TVR cerbera...anyone got one/ know anything about them

[n boost]

I am consideing getting a tvr cerbera 4.2 v8. Always wanted one and think they sound the dogs bo"ocks!

I know there not the most reliable car in the world but will be using it as a weekend car/ track car.

So i guess questions are,

 

If anyone has first hand expierence of owning and living with one, how unreliable are they really?

What are the most common problems? please dont say everything as searches on the net have bought up loads of $hite.

Is there any warranty worth getting to cover electrics etc?

What mpg's where u getting? not a big concern but would be nice to know.

Also are they good( reliable on track)?

 

thanks in advance.

[Tones]

Jurgen has or had one, from what i hear theyre cool cars but can be finecky buggers and proper parts aint cheap

[JamieP]

My mate justin had one for a year and he used it everyday, very fast car and his was not to bad, in that year he snapped a drivshaft and had a couple of electrical faults. one being his headlights went out when fast cornering:D

[Daston]

the AJP8 is a lot more reliable than the early speed six engine, electrical faults tend to be the problem. Also dont rule out the 4.0. On paper it may look slower but there is hardly any difference in the real world. You will also find that insurance will be a bit cheaper as A) they are all UK cars and B) hardly any have been modified. Just put some cash into an account for things like servicing (not cheap) and incase anything goes wrong.

 

I was told you need to have £3000 free each year for services and general maintainance

[n boost]

My mate justin had one for a year and he used it everyday, very fast car and his was not to bad, in that year he snapped a drivshaft and had a couple of electrical faults. one being his headlights went out when fast cornering:D

 

Great! I'll keep a torch in the car then!

[n boost]

the AJP8 is a lot more reliable than the early speed six engine, electrical faults tend to be the problem. Also dont rule out the 4.0. On paper it may look slower but there is hardly any difference in the real world. You will also find that insurance will be a bit cheaper as A) they are all UK cars and B) hardly any have been modified. Just put some cash into an account for things like servicing (not cheap) and incase anything goes wrong.

 

I was told you need to have £3000 free each year for services and general maintainance

 

So generally not very reliable then!

[miko_supra]

I think thats the one that had TVR's engine in it. So parts aren't going to be as cheap in this area as the would be for say the chimera which still has the rover lump in it

[UltraFlynn]

A mate of mine had one for a couple of years and he spent about £3000 a year keeping it on the road. I drove it and I didn't like it much. The car tries it's level best to kill you all the time. It's like, grip, grip, grip, SH!T NO GRIP! SPINNING! Arrrrgghhhhhhh!!

[Matt H]

I know i'd prefer a sagaris

[Chris and Alana]

and one of my fav cars but the cerbera is half the price (both being second hand) and the 4.5 cerbera is quicker on paper, no doubt the sagaris would be quicker in the corners making it an overall quicker better car but for the money the cerbera is a beast and I two would love one some day, I just wish they made them slightly better, ABS would be good too

[Daston]

So generally not very reliable then!

 

Like all TVR's (and high performance cars) if its been looked after it will be ok. Its the fact that you need to keep a FSH with TVR thats the expensive bit

[Rayman]

Check out jamesagger motorsport if you want a good one, he charges a premium tho but his reputaion is awesome at selecting the best examples from the dogs. You want one thats been used regular not stored away and used as a weekend thing, they are more reliable when used and serviced /looked after well. Less relible if they are ragged at weekend then left for 3 months.

 

http://www.jamesagger.com/used_cars/stocklistgallery.asp?id=565

 

Engine in the griffith/chimaera is generally more reliable as its the rover v8, id get a nice griff instead or chimaera with the spider alloys and have some money left over for anything that might go wrong.

 

Id have one now but i just cant risk it lol

[Daston]

another one to try is Rob Ingleby (think thats how its spelt) he charges around £500 and will scout the contry for a good un. I will be using him when I get a Tuscan, he found my old man's Griff 500 and a few of the TVR dealers have said its one of the best they have seen

[scooby_doo_do]

I've got a cerbera, Had it since September. Only covered 16,500 miles from new, full tvr service history etc..

 

Servicing costs are expensive (My last service was £2100ish) but it depends where you get it done. I wanted to get mine done properly so it went to tvr stanstead. Never had anything wrong with it, except the window's dropping when you open the door. (beleived to be a faulty door control box). But a local garage would of done it for about £500 at a guess.

 

The car (to tell you the truth) sounds crap inside, only when you open the window's and hear it from the outside will it make you smile.

 

If your use to the way a supra handles then this is a change! no ABS, traction control, etc.. Your right foot controls how daring/stupid your feeling at the time. It's only caught me out once (after driving a vxr for 3 weeks) and i was just lucky to catch it in time before i spun off the roundabout. They are very tail happy - with brand new SO2's it will spin the rear's off the lights at 2k in revs and dropping the clutch - i found this out after driving the evo and moving to the cerbera. (I wouldn't advise doing this as it'll tear your clutch to bits and cost you a fortune)

 

Fantastic cars for a weekend car, definately not a refined everyday car, but more of a hardcore sunday driver.

 

But i'm selling mine now as i'm looking at an Ultima.... :-)

[n boost]

Good to hear from a owner and have a bit to think about. I generally drive my cars hard so need something that will take whatever u throw at it and with the tvr i think track work will be expensive especially if coming back on a recovey truck!