noob questions

[Furyous]

So, apart from here and blat chat, where might one look for one of these mythical beasts ?

[CanAm]

Chris71 said:

Furyous said:

Sooooooooooo, with that in mind, what 7 you would you buy for around £10-12k and why ?

Ex roadsport A, because the kit count for the money is staggering. The number of road cars with a K-Series, a 6-speed box, a limited slip diff, short ratio box etc. for that sort of money is next to zero. The most likely way to get that sort of spec 'off the shelf' is a Superlight at £14k+.

A Supersport is what you want. I got mine for under £11,000 3 years ago. 138 bhp, 6 speed, widetrack, big brakes, quick rack, LSD etc. It's almost a Superlight without the carbon, but with heater, leather seats, screen, roof and doors.

[jleroux]

Furyous said:

So, apart from here and blat chat, where might one look for one of these mythical beasts ?

Chris71 said:

If an ex-track car does appeal Jonny at Bookatrack might be a good person to speak to - no connection, but he was helpful when I was looking and I believe he has some (Superlights?) about to be pensioned off.

waves

[Chris71]

CanAm said:

Chris71 said:

Furyous said:

Sooooooooooo, with that in mind, what 7 you would you buy for around £10-12k and why ?

Ex roadsport A, because the kit count for the money is staggering. The number of road cars with a K-Series, a 6-speed box, a limited slip diff, short ratio box etc. for that sort of money is next to zero. The most likely way to get that sort of spec 'off the shelf' is a Superlight at £14k+.

A Supersport is what you want. I got mine for under £11,000 3 years ago. 138 bhp, 6 speed, widetrack, big brakes, quick rack, LSD etc. It's almost a Superlight without the carbon, but with heater, leather seats, screen, roof and doors.

I know they exist, but I didn't have much luck finding one! That sounds like a good price - you might struggle to find one for that now (maybe I was unlucky, but most of the smart, trimmed, road cars I saw were £13k+). That said, my ex-racer has a hood, full height heated screen and full doors on the car, plus a set of leather seats in the spares package, as well as all the mechanical toys above. It basically is a Supersport, just without some of the interior trim.

It's a good point though - I only bought a racer because it was the right price and the right spec, there's very little difference in reality, and an original road car could have posed an equally good deal if it was the right one. Just keep your eyes (and mind) open.

[markiebabes]

Furyous said:

So, apart from here and blat chat, where might one look for one of these mythical beasts ?

try http://www.millwood-mc.co.uk/used.html or http://www.woodcotesportscars.com/car-sales/stock....

they both have a few in at the moment

Pop along to Penn 7's(saturday 29th August from midday )there's a wide range of cars and maybe one of us could take you out for a spin ?
you could then get a feel for one .



Mark

[Furyous]

markiebabes said:

Pop along to Penn 7's(saturday 29th August from midday )there's a wide range of cars and maybe one of us could take you out for a spin ?
you could then get a feel for one .



Mark

Mark

All being well, I plan to pop over to the Squirrel after work that Saturday. so if you see a big bloke eying up all the cars, it'll more than likely be me !
Cheers

[markiebabes]

Mark
look forward to meeting you and If the wife doesn't go I will have the Aero on just hope the weather is good .

Edited by markiebabes on Wednesday 19th August 22:33

[Chris71]

markiebabes said:

Furyous said:

So, apart from here and blat chat, where might one look for one of these mythical beasts ?

try http://www.millwood-mc.co.uk/used.html or http://www.woodcotesportscars.com/car-sales/stock....

they both have a few in at the moment

Pop along to Penn 7's(saturday 29th August from midday )there's a wide range of cars and maybe one of us could take you out for a spin ?
you could then get a feel for one .

Mark

This one looks quite tempting: http://www.woodcotesportscars.com/car-sales/detail...

Sorry, got so used to browsing Caterham's on PH I think I've lapsed back into mode...

[Furyous]

Chris71 said:

This one looks quite tempting: http://www.woodcotesportscars.com/car-sales/detail...

Sorry, got so used to browsing Caterham's on PH I think I've lapsed back into mode...

Not a fan of those wheels though....
Spec looks promising.
Its all down to me being able to comfortably fit into and drive one tbh.

[Graham E]

OP,

The best thing about any caterham, without a shadow of a doubt is the 6 speed box. Yes, it's "busy", but being busy with something that fun is the best kind of busy money can buy =)

[Chris71]

Furyous said:

Chris71 said:

This one looks quite tempting: http://www.woodcotesportscars.com/car-sales/detail...

Sorry, got so used to browsing Caterham's on PH I think I've lapsed back into mode...

Not a fan of those wheels though....
Spec looks promising.
Its all down to me being able to comfortably fit into and drive one tbh.

Yep, more than welcome to come and have a look at mine - I hasten to ad it's not for sale(!) but if you want to get an idea of sizes, come for a ride to see what the 6 speed box is like etc. Feel free to PM if you want - I'm only just off the M25.

[Furyous]

Chris71 said:

Furyous said:

Chris71 said:

This one looks quite tempting: http://www.woodcotesportscars.com/car-sales/detail...

Sorry, got so used to browsing Caterham's on PH I think I've lapsed back into mode...

Not a fan of those wheels though....
Spec looks promising.
Its all down to me being able to comfortably fit into and drive one tbh.

Yep, more than welcome to come and have a look at mine - I hasten to ad it's not for sale(!) but if you want to get an idea of sizes, come for a ride to see what the 6 speed box is like etc. Feel free to PM if you want - I'm only just off the M25.

Chris, that's a very kind offer I may take up.

I have a week off in September, and that's when I plan to visit caterham south.

Next weekend I plan to pop over to the Penn 7's meet0to further my knowledge.

I'm in no rush, and want to make sure the car is the right car for me.

Thanks for all the help on this from everyone, I will update as my knowledge increases!

[markiebabes]

Hi Mark
Did you manage to get over ?
I arrived a little late ( got carried away on a blat ) sorry .

[Furyous]

markiebabes said:

Hi Mark
Did you manage to get over ?
I arrived a little late ( got carried away on a blat ) sorry .

Hi Mark
Yep, I was there.

I had a good look around at the various cars there (yours is very nice btw).

I also learnt a fair bit more from a couple of chaps,Mr Golf Tango and another whose name I forget.

You seemed to be in great demand, and what with my time being a bit shorter than I anticipated, and it being quite a bit chilly sans jumper, I descretely departed.

Im in the midst of organising a visit to CC, so thats the next step.

I have to say, some of the cars today were very desirable and made me want to own one immediatly.

However, I left Penn to drop my bro off, and had a trial sitting in his Elise 111s...

...Which hasnt helped me at all !!!!

Im REALLY torn twixt 7 and Liz I have to say.

[markiebabes]

Sorry Mark it was one of those days.Always seem to be in demand lol .
Thx try to keep my car in good nick ,do lots of touring and Blats .
Glad GJT helped you out,It was a good turnout and always lots of cars of different specs to have a look at good to be able to compare ,hopefully your not to about which model to go for ! LOL
When visiting CC beware it's easy to get carried away .

Elise 111 great all rounder as the seven can be a little chilly in the winter !!

Good luck with your search and keep us updated as to how it goes.If you need someone to have a look over a car give us a shout .

Cheers

Mark

[Furyous]

Update :

Caterham south visit scheduled for next Tuesday.

Looking forward to it !

[Chris71]

Furyous said:

Update :

Caterham south visit scheduled for next Tuesday.

Looking forward to it !

Keep a firm hold on your wallet!

[Incorrigible]

Hi Chris,

I have for sale shortly a supergrad race car that's just being rebuilt. We're about 40 minutes further south than Caterham if you fancy visiting on your travels. Current spec is 1600k, 5 speed, full cage, narrow track suspension. 2006 car and will be about £11k depending on your choice of colour.

It can obviously be built to any spec you want, you can pay less to have the body in ally or more for widetrack 6 speed LSD etc

Cheers

Ben
Number's on the website classiccarworkshop.co.uk

[jbtco]

I am also thinking of a Caterham. I am just passed my 60th birthday and pretty much retired. I am rethinking my car usage. I live in the Scottish Islands so can't readily pop doen to a Caterham. Have booked a one day hire in Yorkshire in early October if the weather isn't too bad and as will be as far South as Hampshire will visit one of the Caterham outlets at some point in our travels.

I have been trying to get as much info as I can online in the meantime.

As I am getting on a bit and am no great mechanic I would probably be too old to drive the thing before I finished building it so will probably opt to buy a bult car either new or used. The car will mainly be used on local roads and possibly mainland trips. I would like to do some track days, I have some experience but mainly at BMW organised performance training sessions at the Nurburgring (GP circuit)- M3 and Mugello (Z4MC) so would wish to take things fairly easily at first.

I think that the R300 (if intially treated with great respect) would be about right. I have in recent years become cossetted by traction control, ABS etc but spent my early driving years before such things were around (at least on the cars I could afford).

The questions I have at the moment are :-

Is the R300 or 400 too edgy for road use especially in the wet or with a reasonable degree of skill not a problem.

What is the position with Co2 / road tax - I haven't been able to find much info.

What are insurance premiums like ?

Are new factory built cars reliable and well put together.

Are used cars likely to have been thrashed / crashed and therefore not a good idea.

For a car to be mainly for road use but with some track days are the leather or tillet seats the better.

Is the dry sump necessary other than for racing or extensive track use ?

What are the reasons for 13" as against 15" wheels

What is road fuel consumption like on for example an R300.

Sorry if a lot of questions I would much appreciate answers.

Edited by jbtco on Tuesday 8th September 14:55

[fergus]

jbtco said:

The questions I have at the moment are :-

Is the R300 or 400 too edgy for road use especially in the wet or with a reasonable degree of skill not a problem.

What is the position with Co2 / road tax - I haven't been able to find much info.

What are insurance premiums like ?

Are new factory built cars reliable and well put together.

Are used cars likely to have been thrashed / crashed and therefore not a good idea.

For a car to be mainly for road use but with some track days are the leather or tillet seats the better.

Is the dry sump necessary other than for racing or extensive track use ?

What are the reasons for 13" as against 15" wheels

What is road fuel consumption like on for example an R300.

My 2ps worth!

I don't think that any car is too edgey for road use. It's dependant upon what you want from your car on the road, and in the case of a Caterham, how it's setup (suspension geometry and ride height, etc). You do have to remember that your right foot has a much larger influence on the behaviour of the car than in current road cars, so some degree of recalibration needs to occur. The steering alone will be a revelation though!

The engines tend to be taxed as per their donor vehicles, i.e. whether 1.6 or 1.8 litre, the VRO tax bands are the same as per the vehicles they were sourced from.

In terms of insurance, there are several smaller specialist insurers who offer competitive premiums, as they tend to cater for the modified/kit car market and know the cars and the typical driver profile and associated claims profile. Try footman james, MSM insurance for quotes. Others will offer additional recommendations I'm sure.

On some of the more recently built cars, I know there have been some teething issues, however, on a factory built second hand car, I would be surprised if these hadn't been fully resolved. Minor niggles can easily be fixed by a compotent garage, or by a handy spannerman. Remember that where ever you live, you're never very far from some caterham related help/knowledge!

Due to the sort of people that buy caterhams I personally think you'll find that most are very careful to warm their engines, etc, and lavish a lot of attention on their cars, not least in terms of servicing. Granted there are some tired cars around, but these are relatively easily avoided. A lengthy chat with the owner will likely reveal the potential condition of the car before you've even seen it!

Seats - each to their own. I use a foam moulded seat.

Dry sumps - I can't see why you'd need one on the road. To necessitate a DS on the road perhaps assumes that you're travelling too quick for other road uses, and your next bed may be a hospital one! Be wary of some of the wet sump engines which have foam in them, have the foam break up and block the oil pick up pipes. Not a difficult job to replace the foam. Provides a degree of protection against oil surge.

13" wheels offer a wider variety of tyres which are also generally cheaper than the 15" equivalents. A lot of people prefer the handling of the car on the 13" rims.

Driven 'enthusiastically', a well mapped R300 should easily return a minimum of 30mpg.

Others will be along in a minute with their take on your questions!

Prior to buying any car, let this forum know the details, as there is a good chance someone knows the car!