Caterham 7 or TVR
Discussion
I have finally got enough cash to buy a weekend toy and thinking about a Caterham 7, a TVR, Westfield, or maybe a Lotus Elise.
One of the things I have done over the past few months is to have a look at the clubs to start to gain info on the cars. I have purchased a few of the club magazines off EBay (not for the Elise, that’s a recent thought) and see there is a marked difference in the content of the magazines for the TVR (sprint magazine) the Westfield magazine (only got one of those) and the one for Lotus 7 club of great Britain.
To be honest the Caterham magazine is a bit sparse! TVR magazine is great! Is there another Caterham club?
Also,
I can get onto the Westfield forums, but not the Lotus and the TVR forums as you seem to have to join? I have had some great help from the Westfield forum but it seems a bit silly that I can’t ask questions on a forum?
Guess I may have to ask them here – look out for more questions!
One of the things I have done over the past few months is to have a look at the clubs to start to gain info on the cars. I have purchased a few of the club magazines off EBay (not for the Elise, that’s a recent thought) and see there is a marked difference in the content of the magazines for the TVR (sprint magazine) the Westfield magazine (only got one of those) and the one for Lotus 7 club of great Britain.
To be honest the Caterham magazine is a bit sparse! TVR magazine is great! Is there another Caterham club?
Also,
I can get onto the Westfield forums, but not the Lotus and the TVR forums as you seem to have to join? I have had some great help from the Westfield forum but it seems a bit silly that I can’t ask questions on a forum?
Guess I may have to ask them here – look out for more questions!
Blatchat is members only and it costs around £40 to join. Membership runs from 1st January to 31st December. Lowflying is the club mag and is included in the membership fee.
There is no correct answer to the TVR vs westfield vs Elise vs Caterham debate. All cars have their strengths and weaknesses. I have owned both westfield and Caterhams.
There is no correct answer to the TVR vs westfield vs Elise vs Caterham debate. All cars have their strengths and weaknesses. I have owned both westfield and Caterhams.
If I was starting over, i would choose the TVR. I currently own a Westy and I too have found that many of the club based forums wont let you post unless you are a member. I guess that its a way of getting your cash whilst they can, though paying to ask questions on a prospective new ownership of a car is a bit of a shame to be honest. The Westy site is ok, except you cant contact any of the buyers or sellers in the for sale sections ( or at least you coundn`t when i was last there)unless you join.
Furyous said:
For Lotus help, use Seloc
Free sign up and VERY helpfull. Full model Wiki and all the info you would ever need.
Thanks, I have been on there, great forum. Not sure about the Elise yet, I really am tending towards the Caterham or the Westy…. Free sign up and VERY helpfull. Full model Wiki and all the info you would ever need.
I think the Caterham club is expensive when you look what you get in terms of the magazine and the dated web site/ forum. Maybe it’s a bit like the car…. Minimalist!
rubystone said:
[
I'd buy a Porsche if I were you - the PCGB's magazine is great.
I'd buy a sideboard and some shears as Homes & Gardens magazine is fricking fantastic I'd buy a Porsche if I were you - the PCGB's magazine is great.
OP - only yanking your chain. First you need to think what you really, really want from your toy.
Do you want one of the quickest, most raw point to point cars on sale with little in the way of creature comforts?
Or do you want something that's more of a GT car with a raw edge?
elise, TVR, 7, it was also between these 3 i had big hesitations.When i finnally got the monney to buy, first choice has been the elise.
last year, i had enough to buy one more without selling the other...i bought the TVR.
so, the 7 is finaly my last choice, even if probably i will still have one day.
everytime i was ready to buy, at first the elise sounded a better all rounder, and clearly is, it is probably a car i will keep forever. when i bought the TVR, it sounded more interesting to have something completly different than the elise rather than the 7 which for me would have +-/ the same use as the Lotus, just in les practicle.
so...still no 7 so far.
last year, i had enough to buy one more without selling the other...i bought the TVR.
so, the 7 is finaly my last choice, even if probably i will still have one day.
everytime i was ready to buy, at first the elise sounded a better all rounder, and clearly is, it is probably a car i will keep forever. when i bought the TVR, it sounded more interesting to have something completly different than the elise rather than the 7 which for me would have +-/ the same use as the Lotus, just in les practicle.
so...still no 7 so far.
I've owned examples of every marque on your shortlist; they each have a very different character, so I think you need to ask yourself what you are looking for in terms of driving experience.
TVR's are competent sports tourers (when they're not breaking down), look great, make a lovely noise and have lots of point-and-squirt acceleration but dynamically, they're a dead loss to be honest. Personally, I wouldn't consider one as a weekend toy unless I was planning on lots of long trips at a (relatively) steady pace, and had lots of money for fuel and maintenance.
The Caterham and Westfield are the opposite end of the scale; really only suitable for fairly short, sharp blasts and very biased towards the handling end of the spectrum. Touring or everyday use is purgatory, if we're truthful; not that it can't be done, but you have to have the same sort of bloody-minded masochism that makes some people climb big mountains or walk across frozen wastes.
The Elise sits between the two... handling, feedback and driver involvement are nearly up there with the Caterfields, but it's much more practical for everyday use and longer trips. The downside is that it's not as quick as a Caterfield on twisty roads and not as relaxed on high-speed roads as a TVR.
TVR's are competent sports tourers (when they're not breaking down), look great, make a lovely noise and have lots of point-and-squirt acceleration but dynamically, they're a dead loss to be honest. Personally, I wouldn't consider one as a weekend toy unless I was planning on lots of long trips at a (relatively) steady pace, and had lots of money for fuel and maintenance.
The Caterham and Westfield are the opposite end of the scale; really only suitable for fairly short, sharp blasts and very biased towards the handling end of the spectrum. Touring or everyday use is purgatory, if we're truthful; not that it can't be done, but you have to have the same sort of bloody-minded masochism that makes some people climb big mountains or walk across frozen wastes.
The Elise sits between the two... handling, feedback and driver involvement are nearly up there with the Caterfields, but it's much more practical for everyday use and longer trips. The downside is that it's not as quick as a Caterfield on twisty roads and not as relaxed on high-speed roads as a TVR.
billbill said:
I think the Caterham club is expensive when you look what you get in terms of the magazine and the dated web site/ forum. Maybe it’s a bit like the car…. Minimalist!
Some people, club members included, would agree. It does have an RSS feed, which PH doesn't 
But it works well enough. The "members only" thing (good god, the scars from that debate are still with me) was not due to money, but was a response to potential cyber-liabilty from libel. The directors of the club themselves would be personally liable. Sledgehammer/Nut perhaps, but there you go. However. Slightly old fashioned website aside, £42 is fair value when you consider what else you get...however it depends on you using the other benefits.
A club trackday at Oulton park costs £190. Bookatrack want £299 for a similar event. So that is £69 saved already. Plus you won't get huffalumps in 911s or TVRs holding you up in corners
So don't let the look of Blatchat put you off joining if you do decide to go Caterham.
There is a Facebook group, which is free. Twitter would work quite well for a car club too. So join and suggest it !
p.s. I am not a member any longer. So not trying to sell anything.
p.p.s Sam_68's post is spot on. It just depends on how much bonkerdom you want out of the car.
Edited by Noger on Sunday 10th May 17:52
[quote] The "members only" thing (good god, the scars from that debate are still with me) was not due to money, but was a response to potential cyber-liabilty from libel. The directors of the club themselves would be personally liable.
[/quote]
Thx for clearing that up, however with the disclaimer present on the site I dont see how that is still applicable - or am I missing something?
The views stated on this site are not necessarily those of the Committee of the Lotus Seven Club
[/quote]
Thx for clearing that up, however with the disclaimer present on the site I dont see how that is still applicable - or am I missing something?
The views stated on this site are not necessarily those of the Committee of the Lotus Seven Club
Rich7se said:
...or am I missing something?
A few months of bickering and you evidently you have a common sense approach which is not required! You can view and search the site without having to join, and (initially anyway) pretty much any question you may have on 7s has been asked a million times on Blatchat, so you should be able to find anything you need and lots of tips etc.
Rich7se said:
Cheers Murph7355, yes I spend a fair while browsing the posts and yes just about anyhing I need to know has been asked already. Not paying £40 to post tho, sorry to OP for the highjack.
Me neither.Though there are other advantages (e.g. discounts on parts, labour etc). So every now and then it's worth revisiting.
The £40 fee for the Seven Club is for joining the club, not accessing the website. The website access point as ADDITIONAL to the club membership. I've been a member of the Seven Club since 1996 - before they had any real internet presence. Indeed, since the website went "members only£" a number of years ago, I've frequented it far less than I used to.
One of the aspects of a club not mentioned yet are the people. I would suggest going to as many local gatherings of club meetings as you can so that you can get a feel for the membership. From my experience, I have found the Lotus 7 Club people to be pretty good - unpretentious and generous.
I admit that the technical contrent of the magazine has declined in content over the past few years - mainly because technical, track and owneship issues and questions (which used to be the bread and butter of the mag in the old days) have shifted to the club website. On the other hand, the production value of the mag is pretty high - with good photos and layout.
I would also suggest that you try to get the opportunity to have a drive in the cars on your list. You can't beat a direct experience to help make your mind up.
One of the aspects of a club not mentioned yet are the people. I would suggest going to as many local gatherings of club meetings as you can so that you can get a feel for the membership. From my experience, I have found the Lotus 7 Club people to be pretty good - unpretentious and generous.
I admit that the technical contrent of the magazine has declined in content over the past few years - mainly because technical, track and owneship issues and questions (which used to be the bread and butter of the mag in the old days) have shifted to the club website. On the other hand, the production value of the mag is pretty high - with good photos and layout.
I would also suggest that you try to get the opportunity to have a drive in the cars on your list. You can't beat a direct experience to help make your mind up.
Eric Mc said:
The £40 fee for the Seven Club is for joining the club, not accessing the website. The website access point as ADDITIONAL to the club membership. I've been a member of the Seven Club since 1996 - before they had any real internet presence. Indeed, since the website went "members only£" a number of years ago, I've frequented it far less than I used to.
One of the aspects of a club not mentioned yet are the people. I would suggest going to as many local gatherings of club meetings as you can so that you can get a feel for the membership. From my experience, I have found the Lotus 7 Club people to be pretty good - unpretentious and generous.
I admit that the technical contrent of the magazine has declined in content over the past few years - mainly because technical, track and owneship issues and questions (which used to be the bread and butter of the mag in the old days) have shifted to the club website. On the other hand, the production value of the mag is pretty high - with good photos and layout.
I would also suggest that you try to get the opportunity to have a drive in the cars on your list. You can't beat a direct experience to help make your mind up.
Yes I fully understand that the £42 is to join the actual club, i dont have an issue with that. I think what is an issue is that say I wanted to find out about your car, as I was after buying one for instance. What we might have done pre internet days was page through the classic/kitcar mags and find out where the nearest club meets, go along and chat to members and make your decition based on what you hear and see. With the advent of the internet and forums this has become very much easier, gone is the need to search the mags for meeting places instead replaced by a wealth of information all from your own chair. So for me wanting to buy your car or at the least find out more information, attempting to sign up on a forum to find out its going to cost £42 in order to gain further info would put me off big style. Its not an issue for me , I have a 7 already - just hope it doesn`t put folks off from buying yours cars. I see you have a thread going anyway regarding this and other matters on your site. I think its a great site, I have gained lots of info its just a shame that I cant post on it. One of the aspects of a club not mentioned yet are the people. I would suggest going to as many local gatherings of club meetings as you can so that you can get a feel for the membership. From my experience, I have found the Lotus 7 Club people to be pretty good - unpretentious and generous.
I admit that the technical contrent of the magazine has declined in content over the past few years - mainly because technical, track and owneship issues and questions (which used to be the bread and butter of the mag in the old days) have shifted to the club website. On the other hand, the production value of the mag is pretty high - with good photos and layout.
I would also suggest that you try to get the opportunity to have a drive in the cars on your list. You can't beat a direct experience to help make your mind up.
Blatchat is only a part of the club, area meetings and other info can be found at the main club site which is at http://www.lotussevenclub.com and there are blogs, galleries and videos from members at (the relatively new) http://my.lotussevenclub.com. Don't forget that Low Flying is monthly too.
And BLatchat is free to read. Posting is restricted to members only. So you can find out all about local area meets, cars for sale, technical tips etc using Blatchat at no cost to you. Obviously, if you want to ask questions you will have a problem.
Some of the local areas have their own websites as well.
Get to a local meeting if you can. Talk to as many owners as you can and you might even be offered a ride. I spent years reading up on Sevens, buying books about them, reading magazine articles etc before I finally was able to buy my Seven.
I haven't been attending my local meetings in recent times due to having to ration my evenings out (I have too many other interests that could take me out of the house nearly every evening - so something had to give).
Some of the local areas have their own websites as well.
Get to a local meeting if you can. Talk to as many owners as you can and you might even be offered a ride. I spent years reading up on Sevens, buying books about them, reading magazine articles etc before I finally was able to buy my Seven.
I haven't been attending my local meetings in recent times due to having to ration my evenings out (I have too many other interests that could take me out of the house nearly every evening - so something had to give).
To be honest, with coments such as these on your FREE site, I would not entertain joining at all.
I realise these are only views of your members and not that of your club, but you have to see that the members represent your club whilst posting in a public forum
Your club member wrote
"I think the club should be renamed to the Sevenesque Owners Club to attract more Lotus 7 copies that just Caterhams.
Sure, owners of inferior cars like Westfields are allowed to join the Club as it is (which is very charitable IMO), but most are too ashamed to openly admit what cars they own. Being the Sevenesque OC would out these people so they can potentially be rehabilitated and become Caterham owners."
I realise these are only views of your members and not that of your club, but you have to see that the members represent your club whilst posting in a public forum
Your club member wrote
"I think the club should be renamed to the Sevenesque Owners Club to attract more Lotus 7 copies that just Caterhams.
Sure, owners of inferior cars like Westfields are allowed to join the Club as it is (which is very charitable IMO), but most are too ashamed to openly admit what cars they own. Being the Sevenesque OC would out these people so they can potentially be rehabilitated and become Caterham owners."
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