Tvr to Caterham
Discussion
Hello people.
A little background, I worked for a tvr dealer for years and then after a few years away bought a Chimaera 450 and have enjoyed putting it in to what it was when it left the factory after a few years of being owned by several idiots seemingly.
Now I've found myself a bit disconnected from it, I love it when I drive it but the urge to drive it has gone, I think this is because I played with them for so long when I worked for tvr that it's not as special as it could be.
Anyhow, I drove a few caterhams whilst at the tvr dealer and loved the experience so I'm being drawn towards them.
I know little about them so would be keen to understand the less desirable models, better/worse engines, my car is worth about 13000 if sold privately so loooking for a like for like purchase swap which I know is the lower end of the market.
Advice and opinions welcomed, the tvr community is great on pistonheads and would like to think it's similar here.
A little background, I worked for a tvr dealer for years and then after a few years away bought a Chimaera 450 and have enjoyed putting it in to what it was when it left the factory after a few years of being owned by several idiots seemingly.
Now I've found myself a bit disconnected from it, I love it when I drive it but the urge to drive it has gone, I think this is because I played with them for so long when I worked for tvr that it's not as special as it could be.
Anyhow, I drove a few caterhams whilst at the tvr dealer and loved the experience so I'm being drawn towards them.
I know little about them so would be keen to understand the less desirable models, better/worse engines, my car is worth about 13000 if sold privately so loooking for a like for like purchase swap which I know is the lower end of the market.
Advice and opinions welcomed, the tvr community is great on pistonheads and would like to think it's similar here.
Good evening..I bought my caterham a couple of years ago, coming from bikes rather than TVRs but otherwise a similar story. You're right that 13k is towards the lower end but it's enough. I bought my 2007 ex-academy for just under that 2 years ago from a private seller. Buying wasn't easy - when I was looking dealers were snapping up anything that came on sale and then relisting with a 30% mark up. You'll need to make compromises too, but since caterhams are like lego you can change everything later.
Like most owners I don't use mine enough - wife and kids, weather, work, DIY etc, but when I do I wish I did. Standard advice - go and look at a few whether in a dealers, car meet or whatever. Also get to know the significant differences - Imperial / metric chassis, engines etc so you have an idea what basic car you want.
Like most owners I don't use mine enough - wife and kids, weather, work, DIY etc, but when I do I wish I did. Standard advice - go and look at a few whether in a dealers, car meet or whatever. Also get to know the significant differences - Imperial / metric chassis, engines etc so you have an idea what basic car you want.
Just re-read your post and seen the specific questions so...
Engines:
older (up to 90's) cars might have Ford cross flows - carbed, thirsty and need TLC but some love them.
early Academy cars may have the old Vx 8v engines - these aren't particularly desirable (sorry any Vx owners).
K series was the main engine from mid 90s until 2007-ish plus some later specials. 1.4, 1.6, 1.8. different power/characteristics and levels of tune. Free revving, lightweight and suit the car well.
2007 onwards Ford sigma/duratec become the norm.
5 speed ford box is likely at your price range, Caterham 6 speed is better but pricey.
Imperial chassis gave way to stiffer metric chassis in 2007. I won't try and argue merits of each here.
Some older cars have a live axle (e.g. Caterham Classic) , unless budget is super tight I'd go for the the more common dedeion instead. Ex-Academy cars can be cheaper and are generally none the worse for having done 5 races in their first year although may be less polished than a road car - lots of cars advertised actually started out as academy cards but aren't advertised as such. I could go on but do some googling and come back with questions.
Engines:
older (up to 90's) cars might have Ford cross flows - carbed, thirsty and need TLC but some love them.
early Academy cars may have the old Vx 8v engines - these aren't particularly desirable (sorry any Vx owners).
K series was the main engine from mid 90s until 2007-ish plus some later specials. 1.4, 1.6, 1.8. different power/characteristics and levels of tune. Free revving, lightweight and suit the car well.
2007 onwards Ford sigma/duratec become the norm.
5 speed ford box is likely at your price range, Caterham 6 speed is better but pricey.
Imperial chassis gave way to stiffer metric chassis in 2007. I won't try and argue merits of each here.
Some older cars have a live axle (e.g. Caterham Classic) , unless budget is super tight I'd go for the the more common dedeion instead. Ex-Academy cars can be cheaper and are generally none the worse for having done 5 races in their first year although may be less polished than a road car - lots of cars advertised actually started out as academy cards but aren't advertised as such. I could go on but do some googling and come back with questions.
There's a good few ex race cars on the caterham graduates for sale page that are well within budget. A couple even come with screen, light etc to put back on the road at well under budget without having to resort to live axle or carbs:
https://www.graduates.org.uk/forsale.asp
https://www.graduates.org.uk/forsale.asp
Thanks for the replies so far.
With the graduate cars, Is there a bit of a stigma attached to them as they aren't a 'built for the road' car or is it not seen that way?
If you put a few grand in to one to put it in to road car spec is it lost money or are you likely to see a proportion of it back as and when it's sold?
With the graduate cars, Is there a bit of a stigma attached to them as they aren't a 'built for the road' car or is it not seen that way?
If you put a few grand in to one to put it in to road car spec is it lost money or are you likely to see a proportion of it back as and when it's sold?
There's plenty of ex academy cars out there, they're all supplied in pretty much the same spec as the road cars but without some of the comforts like carpet and heater.
As for value, some are advertised as ex-race and some not... The value really depends on condition. Once put back to road spec the value is the same.
One of the benefits of a race car is that the mechanicals should be in top condition so if the cosmetics are sorted then it's probably a good choice.
As for value, some are advertised as ex-race and some not... The value really depends on condition. Once put back to road spec the value is the same.
One of the benefits of a race car is that the mechanicals should be in top condition so if the cosmetics are sorted then it's probably a good choice.
Edited by MR2_SC on Sunday 8th January 21:43
Edited by MR2_SC on Sunday 8th January 21:46
Eric Mc said:
Altogether more civilised - but who wants "civilised" 
Me - or to put it more accurately, I put up with the lack of creature comforts of a 7 because of it's dynamic advantages. If someone were to produce a car as light and tactile but more civilised I'd buy it. A fully sorted Elan Sprint appeals.Disclosure: I'm the club secretary of the Graduates Racing Club.
I don't think there is any long term stigma attached to race cars; some people wouldn't touch them, some people think they are the best value, best maintained cars out there. There are lots of firms who buy race cars, convert them to road cars and sell them and they are indistinguishable from an original road car (well, almost....if you know the signs). Even Wheeler Dealers did it!
Race cars very in condition, but you can be sure they have been maintained very well....mine gets new discs every year, three-four oil changes a year etc. etc.
I don't think there is any long term stigma attached to race cars; some people wouldn't touch them, some people think they are the best value, best maintained cars out there. There are lots of firms who buy race cars, convert them to road cars and sell them and they are indistinguishable from an original road car (well, almost....if you know the signs). Even Wheeler Dealers did it!
Race cars very in condition, but you can be sure they have been maintained very well....mine gets new discs every year, three-four oil changes a year etc. etc.
Er no. There is no guarantee that a race caterham has been maintained well. That's just plain daft. The well maintained ones have been, the s
te ones haven't.
te ones haven't.CharlesElliott said:
Race cars very in condition, but you can be sure they have been maintained very well....mine gets new discs every year, three-four oil changes a year etc. etc.
I think Wheeler Dealers did a Caterham drift/slalom car, not a racer. As such it had hardly ever gone through the gears, nor hit anything more than a cone. Obviously a lot of drivers and prods on the pedals, but low low mileage.
As for Crossflows....very biased here as an owner. Lovely engines, Parts will be availiable till the end of time due to use in Motorsport. . Plenty of scope if you buy a standard one for engine work at a later stage, although mine had been given an upgrade by Roger King. (Caterham Crossflow guru) Alpha 3D ignition As for mpg, best quote I saw was someone who said his did "25mpg....18 on a 'good' day".
My buying tip... you probably have an ideal colour in mind. Don't restrict your viewing to 'right' colours but rather budget for a respray if you see a good car in the wrong colour in budget. It will give you a fresh looking car in exactly 'your' colours.
£13,000 will get you a great car. Enjoy!
As for Crossflows....very biased here as an owner. Lovely engines, Parts will be availiable till the end of time due to use in Motorsport. . Plenty of scope if you buy a standard one for engine work at a later stage, although mine had been given an upgrade by Roger King. (Caterham Crossflow guru) Alpha 3D ignition As for mpg, best quote I saw was someone who said his did "25mpg....18 on a 'good' day".
My buying tip... you probably have an ideal colour in mind. Don't restrict your viewing to 'right' colours but rather budget for a respray if you see a good car in the wrong colour in budget. It will give you a fresh looking car in exactly 'your' colours.
£13,000 will get you a great car. Enjoy!
Edited by Stridey on Tuesday 10th January 08:50
Stridey said:
I think Wheeler Dealers did a Caterham drift/slalom car, not a racer. As such it had hardly ever gone through the gears, nor hit anything more than a cone. Obviously a lot of drivers and prods on the pedals, but low low mileage.
I'd be wary of a drift car. I was talking to the instructor at one of the Westfield drift/autotest days who said that wear was about 10 times that of road use. Difficult to quantify, I know, but that sort of use is very hard on some bits - diff and some parts of the transmission and suspension take a bit of a hammering.Edited by Stridey on Tuesday 10th January 08:50
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