First test help

[Benur]

On top of enjoying and having fun tomorrow that I am testing a Caterham for the very first time... any other practical advice?

I will use some not-very-wide shoes so I don't have any problem with the pedals and I will bring my sunglasses (yeah, it will be quite sunny!). I am bringing also a friend and a telephone with camera so I can have an "external view of how the car suits me" ;-)

Any other advice?

Yes, I am excited...

[Benur]

framerateuk said:

Take it easy until you get used to it, but just enjoy it

Thanks

framerateuk said:

If you've never driven a car without brake servos before...

Do we accept a small kart as a car?

[Benur]

Thanks for all the advice. This is a really nice forum

Maybe no need for earplugs as it is a "continental" car, so extra exhaust silencer, I think. South France, by the way Mick ;-)

I'll tell you ASAP how is my first experience, fortunately with some pictures - and one thousand new questions!!!

Cheers!

Edited by Benur on Saturday 15th September 00:01

[Benur]

A-MA-ZING!

Will come later with details and pictures. Now I have to put my feet back on Earth

[Benur]

Well, first impressions.

We got there at 10am, not so sunny finally. Car was a S3 with the Sigma 125 hp engine and no lowered floor.



So it is a brand new car that just arrived recently. You can see plastic protection on the seats and the stickers still on the tyres, hehe. It had around 35 kilometers in the counter, which I assume were due to the testing from the manufacturer guys. Passenger harness looked as it has not been used before, everything set to the minimum!

First things I can notice: Wow, it is low, and it is tight! Rear exhaust silencer as expected (not very noisy at the end), boot is not so small as I thought, the steering wheel is small (how I like it). It is beautiful! There is an SV near, not that I like it now that I can see one face to face, it looks... I don't know, BIG! Hey, where is the windscreen???



It seems that in France you cannot buy the car with a windscreen because it is too small to certify it, so you have to use the car with aeroscreens Anyway, they can be mounted at the moment of delivery to the customer. And I hope they change those rear view mirrors, not sure I like them.

Well, let's go! First impressions are great. For the first 500m I am like a wooden stick, trying to brake with my feet. No way, I am in the passenger position! We stop by a near petrol station to refuel. Here you can see the stickers on the tyres and my driver: Bernard, very nice guy from the dealer and owner of a R300.



While refueling a nice guy comes by "Is it new or a classic?". With a Caterham you do a lot of friends, Bernard says...

The roads we took reminded me a lot of the "B roads" in UK, a lot of green surrounding us and little traffic (at least to be France on a sunny-to-be Saturday morning). The car is unbelievable, speeding to 120 in very short time, braking long after seeing the "Stop in 150m" sign and cornering like a do with my Xbox While I am trying to get familiar with the external dimensions of the car (my turn will be next), Bernard says it is a pity that the car is new, we cannot go over 3.000 revs... well, he was going up to 4.000 some times. The air in the face only makes me smile.

My turn Legs are a little trembling even. I get in the car and start to accelerate, clutch is quite soft (at least compared to what I expected and to the one I tried in an old R300 they have there), gearing is so easy and confortable, everything is at hand (indicators for example), the car suits me like a glove. Steering is not servoed, so cool, like a kart this is what I am really looking for. No assist on the wheel? What did somebody tell me in the forum about the servos...? Oh, a roundabout, I have to brake... Brake!!! Brake pedal is veeeery hard, even if the car is equipped with the 2-piston big disks brakes at the front, and, what is that noise? Ups, even if I took some narrow shoes I am braking and accelerating at the same time, lucky us my other foot is on the clutch



Good sensations, cornering, accelerating from low revs, braking when I learn how to do it, perhaps a little more hard than I expected; a matter of practising, I guess. We take into a motorway to check "comfort" as I am really wishing my girl to feel great in the car. Only surprises are: how fast I am overspeeding and how sensible is the steering, I turned my head to say something to Bernard and I was unwillingly invading the side lane, ups. In Bernard words: "This is a car, you came in a train". I would rather say "a tank".

When we are arriving to the dealer I try to pass a "slow" car (now I am really comfortable with the car) and Bernard has to shout at me NO! as I was not going to be the first potential customer coming into a roundabout on the wrong side of the barrier separator

What was that? Half an hour, one hour? For me it was like 5 minutes of big joy...

Debriefing. We had a nice chat with Bernard, he explained to me all the options and so on. As prices are raising a little due to the pound exchange and I expect the opposite to happen in the 3-4 months to come, I want to wait a little. Nevertheless my girl has to try it (and approve it) and if I take the decision in December it will be delivered in March-April, just for springtime

Well, that's all folks! Thanks for all your valuable comments!

Edited by Benur on Monday 17th September 12:47

[Benur]

Thanks coppice, I really enjoyed it.

Point with lowered floors is that I was almost sure I wanted it with it, but I was not uncomfortable in this normal floor car at all. To test how it would be with a windshield I came in a R300 with it fitted and I was looking just through the middle of the windscreen. Being around 5 feet and 8 or 9 inches (little Spaniard ) now I think it won't be necessary. Anyway, on next visit I will ask for it, they may have a car with lowered floors around. Ah, the dealer also told me not to go for lowered floors, I cannot remember why now. Also, I am more interested in touring than in racing, so I think the position is not uncomfortable. Not sure if it would be also a problem with the speed bumpers, they are horrible here in France.

One question, does anybody know if after homologation/delivery I can take the exhaust silencer out and attach a little elbow so the exhaust looks and sounds more similar to the "British" ones? I mean, if that exhaust elbow exists and if it is easy to attach having in mind that when I have to go to the technical inspection again I will have to reattach everything... By the way, isn't bad for the rear tyre that the exhaust pipe is just blowing heat at it? Thanks!

[Benur]

Thanks pipnjones. Today's price in France to lower the floor is 405€, and yes, the point of getting in and out the car is to be considered... In the worst case I will put a little cushion under me, hehe... What is the price in UK? For the floor, not the cushion

And very good advice that one to get the book! As I am living near the Pyrenees I am sure there will be plenty of them!!!

[Benur]

Sorry for my late answer, and thanks for all yours!

Well, being 5 ft 9 inches and weighing around 12 stones (curious English measures :-)) I think I will go for the normal floors. As I said, I can see just through the center of the windscreen (in height), and no real problem getting in the car (well, a little bit only, next time I will bring a thick coat, just to check).

As for the wheel, I still don't know. I have read people lock it to the cage bars if they do not want to take it with them, or you can let it at the hotel or your house, for example, which is extra security. Anyway, the main advantage would be to get in/out of the car, maybe after a couple of tries it is not so difficult. So I still don't know.

And I repeat question (maybe I should open a new topic), does anybody know if after homologation/delivery I can take the exhaust silencer out and attach a little elbow so the exhaust looks and sounds more similar to the "British" ones? Would it be easy? I mean, if that exhaust elbow exists and if it is easy to attach having in mind that when I have to go to the technical inspection again I will have to reattach everything... By the way, isn't bad for the rear tyre that the exhaust pipe is just blowing heat at it? Thanks!

[Benur]

Thanks framerateuk, at 1.75m I am only 5 cm longer than Colin Chapman was , and as I said before they have very high speed bumps here in France, so it is a real concern (I think I'll have to sort out a route to get in/out of the city somehow).

[Benur]

Hehe. Well pipnjones, no, I haven't placed my order yet. This is a step by step process and next one is that my girl tries the car so then I will have a GO/NO-GO... I consider that if I really want to enjoy the car, it has to be with her. For the moment she is very excited with the idea, which is very good. I hope test will be on 11 days

Then, as the car takes around 3/4 months to be manufactured, I am planning to place the order (if) in December so I can have the car by March-April and enjoy the springtime. So I will have time to find a proper "home" for the Caterham and the rest of needed preparations.

Another factor is the pound/euro rate, it has to be lower than it is right now; the dealer is charging me with an extra 1.000 euros for the current rate. If we can go under the 1.20 or near 1.15 euros per pound I think I could negotiate a more favorable price.

Don't worry, I'll let you know how things go!

[Benur]

That's it! My plan was to take the wheel with me all the time, I am usually carrying a backpack. Or I can lock it to the roll cage. It will be some added security, I think. I am still awaiting for quotation, in order to see if it is worth the money or not.

And regarding the test drive for my partner... well, she does not have even a driving license, so it is planned as a "passenger test drive" My thought is that if she does not feel comfortable in it then we will not have the opportunity to enjoy the car together; and sincerely, I will not let her alone on weekends while I go alone in the car, it would kill all the joy and I would stop driving it after few months...

[Benur]

2nd step successful: GF

[Benur]

For your info, I am planning to make my order this week

List of options will be something like:

1.6 Sigma 125
Titanium silver
Weather equipment
Spare wheel
12 volts
Harness 4 points
Leather seats
Black pack
4 pistons brakes
Black nose band
And I was complaining about the rear view mirrors and the dealer offered the F1 ones for free? Any issue with these?

Expected delivery, not later than April.

I want to say thank you to all who helped and read me in this forum!

[Benur]

Thanks Dino. That is very nice of you.

Well, when I did the test the car was only around 45 kms old... and brakes were... I don't know the word, like hard and slow... Maybe that was the problem. Anyway, I plan to order the 4 pistons ones, hehe

And thank you very much for the advice on the ear plugs. I didn't have any problem without them on my test, less than half an hour, rural roads, silencer on the back... but my girlfriend tried an R300 and she arrived with some pain in the ear and very dizzy Our intention is to tour for at least a couple hours each time we go out, so it is a very good advice indeed!

I have an appointment to pay the deposit for it in 30 min...

[Benur]

Thanks for your answers! Car will be brand new, so taking the "good" brakes from the beginning is not an issue.

Then, ETA is April, but CC had a cancellation and now they have a free slot in January The dealer is working to get that slot for me, hehe...

Will keep you informed.

For the moment, I'd like to buy the famous Halcyon Mark 9, but I have tried some copies and I could not breath through my nose with them on. Do you know of any physical store in London (or better in South France) where I could try them? Thanks.