Caterham Superlight 1.6 K-Series

[fergus]

rubystone said:

But allowing for inflation, the comparable cars to the ones we are talking about are no more expensive. It's the fact that there are now credible players in the market that's setting the values of used stock. Plus, people seem to just blindly go out and pay the money. Same things happened with I/B 911s. 30 grand for a 2.7 Targa? Really?

Wait until a certain Essex Pork dealer works his price multipliers on it for a dubiously executed backdate......

[Darren-2000]

rubystone said:

Darren-2000 said:

Unfortunately, I missed out when they were going 'cheap'. The market price has obviously increased in the last 10 years. Currently for sale: 2003 R300 - trade price £24k. Trade price Roadsport 2001/02 circa £15k. Private 2009 Supersport £19k. Private 2003 Roadsport (modified 197bhp) £19k. The difference between trade and private prices are as you would expect. Although all sales are predominantly trade and they must have a virtual monopoly on supply.

Or perhaps you're just not trying hard enough to find a car? A 2001 Roadsport for £15k is truly flying a kite. 'Trade price' is a term used to describe the price at which a car changes hands between two dealers. I'm guessing you are quoting 'retail price'?

What is your expectation of the margin between private and retail? 10%? 20%?

Oh I've been looking too hard for too long - but it was hopefully time well spent and not wasted Probably been too thorough - I realised late that what I want didn't change, so I need not have considered absolutely everything as if I was going to become a trader, rather than the long term owner. In the end you cannot be too rationale about a Caterham purchase or you would not buy one, at almost any price! Pistonheads used car search and the 100s of Caterhams on there should be reflective of the UK market of available Caterhams, I would have thought? The prices are from there, they are current, and yes, sorry, I did mean retail price from a trader, rather than trade price.

[SidewaysSi]

rubystone said:

SidewaysSi said:

I have never seen (decent) R500s and SLRs for those figures in the open market. Fair play to you if you got them for those numbers but a good Superlight is easy £17k+ today.

Perhaps you haven't been playing in this market for as long as I have then?

I will concede though that Andy establishing S&C has made it more difficult to find realistically priced cars on the private market. He offers such attractive prices that increasingly he's becoming the first call any private seller is making. So I am in doubt that he's influencing the secondhand market and pricing. But good cars can still be found at the right price if one looks hard enough. £5k for an S2 7 for example....

I have been on Blatchat for many years and have been in the market since 2002.

[Steve Campbell]

Car covers : I have a classic additions custom fitted. Expensive but has been great. Cheaper suppliers are around.

Lowered floor : yep, mine has driver only lowered

[BertBert]

What? I think we are in agreement. Used cars are high value compared to the past. New prices are high and used car dealers are setting a good stage for used cars.
Beert

rubystone said:

But allowing for inflation, the comparable cars to the ones we are talking about are no more expensive. It's the fact that there are now credible players in the market that's setting the values of used stock. Plus, people seem to just blindly go out and pay the money. Same things happened with I/B 911s. 30 grand for a 2.7 Targa? Really?

[AndrewE]

Back to the clutch question.....

never found mine much heavier than the modern (mines a 1.6 supersport 6 speed) I also found initially it seemed to have a high and quite sharp bite point but I have played with pedal height which made a great deal of difference to the bite and feel - now its so much easier to pull away from rest

BTW it is nowhere near as heavy as my 308 - now that's a heavy clutch!!!!!

[battered]

AndrewE said:

Back to the clutch question.....

never found mine much heavier than the modern (mines a 1.6 supersport 6 speed) I also found initially it seemed to have a high and quite sharp bite point but I have played with pedal height which made a great deal of difference to the bite and feel - now its so much easier to pull away from rest

I wouldn't worry about this either. If the clutch works as it should then everything is adjustable and the things are so simple and accessible that you can set it up to be as heavy or light as you like and to bite where you like. One word of warning - the dry sump version K series needs a different clutch release arm, Caterham had them made and the early ones were crap. They bent in use and eventually split. Engine out to fix. Later ones were modified and suitable for purpose. This problem didn't affect the wet sump verions, they used a standard arm from whatever the bellhousing came off, a Sierra or similar.

[Darren-2000]

battered said:

AndrewE said:

Back to the clutch question.....

never found mine much heavier than the modern (mines a 1.6 supersport 6 speed) I also found initially it seemed to have a high and quite sharp bite point but I have played with pedal height which made a great deal of difference to the bite and feel - now its so much easier to pull away from rest

I wouldn't worry about this either. If the clutch works as it should then everything is adjustable and the things are so simple and accessible that you can set it up to be as heavy or light as you like and to bite where you like. One word of warning - the dry sump version K series needs a different clutch release arm, Caterham had them made and the early ones were crap. They bent in use and eventually split. Engine out to fix. Later ones were modified and suitable for purpose. This problem didn't affect the wet sump verions, they used a standard arm from whatever the bellhousing came off, a Sierra or similar.

Now that I have a few hundred miles driving under my belt, I don't notice the heavy clutch. It is still takes a conscious effort to press down that first time after driving my daily driver, but I find my main car's clutch (and brakes and accelerator) too light when I drive them back to back! And prefer the 'feel' of the weight. The clutch seems to have a long travel and I don't think it needs to be fully depressed to the bulkhead, at least past first. With 6 short ratios it flies through the gears under acceleration and the clutch doesn't distract at all then. It's good to know it's all so easily adjustable but I may not adjust now that I'm comfortable with it, including the late biting point. My concern during last Sunday's run was the misfire, which came and went. For a few miles it misfired under moderate acceleration. I'm concerned it could come back, and stay like it. Probably difficult to diagnose.