The 'P' word...
Discussion
Practicality.
I've been itching to change cars to something light, fast and fun for a while now and no matter what car I consider, I always seem to come back to a kit car. A seven type car, ideally.
It would be my only car. I don't have a long commute, I don't need to wear a suit, I never need to carry much in my car except for maybe a few small bags and I think I could put up with the rawness of it.
But, there are still a few things putting me off...
Firstly, what I love about my current car is how easy it is to lower/raise the roof. Literally about 3 seconds down and 5 up. I've searched and searched and can't seem to find anything about how long it takes to remove/replace the roof on say a Westfield / Caterham, other than it's a pain. So, how long are we talking? Do all of the seven type cars have a pretty much the same roof design, or are some better than others? If it takes an age I'd worry I'd never put it down. I love how now I can drop the roof even if the weathers looking a bit sh*t, and then if it does take a turn for the worst I can stop and be dry again in a few seconds.
Storage. As I said, I never need to carry much so this isn't a huge issue. I've seen some kits advertised with a boot, how usable is this? Are they lockable? What can you realistically fit in one? I'm thinking specifically of say, a laptop bag. I don't like the idea of leaving anything of value in the cabin that presumably doesn't offer any protection against opportunist thieves. Again, I've searched for this and haven't found much.
Heaters. I've read that they toast the bottom half of your body and do nothing at all to the top. Not an issue, except for hands. I absolutely can't stand driving on a cold morning before the heaters warm up and my hands start going numb. Will it just be like this all day every day in a Seven? I'm guessing it's just a case of MTFU and wear some gloves...
I think that's it. No doubt there's more. I can put up with niggly things, general coldness and other annoyances... But the above is all that's stopping me getting one at the moment.
I've been itching to change cars to something light, fast and fun for a while now and no matter what car I consider, I always seem to come back to a kit car. A seven type car, ideally.
It would be my only car. I don't have a long commute, I don't need to wear a suit, I never need to carry much in my car except for maybe a few small bags and I think I could put up with the rawness of it.
But, there are still a few things putting me off...
Firstly, what I love about my current car is how easy it is to lower/raise the roof. Literally about 3 seconds down and 5 up. I've searched and searched and can't seem to find anything about how long it takes to remove/replace the roof on say a Westfield / Caterham, other than it's a pain. So, how long are we talking? Do all of the seven type cars have a pretty much the same roof design, or are some better than others? If it takes an age I'd worry I'd never put it down. I love how now I can drop the roof even if the weathers looking a bit sh*t, and then if it does take a turn for the worst I can stop and be dry again in a few seconds.
Storage. As I said, I never need to carry much so this isn't a huge issue. I've seen some kits advertised with a boot, how usable is this? Are they lockable? What can you realistically fit in one? I'm thinking specifically of say, a laptop bag. I don't like the idea of leaving anything of value in the cabin that presumably doesn't offer any protection against opportunist thieves. Again, I've searched for this and haven't found much.
Heaters. I've read that they toast the bottom half of your body and do nothing at all to the top. Not an issue, except for hands. I absolutely can't stand driving on a cold morning before the heaters warm up and my hands start going numb. Will it just be like this all day every day in a Seven? I'm guessing it's just a case of MTFU and wear some gloves...
I think that's it. No doubt there's more. I can put up with niggly things, general coldness and other annoyances... But the above is all that's stopping me getting one at the moment.
mx5tom said:
Practicality.
Very little. 
I had a Lomax 224 when I was a student; no doors, no heater and no secure storage. I had a sort of tonneau to keep the rain off when parked and the roof wasn't too bad; I could drop it while sat at traffic lights without removing my seatbelt, although stowing it properly required flexibility!
The first winter I had it was a bad one, lots of snow and I just had to wear lots; 2 pairs of gloves, lots of layers and a crash helmet for anything over 5 miles. Motorbike clobber is good, but any windproof warm clothing will do.
Despite not having secure storage, no-one ever nicked anything from inside despite there being an empty fuel can, jack, wheelbrace, assorted tools, fire extinguisher and various other bits and bobs stuffed behind/under the seats. Thieving toerags did nick my bonnet mascot though; a little chromed brass Spitfire while parked on University Avenue, in daylight too!
I've found a half hood such as the one from Soft Bits for Sevens (http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/page4.html), which according to another thread only takes 30 seconds to put on... Not too bad and could work alongside a full hood for parking it up overnight. Still interested in hearing how long the full hood takes to remove/replace, though. As well if the 30 seconds for the half hood sounds about right.
Also managed to find a luggage rack + suitable bag, which means space shouldn't be a issue if required. The real problem I guess is security. I think nothing of leaving things (e.g. laptop) in my car to run into the shops, because I can lock it. I've seen lockable boots on another site for Westfields, so a possibility, but the boot itself looks tiny!
Also managed to find a luggage rack + suitable bag, which means space shouldn't be a issue if required. The real problem I guess is security. I think nothing of leaving things (e.g. laptop) in my car to run into the shops, because I can lock it. I've seen lockable boots on another site for Westfields, so a possibility, but the boot itself looks tiny!
The list of practical kit cars is quite large. The list of practical kit cars you would like to be seen in is not so big.
One of the most practical is probably the GTM Libra, and they are often run as dailys as well as toys. If you're set on a soft top, the spyder might be worth looking at.
One of the most practical is probably the GTM Libra, and they are often run as dailys as well as toys. If you're set on a soft top, the spyder might be worth looking at.
practicality in terms of a kit depends on the practicality and personal choices of the owner.
driving without a hood is for most far easier than with, and as long as you arent stuck in an endless succession of traffic lights/roundabouts you won't get wet - anything over about 25-30mph and the rain doesn't touch your body ( unless you turn right in which case splash from teh fornt wheels will do that for you! ( which is where buying a half or full dorr will eradicate that issue ). Sticking a pair of overtrousers on if teh weather is likely to be showery is a no brainer before tou start teh journey ( whilst your body wont get wet many seats will collect a degree of water making your bum damp ).
Cold - well if you suffer that much buy a heated jacket =/or gloves and simply plug them into a 12v point, warm as toast then and far better than a heater.
security? i'd say that opportunitsic pilfering is based upon seeing the item, so just use a half tonneau and leave stuff out of sight on teh passenger seat or passenger footwell. Ive just completed 5 days of countryside driving in the UK and didn't hide teh sat nav at all during the day, nor would i tend to do that most weekends when we have a brekkie run ( ok i would if i were in Town )..
A full tonneau in the evening or day if its a busy Town deters anyone from prying.
for touring you can get a bootbag made up that fits around teh rollbar and that you can lock to both the bar and lock shut - the bootbag would be plenty big enough for clothes and things like lappies.
driving without a hood is for most far easier than with, and as long as you arent stuck in an endless succession of traffic lights/roundabouts you won't get wet - anything over about 25-30mph and the rain doesn't touch your body ( unless you turn right in which case splash from teh fornt wheels will do that for you! ( which is where buying a half or full dorr will eradicate that issue ). Sticking a pair of overtrousers on if teh weather is likely to be showery is a no brainer before tou start teh journey ( whilst your body wont get wet many seats will collect a degree of water making your bum damp ).
Cold - well if you suffer that much buy a heated jacket =/or gloves and simply plug them into a 12v point, warm as toast then and far better than a heater.
security? i'd say that opportunitsic pilfering is based upon seeing the item, so just use a half tonneau and leave stuff out of sight on teh passenger seat or passenger footwell. Ive just completed 5 days of countryside driving in the UK and didn't hide teh sat nav at all during the day, nor would i tend to do that most weekends when we have a brekkie run ( ok i would if i were in Town )..
A full tonneau in the evening or day if its a busy Town deters anyone from prying.
for touring you can get a bootbag made up that fits around teh rollbar and that you can lock to both the bar and lock shut - the bootbag would be plenty big enough for clothes and things like lappies.
In your post you suggest that this would be your only car and you want a 7 type kit car. You also say that putting roofs up and down is a pain ad you like your mx5 easy up and down action.
Clearly you would be bonkers to buy a 7 type as your only car. There is a reason that you very rarely see them with their hoods up. The list of downsides would takes pages and pages to list including, inter alia:
- not very waterproof
- steam up easily
- crap visibility and sense of vulnerability when pissing down with weather gear up.
- difficult to get in and out of.
- also, not many people would want to put an exposed 7 type chassis through the rigours of a british winter.
- etc etc etc etc etc
I could live with my Lotus Elise as a second car. Reasonably practical and useable all year round - although many find them impractical. My Dax Rush was a third car that lived in the garage.
You might be bonkers, ignore this advice, buy some heap of a Locost and then sell it in September as the rain and cold come down.
Clearly you would be bonkers to buy a 7 type as your only car. There is a reason that you very rarely see them with their hoods up. The list of downsides would takes pages and pages to list including, inter alia:
- not very waterproof
- steam up easily
- crap visibility and sense of vulnerability when pissing down with weather gear up.
- difficult to get in and out of.
- also, not many people would want to put an exposed 7 type chassis through the rigours of a british winter.
- etc etc etc etc etc
I could live with my Lotus Elise as a second car. Reasonably practical and useable all year round - although many find them impractical. My Dax Rush was a third car that lived in the garage.
You might be bonkers, ignore this advice, buy some heap of a Locost and then sell it in September as the rain and cold come down.
I used my Westfield SE as my only car for 3 years, clocking up 38,000 miles. The only reason I stopped was moving jobs so my daily commute was A14, M11 which really isn't Westfield territory. The roof I kept for when it was parked unless it was really really heavy rain as you don't get too wet unless you slow down too much. (Hail at 70mph really smarts though!)
Getting in and out with the roof up is an art, but once you've mastered it you can enter and exit the car remarkably quickly.
As others have said, there isn't inappropriate weather, only inappropriate clothing. The number of times I was asked "Aren't you cold?" in the winter (or Great British Summer), had I been wearing shirt sleeves in the car as they were in their tin tops then the answer would be yes, but funnily enough I dressed in thick coat, hat and gloves and was warm.
Getting in and out with the roof up is an art, but once you've mastered it you can enter and exit the car remarkably quickly.
As others have said, there isn't inappropriate weather, only inappropriate clothing. The number of times I was asked "Aren't you cold?" in the winter (or Great British Summer), had I been wearing shirt sleeves in the car as they were in their tin tops then the answer would be yes, but funnily enough I dressed in thick coat, hat and gloves and was warm.
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