40k for a Caterham, worth buying new?

[HypeM135i]

Looking at the 420R built and delivered by Caterham, I like the idea of buying new as A) I'll not be putting many miles on it B) I know it's not going to have any problems C) When I eventually come to sell I'll have a mint 1 owner example factory built with hardly any miles.

Coming from an M235i which is quick, is the 420R going to be fast and exciting enough for me? I am guessing it will look at those figures! Any other recommendations or advice? I've specced the car up to 37k at the moment with...

Windscreen & Side Screens
Armrests
Riviera Blue Paint
R Package
Factory Build
Track Roll Bar
Snap Off Steerinf Wheel
Carpeted Interior
Polished Exhaust
Painted Number 7


Are the seats comfortable or not as standard R? Any other upgrades I should be looking at? Basically I will track it rarely and drive it round country road often!

[HypeM135i]

coppice said:

Bin the carpets - they will get wet and then smell like wet dog.You can't really compare Sevens to normal cars as they are so visceral , thanks to no weight and no electronic safety nets. You won't believe how truly awful a Seven can be on the wrong road in the wrong conditions. But you will hear choirs of angels sing on the right road in the right conditions.And be careful - especially in the wet - they can bite .

Edited by coppice on Tuesday 23 August 08:51

Thanks, I will keep that in mind... and yes I will mainly take it out in the dry!

HurryUpAndWait said:

Exciting enough?! It will be an utterly visceral experience that will make your 2-series feel like a GT.

Not dissimilarly, I've a 130i and an R300. Most of the time the R300 is too exciting, but that's the fun

Sounds amazing, I drove a single seater at brands hatch and was one of the best driving experiences of my life, so just can't wait to get into a Caterham now.

coppice said:

Are you going 6 speed or 5? Pros and cons for both . Roller barrel throttle bodies - if Caterham still do them ?- make a massive difference in noise and responsiveness- if you spec one option that is the one to go for. Not cheap ,mind, but it made a huge improvement to my own R400D

I am thinking about going for the 5 speed, so you would go for the 5 or 6 speed? I want as aggressive, as noisy, as I want to rip your face off as possible

So ultimately, do you think I am best buying new? I've seen some R300 models (2003 plate) but I worry with older models both on reliability and the fact that sometimes you get people who flog a car as soon as they find a huge problem, and not being a mechanic I wouldn't even know where to start looking for those issues, so new to me seems to make the most sense. I also love the fact these cars hold there value so well.

[HypeM135i]

Pdelamare said:

If you want 'rip your face off' spend an extra £12k and buy the 620R SV that's for sale. 65 mile on it only, brand new as it gets really.

I know that would be amazing, but I can only go to around 40k really as I also will need to buy a cheap run around to replace the BMW as well, so unfortunately 40 is my limit pretty much!

[HypeM135i]

REALIST123 said:

My spider senses tell me it might not be the car for you! It's meaningless to draw a comparison with your road car. It'll be much faster in many situations but will take a lot more skill and effort to be so. The ride is pretty poor compared to most road cars ( a Caterham soon shows you crappy most of our roads are!), most creature comforts are non existent and you'll need to wear hearing protection when you drive it.

Don't get me wrong, I love the R400 I built last year and wouldn't ever part with it. I just wouldn't want to not have good alternatives for many occasions

Maybe it's just me but a lot of the pleasure of ownership, apart from building oneself, is in maintaining and modding the car! Will you be doing that? I'm not sure a factory build is any guarantee of trouble free motoring, I think I'd prefer a competent self build myself.

Whatever you do, have a good drive in one before you buy!

It's 100% for me, trust me. I know it's a completely different experience to the M235i and that's what I am looking for. I am looking for the rawest experience possible, with no traction, no abs, just me and the car and the elements. I also don't underestimate it and will likely just slowly bed it in very softly to get used to things so I don't spin it at every occasion. But ultimately, I am 100% set on a Caterham, just not sure whether to spend a lot on a new one, or look further down the chain.

[HypeM135i]

sjmmarsh said:

Another +1 for the lack of driver AIDS. The main thing I hadn't realised was how much modern cars interfere with the throttle. If you mash the throttle the ECU thinks "I wouldn't do that - here is a more linear delivery that my engineers have told me is safer" (and more economic in many cases). In a 7, you get what you asked for, lots of wheel spin and a rotating car!

I originally had a 150bhp 7, bought second hand. It was great on the fantastic on corners and roundabouts but I found turbo tin tops could be a problem unless you kept the revs in the sweet spot in a straight line. I paid 19k for it with 18k on the clock and sold it back to Caterham 4 years later for 17k, with 38k on the clock.

I upgraded to a CSR 260 - the main reason was the track days. A 7 is faster than most cars on track, particularly round the corners... Where you cannot overtake! On the straights, although the big engined cars would lift slightlyou often didn't have the power to complete an overtake..

It is never a problem in the CSR! But you have to be very careful on roads in the wet - 25% throttle is plenty and any more could be disaster unless you are awake.

Steve

Edited by sjmmarsh on Wednesday 24th August 07:37

That's the thing, I want something absolutely brutal. I want something that will spit me off on full throttle, that's the where the excitement comes in and I really want something quick as well. Maybe the 420R will be too fast, I'm not sure but I find even in the M235i (yes completely different and just a car) with that coming in at about 4.6 to 60 I still find myself wanting a ton more power, so I think maybe something like the 420R will be perfect. I've also watched one of the YouTube reviews on the 620 with Mike what's his name, and you can see he's just brushing the throttle gently whilst going at a rapid pace, but I love that it just looks like a complete whale of a time!

[HypeM135i]

Master Bean said:

Back left

Now that's one in the back left is lovely, beautiful colour too. What age was that, and how does it differ from the latest models. This is the only thing I am finding confusing, is the fact Caterham have so many models, at some many ages and specs it's just incredibly difficult to know what to go for!?

[HypeM135i]

Don't you get stones and so on in your face though? Apparently if you get the £1550 option all weather gear you can chop and change as you like