Using a Caterham 7 daily?
Discussion
Having read many replies, I wonder if a better solution might be to take a relatively comfy car that's fun to drive eg an MX5 then removing stuff to make it more hardcore. If you make a mistake, you can always put it back. As opposed to buying 5 wheels held together by a load of scaffolding which would mean you'd have no options from the outset.
I'm considering options for my not-at-all-hardcore TT and some things can be done to make it move in the direction of hardcore without making such a jump that it might instantly be something I regret eg buying a road-legal track-focused TT with everything stripped out and a single bucket seat with a 6 point harness! (I had a car with a 4 point harness and used it maybe twice before reverting back to the standard seatbelts as I couldn't be arsed with the faff when getting in everytime.) Contrast that with just putting a nicer exhaust (not too loud) and improving the suspension a bit. Maybe replace the seats with cloth ones, but keep the hifi and heater!
I'm considering options for my not-at-all-hardcore TT and some things can be done to make it move in the direction of hardcore without making such a jump that it might instantly be something I regret eg buying a road-legal track-focused TT with everything stripped out and a single bucket seat with a 6 point harness! (I had a car with a 4 point harness and used it maybe twice before reverting back to the standard seatbelts as I couldn't be arsed with the faff when getting in everytime.) Contrast that with just putting a nicer exhaust (not too loud) and improving the suspension a bit. Maybe replace the seats with cloth ones, but keep the hifi and heater!
I commuted a few times in the E type , that was a lot of fun in the summer but less so in winter at night after 20 miles i was looking for places to pull over to clean the lights , series 1 covered lights re pretty poor at lighting in the rain. Also at night really couldn't see the speedo because the bulbs were so dim,
Hoofy said:
Having read many replies, I wonder if a better solution might be to take a relatively comfy car that's fun to drive eg an MX5 then removing stuff to make it more hardcore. If you make a mistake, you can always put it back. As opposed to buying 5 wheels held together by a load of scaffolding which would mean you'd have no options from the outset.
I'm considering options for my not-at-all-hardcore TT and some things can be done to make it move in the direction of hardcore without making such a jump that it might instantly be something I regret eg buying a road-legal track-focused TT with everything stripped out and a single bucket seat with a 6 point harness! (I had a car with a 4 point harness and used it maybe twice before reverting back to the standard seatbelts as I couldn't be arsed with the faff when getting in everytime.) Contrast that with just putting a nicer exhaust (not too loud) and improving the suspension a bit. Maybe replace the seats with cloth ones, but keep the hifi and heater!
Ignoring the fact that the OP is blatantly taking the piss, you could do what you suggest to an MX5, but I haven't stripped mine at all and it's plenty raw enough, and likely only does just enough to avoid being annoying as a daily as it is! I'm considering options for my not-at-all-hardcore TT and some things can be done to make it move in the direction of hardcore without making such a jump that it might instantly be something I regret eg buying a road-legal track-focused TT with everything stripped out and a single bucket seat with a 6 point harness! (I had a car with a 4 point harness and used it maybe twice before reverting back to the standard seatbelts as I couldn't be arsed with the faff when getting in everytime.) Contrast that with just putting a nicer exhaust (not too loud) and improving the suspension a bit. Maybe replace the seats with cloth ones, but keep the hifi and heater!
It's comfortable enough to sit in, but it's fairly loud; it buzzes and rattles, has a lot of wind and tyre noise, the exhaust is loud, the induction noise is fairly intrusive (none of which I mind btw), and it's almost pointless having a stereo. OK it's not quite standard, but it's not stripped out, and is a Launch Edition so has air conditioning, heated leather seats and so on, and I haven't gone totally out of my way to make it that way.
I remember once seeing a review of an ND (mk4) MX5 describing it as a "Caterham with CarPlay".
I commuted 300 miles a week in an NGTC V8 kit car during the fuel crisis in 2000 - it was the only car I had that would run on 4Star, which could be had without queuing for hours.
The novelty value wore off very quickly, and I think I was probably only a few days away from actually trying the train instead.
The novelty value wore off very quickly, and I think I was probably only a few days away from actually trying the train instead.
TameRacingDriver said:
Hoofy said:
Having read many replies, I wonder if a better solution might be to take a relatively comfy car that's fun to drive eg an MX5 then removing stuff to make it more hardcore. If you make a mistake, you can always put it back. As opposed to buying 5 wheels held together by a load of scaffolding which would mean you'd have no options from the outset.
I'm considering options for my not-at-all-hardcore TT and some things can be done to make it move in the direction of hardcore without making such a jump that it might instantly be something I regret eg buying a road-legal track-focused TT with everything stripped out and a single bucket seat with a 6 point harness! (I had a car with a 4 point harness and used it maybe twice before reverting back to the standard seatbelts as I couldn't be arsed with the faff when getting in everytime.) Contrast that with just putting a nicer exhaust (not too loud) and improving the suspension a bit. Maybe replace the seats with cloth ones, but keep the hifi and heater!
Ignoring the fact that the OP is blatantly taking the piss, you could do what you suggest to an MX5, but I haven't stripped mine at all and it's plenty raw enough, and likely only does just enough to avoid being annoying as a daily as it is! I'm considering options for my not-at-all-hardcore TT and some things can be done to make it move in the direction of hardcore without making such a jump that it might instantly be something I regret eg buying a road-legal track-focused TT with everything stripped out and a single bucket seat with a 6 point harness! (I had a car with a 4 point harness and used it maybe twice before reverting back to the standard seatbelts as I couldn't be arsed with the faff when getting in everytime.) Contrast that with just putting a nicer exhaust (not too loud) and improving the suspension a bit. Maybe replace the seats with cloth ones, but keep the hifi and heater!
It's comfortable enough to sit in, but it's fairly loud; it buzzes and rattles, has a lot of wind and tyre noise, the exhaust is loud, the induction noise is fairly intrusive (none of which I mind btw), and it's almost pointless having a stereo. OK it's not quite standard, but it's not stripped out, and is a Launch Edition so has air conditioning, heated leather seats and so on, and I haven't gone totally out of my way to make it that way.
I remember once seeing a review of an ND (mk4) MX5 describing it as a "Caterham with CarPlay".
Purosangue said:
I commuted a few times in the E type , that was a lot of fun in the summer but less so in winter at night after 20 miles i was looking for places to pull over to clean the lights , series 1 covered lights re pretty poor at lighting in the rain. Also at night really couldn't see the speedo because the bulbs were so dim,
Very similar to me when I commuted occasionally in the Cerbera over winter as well. The lights were terrible, the wipers were crap, plus the heater never actually cleared the windscreen very well inside either. So you'd end up with hardly any view of the road in the end at night to be fair. Plus when it was either wet or icy you definitely had to be on your toes, because it had a tendency to not always behave as predictably as you'd really want. Definitely memorable occasions when I did use it as a daily though for sure.
Tye Green said:
ecsrobin said:
What ever you drive there is no way 1,000 miles a week will ever be fun.
easy in a full fat Range Rover - less stressful than sitting in an office.............Mr Miata said:
I using a MX-5 as an only car and daily driver for years. It was a revelation when I replaced it with a hatchback and found how much more comfortable and practical it was.
And the deal breaker is modern hot hatches are faster.
I can’t see myself going back.
Exactly that, I had a 7 as my toy and my 182 Trophy for daily duties and all was well. Flat battery on the Caterham meant my Trophy had to come out for a thrash around snakes pass, the Caterham was swiftly advertised the next day.And the deal breaker is modern hot hatches are faster.
I can’t see myself going back.
I build one in 1986/7. It was my only car and I had no money.
It lived outside as I didnt have a garage and I drove to work every day. I could park at the carpark and leave without paying as it went under the barrier. That saved me loads of money. I would also just drive to Wales and back for fun on weekends as there was so little traffic and no speed cameras. I had it for about 4 years.
I also raced it as well, got some sponsorship and used to turn up like you would at a car meet, race, then drive home. No messing about trying to set it up, or use wet / dry tyres, I didnt even have a tyre pump. (mostly because I didnt know what I was doing)
Stuck it in the tyre wall at Brands once and bent the steering platform so had to drive back round the M25 then up the M40 to get home. The steering was out by a quarter of a turn on the wheel.
I hit a sheep once at 5am, it jumped out of the hedge as I was doing 60-70ish. The front wheel cut it clean in two and cracked the hub.
I built the first engine - which promptly blew up at Cadwell park on the practice of the first race I entered. Then paid for it to be rebuilt professionally with a loan from Lloyds, I seem to recall it was a £3k loan. The engine was great then, the one I build was just badly built as I had no idea how to build an engine. It was a ford crossflow and I just read a Haynes Manual for a Ford Escort with a similar engine.
Forced to sell it in the 90's recession as I had no job and no money. I was still paying off that loan years after having to sell the car. It was bought by some chap from Japan, so it could well be still out there.
I remember using the heated windscreen to remove ice on both sides one evening. Several times I had forgotten to put the roof up and it got full of rainwater.
Great memories and fantastic experience.
It lived outside as I didnt have a garage and I drove to work every day. I could park at the carpark and leave without paying as it went under the barrier. That saved me loads of money. I would also just drive to Wales and back for fun on weekends as there was so little traffic and no speed cameras. I had it for about 4 years.
I also raced it as well, got some sponsorship and used to turn up like you would at a car meet, race, then drive home. No messing about trying to set it up, or use wet / dry tyres, I didnt even have a tyre pump. (mostly because I didnt know what I was doing)
Stuck it in the tyre wall at Brands once and bent the steering platform so had to drive back round the M25 then up the M40 to get home. The steering was out by a quarter of a turn on the wheel.
I hit a sheep once at 5am, it jumped out of the hedge as I was doing 60-70ish. The front wheel cut it clean in two and cracked the hub.
I built the first engine - which promptly blew up at Cadwell park on the practice of the first race I entered. Then paid for it to be rebuilt professionally with a loan from Lloyds, I seem to recall it was a £3k loan. The engine was great then, the one I build was just badly built as I had no idea how to build an engine. It was a ford crossflow and I just read a Haynes Manual for a Ford Escort with a similar engine.
Forced to sell it in the 90's recession as I had no job and no money. I was still paying off that loan years after having to sell the car. It was bought by some chap from Japan, so it could well be still out there.
I remember using the heated windscreen to remove ice on both sides one evening. Several times I had forgotten to put the roof up and it got full of rainwater.
Great memories and fantastic experience.
AinsleyB said:
I build one in 1986/7. It was my only car and I had no money.
It lived outside as I didnt have a garage and I drove to work every day. I could park at the carpark and leave without paying as it went under the barrier. That saved me loads of money. I would also just drive to Wales and back for fun on weekends as there was so little traffic and no speed cameras. I had it for about 4 years.
I also raced it as well, got some sponsorship and used to turn up like you would at a car meet, race, then drive home. No messing about trying to set it up, or use wet / dry tyres, I didnt even have a tyre pump. (mostly because I didnt know what I was doing)
Stuck it in the tyre wall at Brands once and bent the steering platform so had to drive back round the M25 then up the M40 to get home. The steering was out by a quarter of a turn on the wheel.
I hit a sheep once at 5am, it jumped out of the hedge as I was doing 60-70ish. The front wheel cut it clean in two and cracked the hub.
I built the first engine - which promptly blew up at Cadwell park on the practice of the first race I entered. Then paid for it to be rebuilt professionally with a loan from Lloyds, I seem to recall it was a £3k loan. The engine was great then, the one I build was just badly built as I had no idea how to build an engine. It was a ford crossflow and I just read a Haynes Manual for a Ford Escort with a similar engine.
Forced to sell it in the 90's recession as I had no job and no money. I was still paying off that loan years after having to sell the car. It was bought by some chap from Japan, so it could well be still out there.
I remember using the heated windscreen to remove ice on both sides one evening. Several times I had forgotten to put the roof up and it got full of rainwater.
Great memories and fantastic experience.
100% Top marks Top man It lived outside as I didnt have a garage and I drove to work every day. I could park at the carpark and leave without paying as it went under the barrier. That saved me loads of money. I would also just drive to Wales and back for fun on weekends as there was so little traffic and no speed cameras. I had it for about 4 years.
I also raced it as well, got some sponsorship and used to turn up like you would at a car meet, race, then drive home. No messing about trying to set it up, or use wet / dry tyres, I didnt even have a tyre pump. (mostly because I didnt know what I was doing)
Stuck it in the tyre wall at Brands once and bent the steering platform so had to drive back round the M25 then up the M40 to get home. The steering was out by a quarter of a turn on the wheel.
I hit a sheep once at 5am, it jumped out of the hedge as I was doing 60-70ish. The front wheel cut it clean in two and cracked the hub.
I built the first engine - which promptly blew up at Cadwell park on the practice of the first race I entered. Then paid for it to be rebuilt professionally with a loan from Lloyds, I seem to recall it was a £3k loan. The engine was great then, the one I build was just badly built as I had no idea how to build an engine. It was a ford crossflow and I just read a Haynes Manual for a Ford Escort with a similar engine.
Forced to sell it in the 90's recession as I had no job and no money. I was still paying off that loan years after having to sell the car. It was bought by some chap from Japan, so it could well be still out there.
I remember using the heated windscreen to remove ice on both sides one evening. Several times I had forgotten to put the roof up and it got full of rainwater.
Great memories and fantastic experience.
Drive under the barrier, you say?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=M3LT98uOwck&si=6l7...
Ah, the Prisoner. Mine was in those colours.
Before buying it I bought two Tamiya model kits and painted them in the colours I was thinking of - Red or Green/Yellow.
I went for Green with the Yellow nosecone and the centres of the wheels were also painted Yellow to match.
I took the car to Portmeirion and drove it right down to the hotel at the bottom, caused a bit of s stir with the tourists. They all wanted to sit in it and have their picture taken.
Before buying it I bought two Tamiya model kits and painted them in the colours I was thinking of - Red or Green/Yellow.
I went for Green with the Yellow nosecone and the centres of the wheels were also painted Yellow to match.
I took the car to Portmeirion and drove it right down to the hotel at the bottom, caused a bit of s stir with the tourists. They all wanted to sit in it and have their picture taken.
Mr Miata said:
I using a MX-5 as an only car and daily driver for years. It was a revelation when I replaced it with a hatchback and found how much more comfortable and practical it was.
And the deal breaker is modern hot hatches are faster.
I can’t see myself going back.
I think this sums up why I don't use the Caterham as a daily.And the deal breaker is modern hot hatches are faster.
I can’t see myself going back.
My road cars since owning the Caterham (a Megane 250 Cup, Clio 220 Trophy and now a Megane 280 Cup) have all been faster than the 7, more practical and more comfortable - and if you're stuck in pouring rain and nose to tail traffic is exactly what you want.
I keep the 7 for those days where the sun is out and I can just enjoy a drive without worrying about the morning commute. They might be rare these days, but I enjoy those drives so much, in a way that the much faster hatchbacks just can't touch.
And of course trackdays, the RenaultSports are brilliant, but the 7 is a whole other level of fun. I will say the Meganes make for a nice drive back from the trackday, which if you're in South Wales is always a long way.
Well, when I was a young chap, a long time ago, my only form of transport was a Motorcycle. I rode all year round, and in the snow.
I think people have gotten a bit soft. I still ride motorcycles, but not all year round. I have several, but I'm now well off enough to have a car too.
My barge is a Jag XJR, but daily I use the work van. I'm not well off enough to commute 120km a day in the Jag!
I'll probably thin the bike herd down a bit if I ever finish the Seven.
I think people have gotten a bit soft. I still ride motorcycles, but not all year round. I have several, but I'm now well off enough to have a car too.
My barge is a Jag XJR, but daily I use the work van. I'm not well off enough to commute 120km a day in the Jag!
I'll probably thin the bike herd down a bit if I ever finish the Seven.
mickrick said:
I think people have gotten a bit soft.
To a degree yes, cars are much larger and more comfortable now, so we have higher expectations.The affect that has on a 7 is that all the cars around you are now so much bigger than they used to be. I wouldn't like the odds of using a 7 everyday in traffic for a commute.
framerateuk said:
mickrick said:
I think people have gotten a bit soft.
To a degree yes, cars are much larger and more comfortable now, so we have higher expectations.The affect that has on a 7 is that all the cars around you are now so much bigger than they used to be. I wouldn't like the odds of using a 7 everyday in traffic for a commute.
Back when I was 20 I genuinely didn't care if I lived or died, whereas now I see life as being far more precious in comparison to back then for sure.
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