Tuesday 9th August 2016

Caterham Seven 270 R: PH Fleet

Turns out buying a house and having a Seven don't go hand in hand, so Ben has to part with his Caterham

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I'll get the bad news out of the way early: sadly the little Seven's time on my fleet was short. In fact soon after completing the build, I put a deposit down on my first house, knowing that the car would have to go to free up the funds. Goes to show how much can change in the six-month wait for a build slot!

Valencia Orange did turn out well!

While I wipe away the tears, let me reflect on all the positives of my short-lived Caterham ownership. Other than a hefty black eye and a few shortages, the build process was a truly rewarding experience and something I won't forget. In fact, I still owned the car for as long as most cars stay on the PH Fleet, and I made sure I took that epic Wales trip that was in the back of my mind throughout the whole build. I haven't had any children yet, but I imagine the feeling you get starting your freshly built Caterham for the first time is the mechanical equivalent of holding your newborn after birth. Well, depending on how the build went, you might feel more like Sigourney Weaver in Alien.

The first 500 miles were racked up quickly to bed the engine in, with a few trips to the office so that I could properly enjoy revving out the sprightly 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine. And while cruising around the M25 is by no means the best place for a Seven, it's surprisingly comfortable and highly capable of being sat on the motorway. Even in cold conditions, with the roof up a Seven is a warm, cosy place to be.

My weekend in Wales is the most memorable drive that I can take away from ownership. The route was planned and the sunshine booked, so I set off from Kent to Shropshire. Having spent my youth lapping the Elan Valley in Rhayader, it's my testing ground for any car I buy and a breathtaking drive. With my brother riding shotgun we made our way to Aberystwyth, dodging sheep along the way and enjoying the fantastic roads in beautiful sunshine.

Wales in a Caterham not a bad weekend

The 270 R is the perfect balance of performance and comfort for the road. You can rev all 135hp out of the engine in each gear without doing silly speeds, and the limited slip-differential allows the back end to be more playful through corners. Throttle response is really sharp with a lightweight flywheel, too. As with all Sevens, the pedal spacing is ideal for heel and toe (it's harder not to really), making you feel like a hero as you blip the throttle on downshifts.

Grasping the small Momo steering wheel you feel plumbed into the car, with every minor input transmitted directly to the front wheels. I've never driven another car that I've felt so connected to. I went for the uprated brake master cylinder and four-piston calipers on the front, which allow you to have much more confidence braking into a corner. It's definitely an option that's aimed at track use, but still noticeable on the road.

As I finally arrived home a bit dehydrated, rather sweaty and a little windswept, I knew I'd had a sensational journey. You don't own a Caterham as a means of getting from A to B, you own one for a world where A and B don't even exist. I'm truly sad to see GN15 LZT go, but you can't live in a Seven sadly. Hopefully Brexit won't have a detrimental affect on house values, and some appreciation will allow me to buy another in the future - my affair with the little two-seater is far from over. But until that day, toodle pip old chum!

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FACT SHEET
Car: 2015 Caterham Seven 270 R
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: April 2015
Mileage: 2,253

Previous reports:
To the factory for spec selection
The build begins!
Legal high? Ben's IVA test beckons

 

[Itsallicanafford]

Chap my commiserations, that's the problem with a high cost, liquid asset which is essentially a toy, they can come under severe pressure when buying houses are concerned...

I managed to side step this exact scenario by having a Mk1 MX-5 when we brought our last house. It was a toy but in my wife's mind not worth anything (a point which i made subtly over the years), it survived. Had it been a Caterham, it would have definitely been sold!

[anonymous-user]

Tsch, priorities all out of whack

[Varn]

Great article!

Looks like it's up for sale on Caterham's site:

http://uk.caterhamcars.com/pre-owned/1808-seven-27...

[tahicks2003]

Feel very sorry for you Ben but I'm sure something will come up before to long.

[BenLowden]

Thanks for all the kind words! To rub salt in the wound, I've got a neighbour with an R400 K-Series, which he's owned from new and vows never to sell it. Every day I look at it and think what could have been...

But I'll definitely have another in the future, there's no doubt about it. Until then, a Mk1 MX-5 might be on the cards in the next year or two!

[suffolk009]

Yup. I had three, upgraded from a X-flow, through Superlight 1.6K to an R500K. Had to sell it, didn't want to. Miss them all. I'm 14 yrs older now, but still miss them all the time.

And a nice Eunos will help with the pain. I bought my first one 12 years ago. As someone pointed out above they're so cheap that they don't enter the domestic economics discussions.

[g7jhp]

I ran a Caterham 7 HPC for 6 years as my weekend toy, with a 3.2 Carrera as my daily drive.

The smell, the sound and the feel of such as lightweight car puts them in a class of their own.

Great cars and so focused, on the right day they're untouchable.

[SidewaysSi]

Somewhat disappointing. I would have thought Caterham would have given the car to PH as a long termer but obviously not.

Whilst I appreciate personal financial pressures, they should not really factor IMO. This is a motoring website after all and I think it is a bit rubbish that we haven't had PH's full views on the ownership experience.

If we are not going to get "the full story" in the future, perhaps interim articles should not be published?

[BenLowden]

SidewaysSi said:

Somewhat disappointing. I would have thought Caterham would have given the car to PH as a long termer but obviously not.

Whilst I appreciate personal financial pressures, they should not really factor IMO. This is a motoring website after all and I think it is a bit rubbish that we haven't had PH's full views on the ownership experience.

If we are not going to get "the full story" in the future, perhaps interim articles should not be published?

Nope, paid for with my own hard earned life savings! While I appreciate your comment, I was already well into the swing of writing my articles before I ended up buying a house and I'd initially planned on keeping the car for at least two years. But sadly circumstances change; I waited over six months for my build slot and while I thoroughly enjoyed the build and my brief ownership, the car had to go.

It's not all bad though, I owned the car for just as long as other cars have been on PH Fleet and I've really enjoyed writing the articles and sharing my love for the Seven with the PH community. Plus I have a house, and don't have to rent anymore. Surely as an owner yourself, you can't say the exposure for Caterham is a negative thing!

[Smitters]

Woah there - surely this massively contravenes the PH no adverts policy...

But seriously, it's sad to see ownership cut short. I too had to delay Caterham ownership by stretching for a house and it took a few years of hard saving, saying to myself would I like x DVD, or y choc bar, or a Caterham? But once bitten, you'll surely go back - another kit or perhaps a second-hand car that is financially much more insulated against the dreaded depreciation and then you have a lifer.

I told my best mate to get his prior to kids - in the firm belief that whilst I can make the frugal choice on luxury goods like a car mag, you can't skimp on kids... In other words, start saving now!

[Dafuq]

How thoroughly depressing.

Chin up Ben, at least its just a 25 or 30 year debt forcing your hand.

Could be worse........... I guess? 😉

Now where you you say that barely used puppy was advertised?????

[Phoenixcat]

I feel your pain Ben. I had to sell my Chimaera last year for the same reason. I still miss it now!

[k-ink]

We have a two year plan about moving further out, maybe to a coastal town. When we do I am ear marking a small pot of funds to cover something like this (or a Ginetta / Zenos / etc). I'll keep my mk1 MX5 as a daily and pop something like this in the garage for sundays. A basic little forever keeper

[grenpayne]

I feel your pain as well, I had to sell my Caterham 18 months ago to buy our new house. I'd only just spent a tonne of cash on the engine and a dry sump system too! The house was an opportunity not to miss as it's our forever home but whilst I gained a double garage I lost my Seven

[binnerboy]

I would love a caterham, however funds have only stretch to an mx5 as a play car, still already have the house and kids so maybe in the future a caterham will be mine

[BenLowden]

Dafuq said:

Chin up Ben, at least its just a 25 or 30 year debt forcing your hand.

Thanks for that, makes me feel so much better!

Really appreciate all the condolences, and the same back to everyone that has commented having suffered the same ill fate. I still have my Clio though which is bucket loads of fun at a budget, and now I'm settled in there may be another toy on the way soon.

Like I mentioned in the article, my affair with the Seven is far from over, and I will definitely have one again in the future. Perhaps K-Series flavoured next time around though!