Why did you buy?
Discussion
I've just bought a Caterham (2003 roadsport SV 1.8 with a bunch of superlight options) and am still basking in that first flush of post-sale excitement.
My previous car was an Evo IX FQ-360 - unparalleled at getting from A-B in the shortest possible time, in any weather. I was beginning to find the daily running costs a bit painful, but what tipped me over into selling was that I had stopped 'going for a drive'. Hard to put my finger on the exact reason, but something to do with the car being too bolted to the road. Speeds had to be ridiculously high before the car would do anything other than go where you pointed it. I also went go-karting with my kid and had a total blast which reminded me that (a) small and simple is fun and (b) all-conquering ground-covering ability is good, but not as much fun.
I'd always been intrigued by the idea of a Caterham and this video really got under my skin ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hRW1rJudaI
"Bloke drives to track, has a blast overtaking some stuff, then drives home".
Nice video, very nicely done. Set it to HD wait for it to buffer up, turn the volume up and watch. Nice tune too.
I was set on getting a CSR (really taken with the engine, independent rear and in-board shock front suspension) but then decided that I'd try out the Caterham experience on a cheaper budget to see how I got on. Perhaps CSR later .... !
On day +3, it's going pretty well. Ok, sun hasn't really shone, but I've done a lot of miles and boy does this thing move about on the road! Not sure what I was expecting, but this is what I signed up for. Lots more of everything - speed, vibration, noise, smells, wind, weather.
Hope this hasn't been asked too often, but --- why did you buy?
My previous car was an Evo IX FQ-360 - unparalleled at getting from A-B in the shortest possible time, in any weather. I was beginning to find the daily running costs a bit painful, but what tipped me over into selling was that I had stopped 'going for a drive'. Hard to put my finger on the exact reason, but something to do with the car being too bolted to the road. Speeds had to be ridiculously high before the car would do anything other than go where you pointed it. I also went go-karting with my kid and had a total blast which reminded me that (a) small and simple is fun and (b) all-conquering ground-covering ability is good, but not as much fun.
I'd always been intrigued by the idea of a Caterham and this video really got under my skin ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hRW1rJudaI
"Bloke drives to track, has a blast overtaking some stuff, then drives home".
Nice video, very nicely done. Set it to HD wait for it to buffer up, turn the volume up and watch. Nice tune too.
I was set on getting a CSR (really taken with the engine, independent rear and in-board shock front suspension) but then decided that I'd try out the Caterham experience on a cheaper budget to see how I got on. Perhaps CSR later .... !
On day +3, it's going pretty well. Ok, sun hasn't really shone, but I've done a lot of miles and boy does this thing move about on the road! Not sure what I was expecting, but this is what I signed up for. Lots more of everything - speed, vibration, noise, smells, wind, weather.
Hope this hasn't been asked too often, but --- why did you buy?
Edited by vertew on Sunday 10th June 21:01
Great post.
I will be buying because of the unparalleled experience of feeling the car 'alive' in my hands, under my feet and all around me, its playfulness and the way it gives confidence by feeding back so many messages to the driver. That doesn't mean it's an effortless road-eater like for example an Evo because it demands so much of the driver to get things 'just right'. In that regard they can be a little scary if you over-cook things, but get it right and there's nothing on four wheels that will give the same thrill.
On a more subtle note, the car seems to adapt itself to how you drive it on a particular day. It will respond totally differently to being driven neatly from you driving it as if you'd stolen it, so it's a layered character too.
More than these though, there's something about driving Caterhams that CAN'T be put into words.
Tim
I will be buying because of the unparalleled experience of feeling the car 'alive' in my hands, under my feet and all around me, its playfulness and the way it gives confidence by feeding back so many messages to the driver. That doesn't mean it's an effortless road-eater like for example an Evo because it demands so much of the driver to get things 'just right'. In that regard they can be a little scary if you over-cook things, but get it right and there's nothing on four wheels that will give the same thrill.
On a more subtle note, the car seems to adapt itself to how you drive it on a particular day. It will respond totally differently to being driven neatly from you driving it as if you'd stolen it, so it's a layered character too.
More than these though, there's something about driving Caterhams that CAN'T be put into words.
Tim
Sold my GT3 about 9 months ago, which was an epic car, but needed serious speeds to get buzz from car. Since then am building an Ultima GTR but it ain't gonna be finished this year. Therefore needed a hoon fix for an interim period and a Caterham has always been on my list of cars to own. Taking in to account reported good residuals and low running costs it seemed a sensible choice of car for my circumstances.
Having previously owned an Atom it was too easy to assume I needed 250bhp. But from lots of reading on here, plus a friend with an original K series Super Light I thought I would try a lower powered car and enjoy the intricacies of the chassis, suspension etc.
So yesterday I picked up a 2006 roadsport 140bhp, with the majority of Superlight trick bits (6 speed, LSD, big brakes, suspension, carbon wings/dash). The car hasn't disappointed
. It hasn't got the acceleration of the Atom, but the feedback from the handling is much more precise, giving much more confidence and therefore much easier to hussle along at speed.
Happy days
Dave.
Having previously owned an Atom it was too easy to assume I needed 250bhp. But from lots of reading on here, plus a friend with an original K series Super Light I thought I would try a lower powered car and enjoy the intricacies of the chassis, suspension etc.
So yesterday I picked up a 2006 roadsport 140bhp, with the majority of Superlight trick bits (6 speed, LSD, big brakes, suspension, carbon wings/dash). The car hasn't disappointed
. It hasn't got the acceleration of the Atom, but the feedback from the handling is much more precise, giving much more confidence and therefore much easier to hussle along at speed. Happy days
Dave.
Edited by TangoGTR on Sunday 10th June 21:28
I bought my 2003 Superlight R300 last year on the rebound a couple of weeks after selling a Porsche Turbo S. The Porsche was devastatingly rapid and would get to speeds where you go to jail before you could blink, but was ultimately bland with little sense of occasion. I knew the Caterham would feel special each time I drove it. Think I have only done about 800 miles in the past year in it but no regrets yet.
I had a Westfield many years ago and really enjoyed it, sold it to buy a 911 which was followed by a VX 220Turbo.
Each of these cars I kept for about 3years and enjoyed every mile I drove
I sold the VX and bought an Aston V8 Vantage
18 mths on from owning the Aston it dawned on me was that I couldn't find one fun car which ticked all the boxes.
So 9 months ago I bought a Superlight to keep the Aston company in the garage
It's no rocket-ship but I love the purity of drive, the intimacy of the steering, the noise, the mechanical nature of the gearchange, diff, revvy nature of the little K-series and best of all, the feeling of freedom when blatting
The chance to escape for an hour of adrenline fuelled driving it is hard to beat a Caterham, i'm delighted to have another 7 in my garage
Each of these cars I kept for about 3years and enjoyed every mile I drove
I sold the VX and bought an Aston V8 Vantage
18 mths on from owning the Aston it dawned on me was that I couldn't find one fun car which ticked all the boxes.
So 9 months ago I bought a Superlight to keep the Aston company in the garage
It's no rocket-ship but I love the purity of drive, the intimacy of the steering, the noise, the mechanical nature of the gearchange, diff, revvy nature of the little K-series and best of all, the feeling of freedom when blatting
The chance to escape for an hour of adrenline fuelled driving it is hard to beat a Caterham, i'm delighted to have another 7 in my garage
Much the same story with me.
Owned a 996 turbo for about 9 months. Epic car, but again you had to be doing crazy speeds to get a kick out of the drive. 2 speeding tickets later, realised I was missing something. Crazily thought about a 996 GT2 , but then realised that I may get more of a occasion in it , but again it would be silly speeds to get that thrill.
So turned to Caterham, and have found driving nirvana within a pretty good budget. I have gone from 420bhp to 120bhp but just getting in the caterham is an event and even a 10 minute blast puts a wide grin on my face. I just love it to bits, as does pretty much everyone within the general public judging from the comments and thumbs up where ever I seem to go.
Really chuffed I saw sense eventually . These cars are what the new modern tin tops just cannot replicate. It's all about getting back to basics I would say.
Owned a 996 turbo for about 9 months. Epic car, but again you had to be doing crazy speeds to get a kick out of the drive. 2 speeding tickets later, realised I was missing something. Crazily thought about a 996 GT2 , but then realised that I may get more of a occasion in it , but again it would be silly speeds to get that thrill.
So turned to Caterham, and have found driving nirvana within a pretty good budget. I have gone from 420bhp to 120bhp but just getting in the caterham is an event and even a 10 minute blast puts a wide grin on my face. I just love it to bits, as does pretty much everyone within the general public judging from the comments and thumbs up where ever I seem to go.
Really chuffed I saw sense eventually . These cars are what the new modern tin tops just cannot replicate. It's all about getting back to basics I would say.
after owing around 15 track westfields and 2caterhams I decided I wanted something more road orientated, I bought a Elise SC, hated the car so sold it and went back to a CSR260 which was good but still compromised on long trips out and I never gelled with its looks, sold it and bought an s2000 honda which was worse than the Elise, then bought a Porsche Boxster which I loved, down side was our youngest couldnt come along on days out when the kids broke up for holidays so I parted with that and looked for a 4 seater cab, ended up with a 997 cabby which after everything I read on the Porsche forums would be a "far superior car to the boxster" ,It was stunning to look at but the car was as boring as dishwater to drive,felt numb and lifeless compared to the Boxster so after last summer sold that and didnt buy anything for a while till I worked out what I wanted from a car , my experience are pretty much as commented above there isnt a car made that ticks all the boxes so I concluded I needed another 7 for myself and swmbo to use when the kids were at school and for me to use on track ended up with an R400 duratec which have to say isnt the fastest thing in the world but has perfect power for trackdays and enough for the road and for the family thing at the mo we have an Audi 3.0tdi cabby for days with the little un out on sunny weekends.(do u remember those 
)
and for the family thing at the mo we have an Audi 3.0tdi cabby for days with the little un out on sunny weekends.(do u remember those )For me, it was to scratch an old itch.
I had built several kit cars in my youth and done a bit of motor sport but, when I got side-tracked by an interest in aviation, cars took a back seat. Then wife and kids then came along and sensible tin tops where the order of the day for many years.
It was when my son got interested in cars I thought it's time to treat myself. There was no question what it had to be - a Caterham The R400D was the model of the moment so that's what we got. No regrets, and to be honest, an afternoon tinkering with it in the garage is as much fun for me as blat. But trackdays are what it's about at the moment.
I had built several kit cars in my youth and done a bit of motor sport but, when I got side-tracked by an interest in aviation, cars took a back seat. Then wife and kids then came along and sensible tin tops where the order of the day for many years.
It was when my son got interested in cars I thought it's time to treat myself. There was no question what it had to be - a Caterham
The R400D was the model of the moment so that's what we got. No regrets, and to be honest, an afternoon tinkering with it in the garage is as much fun for me as blat. But trackdays are what it's about at the moment.Fancied a change of track day car without spending a lot of money (Still keeping GT2)thought (hope) the Caterham offers the best all round experience, plus the fact I can buy a set of ZZR tyres for a little more than 1 back tyre for the GT2 made me go for the R500,this one has the sequential box and other bits, not as quick as I expected but in the 50 miles or so of driving at the weekend it did make me smile.... First track day is tomorrow at Oulton Park so we shall see if my choice was a good one....
Got taken round Donington in one when I was about 14/15 and finally bought one when I could afford (sort of!) one as a second car. The inbetween years looked a bit like this:
- saved up/loan from Dad bought a 106 Rallye that I had during Uni.
- Got the Caterham itch again after following a blat to Goodwood FoS one year and then going in convoy with a couple to Le Mans.
- Sold the Rallye and bought a Clio 182 Cup, still needing a tintop and not being able to afford a second car.
- Seriously looked at getting an Elise as a compromise between a pratical car and a Seven and couldn't quite do it. Bought a Focus ST instead.
- Bit of uncertainity about jobs meant I got rid of the ST and bought a diesel Focus as it looked like at least one of me and the GF might be commuting a lot.
- Jobs got sorted out, I walk to work, GF works locally so only need one sensible car, bought the Seven.
Amazing.
- saved up/loan from Dad bought a 106 Rallye that I had during Uni.
- Got the Caterham itch again after following a blat to Goodwood FoS one year and then going in convoy with a couple to Le Mans.
- Sold the Rallye and bought a Clio 182 Cup, still needing a tintop and not being able to afford a second car.
- Seriously looked at getting an Elise as a compromise between a pratical car and a Seven and couldn't quite do it. Bought a Focus ST instead.
- Bit of uncertainity about jobs meant I got rid of the ST and bought a diesel Focus as it looked like at least one of me and the GF might be commuting a lot.
- Jobs got sorted out, I walk to work, GF works locally so only need one sensible car, bought the Seven.
Amazing.
I bought my R400 because ever since I was 15 I wanted a Caterham, I finally got one in 2008 and had to sell it in 20010 when the baby came along, just needed extra cash, regretted it so as soon as i could put one back in the garage, for me, and I've driven alot of nice cars, nothing comes close to putting such a smile on my face as a Caterham, these cars are all about emotion
Wow, lot's of replies - thanks!
A lot of echoes around the 'getting back to driving basics'.
Lot's of Porsche ownership going on. Really, really like Porsches, but personally, not felt the pull to own one - may be a future direction.
I've followed the path of the rally car - RS2000 MkII > Integrales > Subarus > Evos - but then came to a dead end last year.
Obvious next step was GTR, but then I had to ask myself - 'do I really want to hurl myself at the horizon any faster?' And then - 'what is it that I enjoy about driving?'
I've got a neat PC setup with 'GTR Evoution' racing sim and a G25 wheel. Over all the cars - I always choose the Caterham. Doesn't have loads of downforce that makes the driving speeds very un-road-like. Just felt so 'right' when driving around the various tracks - locking up under braking and squirming under power.
My first test drive of a Caterham (R300 Duratec) was a bit of shock. Slower than my Evo. So much noise. Transmission shunt / whine. Really hung out there in the elements. But then ... the steering ... the brakes ... the sounds. As timrw81 says, it's 'alive in your hands'.
I came to the conclusion that 'catapulting myself at the horizon at an ever increasing rate' was off the menu for the time being and 'pure driving involvement' is where it's at.
Of course there are one or two issues. As a usable car, the Caterham is more compromised than I thought. Bad weather drivng is not great; wet, salty winter roads do terrible things and people talk of waxoyl treatments (thought I'd left this behind in 1987); my 2003 example has been beautifully looked after and frankly, I'm a bit intimated by this ....... don't think I can use it in winter!
I am sad to lose the Evo, but I don't regret it. At day +4, I'm loving the Caterham.
A lot of echoes around the 'getting back to driving basics'.
Lot's of Porsche ownership going on. Really, really like Porsches, but personally, not felt the pull to own one - may be a future direction.
I've followed the path of the rally car - RS2000 MkII > Integrales > Subarus > Evos - but then came to a dead end last year.
Obvious next step was GTR, but then I had to ask myself - 'do I really want to hurl myself at the horizon any faster?' And then - 'what is it that I enjoy about driving?'
I've got a neat PC setup with 'GTR Evoution' racing sim and a G25 wheel. Over all the cars - I always choose the Caterham. Doesn't have loads of downforce that makes the driving speeds very un-road-like. Just felt so 'right' when driving around the various tracks - locking up under braking and squirming under power.
My first test drive of a Caterham (R300 Duratec) was a bit of shock. Slower than my Evo. So much noise. Transmission shunt / whine. Really hung out there in the elements. But then ... the steering ... the brakes ... the sounds. As timrw81 says, it's 'alive in your hands'.
I came to the conclusion that 'catapulting myself at the horizon at an ever increasing rate' was off the menu for the time being and 'pure driving involvement' is where it's at.
Of course there are one or two issues. As a usable car, the Caterham is more compromised than I thought. Bad weather drivng is not great; wet, salty winter roads do terrible things and people talk of waxoyl treatments (thought I'd left this behind in 1987); my 2003 example has been beautifully looked after and frankly, I'm a bit intimated by this ....... don't think I can use it in winter!
I am sad to lose the Evo, but I don't regret it. At day +4, I'm loving the Caterham.
Good stuff OP! I also had an Evo (although mine was a VI) and I don't regret moving to a Caterham one bit. Our decision to sell the Evo was due to starting a family and moving house and both my wife and I were gutted to see it go. However, when the opportunity came up 2 years ago to buy another toy, I was adamant I didn't want to go back to an Evo as like you I wanted to enjoy the experience of driving for what it is, not just go fast and risk loosing my licence!
They are compromised in the winter and my car doesn't even come out if there is a chance of rain, but that just makes the experience of driving it all the better for it. One tip for you though, see if you can do a track day with some tuition, it makes a MASSIVE difference to how you drive the car and increases the enjoyment factor another level again
They are compromised in the winter and my car doesn't even come out if there is a chance of rain, but that just makes the experience of driving it all the better for it. One tip for you though, see if you can do a track day with some tuition, it makes a MASSIVE difference to how you drive the car and increases the enjoyment factor another level again
It goes like this for me:
Always loved cars and after several Fiesta's, AX GT's and a slightly more sensible Mk3 Golf Driver I was taken by the idea of an MGF - British, mid engined, like a Ferrari, (I know I know) so adter 9 months nagging the missses she agreed to the idea and I bought a red 1.8i with cream leather (see the Ferrari link) new in '98. What a didaster! Car was barely finished - boot interior was bare metal, trim fell off etc etc. Dealer repaired boot and put a dent in it, scraped door on wall - after 3 weeks I rejected the car. Insisted on an identical version to replace. 4 months later this arrived. All was good at the start, but then the steering knocked lock to lock which turned out to be a connecting bar at the base of the winscreen working loose, so dash, carpets and windscreen taken out to reweld the joints, winscreen damaged the tops of both wings so these were resprayed (still with me...) then it started eating tyres due to constant geo issues and after the rocker seal went flooding the plugs with oil at 14k miles I suddenly lost interest...it was amazing - even my GF, now wife enjoyed it.
...so I traded in sor a Z3 2.8 in silver with red leather. Suddenly I had discoved noise and speed (in a straight line) but this was more like a dragster - plenty of grip uninvolved around corners. I kept it for 4 years, the last year in the garage as I had a company Focus. Around this time I tested a 1600 Supersport at Millwood. All of a sudden, the Z3, while just as quick in a straight line and much faster top end, was rather boring...
...so after almost buying a Y reg Autosport special edition Supersport I traded in the Z3 for...an brand new '02 S2 Elise "standard spec" 1.8i in Calypso Red. I had always wanted a Lotus from James Bond days - I even put the theme tune on the CD player as I drove it out of the show room!!! I was used to the odd admiring glance given I had some fairly nice cars which I always keep immaculate, but this was something else! Everyone stared at it. A house move allowed me to pay off the finance and this was now the car I was going to keep for ever, so after 3 years and just 11k miles on it I changed the suspension for Nitrons at Plans Motorsport (Top Gear track) and a geo setup that transformed the look, ride and handling of the car, I then had the interior retrimmed at the Lotus factory to the latest spec cream leather (Ferrari again) and a year later back to Plans for a PTP 170 bhp conversion (you lot will have much to say about this - more later) - many teething problems with lumpy idle/rough running meant several trips back to sort it, but after a few months it was sorted. Mission complete. So I wnt out for a drive 2nd Jan 2006...
...only to have the car written off by a student in a clio pulling out from stationary traffic on a motorway sliproad - I hit the Clio at 50, bounced into the barrier the other side of the lane, then back into the Clio a second time for good measure. I sat there thinking I could live with a reshell, but when I climed out through the roof (couldn't open the doors) and saw the nearside wheel folded under the car I knew it was the end. I got a good payout as all the upgrades were notified (lesson here) and as the wife wanted something more practical for weekends we went for a new MX5 2.0i (I had looked at Boxters and things but I wanted to stay away from finance. Within a year the wife was pregnant - so much for weekends away - in the meantime I had upgraded the exhaust for an expensive American SS system, fitted bigger ARB's and a set of OZ Ultraleggera's in crystal titanium. It looked fantastic, but it wasn't what I wanted to have sitting in the garage for weekends...
...so I went back for a chat with Jon at Millwood and borrowed a 1600 Roadsport for the weekend - decision made - and agreed to look at something once I had sold the MX5. 3 months later, car sold, I settled on a new CDX to be built for the following March. Jon was trying to suggest I look at a yellow 2002 1800 SS he had just taken in - I mean, I don't even like yellow cars! I went over to place the deposit for the CDX, he showed me the yellow one and that was it. After a test drive the deal was done.
...since then (June 2007) I have gone about a general improvement programme (wide track, DVA K16 160 bhp plus kit, R500 system) and it's back with Dave Andrews for the end of June for the 200 bhp plus kit. I will never part with the car as long as I can still get in and out of it (I'm 43)
And that will be my story...possibly
Always loved cars and after several Fiesta's, AX GT's and a slightly more sensible Mk3 Golf Driver I was taken by the idea of an MGF - British, mid engined, like a Ferrari, (I know I know) so adter 9 months nagging the missses she agreed to the idea and I bought a red 1.8i with cream leather (see the Ferrari link) new in '98. What a didaster! Car was barely finished - boot interior was bare metal, trim fell off etc etc. Dealer repaired boot and put a dent in it, scraped door on wall - after 3 weeks I rejected the car. Insisted on an identical version to replace. 4 months later this arrived. All was good at the start, but then the steering knocked lock to lock which turned out to be a connecting bar at the base of the winscreen working loose, so dash, carpets and windscreen taken out to reweld the joints, winscreen damaged the tops of both wings so these were resprayed (still with me...) then it started eating tyres due to constant geo issues and after the rocker seal went flooding the plugs with oil at 14k miles I suddenly lost interest...it was amazing - even my GF, now wife enjoyed it.
...so I traded in sor a Z3 2.8 in silver with red leather. Suddenly I had discoved noise and speed (in a straight line) but this was more like a dragster - plenty of grip uninvolved around corners. I kept it for 4 years, the last year in the garage as I had a company Focus. Around this time I tested a 1600 Supersport at Millwood. All of a sudden, the Z3, while just as quick in a straight line and much faster top end, was rather boring...
...so after almost buying a Y reg Autosport special edition Supersport I traded in the Z3 for...an brand new '02 S2 Elise "standard spec" 1.8i in Calypso Red. I had always wanted a Lotus from James Bond days - I even put the theme tune on the CD player as I drove it out of the show room!!! I was used to the odd admiring glance given I had some fairly nice cars which I always keep immaculate, but this was something else! Everyone stared at it. A house move allowed me to pay off the finance and this was now the car I was going to keep for ever, so after 3 years and just 11k miles on it I changed the suspension for Nitrons at Plans Motorsport (Top Gear track) and a geo setup that transformed the look, ride and handling of the car, I then had the interior retrimmed at the Lotus factory to the latest spec cream leather (Ferrari again) and a year later back to Plans for a PTP 170 bhp conversion (you lot will have much to say about this - more later) - many teething problems with lumpy idle/rough running meant several trips back to sort it, but after a few months it was sorted. Mission complete. So I wnt out for a drive 2nd Jan 2006...
...only to have the car written off by a student in a clio pulling out from stationary traffic on a motorway sliproad - I hit the Clio at 50, bounced into the barrier the other side of the lane, then back into the Clio a second time for good measure. I sat there thinking I could live with a reshell, but when I climed out through the roof (couldn't open the doors) and saw the nearside wheel folded under the car I knew it was the end. I got a good payout as all the upgrades were notified (lesson here) and as the wife wanted something more practical for weekends we went for a new MX5 2.0i (I had looked at Boxters and things but I wanted to stay away from finance. Within a year the wife was pregnant - so much for weekends away - in the meantime I had upgraded the exhaust for an expensive American SS system, fitted bigger ARB's and a set of OZ Ultraleggera's in crystal titanium. It looked fantastic, but it wasn't what I wanted to have sitting in the garage for weekends...
...so I went back for a chat with Jon at Millwood and borrowed a 1600 Roadsport for the weekend - decision made - and agreed to look at something once I had sold the MX5. 3 months later, car sold, I settled on a new CDX to be built for the following March. Jon was trying to suggest I look at a yellow 2002 1800 SS he had just taken in - I mean, I don't even like yellow cars! I went over to place the deposit for the CDX, he showed me the yellow one and that was it. After a test drive the deal was done.
...since then (June 2007) I have gone about a general improvement programme (wide track, DVA K16 160 bhp plus kit, R500 system) and it's back with Dave Andrews for the end of June for the 200 bhp plus kit. I will never part with the car as long as I can still get in and out of it (I'm 43)
And that will be my story...possibly
It was 20 years ago, so all a bit hazy...
I had an MX5 from new, loved it, but wanted it to go a bit faster and be a bit more exciting. It was a commuting car, but despite living next to snake pass I never really went for a blat after a owning it a while. Which was odd, because I had got the MX5 after looking after a friend's old Midget over the summer (I had an AX GT at the time). Every opportunity I had I was out in the Peaks, just enjoying myself.
I think I probably read an article in Autocar about the Caterham. And that was it, I was having one. Actually, I really wanted an LCC Rocket. I think offending article was Caterham vs Rocket. I still want a Rocket. More than any other car. But I couldn't afford it then, and I can't justify it now (so a bike engined Caterham will have to do).
Made a trip all the way from Sheffield to Caterham. Went for the test drive. Totally hooked. Looked at a few s/h ones. Somebody said "buy that one", "Why is that", "Because that is my old car". Thanks Arnie !!
I had an MX5 from new, loved it, but wanted it to go a bit faster and be a bit more exciting. It was a commuting car, but despite living next to snake pass I never really went for a blat after a owning it a while. Which was odd, because I had got the MX5 after looking after a friend's old Midget over the summer (I had an AX GT at the time). Every opportunity I had I was out in the Peaks, just enjoying myself.
I think I probably read an article in Autocar about the Caterham. And that was it, I was having one. Actually, I really wanted an LCC Rocket. I think offending article was Caterham vs Rocket. I still want a Rocket. More than any other car. But I couldn't afford it then, and I can't justify it now (so a bike engined Caterham will have to do).
Made a trip all the way from Sheffield to Caterham. Went for the test drive. Totally hooked. Looked at a few s/h ones. Somebody said "buy that one", "Why is that", "Because that is my old car". Thanks Arnie !!
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