New to Caterhams

[Bund]

Hi,

Im thinking of buying a Caterham and wanted to know if there is a R3/400 and an R3/400 Superlight or are they one and the same.

thanks for your help

[Bund]

_TC said:

Morning sir, i too am new to Caterhams. The way i read it now though is that there are roadsports and superlights. then superlight R's ie; R300 R400 etc.

I hope some one comes along and tells us for sure.
Whatever they are, they are bloody good fun.

Iv had some nice cars in the past but for some reason im more looking forward to owning a cat. Super quick, great fun and hopefully not to expensive to own. Just need to find a good car now. My budget was around 15k but i want a R3/400 so may have to up it a bit.

[Bund]

Problem is im picking something up very similar to Pusgey'd red arse but black with no top on tomorrow or Thursday and without a garage(still) my bird is putting her finger down on how many cars i can buy in one week. She has said that i can only spend 15k on a cat(which means 20k to me) but am i going to find a good R400 or equivalent for that money? I wouldnt mind getting a private one.

[Bund]

Is the superlight R an older R400?

Edited by Bund on Tuesday 7th August 09:35

[Bund]

Gad-Westy said:

I'll have a stab at this. Dates may be wrong.

97 ish - Original 1.6 Superlight, later replaced by 1.8 superlight. Both around 140 bhp. This was a model in its own right, not a trim level.

98 ish - Superlight R with the 1.8 VHPD Engine, 190ish bhp.

99-01 ish R500 Superlight(230bhp) closely followed by the R300 Superlight(160 bhp), closely followed by the R400 Superlight (200 bhp), this is more or less the same as a superlight R but with Roller Barrel throttle bodies. All models in their own right again.

Then came the R500 evo (250 bhp 2.0) of which there are about none.

Now, you have the R400 with the Cosworth engine.

Hope that clears things up rather than just confusing things.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Tuesday 7th August 10:02

thats great, thanks.

So what am i best off trying for with the budget 15/20k? I have seen a nice R300 in the private classifieds but now thinking this may not be enough. There is hardly any on Autotrader. Do caterham have that much of a mark up on the cars they sell and do they give warrantys on the car they sell?

[Bund]

JakeR said:

Bund, I note you are from Surrey... come along to Dunsfold on the 8th of September and there will be loads of cars to look at...

Hay Jake,


What and where is Dunsfold? I have lived in Surrey for a few years so forgive my ignorance if its a well known place. Will there be cars for sale or more of a show?

thanks

[Bund]

Murph7355 said:

Whilst the SL/R300 is a sweet car (possibly one of the best all round 7s ever made), with the cars you've had I think you'll find the sheer grunt a bit disappointing. It's not really the point with these cars, but if you can have it, why not.

As a result, I think you need to be looking at an SLR/R400.

I live round the corner from you (literally - round the corner from the Crown ). My SLR-esque car is just being rebuilt (deserved some TLC after 11yrs of abuse) and should be back in a couple of weeks. If you can wait until then, you're more than welcome to have a good look round one, have a go in it and I can help you look at cars if you like.

An SLR will likely be ~16-18k, and R400 will likely start a few k more.

As a pure driving sensation, nothing you've owned will match one. But it's unlikely your other half will appreciate it

Andy,

Im more than happy to wait so thanks that would be great. The Crown, is that the one opposite Cannons car park?

[Bund]

This has just come up and looks good and close to the money i want to spend but it such a long way away.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/230015.htm

also love the colour on this but not the R

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/224455.htm

[Bund]

Thanks a lot everyone, these seem to be in the short list!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/223601.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/215024.htm(murph, looks like it does mention Dry sumped 1.8)

And this one for the cheaper non original and id buy new seats.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/175815.htm

[Bund]

Ruby i have just emailed the last cars owner to find out if it is a SL with the SLR engine. Also at this time of year(not that its been a great summer) what kind of money would be good value for the blue car? Murph said it looks a bit pricey compared to the car with wheels and trailer?!?!?

[Bund]

This is what the owner wrote to my question about it being an original SLR-

HI
No it was built as an SLR, I think, the car vin plate states it was an
VHPD.

He sounded sure then backed off i thought?!?!

Can i ring Caterham and ask what it was at the begining? Do i say car number 72 in 99?

[Bund]

Murph7355 said:

Bund said:

This is what the owner wrote to my question about it being an original SLR-

HI
No it was built as an SLR, I think, the car vin plate states it was an
VHPD.

He sounded sure then backed off i thought?!?!

Can i ring Caterham and ask what it was at the begining? Do i say car number 72 in 99?

If the VIN had VHPD on it, then I'm pretty sure it's a kosher SLR.

You could call Caterham though

As for ruby, his pricing estimate's are spot on I reckon. For once (he always wants to pay 20% less than something is actually worth - it's a protection mechanism to avoid him spending money. He then tells his mates that things are 20% less than they actually are, gets them to buy and has a go in theirs. Can't fault the logic ).

FWIW, 17k for a good SLR is a good buy IMO. And you shouldn't lose buckets (I reckon that even if you needed to shift a car at that price quickly you'd still lose less than a set of tyres and a service on your "everyday" current motor ).

Mind you, I still think the blue car at less than 13k might be worth a look.

Blue car @ 13k wheres that one then? Let me have a look.........

[Bund]

ok found it....

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/197691.htm


When you say home grown do you mean its been modified a lot? I have no idea what that red thing is on the engine with the trumpets coming out of it? Is this a car thats going to be more hassle than the others? Im not liking hassle!lol Im 5'9 so not exactly a tall driver, so will i be able to see over the wheel? Doesnt look like it has the wider track at the front?

Edited by Bund on Wednesday 29th August 19:37

[Bund]

Murph7355 said:

Bund said:

...When you say home grown do you mean its been modified a lot? I have no idea what that red thing is on the engine with the trumpets coming out of it? Is this a car thats going to be more hassle than the others? Im not liking hassle!lol Im 5'9 so not exactly a tall driver, so will i be able to see over the wheel? Doesnt look like it has the wider track at the front?

Edited by Bund on Wednesday 29th August 19:37

It looks like a car that started off as a more normal model and the owner's taken it much further (home grown ). Pretty common on these cars (mine being an example!) as it's easy to do, and a fun way to fritter money.

As long as it's done well, and the car has decent usage/servicing history (to prove it doesn't drop dead every 5mins) you could get a bargain. E.g. a car with SLR performance for over 5k less.

If your free at some point and fancy a small(me and you)PH drive to Woking ill buy a few beers for your troubles in that horrible little pub round the corner .

Of course it will never actually be an SLR. But then at sub 13k I doubt it will shed value either - the very cheapest Caterhams are around the 8k mark by way of a benchmark.

The red thing with the trumpets is the intake setup for the engine btw. It'd be covered by an airfilter of some description when being run (I hope - if not, walk away ).