im thinkink about buying a tvr.maybe a early cerbera or a rover v8 powered chimaera.are they really as bad as people say.its hard to get a honest veiw.i have owned 3 cossies in my time so im not to worried about getting my hands dirty.any veiw is welcomed

 

my friend owned a 1995 v8 (4.0) chimera for a year

other than the fact it leaked (roof leaked), it was a perfectly reliable car

and it sounded lush

(dont be put off by all the horror stories )

 

Buy Daz's Cerbera of him - Only kidding!

Go for a Griffith 500 mate

Dont expect paintwork to be up to your standards - unless you find one thats had a pukka repaint!

 

just ignore anything Aduz says hes on a one man crusade to put any pf users off buying one

i've got a Chimaera 450 its never let me done, sure servicing is expensive but thats the price u pay for supercar performance at mondeo money

 

Someone Chip and I Know had 3 engines replaced under warranty on his Tuscan S Funny he sold it straight after the last engine was fitted.

 

Pal of mine has had 2 Chimearas, 4 litre and 5 litre and had no bother with either bar a ticking on the 4 litre when it was cold. End of the day they are only a rover v8 so as problematic as any other car with a rover v8 in, plus they are pulling no weight. Early chimearas had cossy brakes and box's in i think.

I had an S2 for a couple of years which was mint fun, although not as quick as the chimearas as only had a cologne V6, sounded mint though. Have thought about a tuscan, but go onto pitonheads gassing station and search for engine rebuild which will put you off within seconds..

 

The guy who used to work for my Dad used to have a Tuscan:


Mint car, but he had a few problems with it (as TVR are apparently renowned for) and eventually sold it due to needing a more practical car.


JILL

 

Do a search on TVR on here,few threads about them

 

yeah thats becuase they are cheap shite simple as

cheers for the mention though

 

summary

old ones (v8) - good fun

new ones (speed six engine) - steer clear

 

My dad has got a Chimeara and has had no problems at all..

 

Check the centre console behind gear lever out

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TVR-290-SPORT-...QQcmdZViewItem

regards mark

 

my mate has a grif 500 (borrowed it a few times) and its been 100% reliable for the last 5 years.

 

thanks for all your comments

 

Most of the above comments are relating to the cars fitted with the Rover v8,sounds like they are pretty good

Just be carefull of early 4.2 Cerberas,they have a tendancy for the crank to snap even when the engine is at idle speed some have snapped
There was a fault in the casting of the cranks apparently

My bruv in laws went doing about 70mph,snapped the crank,camshafts and cracked the block.Cost him Ł6000 for it to be rebuilt to 4.5 spec at Austec.Alot of parts have to be custom made for the AJP engine in the Cerb.
Piston heads Forums are a good place to use for info.

 

Check out the Pistonheads Forum......there's a big TVR following on there and you'll see all of your questions have been asked before and you'll see answers from genuine owners, not TVR haters.

I love them, and when I sold the Cosworth, three cars were on my shortlist and my price range (Ł17 - Ł18k)......TVR Cerbera or Tuscan, Renault Clio V6, and BMW M5.

I know they're all very different cars, but I wanted something that I could be enthusiastic about, reliable (Relatively Speaking) and quick. I came to the following decisions from both driving all of the cars, and spending alot of time browsing web sites and asking questions....

TVR Cerbera : For value for money performance....Unbeatable Shape and Body Styling.... Gorgeous. But it was very noisy inside and I don't think I would have been able to do long journey's in it without feeling totally worn out at the end of the drive. Fun Factor and Street Cred.....Unbeatable, they certainly draw attention and for all the right reasons. Build Quality was questionable, I looked at three and all showed signs of having leaked at some time or another (Damp/Stained Carpets in footwells). Electrics and wiring didn't look good at all, infact it looked like they'd been done by an amature, and didn't look like they would like the wet (Lots of poor/cheap connections). Engine : Always feared the availability of spares in the long term, and of course the costs. Spares are already hard to get hold of, and buying second hand parts are expensive and hard to find. 4.5 Engine appears to have had all the problems that the 4.2 had, ironed out and sorted. Suspension is very " Crash Bang " at the slightest hint of a bad road surface, and alot of owners upgrade to better shock/spring (" Triton" is the name they use.....if memory serves me right). Always carry a tool kit with you.....

TVR Tuscan : Much better built car, awesome looks, more refined (Slightly) than the Cerbera, but not as quick. Apart from the Engine, a better car all around. Enigine suffers from advanced wear on the cam and followers (Design Fault/Material Fault)...... Engines built from 2004 used a slightly different design cam and followers. Engines prior to 2004....rarely managed more than 20k....without needing modifying/rebuilding. TVR Power did a re-design in 2004, which appears to have cured the problem, and all re-built engines now have a 3 year warranty on them, and very few have had problems since being re-built to the new design (Modified Cam, Followers and Valve Components). Still not as fast as a Cerbera though. But a better car once the mods have been carried out. DON'T BUY A PRE 2004 CAR UNLESS IT'S HAD A TOP END REBUILD BY ONE OF THE TVR SPECIALIST.

Renault Clio V6. A real motorsport enthusiasts car.....with everything in the right place. Just didn't feel like it had 255bhp......seemed to run out of puff at 100mph. Need's turbo charging or supercharging. Personally I think this car will be very collectable in the near future.

BMW M5.......What can I say... I bought One.

If your looking for a fast toy, and enjoy track days.....The TVR is the obvious choice, but be prepared to do alot of spanner wrenching yourself to keep it all together, and save your wallet some pain.

If you need something for daily commuting or long journeys.....then it's not the best choice.

PERFORMANCE :

Cerbera felt as quick as my 428bhp Cosworth. (Very Quick)

Tuscan felt very close, but definately not as quick as the Cerbera

Renault V6.....Just didn't feel or produce like the 255bhp I expected, bearing in mind it's a small and light car. Expected More.

M5 ..... A very happy medium.....About the same as a good stage 3 cossie, but refined, reliable and great sleeper.

 

thanks

 

A cerbera is great fun but they dont have any door locks

 

Yes ive owned one, not prepared to say yah or nay to how good it was, its a personal thing, but I went to a Lotus after & never considered a TVR again, but owned 3 Loti.
This was sometime ago so maybe they are better now.