cerb and tuscan eliability
Discussion
For many a year I have had the itch to own one of the above and I think its about time I took the plunge but the thing that has always kept me from doing it was the reliability of the tvr.
To anyone who owns either model would it be possible could you let me know over the last 12 months how
A) how many times the car has broke down
B) how many miles you have covered
C) what was the cost to get it back on the road (if you would like to openly state it, if not please send me a private message)
I understand and appreciate it is one of the joys of ownership but you hear all the horror stories and would like to get a hands on opinion.
I have seen a couple I like which state rebuilds in 2006-2007 now how reliable are they since the rebuild if serviced correctly, will they let go again, is there a lifespan on these engines etc as I would prefer to buy one with a rebuild for peace of mind but if it makes no real difference then it opens the door to more for sale.
One other thing would it be worth buying from a dealer like racing green with a 12 month warranty or buy private and the money saved held back for repair bills
Thanks in advance
Steve
To anyone who owns either model would it be possible could you let me know over the last 12 months how
A) how many times the car has broke down
B) how many miles you have covered
C) what was the cost to get it back on the road (if you would like to openly state it, if not please send me a private message)
I understand and appreciate it is one of the joys of ownership but you hear all the horror stories and would like to get a hands on opinion.
I have seen a couple I like which state rebuilds in 2006-2007 now how reliable are they since the rebuild if serviced correctly, will they let go again, is there a lifespan on these engines etc as I would prefer to buy one with a rebuild for peace of mind but if it makes no real difference then it opens the door to more for sale.
One other thing would it be worth buying from a dealer like racing green with a 12 month warranty or buy private and the money saved held back for repair bills
Thanks in advance
Steve
stevie1982 said:
A) how many times the car has broke down
B) how many miles you have covered
C) what was the cost to get it back on the road (if you would like to openly state it, if not please send me a private message)
I've no doubt you've already guessed this bit, but you're going to get an array of answers along the lines of the following.B) how many miles you have covered
C) what was the cost to get it back on the road (if you would like to openly state it, if not please send me a private message)
A) 0 to 5 times
B) 100 to 30,000
C) £0 to £10,000
Are you solely looking at the Speed Six or are you also open to the idea of the AJP V8 in the Cerbera?
Anyway, not much help from me here but my initial 2 weeks of ownership are as follows...
Breakdowns - 0 (exhaust silencers dropped off but that was caused by an overenthusiastic family member on a bumpy road!)
Miles covered - 500 @ 16mpg.
Costs - £150 (exhaust silencers refabricating, otherwise no costs).
Anyway, not much help from me here but my initial 2 weeks of ownership are as follows...
Breakdowns - 0 (exhaust silencers dropped off but that was caused by an overenthusiastic family member on a bumpy road!)
Miles covered - 500 @ 16mpg.
Costs - £150 (exhaust silencers refabricating, otherwise no costs).
In 10 years of almost full time TVR ownership (4.0 Chim, 4.5 Chim, Tuscan S)...
A) Twice (100A fuse on Chim - 5 min fix at roadside, clutch slave cylinder seals on Tuscan - was on way to have them changed, 6k miles after being warned they were "about to go" and 10k miles after I first noted the odd problem)
B) about 70k, 40k of them in the Tuscan
C) £thousands
This year I've done about 4k in my Tuscan, and it has cost me nothing other than two new boots, although I am due a service.
A) Twice (100A fuse on Chim - 5 min fix at roadside, clutch slave cylinder seals on Tuscan - was on way to have them changed, 6k miles after being warned they were "about to go" and 10k miles after I first noted the odd problem)
B) about 70k, 40k of them in the Tuscan
C) £thousands
This year I've done about 4k in my Tuscan, and it has cost me nothing other than two new boots, although I am due a service.
Stevie - what cars have you owned? Might be easier to compare.
Also, what big bills have your cars given you?
TVRs are not cheap to own, but they're not expensive either when you compare with other exotics and take depreciation into account! Drive one, if you get TVRs then the numbers will suddenly become less relevant.
Also, what big bills have your cars given you?
TVRs are not cheap to own, but they're not expensive either when you compare with other exotics and take depreciation into account! Drive one, if you get TVRs then the numbers will suddenly become less relevant.
A) break downs - 4 TVRs over 13 years = approx 4 breakdowns (2 due to tyres).
B) how many miles - 40K ish I guess but I am not counting.
C) costs - Fixing breakdowns isnt that relevant IMHO, its about running costs - my annual running costs (fixes, upgrades and servicing) have ranged from £2K to £10K pa.
B) how many miles - 40K ish I guess but I am not counting.
C) costs - Fixing breakdowns isnt that relevant IMHO, its about running costs - my annual running costs (fixes, upgrades and servicing) have ranged from £2K to £10K pa.
My Cerb has stranded me a couple of times (*tries not to tempt fate*) - clutch master, clutch slave.
I've done probably 20k miles in 5 years. Maintenance is the big one though - this year cost me about 1500 quid, last year about the same, the year before that was more like 5 grand...
I treat my car as a hobby and it's great fun! But I try not to rely on it as such (I have German engineering for that) and I don't expect a 400bhp, 195mph deafening beast of a car to be cheap. That way my Cerb and I have a generally love/love relationship
I've done probably 20k miles in 5 years. Maintenance is the big one though - this year cost me about 1500 quid, last year about the same, the year before that was more like 5 grand...
I treat my car as a hobby and it's great fun! But I try not to rely on it as such (I have German engineering for that) and I don't expect a 400bhp, 195mph deafening beast of a car to be cheap. That way my Cerb and I have a generally love/love relationship
In a Tuscan Mk1 with no rebuild, 30,000 miles;
A) how many times the car has broke down - None
B) how many miles you have covered - About 3-5000 per year
C) what was the cost to get it back on the road (if you would like to openly state it, if not please send me a private message)N/A
Previously owned two other TVRs, a S3 and a Griff. One breakdown as the immobiliser failed so not actually the car.
Don't be fobbed off by people going on about rebuilds as they are not always necessary as with any other car. A lot of the rebuild stuff is to hike prices to recover costs for rebuilt engines IMO.
TVR sadly have a reputation they cannot shake off, a bit like Skoda prior to the VW takeover.
A) how many times the car has broke down - None
B) how many miles you have covered - About 3-5000 per year
C) what was the cost to get it back on the road (if you would like to openly state it, if not please send me a private message)N/A
Previously owned two other TVRs, a S3 and a Griff. One breakdown as the immobiliser failed so not actually the car.
Don't be fobbed off by people going on about rebuilds as they are not always necessary as with any other car. A lot of the rebuild stuff is to hike prices to recover costs for rebuilt engines IMO.
TVR sadly have a reputation they cannot shake off, a bit like Skoda prior to the VW takeover.
I owned a Tuscan 1 for about 18 months. It was on the original engine and had covered about 32000 miles when I sold it. The new buyer had an engine inspection and it declared to be in great condition. The general accepted theory is that if the engine gets to 24000, then it will be good for a lot more, however, most early speed sixes will need a rebuild at some point.....but as to when, is a varied topic. The rebuilt ones are generally better, if done by a reputable company. As for reliabilty, it only let me down a couple of times and both were electrical gremlins......failed boot release, flat battery etc.
I then had a Cerb (4.5). The AJP V8 is generally accepted as a more long lasting engine. Again it let me down a few times and again always down to electrical gremlins. I think it was an open circuit in the alternator causing a constsnt battery drain. This caused the alarm to go off whilst i was out at work (the neighbours loved it) It also went flat overnight whilst I was staying in a hotel (visiting Chatsworth) - very frustrating... The cerb had 60 odd thousand miles and needed front outriggers replacing, which I did prior to selling it.
I now have a nice low mileage Tamora and apart from an intermittant fault on the display pod, I love it. Although I am allowing for a rebuild if I keep it long enough. You should always budget for a new clutch assembly at around 24000 miles, but once again, I hear that replacements are generally longer lasting.
I then had a Cerb (4.5). The AJP V8 is generally accepted as a more long lasting engine. Again it let me down a few times and again always down to electrical gremlins. I think it was an open circuit in the alternator causing a constsnt battery drain. This caused the alarm to go off whilst i was out at work (the neighbours loved it)
It also went flat overnight whilst I was staying in a hotel (visiting Chatsworth) - very frustrating... The cerb had 60 odd thousand miles and needed front outriggers replacing, which I did prior to selling it.I now have a nice low mileage Tamora and apart from an intermittant fault on the display pod, I love it. Although I am allowing for a rebuild if I keep it long enough. You should always budget for a new clutch assembly at around 24000 miles, but once again, I hear that replacements are generally longer lasting.
I've had my Cerbera 4.5 for over 6 years now, I've done about 25k miles and it's let me down twice:
(1) Blow out front tyre - way too far gone for foam to help!! Repair costs were a new tyre so about £150!
(2) Big fuse went after a track day and stranded me in the contraflow of the M1 in the dark, with no lights!! A bit scary!! Cost to repair, about 99p and 5 minutes!
But be under no illusion, they are more expensive to maintain properly if, like me, you rely on the garage to do it!!
Happy hunting!
Rob
(1) Blow out front tyre - way too far gone for foam to help!! Repair costs were a new tyre so about £150!
(2) Big fuse went after a track day and stranded me in the contraflow of the M1 in the dark, with no lights!! A bit scary!! Cost to repair, about 99p and 5 minutes!
But be under no illusion, they are more expensive to maintain properly if, like me, you rely on the garage to do it!!
Happy hunting!
Rob
Not a Cerb or a Tuscan but my S2 hasn't really been any more unreliable than any of my other cars. It was run for a year before restoration, off road for 4 years then a year after restoration. It's been a daily car both times and probably covered 10k miles per year. There are niggles but nothing serious, it's not left me stranded apart from a minor overheating problem that was my fault.
They do require maintenance though, it's not like a Golf or a Micra where you can skimp on the looking after it and hope that all will be well but with regular care and attention you shouldn't have any major problems. The only thing mine suffered from that none of my other cars would was a rusty chassis but that's par for the course with a Tiv. Just make sure you check underneath and make sure it's all solid.
They do require maintenance though, it's not like a Golf or a Micra where you can skimp on the looking after it and hope that all will be well but with regular care and attention you shouldn't have any major problems. The only thing mine suffered from that none of my other cars would was a rusty chassis but that's par for the course with a Tiv. Just make sure you check underneath and make sure it's all solid.
Had a 4.2 Cerb for two years, Tuscan Mk1 for almost a year now. Both proved remarkably reliable with only minor niggles, as follows.
Cerb. Front wheel bearing play, £100.
Coolant hose blew, AA callout, repaired at roadside.
Front tyre/wheel trashed on pothole. £125, and £140 respectively.
Would sometimes indicate left at the same time as full beam operated.
Drivers window would not operate if lights on!!! never got to bottom of that.
Car sold for £500 more than I paid for it, so other than service costs etc.
Car owed me nothing
Tuscan.Bought September last year, first service since 1000m rebuild service, carried out in January, just done 875m round trip to silverstone trouble free. Have previously had two minor niggles.
1. Boot release intermittant, removed switch cleaned with contact cleaner ok since.
2.Right hand indicators all lit, after operating imobiliser. Removed relevant fuse
replaced, been ok ever since.
On the whole both cars were excellent,I may have been lucky, others have had more than their fare share of problems, most threads on here are usually regarding niggles etc. with owners looking for advice, which tends to give a slightly biased view regards reliability.
Go in with eyes wide open, look for a well looked after car,expect a few niggles, and enjoy.
Sorry mileage, forgot.
Cerb. did about 4000 in the two years.
Tusc. Done 2500 so far.
Cerb. Front wheel bearing play, £100.
Coolant hose blew, AA callout, repaired at roadside.
Front tyre/wheel trashed on pothole. £125, and £140 respectively.
Would sometimes indicate left at the same time as full beam operated.
Drivers window would not operate if lights on!!! never got to bottom of that.
Car sold for £500 more than I paid for it, so other than service costs etc.
Car owed me nothing
Tuscan.Bought September last year, first service since 1000m rebuild service, carried out in January, just done 875m round trip to silverstone trouble free. Have previously had two minor niggles.
1. Boot release intermittant, removed switch cleaned with contact cleaner ok since.
2.Right hand indicators all lit, after operating imobiliser. Removed relevant fuse
replaced, been ok ever since.
On the whole both cars were excellent,I may have been lucky, others have had more than their fare share of problems, most threads on here are usually regarding niggles etc. with owners looking for advice, which tends to give a slightly biased view regards reliability.
Go in with eyes wide open, look for a well looked after car,expect a few niggles, and enjoy.
Sorry mileage, forgot.
Cerb. did about 4000 in the two years.
Tusc. Done 2500 so far.
Ok thanks for all the replies. My car back ground dare I say it has been a majority of imprezas from standard to a roger Clark motors built 500bhp sti 5. I appreciate repair costs and can suffer that some what due to the passion for cars etc.
So most have mentioned the servicing cost being the big thing. The impreza is actually not that expensive to service so what are we looking at on the tvr front.
How often and what costs can be expected?
So most have mentioned the servicing cost being the big thing. The impreza is actually not that expensive to service so what are we looking at on the tvr front.
How often and what costs can be expected?
Decide on the model you are interested in and do some searching on here.
Annual running costs for servicing and repairs average in the £2K to £4K bracket I would say BUT can vary wildly (ie go well over the averages) depending on how much you can do yourself, the age of the car, the condition/history of what you buy, luck, model, mechanical sympathy, how bothered you are about niggles/perfection..... If you can afford 2 or 3K pa to service and maintain then go for it. If you cant then start running.
Annual running costs for servicing and repairs average in the £2K to £4K bracket I would say BUT can vary wildly (ie go well over the averages) depending on how much you can do yourself, the age of the car, the condition/history of what you buy, luck, model, mechanical sympathy, how bothered you are about niggles/perfection..... If you can afford 2 or 3K pa to service and maintain then go for it. If you cant then start running.
Not owned either but do have a T350 so similar costs to a Tuscan.
My first TVR was a Chimaera, running costs over 5 years and 40k are detailed in on my cars blog in my profile. I only had 2 breakdowns due to a 50p 100amp fuse blowing and also snapping a clutch fork in Switzerland.
My current T350 I've had 1 breakdown due to a faulty alternator, cost to get going again nil as it was a new alternator and replaced under warranty.
Average servicing is between 2 & 3k a year. I've owned her nearly 3 years and done 16000 miles.
Shes currently in for a 6k service, gearbox rebuild and an electrical fault. Total bill for this one will be nearly £1700.
Beginning of last year was a 12k service, clutch and master & slave, cost corca £1800. Most costs on top of a service are niggles and upgrades (suspension, exhaust, ally rad etc) and also consumables such as engine mounts, gaskets and bushes.
Just do your homework and look around. A cheap car may be a bargain initially but may cost loads more to put right.
My first TVR was a Chimaera, running costs over 5 years and 40k are detailed in on my cars blog in my profile. I only had 2 breakdowns due to a 50p 100amp fuse blowing and also snapping a clutch fork in Switzerland.
My current T350 I've had 1 breakdown due to a faulty alternator, cost to get going again nil as it was a new alternator and replaced under warranty.
Average servicing is between 2 & 3k a year. I've owned her nearly 3 years and done 16000 miles.
Shes currently in for a 6k service, gearbox rebuild and an electrical fault. Total bill for this one will be nearly £1700.
Beginning of last year was a 12k service, clutch and master & slave, cost corca £1800. Most costs on top of a service are niggles and upgrades (suspension, exhaust, ally rad etc) and also consumables such as engine mounts, gaskets and bushes.
Just do your homework and look around. A cheap car may be a bargain initially but may cost loads more to put right.
I hardly think tyre blow-outs or exhausts getting knocked off can be categorised as 'reliability' issues.
Even clutch and brake replacements surely are consumables, and are often less costly than the same work carried out on a similar class and performance of car.
If a hose goes on my TVR, who's fault is that...TVR's ?
Even clutch and brake replacements surely are consumables, and are often less costly than the same work carried out on a similar class and performance of car.
If a hose goes on my TVR, who's fault is that...TVR's ?
Edited by grahamw48 on Wednesday 13th July 14:20
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