Where do I start - with this, perhaps?
Discussion
I'm 5'11" and 80kg, had an S3 R300, but I found it too small, especially with a passenger. I changed to an SV. so you really have to try for yourself.
Anyone that drives a Caterham and says it isn't for them is definitely not a petrol head, they're addictive, and the best fun you can have with your clothes on! And I have a selection of motorcycles....
Anyone that drives a Caterham and says it isn't for them is definitely not a petrol head, they're addictive, and the best fun you can have with your clothes on! And I have a selection of motorcycles....
mickrick said:
I'm 5'11" and 80kg, had an S3 R300, but I found it too small, especially with a passenger. I changed to an SV. so you really have to try for yourself.
Anyone that drives a Caterham and says it isn't for them is definitely not a petrol head, they're addictive, and the best fun you can have with your clothes on! And I have a selection of motorcycles....
I'm the same, but with a bit more beer belly. I find it fine on my own, but if I carried passengers regularly, it would have to be an SV. Anyone that drives a Caterham and says it isn't for them is definitely not a petrol head, they're addictive, and the best fun you can have with your clothes on! And I have a selection of motorcycles....
I'm 5'11" and 90kg...no wait, 88kg after dry Jan, exercise, eating well, and I fit in an S3 with lowered floors just fine. I get the SV thing but for me I find the aesthetics a bit awkward from some angles, and personally I like the snug feeling of the smaller car.
Remember there's also about a bazillion permutations or seat type, seat height, risers, floors, pedal position, steering wheel size so don't just get in one car and decide if you fit...there's lots of adjustment, albeit some of it with a spanner. Try a few cars.
Service centre...so much of it is DIY I would not worry about it. Access is super easy and there's a huge community who will help. If you really hate spannering remember that car has a Ford Fiesta engine so any garage should be happy to take on the more generic work.
Try before you buy...yeah possibly, but to a certain extent, if you know you know. If you are the kind of idiot like me who enjoys stupid things that may well be uncomfortable like sailing, bikepacking or other crap cars like old Land Rovers, and you love the odd shot of adrenaline you will love it. If you won't stay in any hotel less than 5* and the first thing you look at when buying a daily driver is whether the infotainment supports Instagram, it might not be for you. I drove one on a track 15 years ago, decided one day I had to have one, and the next time I drove one was two years ago as I drove it home having finally bought one. I laughed all the way home, even if it was March, and night time!
That car was also black like the one you are looking at, albeit with an even less visible silver stripe. You do have to drive super defensively, and I'd totally echo any comments about having LED lights on all the time. My current car is Acid Green (basically hi-viz) and it is a much better colour for a 7. "Your" car does look like a decent first Caterham, it's got some desirable bits on there (staggered wheels, carbon guards, track day bar, suspension, heater) although I'd echo some of the comments about punchy pricing. However, there seem to be a lot of comments on forums at the moment about punchy pricing from dealers, so perhaps prices are going up? I can certainly see how in a cost of living crisis if people want supercar performance with supermini running costs, in an almost depreciation proof package, a Caterham starts winning the "head" argument as well as the "heart" one.
Good luck!
Remember there's also about a bazillion permutations or seat type, seat height, risers, floors, pedal position, steering wheel size so don't just get in one car and decide if you fit...there's lots of adjustment, albeit some of it with a spanner. Try a few cars.
Service centre...so much of it is DIY I would not worry about it. Access is super easy and there's a huge community who will help. If you really hate spannering remember that car has a Ford Fiesta engine so any garage should be happy to take on the more generic work.
Try before you buy...yeah possibly, but to a certain extent, if you know you know. If you are the kind of idiot like me who enjoys stupid things that may well be uncomfortable like sailing, bikepacking or other crap cars like old Land Rovers, and you love the odd shot of adrenaline you will love it. If you won't stay in any hotel less than 5* and the first thing you look at when buying a daily driver is whether the infotainment supports Instagram, it might not be for you. I drove one on a track 15 years ago, decided one day I had to have one, and the next time I drove one was two years ago as I drove it home having finally bought one. I laughed all the way home, even if it was March, and night time!
That car was also black like the one you are looking at, albeit with an even less visible silver stripe. You do have to drive super defensively, and I'd totally echo any comments about having LED lights on all the time. My current car is Acid Green (basically hi-viz) and it is a much better colour for a 7. "Your" car does look like a decent first Caterham, it's got some desirable bits on there (staggered wheels, carbon guards, track day bar, suspension, heater) although I'd echo some of the comments about punchy pricing. However, there seem to be a lot of comments on forums at the moment about punchy pricing from dealers, so perhaps prices are going up? I can certainly see how in a cost of living crisis if people want supercar performance with supermini running costs, in an almost depreciation proof package, a Caterham starts winning the "head" argument as well as the "heart" one.
Good luck!
Chubbyross said:
The one seat I didn’t try was the GT. Do they pinch your hips or are they quite flat like the standard leather ones? I’ve heard they’re the best you can get for Caterham. They sound like a cross between bucket and standard. Is that right?
I think that’s a good summary - like a leathered, comfy Tillet…
Thread update: Hired these two cars yesterday with a neighbour to give us a back to back comparison between an S3 and SV. Absolutely loved them both, driving around some glorious roads in and around Aberfeldy, Pitlochry and Glenisla. Both cars are K series 1.6 engines with 5 speed but the SV had +25bhp. After initially thinking S3 when I previously posted, I’m now focussing on finding an SV. The extra room in the footwell and the car feeling more planted won me over.
There are a couple of cars I have my eyes on but both are 140 Sigma engined with 6 speed so that brings a couple of unknowns to me so I’ll have to see if I can get a drive to compare with yesterday’s experience. Everywhere we stopped, somebody came over to chat and discuss the cars asking about engine specs and where we got them from. I don’t think I’ve ever waved to so many people on a drive, they just put a smile on everybody’s face.
Glad to hear you had a good road test of S3 and SV.
You might struggle to keep within your 25K budget for a 140hp Sigma SV but don't discount an older 125hp Sigma SV if you can find one.
I have owned my home built 125hp sigma Roadsport S3 since new in 2007 and have done over 40K miles now. I still love it. The Sigma engine is well suited to the Caterham. Such a shame its no longer available but that is out of Caterham Cars hands as supplies have dried up.
For road use & touring the 5 speed gear box is well suited, other than the first gear ratio being to low but I can live with that.
Lowered floors can be added but are not necessarily the be all and end all.
Im 6"2 and have managed fine with standard floors. Some with a shorter stature than me & lowered floors can hardly see out!
You might even find a later K series one, choices.......
You might struggle to keep within your 25K budget for a 140hp Sigma SV but don't discount an older 125hp Sigma SV if you can find one.
I have owned my home built 125hp sigma Roadsport S3 since new in 2007 and have done over 40K miles now. I still love it. The Sigma engine is well suited to the Caterham. Such a shame its no longer available but that is out of Caterham Cars hands as supplies have dried up.
For road use & touring the 5 speed gear box is well suited, other than the first gear ratio being to low but I can live with that.
Lowered floors can be added but are not necessarily the be all and end all.
Im 6"2 and have managed fine with standard floors. Some with a shorter stature than me & lowered floors can hardly see out!
You might even find a later K series one, choices.......
You need to be aware that 6th gear in a six speed box, is the same ratio as 4th gear in a five speed box. With a 5 speed, 5th is a great cruising gear, an overdrive. Cruising in 6th gear, gets a bit tiresome after a while, as engine revs on my K series is normally around 4500 rpm. I am not sure what it would be with a five speed box at 70 mph.
Piers
Piers
PiersR said:
You need to be aware that 6th gear in a six speed box, is the same ratio as 4th gear in a five speed box. With a 5 speed, 5th is a great cruising gear, an overdrive. Cruising in 6th gear, gets a bit tiresome after a while, as engine revs on my K series is normally around 4500 rpm. I am not sure what it would be with a five speed box at 70 mph.
Piers
Yeah this is quite important.Piers
I love my 6 speed, but if you end up on lots of long trips, and have to deal with motorways, then 6th is quite noisy at 70.
I suspect a 5 speed would be fine on a Duratec, but with the Sigma (and probably the K-Series too) the 6 speed really does make the whole car feel more lively as the gears are much shorter.
Edited by framerateuk on Monday 19th June 12:49
PiersR said:
You need to be aware that 6th gear in a six speed box, is the same ratio as 4th gear in a five speed box. With a 5 speed, 5th is a great cruising gear, an overdrive. Cruising in 6th gear, gets a bit tiresome after a while, as engine revs on my K series is normally around 4500 rpm. I am not sure what it would be with a five speed box at 70 mph.
Piers
The 5-speed in my 1.8 K-Series gives me 3500rpm at 68-70mph in 5th. I have recently driven the A1(m) from Hertfordshire to Scotch Corner in 4 hours and on a single tank of fuel. Bluetooth earplugs for comms and music make it bearable. The roads in Northumbria make it worth it. Piers
PiersR said:
You need to be aware that 6th gear in a six speed box, is the same ratio as 4th gear in a five speed box. With a 5 speed, 5th is a great cruising gear, an overdrive. Cruising in 6th gear, gets a bit tiresome after a while, as engine revs on my K series is normally around 4500 rpm. I am not sure what it would be with a five speed box at 70 mph.
Piers
I have a 6-speed in my 420R and motorways don’t really bother me. I have custom made earplugs to protect my hearing anyway so don’t really notice the sound that much. Piers
Thread update!! Picked this up 3 weeks ago, private sale. Car is an ex-Caterham academy car, 11 years old with 21k on the clock. It’s an SV with a 140 Sigma engine and a 6 speed box. Car was serviced and MOT carried out before picking it up. I had a great 2 hour drive through Tyndrum and Crieff getting to know the car and enjoying its driving characteristics. I’ve already decided to swap out the wing mirrors with Spa Formula items ordered.
Some other minor work on the bodywork and surface corrosion on the front suspension can wait until the winter. The car is an absolute blast and I’m constantly asked by family and friends if I’ll take them out in it. Up to now I’ve had four passengers and they’ve all loved it and couldn’t believe the cornering speeds.
The next challenge is to get my wife into the passenger seat and try to be a little more gentle than my previous drives.
AndrewGP said:
Congratulations, that looks great, the colour scheme works well.
I think you’ve done well to get a 6 speed box in an ex-acadamy car, I thought they were generally all 5 speed? I wouldn’t change the 6 speed in mine, it suits the car perfectly IMHO.
Academy cars aren't/weren't SVs either. I think you’ve done well to get a 6 speed box in an ex-acadamy car, I thought they were generally all 5 speed? I wouldn’t change the 6 speed in mine, it suits the car perfectly IMHO.
Not that it matters, have fun and thanks for sharing, it's always a pleasure
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