SV vs S3

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Finally found ourselves close enough to a Caterham dealer with time to spare and popped into the Crawley place at the weekend. My main aim was to get my wife to sit in one and get her opinion up close rather than just my drooling whenever we pass one on the road...

I love the look and concept of the new 160 but she instantly put the brakes on that declaring the S3 chassis too small (despite fitting in it) but warmly put thumbs up to the SV, a car even I (6ft 2") need to move the seat well forward in!

I have no objection to the (minor) additional space but have always had feeling they look "fat", the grill looks wider and the whole car looks fractionally squashed in the vertical... clearly irrational and when looking at the 2nd hand cars they had in stock I noticed its only really pronounced in certain (lighter) colours.

I couldn't find much comment online with regards any driving, ownership and building differences, pros or cons between the two, anyone driven or built both and care to comment?


BTW- Very Dangerous place to visit, my wife picked out an almost perfectly specced car from the 2nd hand stock... fortunately it had been purchased but the sign had fallen off the windscreen.

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framerateuk said:

If you need the extra size then by all means go for it, but the snugness of the S3 is what makes it special.

This was partly my feeling, I fit the S3 (IMO) just right, perhaps I hadn't properly explained the fit to my wife- something she might realise when she experiences the car on the road, we are planning a test drive for the spring as it seems everyone is packing their cars away or fully booked for now.

I hadn't considered residuals, not sure that's the right mindset to approach a Caterham with, the world Sensible isn't really in the process :-)

I was surprised at the number of SV's in their 2nd hand stock, I'd (wrongly) assumed it was a niche spec.

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framerateuk said:

I wouldn't worry about residuals. Caterhams hold their value well.

I noticed many 125 Sigmas priced much higher than my 140 this summer. Get a good deal and it'll hold it's value very well.

I was planning to build- I understand why some buy a factory car but if I commit I want the "whole" experience :-)