The £10K Caterham: Spotted

A Caterham Selected car, on carbs and with less than 30,000 miles - the perfect first Seven!

Only yesterday we were discussing in the office how expensive new Caterhams can be - see the 360R used in the rear-wheel drive feature, specced up to £34,285. But of course the key appeal with a Caterham is that they hold their value like little else, meaning they make a lot of sense long term. See this 1997 Superlight R, still £21K after 27,000 miles and nearly 18 years.

Less paint means it goes faster, right?

So is there really such a thing as a cheap Caterham? Well yes, there is actually. It's very seldom that Sevens come up at four-figure price tags, and it's especially rare to see a sub-£10K Seven being sold by Caterham. But here we are, with a Vauxhall-engined Seven Classic from 1998. Moreover, it's a Selected car, which means it's sold with a 12-month warranty, an 81-point pre-sale inspection, AA cover, free MoTs at Caterham for the whole time you have the car and a track day voucher. So it's quite a good package.

As you might expect for £9,995, this is a very basic Seven even by Caterham standards. But then there is an argument to be made that Sevens are at their best devoid of fripperies, with the driving experience as raw and unfiltered as possible. Beyond the obvious fact that this car doesn't have doors it also has drum brakes, a live axle and just 100hp too. So it's not far away from a Seven 160 in fact, with the additional charm of carburettors in place of the three-cylinder.

Now all that's required is the sun!

Having spent quite a lot of miles in a Caterham with a little more power than this, I have no doubt that 100hp would be more than enough for huge amounts of fun. At 500kg or so that means - you guessed it - around 200hp per tonne, which is more than enough to entertain. Combine that with the immediacy of a Seven and you'll be giggling all the way to the fuel station.

Of course there are more practical two-seaters to buy for £10,000, ones which you could use more often and worry about less. There is a strong case to be made for an Elise at this money too. That being said there is nothing that will quite thrill like a Caterham, and at £9,995 it seems a bargain. They won't get cheaper!

CATERHAM SEVEN CLASSIC
Engine: 1,600cc four-cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 106@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 70@5,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 28,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £9,995