Are they many owners who use theirs everyday?
Discussion
Hi,
Just wondering if there are many forum users who use their Caterham every day and what sort of trim they have fitted for this purpose?
Do they need extra corrosion treatment?
Are they drivable in the snow like what we have just had?
How efficient are the heaters?
For those that have used them every day what experiences/ guidance can you share?
Thanks in advance
Ross
Just wondering if there are many forum users who use their Caterham every day and what sort of trim they have fitted for this purpose?
Do they need extra corrosion treatment?
Are they drivable in the snow like what we have just had?
How efficient are the heaters?
For those that have used them every day what experiences/ guidance can you share?
Thanks in advance
Ross
I have used mine everyday and currently do again. It's more of an attitude you need to adopt than any specific modifications - in the middle of winter it can be pretty unpleasant when you're tired. I find thinking of it as a very practical motorbike rather than an impractical car helps
The heated screen is very useful. The car's heater itself is a bit rubbish - you get warm knees but anything above the bottom of the dash stays fairly cold. Maintenance wise, I had one of the notorious 1997 poor chassis powdercoating cars which deteriorated quite a lot over the first few years I had it (parked on the street, driven in all weather) and resulted in a complete rebuild after a while. This can be minimised by using products like POR15 to stop any rust spreading and by ensuring you often clean the well-known grot-traps like between the sideskins and footwells.
Driving it in winter can be a bit of a pain - low sun, lots of spray on the roads, lots of dazzling headlights. On slippery roads even the mere 115bhp my car started with was plenty and it's easy to get the back end sliding about. On ice and snow the low weight and rear wheel drive mean the car is pretty useless - lots of fun but not the most practical as grip can be an issue. With the new 160bhp engine I have to be very careful with the right foot
Cheers,
Ewen.
I use it as a daily. I changed the tires for Vredestein Snowtrac 3. Glad I made the decision last week as I have no problems through snow and ice. I do use the doors now as it can be very cold on the motorway otherwise. I have my ski pants in a bag for when it's getting too cold. The heater doesn't seem to work well enough now. 
I'm considering to give the full hood a try, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get the bootcover back on until winter is over.
I'm considering to give the full hood a try, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get the bootcover back on until winter is over.
Depends on your commute I'd say (and parking at work).
I'd be very reluctant to do it in this weather whatever the situation, but if I had a nice quiet A/B road commute with a secure car park (preferably indoors/underground!) then I'd be very tempted for the rest of the year.
You would still have to be something of a masochist to do it without a sensible car as backup. The other thing to bear in mind is that, if it was your only car, luggage space is a bit limited. You'd struggle to take a large suitcase to the airport or transport a Christmas tree (I won't use my usual mountain bike example, because I know it'll be disproven!)
I'd be very reluctant to do it in this weather whatever the situation, but if I had a nice quiet A/B road commute with a secure car park (preferably indoors/underground!) then I'd be very tempted for the rest of the year.
You would still have to be something of a masochist to do it without a sensible car as backup. The other thing to bear in mind is that, if it was your only car, luggage space is a bit limited. You'd struggle to take a large suitcase to the airport or transport a Christmas tree (I won't use my usual mountain bike example, because I know it'll be disproven!)
I ran a couple full time and I was driving around the country to customers too. It was a few years ago. The first car (96 car) basically rotted away and ended up being re-chassied and bodied. The second didn't do a winter before I saw sense! As I had to turn up at customers wearing a suit, I had to go with the top on a lot which was hateful.
Also dark winter wet drives home for 3 or 4 hours were a killer.
Bert
Also dark winter wet drives home for 3 or 4 hours were a killer.
Bert
BertBert said:
The first car (96 car) basically rotted away and ended up being re-chassied and bodied.
I was just reflecting on the fact that somehow they manage to put enough salt on the roads to eat away at people's chassis, but not enough to actually prevent accidents, gridlock and general mayhem at the first sight of snow. That must be quite a skilled balance.Chris71 said:
BertBert said:
The first car (96 car) basically rotted away and ended up being re-chassied and bodied.
I was just reflecting on the fact that somehow they manage to put enough salt on the roads to eat away at people's chassis, but not enough to actually prevent accidents, gridlock and general mayhem at the first sight of snow. That must be quite a skilled balance.
Ross_328i_sport said:
When you say the chassis rotted away how long had you owned the car?
I owned the car for 12 months (from about 6 months old) and did 18k miles. Then I sold it and the new owner did the same. He saw a bubble in the paint and poked his finger through. It went back to Caterham who started de-panelling. It was clear that it was in very bad condition. So they bought it, re-chassied it and sold it. It's happily going strong now and belongs to a blatchatter.Bert
I use mine everyday. I keep the windows on when it's raining. The hood just goes up when it's pouring. I park it on the street, but cover it when it rains. Ocasionally people lift the cover to take a look at the car, which can be annoying, but only happened a few times in the past 3 months. I park it everywhere I need, street, mall lots, whatever. I used to own an exige which stayed in the garage and only went out on weekends, but I don't like garage queens, so sold it to get the seven to use daily.
I live in Portugal, so no snow and mostly only moderate rain.
I can do my weekly groceries in the caterham for a family of three, and I do.
I live in Portugal, so no snow and mostly only moderate rain.
I can do my weekly groceries in the caterham for a family of three, and I do.
I did for a couple of years a good while ago - perhaps it's a phase you go through...
I was lucky in that I drove from ventilated garage to underground car park so the car was never out in all winds and weathers when I came to get into it.
Waxoyl is great stuff - use compressor and spray to get it to all the vulnerable areas - esp the pedal box / sideskin area.
I was lucky in that I drove from ventilated garage to underground car park so the car was never out in all winds and weathers when I came to get into it.
Waxoyl is great stuff - use compressor and spray to get it to all the vulnerable areas - esp the pedal box / sideskin area.
I did for about 2 years a few years back and it was a joy. I had a heated screen and heater which made the winters more pleasurable. It was kept outside, driven in all weathers including snow and ice and it never failed to get me where I was going. It didn't leak and wasn't drafty (spelling? LOL). I got the shopping in and once a TV, video/DVD combi unit and a CD/speaker system. You'd be surprised just how practical they can be. Do it!!!!!
It was chuffing cold this morning! The car originally refused to start but after a bit of persuasion it fired up with a very large bang as the unburnt fuel ignited
Not too much ice as long as I stay on the main roads but even with the roof on and heater going it's still damn cold for a good few miles.
Not too much ice as long as I stay on the main roads but even with the roof on and heater going it's still damn cold for a good few miles.
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