Most unreliable car ???

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Hmm, I considered a Cerbera once. Local chap proceeded to tell me what he had done on his 6 year old Crime-era and that put me off for life!

As a concept? Yes

As a practical suggestion? **** no!

I can safely say the E55 is quicker than the Tuscan was, it's also far more stable at speed, a 4.5 Cerb would probably get the better of an E55 but I wouldn't have thought by much, plus there's not so much worrying about wether you will get there or not in a Mercedes.

It's such a shame because if TVRs had been built better they would have been fantastic, if they had put some thought into practical things when they designed the car, like not having to remove the passanger side wheel to acess the battery or a bonnet that you have to undo bolts and lift off to remove it would have helped alot.
The way owners like their 'foibles' and 'soul' is a bit beyond me when it really equates to leaving you stranded on the hard shoulder more often than you would like.
 
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for me, after 30-ish cars, by no means as bad or unreliable as some of the other stories here - it has to be 203 C200 CDi.

After less than 4 weeks the turbo and 2 injectors went, never had a £1200+ repair on any car in 22 years of owning cars. Still love the car, but always have a horrible nagging feeling that something else will go wrong and cost more mega bucks!
 
I can safely say the E55 is quicker than the Tuscan was, it's also far more stable at speed, a 4.5 Cerb would probably get the better of an E55 but I wouldn't have thought by much, plus there's not so much worrying about wether you will get there or not in a Mercedes.

It's such a shame because if TVRs had been built better they would have been fantastic, if they had put some thought into practical things when they designed the car, like not having to remove the passanger side wheel to acess the battery or a bonnet that you have to undo bolts and lift off to remove it would have helped alot.
The way owners like their 'foibles' and 'soul' is a bit beyond me when it really equates to leaving you stranded on the hard shoulder more often than you would like.

That pretty much sums up my thoughts.

I know on paper the Cerbera, particularly the 450 RR ones, would get the better of an EK (I don't think by a lot) but you would happily pass it again shortly once it was mechanically stuffed at the side of the road (as would anything else it passed earlier).

TVRs are a similar concept as classic cars - you often see them bonnet open at the side of the road on hot days. I saw what looked like a Zephyr broken down yesterday. I couldn't do it. If I wanted one that, I would have to get one which had had the running gear replaced with something more modern. If your penchant is for the classic car with the classic running gear, I think you are going to become well acquainted with grass verges.

I saw a Cerbera V8 (not sure if .2 or .5) take off up the hill where I used to live. Unbelieveable performance which is what drew me towards them.

However now, and in the 9 years since I spoke to that bloke, I've not had any motivation to want one and I still don't!

Little did I know then that that year would be the start in production of the car I now have which is an incredible motor and still does the figures for me 2 months on.
 
That pretty much sums up my thoughts.

I know on paper the Cerbera, particularly the 450 RR ones, would get the better of an EK (I don't think by a lot) but you would happily pass it again shortly once it was mechanically stuffed at the side of the road (as would anything else it passed earlier).

TVRs are a similar concept as classic cars - you often see them bonnet open at the side of the road on hot days. I saw what looked like a Zephyr broken down yesterday. I couldn't do it. If I wanted one that, I would have to get one which had had the running gear replaced with something more modern. If your penchant is for the classic car with the classic running gear, I think you are going to become well acquainted with grass verges.

I saw a Cerbera V8 (not sure if .2 or .5) take off up the hill where I used to live. Unbelieveable performance which is what drew me towards them.

However now, and in the 9 years since I spoke to that bloke, I've not had any motivation to want one and I still don't!

Little did I know then that that year would be the start in production of the car I now have which is an incredible motor and still does the figures for me 2 months on.

Looking at 1/4 mile times for the Cerb 4.5s and E55s they seem pretty similar actually, early to mid 12s and a couple of high 11s:eek:, I've not taken mine on a drag strip yet but could imagine the main problem with it would be initially getting the power down, once an E55 is moving, and that 516 ft/lb of torque able to get to the road without upsetting the computers I wouldn't feel complacent in a Cerbera at all,both cars are good in their own way and have their pros and cons but overall I'm far happier to be in a Mercedes than a TVR.
I think the only way to treat owning a TVR is like having a bike as a weekend toy, use it for that and nothing else and have a decent every day car, otherwise you just can't live with their headaches, or I couldn't anyway.
 
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For me it's a Land Rover Discovery TD5, I had to have the engine rebuilt, gearbox reconditioned (after it caught fire towing a trailer!) endless amounts of sensors and trips back to Land Rover, gear selector, ABS module pump, self leveling suspension valves...........and loads more I can't think of right now! replaced it with a Defender and not had one problem since! (found one of the last of the 300TDI's)
 
Looking at 1/4 mile times for the Cerb 4.5s and E55s they seem pretty similar actually, early to mid 12s and a couple of high 11s:eek:, I've not taken mine on a drag strip yet but could imagine the main problem with it would be initially getting the power down, once an E55 is moving, and that 516 ft/lb of torque able to get to the road without upsetting the computers

Hmm, closer than I thought then. High 11s is incredible.

Around 11 years ago, I used to be very impressed with my M3 Evolution managing either a 13.4 or 13.8 quarter I think it was while all the really quick stuff I could never afford was in the 12s and 11s.

How times have changed!
 
Hmm, closer than I thought then. High 11s is incredible.

Around 11 years ago, I used to be very impressed with my M3 Evolution managing either a 13.4 or 13.8 quarter I think it was while all the really quick stuff I could never afford was in the 12s and 11s.

How times have changed!

I wouldn't have thought high 11s would be normal for either car, an E55 would manage it with pulley change and remap I would have thought, as for a Cerbera, God knows what you do to tune them.

Still like the E36 M3, never owned one but always wanted to.
 
Still like the E36 M3, never owned one but always wanted to.

It was a cracking motor - mine was an immaculate 34,000 mile 1997 Estoril Blue coupe which I bought in 2000. 321BHP with 6 speed getrag. Ex-company car of a pipeline exploration guy who had that plus a 328i Sport for his wife and chauffered 740iL - all paid for by the oil company so my dealer told me. Nice!

The handling was unbelievable given 245 40 17s and LSD were fitted. I pasted a large number of cars in it - all the easy stuff but most notably mid 90s scoobies (they tended to 4 wheel drift on the twisties), a 300ZX (on the M3) and Jaguar XKR (he was pi55ed at that one). Can't remember anything else but there would have been a lot. I can certainly remember overtaking 5 cars in a row on a road towards a customer in Hastings. Unbelievable car.

From the lights, you drop the clutch at around 3,000 rpm and it just dug in and launched.

The only thing I could fault was the appalling sound system (BMW Professional my rse - as an amateur I easily bettered it. Whoever thought plastic speaker boxes were a good idea?).

In fact for a long time I didn't know what happened to it (dead or alive), however recently I was showing someone an example of a car which existed but had dropped off the DVLA vehicle checker and to my surprise - it was back again. It now has the plate it had when I had it again. It's still going...

I owned it for 18 months until I had to buy my own flat and needed the cash - did 25,000 miles in that time using it as a company car. Worked out it cost me £7,000 so that was a bargain - in those days you could claim a lot back with some creative business mile figures and even get back some of the depreciation!

Quite simply the best car I've ever owned and is only matched now by the Merc.
 
It was a cracking motor - mine was an immaculate 34,000 mile 1997 Estoril Blue coupe which I bought in 2000. 321BHP with 6 speed getrag. Ex-company car of a pipeline exploration guy who had that plus a 328i Sport for his wife and chauffered 740iL - all paid for by the oil company so my dealer told me. Nice!

The handling was unbelievable given 245 40 17s and LSD were fitted. I pasted a large number of cars in it - all the easy stuff but most notably mid 90s scoobies (they tended to 4 wheel drift on the twisties), a 300ZX (on the M3) and Jaguar XKR (he was pi55ed at that one). Can't remember anything else but there would have been a lot. I can certainly remember overtaking 5 cars in a row on a road towards a customer in Hastings. Unbelievable car.

From the lights, you drop the clutch at around 3,000 rpm and it just dug in and launched.

The only thing I could fault was the appalling sound system (BMW Professional my rse - as an amateur I easily bettered it. Whoever thought plastic speaker boxes were a good idea?).

In fact for a long time I didn't know what happened to it (dead or alive), however recently I was showing someone an example of a car which existed but had dropped off the DVLA vehicle checker and to my surprise - it was back again. It now has the plate it had when I had it again. It's still going...

I owned it for 18 months until I had to buy my own flat and needed the cash - did 25,000 miles in that time using it as a company car. Worked out it cost me £7,000 so that was a bargain - in those days you could claim a lot back with some creative business mile figures and even get back some of the depreciation!

Quite simply the best car I've ever owned and is only matched now by the Merc.

At the time I really like the Estoril Blue on them, it suited the E36 so well, in a way that it just didn't seem to on the later cars.
 
I certainly have fond memories of the old girl.

Didn't have a digital camera back in those days but this is the jist of it...

Had Michelin Pilot Sport 2s - the chevron design ones. They do the figures!
 
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Looks a really good one:thumb:, probably shouldn't be in the unreliable car thread though, it sounds the opposite.
 
Mine has to be a 1996 MK3 Golf GTI.

It blew two gearboxes to bits, broke down numerous times because of a dogey fuel pump relay(which I only found out about after the 6th breakdown) The crank sensor failed not long after the FPR replacement. The ABS packed in. The wipers failed both front and rear. The rear beam bushes failed. Both front wishbones failed. The electric windows failed as did the central locking oh and the fuel pump gave up the ghost.

Will I ever own another VW? Not on your life !!!
 
Citroen 2CV - Not only was it unreliable, it felt like *I* was going to die every time I drove it - Imagine what the girlfriend was feeling sat next to me!
 

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