Help For A First-Time Purchase Please
Discussion
Hello to everyone. I found my way here last year and I have been 'lurking' ever since. Firstly, it looks as though I will have a budget up to £10k max, and I would like opinions on the best way forward to find the best 7esque car I can. Predominantly a road going
weekend car for total fun. I can't say it will never get to a track,but not a consideration at the moment. I have been readng the debates on the differing virtues of bike/car engined models where the common
opinion seems to be that I should stick to car-engined for the road?? I am however, interested in a BEC. I would very much appreciate advice on make, model and also if anyone knows of a good car for sale. From my research so far, I have come to be intersted in Sylva Strikers, and have seen a few for sale, three of which I have linked below, the first of which is here on PH. I have also seen a Striker with a 2.7l Honda V6 in this months Kitcar, and would appreciate a view of this approach. Any advice would be appreciated, and also possible knowledge of these particular cars. BTW, the first car uses a Kawasaki GPZ 1000RX which I believe is a relatively old model, and the price of the second one is currently £6750ono. Thanks in advance, Chris.
www.sudron.co.uk/striker_sale.htm
www.bookatrack.com/-pC?355
www.findit.co.uk/cars/kitcar/cars/1084462.htm
>>> Edited by celticprince on Thursday 11th March 19:35
Which ever car you decide on, I would veer away from bike engined cars, unless you do trackdays or like screaming through the gears, they can be tiring to drive....(all imho of course 
)
Also I would stick with the reputable long established makers like Tiger, Westfield, Dax, Sylva etc, you have to think about resale value......
If you do your homework and buy wisely you should be able to run the car for three or four years, have some fun, and sell it on at very little financial loss......
) Also I would stick with the reputable long established makers like Tiger, Westfield, Dax, Sylva etc, you have to think about resale value......
If you do your homework and buy wisely you should be able to run the car for three or four years, have some fun, and sell it on at very little financial loss......
Thanks for the reply Wacky Racer. Would I be right in thinking that the virtues of BECars are less noticeable on the road. I am looking for a B-road and twisties toy for pure pleasure. I'm soon moving to Mid-Wales, and the roads are fantastic, quiet and relatively safe. I curently live in Cambridgeshire about 20mins from Tiger Racing, but I have become very interested in the Striker as it has been widely, and arguably, described as the best handling 7esque??? Again, would this be less noticeable/necessary on the road? Thanks again, Chris.
celticprince said:
Thanks for the reply Wacky Racer. Would I be right in thinking that the virtues of BECars are less noticeable on the road. I am looking for a B-road and twisties toy for pure pleasure. I'm soon moving to Mid-Wales, and the roads are fantastic, quiet and relatively safe. I curently live in Cambridgeshire about 20mins from Tiger Racing, but I have become very interested in the Striker as it has been widely, and arguably, described as the best handling 7esque??? Again, would this be less noticeable/necessary on the road? Thanks again, Chris.
He he, I had a Striker for a couple of years, it was my everyday car for a while too. They are absolutely bloody brilliant, buy that car you really would not regret it. It looks really well made and will be a screamer around Wales.
I used to cover 650 - 750 miles a week in my Striker in all weathers, I never owned a roof and regularly used to blast through West London, you get bored of racing cars at the lights and move on to embarrassing bikes with the swift traffic light grand prix action.
If I had the money now I would be on the phone to that guy tonight.
Good luck...... do it, do it now!
MM
I can echo others' comments about the Striker, part of its attraction is that it's about the lightest of the Seven clones, which means you can go for a car derived drivetrain and not be too far away from the weight of some of the heavier bike engined cars - best of both worlds.
Also if you're not likely to use it on the track often if ever, the bike engine's probably not ideal. They're definitely usable on the road and you get used to the clutch and gearchange, they're not issues, but the extra torque of a car engine will be more flexible outside a track environment.
That said, personally I'd still be going for a lightweight engine, bellhousing, diff etc if at all possible!
BTW I did try a Rover V8 powered SSC Stylus (civilised Striker) which weighed in at about 670kg and went very well indeed
only had a 30kg penalty over a Zetec engined Stylus. Main benefit of the Stylus is a curved screen, doors and windows etc, makes the car a lot more useable especially at high speeds, but you really need more power to make the extra weight of these bits work for you. Mark B can verify this!
BTW hi Mark
hear congratulations are in order! 
Give me a call when you get the time?
Also if you're not likely to use it on the track often if ever, the bike engine's probably not ideal. They're definitely usable on the road and you get used to the clutch and gearchange, they're not issues, but the extra torque of a car engine will be more flexible outside a track environment.
That said, personally I'd still be going for a lightweight engine, bellhousing, diff etc if at all possible!
BTW I did try a Rover V8 powered SSC Stylus (civilised Striker) which weighed in at about 670kg and went very well indeed
only had a 30kg penalty over a Zetec engined Stylus. Main benefit of the Stylus is a curved screen, doors and windows etc, makes the car a lot more useable especially at high speeds, but you really need more power to make the extra weight of these bits work for you. Mark B can verify this! BTW hi Mark
hear congratulations are in order! Give me a call when you get the time?ok I'll bite
BECs are just fine for road use - you soon get used to the clutch, and errrrmmm... that's it really.
Lack of torque is a myth, the gearing makes this argument pretty irrelvant - besides mine produces 130lb/ft at the crank, which from 1100cc ain't bad in my opinion?
Of course the best thing to do is to get out there and try a few, and decide what suits you best I wanted something totally different, so went for the BEC, and have done 6000 mainly road miles in 18 months no problem.
moomin
>> Edited by moomin on Tuesday 16th March 10:16
BECs are just fine for road use - you soon get used to the clutch, and errrrmmm... that's it really.
Lack of torque is a myth, the gearing makes this argument pretty irrelvant - besides mine produces 130lb/ft at the crank, which from 1100cc ain't bad in my opinion?
Of course the best thing to do is to get out there and try a few, and decide what suits you best
I wanted something totally different, so went for the BEC, and have done 6000 mainly road miles in 18 months no problem. moomin
>> Edited by moomin on Tuesday 16th March 10:16
Thanks for the reply moomin. I was able to go to the Stafford show after all, and I have decided that a Striker is for me. Take your point in viewing/driving many, which I intend to do. Have you knowledge of a good Striker for sale, and any views on the 3 I linked in my first post. Thanks in advance, Chris. BTW, what BEC do you have?
Hi Chris.
I don't know of any Strikers for sale, but then I've not really been looking!
Of those linked in your first post...
The black one looks like a decent spec, but I'd guess it's not a commonly used BEC engine, which in itself shouldn't be a problem but there is obviously alot more knowledge about the more commonly used engines (i.e. Fireblade etc). Looks well built/sorted.
The green one has been for sale for ages, are you sure it still is? that ad was placed last summer. Other than that, it looks good too, and ZX9R is a more common engine choice.
I have a Westfield with a Blackbird engine - have a look in my profile for a link to my website about it.
moomin
I don't know of any Strikers for sale, but then I've not really been looking!
Of those linked in your first post...
The black one looks like a decent spec, but I'd guess it's not a commonly used BEC engine, which in itself shouldn't be a problem but there is obviously alot more knowledge about the more commonly used engines (i.e. Fireblade etc). Looks well built/sorted.
The green one has been for sale for ages, are you sure it still is? that ad was placed last summer. Other than that, it looks good too, and ZX9R is a more common engine choice.
I have a Westfield with a Blackbird engine - have a look in my profile for a link to my website about it.
moomin
Hello moomin, thanks for the reply. Great site, the car looks well-sorted! Information is useful, and the green Striker is still for sale at £6750. He blames living in Hull!! He does seem like an enthusiast though. Good luck with the Westie, and remember me if you see a good Striker for sale. Cheers, Chris
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