Must have options for a new owner?

[tomperkins]

Hi there,

I'm going to be buying my first Caterham in the next couple of months. I'm thinking of getting a used Roadsport and spending somewhere around the £15k mark. I'm planning on using the car for fast road driving, a few track days and a few road trips (Wales, Alps etc.).

I just wondered what people would suggest as the must have or desirable options?

I'm currently thinking:

- LSD
- 13 inch wheels to make tyres cheaper (which I plan to be using plenty of)
- lowered floor(s) (I'm 6 foot)
- weather gear and heaters
- possibly SV body (should make road trips easier?)
- wider front track (for looks)

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,

Tom

[Risky]

Lotus 7 club membership.

[Eugene7]

7-DNA membership

Actually, there is no membership, but the clothing with silhouette images are great!

[Andy Bell]

tomperkins said:

- LSD
- 13 inch wheels to make tyres cheaper (which I plan to be using plenty of)
- lowered floor(s) (I'm 6 foot)
- weather gear and heaters
- possibly SV body (should make road trips easier?)
- wider front track (for looks)

lsd is whiny but for track yay. wheels yes cheaper and more balanced. lowered floors definately and with luck you can fit with tillett.

[V7SLR]

What Risky said .... and an FIA spec rollbar.

[framerateuk]

tomperkins said:

Hi there,

I'm going to be buying my first Caterham in the next couple of months. I'm thinking of getting a used Roadsport and spending somewhere around the £15k mark. I'm planning on using the car for fast road driving, a few track days and a few road trips (Wales, Alps etc.).

I just wondered what people would suggest as the must have or desirable options?

I'm currently thinking:

- LSD
- 13 inch wheels to make tyres cheaper (which I plan to be using plenty of)
- lowered floor(s) (I'm 6 foot)
- weather gear and heaters
- possibly SV body (should make road trips easier?)
- wider front track (for looks)

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,

Tom

Get the LSD, much cheaper to get a car with one than have to get it fitted.

With regards to the SV body, I'd try an S3 and an SV and see which fits you best. You shouldn't have any trouble with storage space, with a boot bag, my other half and I managed a 10 day tour of Scotland with no problems.

I'd go for the lowered floors, but I think it depends on the type of seat you've got. I've got the standard leather seats with lowered floors, at at 5'8" it's perfect for me. With the tillet seats you'd be lower anyway. I imagine at 6 foot you'd probably want them regardless.

Definitely get a heater. Ours gets a lot of use when we're out in the cold. With regards to the weather gear, I prefer the half hood to the full hood. You get better ventilation and you can avoid steaming the car up when it rains.

All that said, I'd be fairly flexible. Buy on condition and not on exact spec. You can always upgrade and change things over the years, but it's best to start with good base! Before buying mine I would have been perfectly happy with a Roadsport 125 with a simple spec. I ended up getting fairly lucky and found a car with my ideal spec - it need a bit of love cosmetically but it looks great now.

Good luck

[jeansanspeur]

Hi Tom, I'm about to buy and I've spent 5 months researching this.

During that time I've spoken to a lot of people including MacMillan; Arch Motors; 7 Workshop; one extremely experienced forum member; a lot of other very useful forum members; several private car sellers; then also: Sevens & Classics; Blue Sky Sports Cars; Woodcote; Milwood; Road & Race transmissions; sevenspeed, and I've read the entire Caterham Forum.

Disclaimer: These aren't their views but this is what I've gleaned and I don't pretend for a second that it's not all a load of balls, but this is my checklist:

1.6 or 1.8 K series is preferred to a Sigma (cheaper and more available upgrade options; they are marginally faster and you can see this from the record lap times in the graduates; they are also more reliable)
Pre-2007 is a non-metric chassis and is easier to fix if you twang it
Post-2007 is metric and is stiffer (so a dilemma on the chassis front)
A 6-speed is preferred to a 5-speed unless you're touring
Lowered floors anchor you better in the car and improve the car's handling because the center of gravity is lower
Tillet seats over others unless you want a comfortable ride
Only get an SV if you don't fit in a 3 series. That said it's very cosy for two in a 3 series
On that subject don't assume your girlfriend/wife will like it
Don't rule out ex-race cars - mechanically they can be better maintained
Think about resale value - your car shouldn't depreciate much over a couple of years
A black or dark car is more likely to feature in an accident (this from a Caterham repairer who says that nearly all the cars he has to fix are dark ones)
Pre-98 (I think) doesn't require an exhaust test at MOT (or something like that)
Widetrack offers minimal driving gains but looks better (IMHO)
High Mileage is fine if the car's been maintained well
Start at 125-140BHP, anything over 180BHP is almost too much (this from several people who've owned higher BHP cars and reverted to smaller engines)
You're just in supersport territory with your budget so aim there over roadsports
There are a host of cars for sale that don't hit pistonheads, so build a network and you will have cars offered to you
Some sellers (private and commercial) will spec a car for you to your budget and your taste/requirements

Good to have:
Apollo tank
Forged pistons
Big brakes
QR steering wheel
Any Minister involvement
4-1 exhaust
LSD (or Quaife ATB)
Cage or standard FIA rollbar is up to you
4/6 point harness
Heater

There's probably a lot more, and some obvious bits that I've forgotten, and on a more technical level, some combinations mechanically are preferred over others, but I won't even go there as that's way beyond me.

Happy hunting.

Cheers

Will

Edited by jeansanspeur on Tuesday 12th November 23:34

Edited by jeansanspeur on Tuesday 12th November 23:36

Edited by jeansanspeur on Tuesday 12th November 23:38

[tomperkins]

Andy Bell said:

lowered floors definately and with luck you can fit with tillett.

Thanks Andy Bell, I do love the look of the Tillett seats but heard they were uncomfortable. Is that not the case?

[tomperkins]

V7SLR said:

What Risky said .... and an FIA spec rollbar.

Thanks V7SLR, is an FIA spec rollbar the one that extends over the cabin or is it just one behind the cockpit? Are they ones behind the cockpit not standard?

[tomperkins]

framerateuk said:

Get the LSD, much cheaper to get a car with one than have to get it fitted.

With regards to the SV body, I'd try an S3 and an SV and see which fits you best. You shouldn't have any trouble with storage space, with a boot bag, my other half and I managed a 10 day tour of Scotland with no problems.

I'd go for the lowered floors, but I think it depends on the type of seat you've got. I've got the standard leather seats with lowered floors, at at 5'8" it's perfect for me. With the tillet seats you'd be lower anyway. I imagine at 6 foot you'd probably want them regardless.

Definitely get a heater. Ours gets a lot of use when we're out in the cold. With regards to the weather gear, I prefer the half hood to the full hood. You get better ventilation and you can avoid steaming the car up when it rains.

All that said, I'd be fairly flexible. Buy on condition and not on exact spec. You can always upgrade and change things over the years, but it's best to start with good base! Before buying mine I would have been perfectly happy with a Roadsport 125 with a simple spec. I ended up getting fairly lucky and found a car with my ideal spec - it need a bit of love cosmetically but it looks great now.

Good luck

Thanks framerateuk, good advice.

What spec did you get in the end?

[tomperkins]

Thanks for your advice Will.

jeansanspeur said:

1.6 or 1.8 K series is preferred to a Sigma (cheaper and more available upgrade options; they are marginally faster and you can see this from the record lap times in the graduates; they are also more reliable)]

That's really interesting and good to know.

jeansanspeur said:

Don't rule out ex-race cars - mechanically they can be better maintained

Interesting point, the main thing that puts me off ex race cars is the roll cage. Is that fairly simple to swap over?

jeansanspeur said:

Start at 125-140BHP, anything over 180BHP is almost too much (this from several people who've owned higher BHP cars and reverted to smaller engines)

Another good point. Coming from heavier cars it's always tempting to get as much power as possible but I guess in the world of Caterham's that's not always best.

jeansanspeur said:

You're just in supersport territory with your budget so aim there over roadsports

Interesting. I was thinking Roadsport to give me a good choice in my budget and reduced running costs. What do you see as the benefits of Supersports?

jeansanspeur said:

There are a host of cars for sale that don't hit pistonheads, so build a network and you will have cars offered to you. Some sellers (private and commercial) will spec a car for you to your budget and your taste/requirements

Good advice.

jeansanspeur said:

Good to have:
Apollo tank
Forged pistons
QR steering wheel
Any Minister involvement
4-1 exhaust

As I'm new to the world of Caterhams, Would you mind explaining why you suggest these?

Sorry to ask so many questions and thanks for your detailed advice, really is much appreciated!

[framerateuk]

tomperkins said:

Thanks framerateuk, good advice.

What spec did you get in the end?

Mine's a Roadsport 140 Sigma. Superlight suspension, AP brakes, LSD, 6 speed box, carpets, leather seats, FIA roll bar.

I'm slightly surprised at the comment above of the Sigma being less reliable compared to the K-series - an engine that is well known for head gasket failures and other problems (despite being a very good, responsive engine in a Caterham - I'm not looking to get into a fight with K-Series owners!).

The Duratec and Sigma have been seen as pretty much bullet proof. The only issues I've seen regarding the Sigma were in the Supersport race series with regards to oil pressure causing the dip stick to pop out. Not ideal, but this was only in full on race conditions.

Personally, I intentionally avoided the K-Series enginged cars and looked only for a Sigma. After considering Elise ownership for a few years, I'd just heard too many horror stories about the K-Series.

[tomperkins]

framerateuk said:

Mine's a Roadsport 140 Sigma. Superlight suspension, AP brakes, LSD, 6 speed box, carpets, leather seats, FIA roll bar.

I'm slightly surprised at the comment above of the Sigma being less reliable compared to the K-series - an engine that is well known for head gasket failures and other problems (despite being a very good, responsive engine in a Caterham - I'm not looking to get into a fight with K-Series owners!).

The Duratec and Sigma have been seen as pretty much bullet proof. The only issues I've seen regarding the Sigma were in the Supersport race series with regards to oil pressure causing the dip stick to pop out. Not ideal, but this was only in full on race conditions.

Personally, I intentionally avoided the K-Series enginged cars and looked only for a Sigma. After considering Elise ownership for a few years, I'd just heard too many horror stories about the K-Series.

That sounds like a great spec! What's the difference between 'Superlight' and 'Supersport'? Do people mean the same thing?

Have you got the wider front-end or the SV body?

[V7SLR]

tomperkins said:

V7SLR said:

What Risky said .... and an FIA spec rollbar.

Thanks V7SLR, is an FIA spec rollbar the one that extends over the cabin or is it just one behind the cockpit? Are they ones behind the cockpit not standard?

The "Standard rollbar" is a basic hoop with rear stays and fairly thin wall tubing.

An "FIA rollbar" is a beefed-up hoop with rear stays plus a single diagonal or X.

A "Full cage" extends over the cockpit.

[framerateuk]

tomperkins said:

That sounds like a great spec! What's the difference between 'Superlight' and 'Supersport'? Do people mean the same thing?

Have you got the wider front-end or the SV body?

Mine's a standard S3 body. The Superlight suspension includes the wide-track front, watts linkeage rear and adjustable height platforms all round. I believe the "Supersport" suspension which is only availible on the Supersport model lacks the watts linkage rear, but includes the widetrack front. I *think* it includes the height adjustable platforms too.

With regards to the current lineup, Supersport refers to two other things too .

There's the Supersport model which comes with the 140bhp Sigma engine, which has the Supersport suspension. It also refers to the Sigma 140 engine itself, which is considered to be Supersport spec. In K-Series terms there's also a 1.6 Supersport which is 135bhp, an upgrade over the 120bhp (I think) standard spec.

It's all a little confusing I admit . Thing is, no two Caterhams are alike, and even though mine is a Roadsport, it's actually more like an R300 with a Sigma engine than a normal Roadsport thanks to all the other bits and pieces. You can pretty much spec up any part you want across the model range.

[Eccles52]

Hi Tom,

It depends what shape you are if the tillets are comfortable or not, I have found them to be really uncomfortable so try one out if you can.
BTW I'm 6'2" and have an S3 without lowered floors and fit without a problem

Ivan

[tomperkins]

framerateuk said:

Mine's a standard S3 body. The Superlight suspension includes the wide-track front, watts linkeage rear and adjustable height platforms all round. I believe the "Supersport" suspension which is only availible on the Supersport model lacks the watts linkage rear, but includes the widetrack front. I *think* it includes the height adjustable platforms too.

With regards to the current lineup, Supersport refers to two other things too .

There's the Supersport model which comes with the 140bhp Sigma engine, which has the Supersport suspension. It also refers to the Sigma 140 engine itself, which is considered to be Supersport spec. In K-Series terms there's also a 1.6 Supersport which is 135bhp, an upgrade over the 120bhp (I think) standard spec.

It's all a little confusing I admit . Thing is, no two Caterhams are alike, and even though mine is a Roadsport, it's actually more like an R300 with a Sigma engine than a normal Roadsport thanks to all the other bits and pieces. You can pretty much spec up any part you want across the model range.

That's really helpful, thanks!

[tomperkins]

Eccles52 said:

Hi Tom,

It depends what shape you are if the tillets are comfortable or not, I have found them to be really uncomfortable so try one out if you can.
BTW I'm 6'2" and have an S3 without lowered floors and fit without a problem

Ivan

Thanks for your thoughts Ivan. Do you mean you fit fine with Tilletts seats or with standard seats?

[Eccles52]

Sorry, bit unclear there. I have the ordinary leather seats

[Smitters]

Just my 2p:

I would look for leather seats or tillets. The reason being if you are touring, chances are you'll be leaving the car parked up outside at some point and a wet bum is no fun for you, and much less fun for SWMBO.

If getting a half hood, invest in a showercap too, from a moisture and security point of view.

A spare wheel can be useful, but it's a personal thing. No spare wheel means you tend not to carry a jack either, but this may make repairs on the fly tough.

In vest in some of these: http://www.exped.com/en/product-category/packsacks

They come in a variety of sizes and are completely waterproof, lightweight and hardwearing. The squash into small spaces, so packing the boot is easy.

For lots of touring, and using it in the shoulder-seasons, definitely get a heater and screen.

ETA, also, if road/touring is the primary use, get a five speed box, or earplugs and very tolerant passenger, or indeed, headsets and an intercom, like an Autocom system. Sixth on a six speeder is fourth on a five speeder.

I had a full hood on my old car and I found that either leaving a small gap open in the zippable rear screen, or rolling the whole rear screen down helped on the misting front. However, driving with a cloth between your legs for a bit of on the fly demisting helps a lot. My new Seven has a half-hood and that screen still mists up, so it's not a guaranteed solution. Running the fan as you get in a belt up/close doors/faff, with the hood up helps avoid misting a lot.

All in all , they're great cars. And yes - get onto Blatchat too. Loads of technical advice, cars/parts for sale, area meet info and the membership tends to get you an insurance discount too, so offsets the cost a bit.