First time buyer

[tc88]

Hi All,

I'm looking to buy a caterham in the next couple of months as have wanted one for a while and finally have the means to do so! It's mainly for a bit of fun weekend driving, unlikely to be much, if any, track time.

I'm aiming to buy second hand and have a budget of +-25k. Also looking for an SV model as found the S3 a bit small. I work fairly long hours and am not particularly mechanically savvy so I don't really have the time or the skills to be dealing with a car that's going to be fairly unreliable; to that end I'm leaning towards buying one of the Caterham Selected cars given the checks and warranty they offer.

This does, however, seem to be a slightly more expensive option (my reckoning is they are c2k more expensive when compared to other comparable listings).

Does anyone have a view as to whether the selected programme is really worth the extra cost (or tell me if I've imagined it!) or I would be fine saving that bit of cash and buying from one of the other dealers?

Thanks in advance!
T

[Dave_H34]

I paid the premium to purchase from CC though tbh I don't think it was much extra in my particular case as the model/spec was a bit of an odd one. Was it worth it? Difficult to say really, I had one minor issue quickly resolved via a new part sent out next day post, other than that not much has been required. The car did require a bit of tweaking which I thought should have been done in preparation e.g. throttle cable was slack. I think if you purchase from any of the main suppliers (S&C, PT, Chapman etc) you'll be equally fine.

[Ex Boy Racer]

If you want reliable you are maybe after the wrong type of car!

[Master Bean]

^ Ignore that comment. Mine has been reliable over the 6 months that I've owned it so far.

[framerateuk]

I wouldn't say mine's been unreliable either, in fact, quite the opposite, especially considering how hard it gets driven.

I've spent lots on it, but only on tyres, consumables and accessories.

In fact the only issues I've had were an expired rocker cover gasket and a replacement immobiliser thanks to the bodge job one of the previous owners had made.

[j3ffers]

Hi OP - I was in the very same position last Autumn, but happened to stumble across an old friend who had built an SV the year before and was selling to move onto a bigger build project having enjoyed it so much.

There were some good ones in the classifieds in that price range. A white one I spied in Yorkshire for private sale looked great, at your £25k budget, but then a few days later it appears on the CC site albeit now +£3k. I'm only a few hundred miles into my ownership over the winter, and have had a fuse go so far for a wiper.

If you can, think about waiting until Easter when I'd expect more to come up?

[tc88]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. Seems to me if I just keep an eye out for a car at one of the reputable dealers that's in my budget I should be ok (I hope)!

Glad to hear they are generally low maintenance, I'm unlikely to be truly punishing mine on the track as well which should help...

[ForzaGilles]

I had my 1.6k Superlight for 5 years and 20k miles. I did several trackdays a year, and trips to the 'Ring annually. It only ever let me down once, funnily enough on the way to catch the ferry for my first 'Ring visit in the car, when the clutch adjustment nut had worked lose and the clutch wouldn't fully disengage. The breakdown guy had it fixed in about 5 mins, and that was it, on my way!

[JONSCZ]

Nothing to do with me, but depending on specs / colours, then perhaps....?
http://www.bookatrack.com/used-car-sales/detail/ca...