This looks a good buy for someone!
Discussion
2006, I owner, 2000 miles, 160 BHP £14,500
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...
Bet the trade snap it up!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...
Bet the trade snap it up!
'Less hassle' probably in the fact that if you buy from Millwood it will have been test driven properly, all mechanicals checked, chassis checked and anything needing doing to it immediately will have been done. I should think Millwoods come with some sort of warranty for a short time. As you question about the low mileage engine, it's peace of mind.
This price is VERY good compared to others on the market, it does make you suspicious - is the chassis straight, has the odometer been set back, has the engine got a cracked block etc - I doubt it, take someone with you that knows Caterhams (people like Caterham, Millwoods may even look at it for you for a small fee if you are near one) and take it for a long test drive so the engine and mechanicals are warmed up properly. The Caterham technician takes out the new second hand ones that come in for a pretty long test drive - he claims he has to get it warmed up properly over different road conditions!! What a job.
I am used to buying very low mileage cars i.e. 20,000 over 20 or 30 years and although you might get stuck valves etc the engines have all been fine after a flush through etc. I'm sure modern engines will stand up to being stood around for a long time equally well if not better especially if it has been garaged, nothing to worry about IMHO especially if it has been MOT'd each year to show it has been run and kind of guarantees the mileage.
This price is VERY good compared to others on the market, it does make you suspicious - is the chassis straight, has the odometer been set back, has the engine got a cracked block etc - I doubt it, take someone with you that knows Caterhams (people like Caterham, Millwoods may even look at it for you for a small fee if you are near one) and take it for a long test drive so the engine and mechanicals are warmed up properly. The Caterham technician takes out the new second hand ones that come in for a pretty long test drive - he claims he has to get it warmed up properly over different road conditions!! What a job.
I am used to buying very low mileage cars i.e. 20,000 over 20 or 30 years and although you might get stuck valves etc the engines have all been fine after a flush through etc. I'm sure modern engines will stand up to being stood around for a long time equally well if not better especially if it has been garaged, nothing to worry about IMHO especially if it has been MOT'd each year to show it has been run and kind of guarantees the mileage.
Edited by Zagster on Friday 17th May 07:28
I was sat on the forecourt at Millwoods having a second look at a car I'd already seen - about to take it out for a test drive with the view to finalising.... My mate that I'd brought along for a second opinion made the call on my behalf to get more info on the X Power just before we went out (I'd had had no reply from the text or email the evening before). The Millwood car in question ticked pretty much all the boxes, bar the extra premium you pay buying from a dealer....
This silver 160 X Power looks great - it looks like a great deal, and the bloke on the phone was dead straight. However, it would of required a drive across the other side of the country, has been standing for 6 (?) years, has no tax or MOT (so a proper test drive was presumably out of the question), and if I wanted to buy it I'd need to organise trailering it back to brum, getting it serviced, MOT'ed..... etc etc. No free time as it was anyway, plus fed up of trawling round private 'for sales', The car I took out was not only 'the right colour' but put a very big smile on my face too.... The X power was the same price, more power, a year younger, very low mileage.... so yeah, more for your money, but as a first time buyer I was slowly coming to the conclusion that a hassle free, risk free, purchase from a reputable dealer was worth the extra 'peace of mind' premium. I'd seen a few cars on my travels that I'd probably of gone for a couple of years into the future as an experience Caterham driver.... but not quite got the balls to go for first time round...
I also felt as a first time purchase a standard 120 Roadsport was more than enough for what I want.... (I need to earn my stripes in stages). I'll hold fire on the !60 bhp for my second car!
Just my reasoning at the time.... Anyway, the future's bright, the future's yellow!!!
This silver 160 X Power looks great - it looks like a great deal, and the bloke on the phone was dead straight. However, it would of required a drive across the other side of the country, has been standing for 6 (?) years, has no tax or MOT (so a proper test drive was presumably out of the question), and if I wanted to buy it I'd need to organise trailering it back to brum, getting it serviced, MOT'ed..... etc etc. No free time as it was anyway, plus fed up of trawling round private 'for sales', The car I took out was not only 'the right colour' but put a very big smile on my face too.... The X power was the same price, more power, a year younger, very low mileage.... so yeah, more for your money, but as a first time buyer I was slowly coming to the conclusion that a hassle free, risk free, purchase from a reputable dealer was worth the extra 'peace of mind' premium. I'd seen a few cars on my travels that I'd probably of gone for a couple of years into the future as an experience Caterham driver.... but not quite got the balls to go for first time round...
I also felt as a first time purchase a standard 120 Roadsport was more than enough for what I want.... (I need to earn my stripes in stages). I'll hold fire on the !60 bhp for my second car!
Just my reasoning at the time.... Anyway, the future's bright, the future's yellow!!!
I ended up buying this car, i have never been and viewed a Caterham before let alone sit in one.
The owner James was a straight up bloke, the car was immaculate apart from 6 years of dust on the chassis bars until ijumped out at a petrol station 10 miles in to ownership and the harness buckle went overboard and put a little dint below the door!
Gutted is not the right word.
Can't see why anyone would want to go much over 3 figures in one of these. Scary!
What benefit would I get to going wide track? It looks better i think and it just says helps on turning in?Does it make it more stable as I'm finding wind at 70 mph gets it moving around the road?
There is a very small amount of play in the wheel but with in 30 seconds I had noticed that the movement was where the 6mm Allan key clamp next to the bulk head is. I have not slackened off the locking nut and tried nipping the Allan key bolt up but that is all it is.
Do they all have this small amount of play in the wheel or should it be move wheel a tad and wheels should move also.?
Loving the car though and hope to meet up at some northwest events!
Mike
The owner James was a straight up bloke, the car was immaculate apart from 6 years of dust on the chassis bars until ijumped out at a petrol station 10 miles in to ownership and the harness buckle went overboard and put a little dint below the door!
Gutted is not the right word.
Can't see why anyone would want to go much over 3 figures in one of these. Scary!
What benefit would I get to going wide track? It looks better i think and it just says helps on turning in?Does it make it more stable as I'm finding wind at 70 mph gets it moving around the road?
There is a very small amount of play in the wheel but with in 30 seconds I had noticed that the movement was where the 6mm Allan key clamp next to the bulk head is. I have not slackened off the locking nut and tried nipping the Allan key bolt up but that is all it is.
Do they all have this small amount of play in the wheel or should it be move wheel a tad and wheels should move also.?
Loving the car though and hope to meet up at some northwest events!
Mike
Nice one Mike, glad you got sorted.........the car looks a great buy.
Apologies for not being able to get back to you, we were away in April for a while as I said.
Look forward to seeing the car and having a tyre kick, and don't hesitate to call me if you need any help or advice with it.
Cheers
Kenny
Apologies for not being able to get back to you, we were away in April for a while as I said.
Look forward to seeing the car and having a tyre kick, and don't hesitate to call me if you need any help or advice with it.
Cheers
Kenny
Mike
The locking grub screw on the column is a maintenance area that you need to check periodically. Tightening it up should work, but if it has been loos for a while you may need a new grub screw.
The buckle on a 4/6 point harness is normally in the middle of the car, not the outside. It can be switched round, but is a bit fiddly.
Steve
The locking grub screw on the column is a maintenance area that you need to check periodically. Tightening it up should work, but if it has been loos for a while you may need a new grub screw.
The buckle on a 4/6 point harness is normally in the middle of the car, not the outside. It can be switched round, but is a bit fiddly.
Steve
Does anybody know a good K-series builder to repair the head gasket on my Caterham in the northwest?
I have CO in the coolant tank and its getting toasty now ffs.
Obviously must have been covered up by him when I purchased it the barstuard, coolant was clean blue and oil was and still is spotlessly clear. As you would expect from a car with 1900 miles on the clock. it Ran the 4 hour drive home from Ipswich no problem at all and water temp gauge sat at 50 which I thought was low but sensor may be dickie due to being stud is what I put it down to. An hour and a half in to journey We pulled over and checked all the fluids and all was well. Parked it up for the evening And a couple of days later before taking it out check the levels again. The coolant level had appeared to have dropped by a small amount so I topped it up just with water knowing I was going to get her serviced any how.. Today when starting it up first thing this morning after doing the levels last night the coolant tank was empty Ffs, And I had a water vapour coming out of the exhaust for the first two minutes of it running.
So while the head gasket's getting done obviously I want a high-quality head gasket But also want anything else at that needs uprating to be done obviously at the same time. the engine is running at 160bhp but I feel that the tb's will happen at some point. Shoud/can I stick a cam and verniers on the vvc?
I know a very good mechanic that is more than capable but if i could find out how the k series specialists do it im sure this chap cAn do it for me, Was wanting to get the belts done anyway so its not the end of the world but still abit gutted!
Temp is running at 100+ now!
So that was why it appeared a good deal!
I have CO in the coolant tank and its getting toasty now ffs.
Obviously must have been covered up by him when I purchased it the barstuard, coolant was clean blue and oil was and still is spotlessly clear. As you would expect from a car with 1900 miles on the clock. it Ran the 4 hour drive home from Ipswich no problem at all and water temp gauge sat at 50 which I thought was low but sensor may be dickie due to being stud is what I put it down to. An hour and a half in to journey We pulled over and checked all the fluids and all was well. Parked it up for the evening And a couple of days later before taking it out check the levels again. The coolant level had appeared to have dropped by a small amount so I topped it up just with water knowing I was going to get her serviced any how.. Today when starting it up first thing this morning after doing the levels last night the coolant tank was empty Ffs, And I had a water vapour coming out of the exhaust for the first two minutes of it running.
So while the head gasket's getting done obviously I want a high-quality head gasket But also want anything else at that needs uprating to be done obviously at the same time. the engine is running at 160bhp but I feel that the tb's will happen at some point. Shoud/can I stick a cam and verniers on the vvc?
I know a very good mechanic that is more than capable but if i could find out how the k series specialists do it im sure this chap cAn do it for me, Was wanting to get the belts done anyway so its not the end of the world but still abit gutted!
Temp is running at 100+ now!
So that was why it appeared a good deal!
Manchestergas said:
Does anybody know a good K-series builder to repair the head gasket on my Caterham in the northwest?
I have CO in the coolant tank and its getting toasty now ffs.
Obviously must have been covered up by him when I purchased it the barstuard, coolant was clean blue and oil was and still is spotlessly clear. As you would expect from a car with 1900 miles on the clock. it Ran the 4 hour drive home from Ipswich no problem at all and water temp gauge sat at 50 which I thought was low but sensor may be dickie due to being stud is what I put it down to. An hour and a half in to journey We pulled over and checked all the fluids and all was well. Parked it up for the evening And a couple of days later before taking it out check the levels again. The coolant level had appeared to have dropped by a small amount so I topped it up just with water knowing I was going to get her serviced any how.. Today when starting it up first thing this morning after doing the levels last night the coolant tank was empty Ffs, And I had a water vapour coming out of the exhaust for the first two minutes of it running.
So while the head gasket's getting done obviously I want a high-quality head gasket But also want anything else at that needs uprating to be done obviously at the same time. the engine is running at 160bhp but I feel that the tb's will happen at some point. Shoud/can I stick a cam and verniers on the vvc?
I know a very good mechanic that is more than capable but if i could find out how the k series specialists do it im sure this chap cAn do it for me, Was wanting to get the belts done anyway so its not the end of the world but still abit gutted!
Temp is running at 100+ now!
So that was why it appeared a good deal!
Sorry to hear about your issue, but you do have a very good base car to start now others will be along to say you should do this or that, however a factory upgraded car has a warranty and better resale http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/category.php?id_cat... here is a kit to take your car to the same power of an R300 and wide track kit...........it does transform the car and its turn in http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/category.php?id_cat...I have CO in the coolant tank and its getting toasty now ffs.
Obviously must have been covered up by him when I purchased it the barstuard, coolant was clean blue and oil was and still is spotlessly clear. As you would expect from a car with 1900 miles on the clock. it Ran the 4 hour drive home from Ipswich no problem at all and water temp gauge sat at 50 which I thought was low but sensor may be dickie due to being stud is what I put it down to. An hour and a half in to journey We pulled over and checked all the fluids and all was well. Parked it up for the evening And a couple of days later before taking it out check the levels again. The coolant level had appeared to have dropped by a small amount so I topped it up just with water knowing I was going to get her serviced any how.. Today when starting it up first thing this morning after doing the levels last night the coolant tank was empty Ffs, And I had a water vapour coming out of the exhaust for the first two minutes of it running.
So while the head gasket's getting done obviously I want a high-quality head gasket But also want anything else at that needs uprating to be done obviously at the same time. the engine is running at 160bhp but I feel that the tb's will happen at some point. Shoud/can I stick a cam and verniers on the vvc?
I know a very good mechanic that is more than capable but if i could find out how the k series specialists do it im sure this chap cAn do it for me, Was wanting to get the belts done anyway so its not the end of the world but still abit gutted!
Temp is running at 100+ now!
So that was why it appeared a good deal!
What ever you decide to do have fun and remember even if the H/G has failed you have one heck of a car
OK. not in NW, but
http://www.dvapower.com/
is a good place to start, never heard much of a bad word about his work or his prices.
http://www.dvapower.com/
is a good place to start, never heard much of a bad word about his work or his prices.
Dva are to far away from me unfortunately and I am not really prepared to go to the expense of trailering it all round the country to repair what is a standard rover engine. It is just a k series engine at the end of the day and although dva are highly recommended they are not the only people that can maintane k's to a good standard in the uk when things go wrong. I was warned by a friend who was a mechanic in a earlier life that I was running a risk of hgf in buying a car that had not been ran for long periods. it has not come as a shock that it has failed because of this. The ironic part being that the ex girlfriend had a Mg Tf that I use to thrash around that had done 60k and it never skipped a beat. so I was not all to bothered about the engine in that retrospect. I now have a couple of good mechanics that I have been made aware of through numerous people and its off to one of them tomorrow for a once over. I can understand mechanics thinking they need to see it for them selves but as I'm a gas engineer I have been able to test for carbon monoxide in the cooling system and I have over 3000 ppm in there before I took my gas anilizer out.
Will have to see what recommended mechanic #1 says tomorrow and go from their.
Thanks for the post folks.
Ps.
Best oil for a k?
Best coolant for a k?
Will have to see what recommended mechanic #1 says tomorrow and go from their.
Thanks for the post folks.
Ps.
Best oil for a k?
Best coolant for a k?
Sorry to hear of your woes, not the best start to Caterham ownership. To answer your question I run fully synthetic 5w-40 oil and Halfords Anti-Freeze/Coolant. My engine is identical to yours (with the exception of running forged pistons). Oil wise you'll most likely get several answers but that works well for me 
Make sure when the head goes back on that:
1) the fire rings on the head are peened
2) steel dowels are fitted (in place of what are probably the original plastic versions)
3) crucially, the linders are stood proud of the block by 4 thou.
These 3 things will likely mean you will never have any more HGF issues.
The gasket itself is less of a concern if the above 3 items are dealt with. Give DVA a call for chapter and verse on the above/more info specific to HG replacement.
1) the fire rings on the head are peened
2) steel dowels are fitted (in place of what are probably the original plastic versions)
3) crucially, the linders are stood proud of the block by 4 thou.
These 3 things will likely mean you will never have any more HGF issues.
The gasket itself is less of a concern if the above 3 items are dealt with. Give DVA a call for chapter and verse on the above/more info specific to HG replacement.
Hi guys, thanks for all the info on the topic. As said this guy is no k series master although he has done many hgf on them in the past along with every other car and engine under the sun. It's fully warranted he said and said he will fit which ever gasket I want?
I could see small splits in the coolant hoses and knew they were needing a change and when he looked under the hood the first reaction was get some new ones on order from where ever, as there f-------
I Would not even want to insult the guy or dva for that matter by asking him to ring them. If it goes pop again it goes back, simples.
I'm just gutted I can't take it out this week as work is quiet and the sun is shining!
I could see small splits in the coolant hoses and knew they were needing a change and when he looked under the hood the first reaction was get some new ones on order from where ever, as there f-------
I Would not even want to insult the guy or dva for that matter by asking him to ring them. If it goes pop again it goes back, simples.
I'm just gutted I can't take it out this week as work is quiet and the sun is shining!
Manchestergas said:
Hi guys, thanks for all the info on the topic. As said this guy is no k series master although he has done many hgf on them in the past along with every other car and engine under the sun. It's fully warranted he said and said he will fit which ever gasket I want?
I could see small splits in the coolant hoses and knew they were needing a change and when he looked under the hood the first reaction was get some new ones on order from where ever, as there f-------
I Would not even want to insult the guy or dva for that matter by asking him to ring them. If it goes pop again it goes back, simples.
I'm just gutted I can't take it out this week as work is quiet and the sun is shining!
Go get some Silicon hoses such as http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/make=caterhamgory.p... or http://www.sfsperformance.co.uk/prod_carkits.asp?m...I could see small splits in the coolant hoses and knew they were needing a change and when he looked under the hood the first reaction was get some new ones on order from where ever, as there f-------
I Would not even want to insult the guy or dva for that matter by asking him to ring them. If it goes pop again it goes back, simples.
I'm just gutted I can't take it out this week as work is quiet and the sun is shining!
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