incriminating myself I thought it would be optimisticaly [sp] around the limit for a dual lane, dual carrageway with central section - I was out by 55MPH 
, not saying which way though 
Make sure you know what is implied by FSH. A shed load of bills for tyres, brakes, exhausts, regular services + fluids etc would probably indicate a reliable runner, a shed load of bills for umpteen electrical problems, clutch, cams, rebores, differential, another clutch after just 5K, means the car has either been driven by an idiot or it's a friday afternoon car (not that TVR would ever let it pass QA...
). You'll drive it - it'll run OK cause the dealer's made it run OK for the test. You'll fall in love with it. You'll glaze over during the paperwork bit...
Running costs - check the Cerbera owners out on this site... If you expect 20 miles to the gallon, it means you used to drive a Metro
I would suggest though that the Cerbera Clique on here would close ranks and say that they were the best car on the planet and didn't leak 'cause they had a roof!!
:devilsadvocate: Look at a few before you decide - to a certain extent, this time of year is the best time to buy. Join the club, talk to folk on here and at your clubs' local meetings (they won't bite), read Sprint for the ads, enjoy...
Jools's site might give you an idea as regardsservicing... he might be on the cheaper side, but knows his sh1t.
Edited to say
WHAT BLOODY TIME IS IT!!! >> Edited by scruffy on Saturday 30th November 03:40
scruffy said:Jools's site might give you an idea as regards servicing...he might be on the cheaper side, but knows his sh1t.
Yeah, but the guy is apparently terribly busy: according to what I read in another thread it seems like one needs to call 3 months before to get an appointment - that really induces calculating the miles when driving your Cerb until the service day!
Thanks for the plugs people, but I have to raise issue with some of your comments .. 4k for a gearbox? .. is it gold plated ??? it's this kind on ill-informed info that knocks residuals. Servicing your cerbera at an independant is cheaper than taking your griff to a dealer. example prices .. (recon) clutches from 400 pounds fitted. (recon) gearbox 700 pounds fitted. engine rebuilds from 1800 pounds fitted .. and no they don't need doing every 24k .. relatively few break, I have a few cars on 60/70k on original engine. Servicing costs from 1k per year, allow extra for consumables like brakes etc but upgrades work out cheaper than std TVR stuff and last longer too.These are prices you can get at a few new independants these days so you don't have to choose me, but many do that's why the wait is long.
Don't let the scaremongers put you off a cerbie.
PS 18k buys you a great 4.2, early cars are fetching closer to 15/16 for good usable, as low as 10k for tatty ones in the trade .. bargain of a lifetime. Do it now before you're too old!!!!
Don't let the scaremongers put you off a cerbie.
PS 18k buys you a great 4.2, early cars are fetching closer to 15/16 for good usable, as low as 10k for tatty ones in the trade .. bargain of a lifetime. Do it now before you're too old!!!!
Well said Jools!, i've had mine 3 months ( not long i know) & had no problems, has 47K on the clock, & is driven every day regardless of weather, traffic etc.
I went for one that was well maintained, had a decent warranty, & a good few miles on it as i felt any problems would have been sorted.
So far so good!
BTW, i thought the gearbox was a cosworth T5, if so nowhere near 4k.
Darren.
I went for one that was well maintained, had a decent warranty, & a good few miles on it as i felt any problems would have been sorted.
So far so good!
BTW, i thought the gearbox was a cosworth T5, if so nowhere near 4k.
Darren.
bobfrance said: Hey Jools,
I'm toying with the Idea of upgrading my 400SE to a Cerb over the next year.
What are they like for getting hold of parts (especially engine bits)are they only available from TVR or are the independant suppliers now?
parts are no problem, only raelly electrical stuff that's tvr specific, everything else you can get aftermarket at better quality and cheaper prices. engine parts may be a problem if you broke a crank or conrod (I've only ever seen one engine do that though).. only common (relative term) engine problem seems to be liners moving and any good engine prep shop can sort that for you no problem.
Gassing Station | Cerbera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff