To Buy or not to buy?.
Discussion
I'm thinking about buying a Caterham so starting to do a little research. Firstly I'm concerned that I might find some a little underpowered, I only say this because I've owned a few Lotus in the past including mk1 and mk2 Exiges and to be honest they didn't impress that much found them a bit gutless . So if I do buy what' should be my priority?. I'd use the car for weekends hooning and perhaps one or two track days.
The other thing is where should I look, obviously ph is my first port of call but where else!.
Cheers
Steve
The other thing is where should I look, obviously ph is my first port of call but where else!.
Cheers
Steve
PH seems to be the main place to find them listed. There is the Lotus 7 Club (Blatchat) which has a for sale section which is free to view and contact the poster, but you have to sign up (and pay) to post over there.
99% of the adverts for cars in the for sale section link to a PH advert anyway.
What BHP have your cars been to gauge what car might be right for you, also budget would help the posters? An R300 seems to be what a lot of people recommend as a good balance of power for the road.
There's also the choice of engines. K series, Vauxhall and the new Ford engine. Each have a different characteristics to how they drive and deliver their power.
You could get a R500 and out accelerate your Ferrari ;-)?
99% of the adverts for cars in the for sale section link to a PH advert anyway.
What BHP have your cars been to gauge what car might be right for you, also budget would help the posters? An R300 seems to be what a lot of people recommend as a good balance of power for the road.
There's also the choice of engines. K series, Vauxhall and the new Ford engine. Each have a different characteristics to how they drive and deliver their power.
You could get a R500 and out accelerate your Ferrari ;-)?
Gingerbread Man said:
PH seems to be the main place to find them listed. There is the Lotus 7 Club (Blatchat) which has a for sale section which is free to view and contact the poster, but you have to sign up (and pay) to post over there.
99% of the adverts for cars in the for sale section link to a PH advert anyway.
What BHP have your cars been to gauge what car might be right for you, also budget would help the posters? An R300 seems to be what a lot of people recommend as a good balance of power for the road.
There's also the choice of engines. K series, Vauxhall and the new Ford engine. Each have a different characteristics to how they drive and deliver their power.
You could get a R500 and out accelerate your Ferrari ;-)?
The Lotus I had were 190bhp but when you consider they were possibly twice the weight of a Caterham it's not a fair comparison. 99% of the adverts for cars in the for sale section link to a PH advert anyway.
What BHP have your cars been to gauge what car might be right for you, also budget would help the posters? An R300 seems to be what a lot of people recommend as a good balance of power for the road.
There's also the choice of engines. K series, Vauxhall and the new Ford engine. Each have a different characteristics to how they drive and deliver their power.
You could get a R500 and out accelerate your Ferrari ;-)?
One of the reasons for buying a Caterham is to stop me driving the Ferrari so much and steady it's residual value while maintaining the grin factor(-:
R500 is going to be out of my budget, I'm thinking 17-18k tops.
Cheers
Steve
I'm one of the people who thinks that a relatively low powered Caterham is brilliant fun. I went to Bell&C several times to test drive elises, exiges and a Europa(ahem). Every time I went in my 1600ss caterham. On every occasion, I didn't get off the forecourt on my way home before deciding I couldn't poss buy a lotus!
Drive some and see how they take you!
Bert
Drive some and see how they take you!
Bert
I guess I might as well join this thread as start all almost identical one!
I thought about a Caterham about 4 years ago but found an Exige S2 stupidly cheap and went for that. It was fantastic, but I got tempted back to a GT2 which is an jaw-droppingly quick car, but I really missed the Lotus where all the power was trully usable.
So I'm back on th quest for a low power/ low weight car and the belif that every vcar enthusiat has to own a Ceterham as some point. I atsrted with the view that a R300 might be the right balance.
However I have been a couple of the ltd edition Beaulieus which seem well priced and in lovely condition. It there a view that 100bph is perhaps a bit too little, or is it a decent place to start. I think the GT2 taught me that less really can be more, but I wonder if 150-160 might be a better balance
Thanks all
James
I thought about a Caterham about 4 years ago but found an Exige S2 stupidly cheap and went for that. It was fantastic, but I got tempted back to a GT2 which is an jaw-droppingly quick car, but I really missed the Lotus where all the power was trully usable.
So I'm back on th quest for a low power/ low weight car and the belif that every vcar enthusiat has to own a Ceterham as some point. I atsrted with the view that a R300 might be the right balance.
However I have been a couple of the ltd edition Beaulieus which seem well priced and in lovely condition. It there a view that 100bph is perhaps a bit too little, or is it a decent place to start. I think the GT2 taught me that less really can be more, but I wonder if 150-160 might be a better balance
Thanks all
James
Well, we now have two perfect candidates for an experiment (assuming you have both been window shopping, but not test driving).
Expectation: 100 or 120 or 140 bhp is too slow.
Take one out for a drive and write back to us about how fast the car "feels".
I got taken out in a CSR260 once, and the experience was a bit scary, to be frank. But it was a built up area with too many parked cars.
For me, 100mph in a Caterham feels like 130mph in another car. You are sitting so low down, but also feel so stable. You don't need the high speed to feel the high speed experience, if you know what I mean.
But the fascinating thing is that you feel closer to the driving. Modern designs of cars are often rather restrained, subdued. High speed is easy, and there is a disconnect from the driving. But maybe that is just the Audi power steering....
Expectation: 100 or 120 or 140 bhp is too slow.
Take one out for a drive and write back to us about how fast the car "feels".
I got taken out in a CSR260 once, and the experience was a bit scary, to be frank. But it was a built up area with too many parked cars.
For me, 100mph in a Caterham feels like 130mph in another car. You are sitting so low down, but also feel so stable. You don't need the high speed to feel the high speed experience, if you know what I mean.
But the fascinating thing is that you feel closer to the driving. Modern designs of cars are often rather restrained, subdued. High speed is easy, and there is a disconnect from the driving. But maybe that is just the Audi power steering....
Thanks Pip.
I've only driven an R300 which was great, but I'm wondering whether something half the price might be almost as much fun.
Even an R300 does't have the torque to give you that shove in the back you get from a few of the cars I've had over recent years. But it not really about that is it?
I think 100BHP might be taking it a bit far, but I certainly don't to go chasing numbers.
I've only driven an R300 which was great, but I'm wondering whether something half the price might be almost as much fun.
Even an R300 does't have the torque to give you that shove in the back you get from a few of the cars I've had over recent years. But it not really about that is it?
I think 100BHP might be taking it a bit far, but I certainly don't to go chasing numbers.
I can't comment on the difference from a Ferrari, but only from my own cars.
I have a Megane 250 as my day to day car. It's all the speed I'd ever need on the road, and when the turbo kicks in, you are quite firmly kicked into your seat. I was sure that a 125 Roadsport would feel slow in comparison (and it straight line terms, it probably is, especially once you're moving - the Megane will happily pull up to 130 without running out of puff). But on the road you simply don't need that extra speed.
The fun of the Caterham for me is the fact that you're so low down, the wind is all around you, you feel every bump and hear all the noise from the engine and drivetrain. The fact that when you put your foot down you're still propelled forward at a good pace just adds to it
I ended up buying a 140 (it was luck, the perfect spec popped up), but I would gladly have bought the right 125 if I'd seen it. I'm glad I got the 140 though as it pulls all the way to the redline. I like the fact I can use the performance on the road too without breaking any laws! The Megane needed to be on a track to get the most from it, but I can enjoy the Caterham every time I step in.
But as others have said, go and hire one, it's the best way to decide if it's for you
I have a Megane 250 as my day to day car. It's all the speed I'd ever need on the road, and when the turbo kicks in, you are quite firmly kicked into your seat. I was sure that a 125 Roadsport would feel slow in comparison (and it straight line terms, it probably is, especially once you're moving - the Megane will happily pull up to 130 without running out of puff). But on the road you simply don't need that extra speed.
The fun of the Caterham for me is the fact that you're so low down, the wind is all around you, you feel every bump and hear all the noise from the engine and drivetrain. The fact that when you put your foot down you're still propelled forward at a good pace just adds to it
I ended up buying a 140 (it was luck, the perfect spec popped up), but I would gladly have bought the right 125 if I'd seen it. I'm glad I got the 140 though as it pulls all the way to the redline. I like the fact I can use the performance on the road too without breaking any laws! The Megane needed to be on a track to get the most from it, but I can enjoy the Caterham every time I step in.
But as others have said, go and hire one, it's the best way to decide if it's for you
I'd be surprised if 200bhp disappointed you in the power stakes. My 140bhp car does 0-60 in 5 seconds which I'm more than happy with. My Superlight R with 200bhp managed the same in 3.7. !7-18k would get you into a variety of 200bhp Sevens.
Would agree with hiring a cooking one and seeing what you think then.
Would agree with hiring a cooking one and seeing what you think then.
Just to highlight my experiences:
Went through numerous TVRs...Tuscan and T350 included then slowly started getting lighter weight and included Lotus 111R, Europa and ultimately had two Atoms a 220 and a 300. Whenever I went in friends Ferraries/Porsches/Astons etc I just found them HEAVY...
Was out of quick cars for a while and bought a BMW Z4MR good fun but felt very slow.
In the end I decided to scratch the Caterham itch and have a CSR 260, which is very capable on the road even if you can't use all the power all the time...
So if you have had quick machinery I would say an R400 as a minimum or upgradeitis will set in and you'll just want more power.
Went through numerous TVRs...Tuscan and T350 included then slowly started getting lighter weight and included Lotus 111R, Europa and ultimately had two Atoms a 220 and a 300. Whenever I went in friends Ferraries/Porsches/Astons etc I just found them HEAVY...
Was out of quick cars for a while and bought a BMW Z4MR good fun but felt very slow.
In the end I decided to scratch the Caterham itch and have a CSR 260, which is very capable on the road even if you can't use all the power all the time...
So if you have had quick machinery I would say an R400 as a minimum or upgradeitis will set in and you'll just want more power.
Fish said:
Just to highlight my experiences:
Went through numerous TVRs...Tuscan and T350 included then slowly started getting lighter weight and included Lotus 111R, Europa and ultimately had two Atoms a 220 and a 300. Whenever I went in friends Ferraries/Porsches/Astons etc I just found them HEAVY...
Was out of quick cars for a while and bought a BMW Z4MR good fun but felt very slow.
In the end I decided to scratch the Caterham itch and have a CSR 260, which is very capable on the road even if you can't use all the power all the time...
So if you have had quick machinery I would say an R400 as a minimum or upgradeitis will set in and you'll just want more power.
This is my fear, I remember buying a new S2 Exige and before I got home I decided it needed a new exhaust to make it faster.Went through numerous TVRs...Tuscan and T350 included then slowly started getting lighter weight and included Lotus 111R, Europa and ultimately had two Atoms a 220 and a 300. Whenever I went in friends Ferraries/Porsches/Astons etc I just found them HEAVY...
Was out of quick cars for a while and bought a BMW Z4MR good fun but felt very slow.
In the end I decided to scratch the Caterham itch and have a CSR 260, which is very capable on the road even if you can't use all the power all the time...
So if you have had quick machinery I would say an R400 as a minimum or upgradeitis will set in and you'll just want more power.
Never did tho!.
Edited by sone on Tuesday 11th September 16:21
I have some experience of this debate, having had a 120bhp Roadsport and then an R400.
To be honest the Roadsport was fun but I did hanker for more power and a proper kick in the back - I drove a Superlight and an R300 and neither of them felt quick enough. The R400 did though! The only problem being, there's not much out there that has the same kick for the same cash, so I've never really found a suitable replacement for the R400 once I'd sold mine.
To be honest the Roadsport was fun but I did hanker for more power and a proper kick in the back - I drove a Superlight and an R300 and neither of them felt quick enough. The R400 did though! The only problem being, there's not much out there that has the same kick for the same cash, so I've never really found a suitable replacement for the R400 once I'd sold mine.
I would agree with Fish. If you like that raw power kick in the back then you'll want SLR or R400 power. My last Caterham was R350ish power and that felt good, I never really felt the need to upgrade. I did learn though that you don't need crazy power in Caterham to have fun. After I sold it I always said I would be happy with one with less power. I'm now looking to get another one and seriously eyeing up an R500! Some of us just can't help ourselves 
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