Is this a stupid idea? 7 style car and a little winter car?
Discussion
I'm still thinking about this summer when I'm 17, and I have pretty much accepted that a Libra is unachievable - there are 2 1.4's for sale at the moment and they are both price over £8k!
So I've been browsing the classifieds, and theres a nice Locost in white and bare metal. I couldn't get this as its a 1.6, but am I really stupid in wanting to buy a locost 1.3 for about £4k and then another cheap run around for about £1k to use in the winter/when its snowy?
Bascially, is it a stupid idea to try and use a 7 style car daily for about 8-10 months of the year?
So I've been browsing the classifieds, and theres a nice Locost in white and bare metal. I couldn't get this as its a 1.6, but am I really stupid in wanting to buy a locost 1.3 for about £4k and then another cheap run around for about £1k to use in the winter/when its snowy?
Bascially, is it a stupid idea to try and use a 7 style car daily for about 8-10 months of the year?
No, people do. I see a guy commuting every day into Reading in a caterham.
The only reason I wouldn't want to commute in mine is that I wouldn't benefit from the ability of the bike to cut through traffic and the really poor fuel consumption I get from this westfield. The last one was better but had a really small tank so has a shorter range than my bike.
You just need to decide whether to try and get weather gear to keep you dry or ditch it, wear a lid and rely on waterproofs to keep you dry. I prefer the latter simply because the weather gear on a westy isn't that great and you get leaks anyway, it's easier to ditch the carpets and get waterproof seats than put up with a smelly damp car imo.
Good luck,
Mark
The only reason I wouldn't want to commute in mine is that I wouldn't benefit from the ability of the bike to cut through traffic and the really poor fuel consumption I get from this westfield. The last one was better but had a really small tank so has a shorter range than my bike.
You just need to decide whether to try and get weather gear to keep you dry or ditch it, wear a lid and rely on waterproofs to keep you dry. I prefer the latter simply because the weather gear on a westy isn't that great and you get leaks anyway, it's easier to ditch the carpets and get waterproof seats than put up with a smelly damp car imo.
Good luck,
Mark
I'd like a bigger bike next year but its out of the question. I know the weather gear leaks, but its better than nothing - I have to wear a suit to school and so a helmet and all waterproofs isn't really an option. It rains a lot up here in the NE as well, so I might come back to a big puddle rather than a car if I didn't have weather gear on 
At least with a tiny 1300cc engine the fuel consumption shouldn't be that bad. Kit cars really appeal to me, and theres nothing really suitable with a hard top on the market in my kind of price range.
Does anyone ever worry about the safety of weather gear? The car would be parked in a busy area during the day, and of course I'd never leave anything in it but are cars like these targets for vandalism?
Thanks
At least with a tiny 1300cc engine the fuel consumption shouldn't be that bad. Kit cars really appeal to me, and theres nothing really suitable with a hard top on the market in my kind of price range.
Does anyone ever worry about the safety of weather gear? The car would be parked in a busy area during the day, and of course I'd never leave anything in it but are cars like these targets for vandalism?
Thanks
You should be OK, insurance would be fairly cheap for a young driver, you will have a lot of fun, but to be honest they are not very practical, and not much use between November and April, (too bloody cold) but on the plus side, depreciation is minimal and they do not seem to attract vandals too much......
m1spw said:I've drilled holes in the floor of my current car and it's drier than my old one with weather gear when left in the rain. You can track down the leaks if you're patient enough.
I'd like a bigger bike next year but its out of the question. I know the weather gear leaks, but its better than nothing - I have to wear a suit to school and so a helmet and all waterproofs isn't really an option. It rains a lot up here in the NE as well, so I might come back to a big puddle rather than a car if I didn't have weather gear on
There is no security with kit car weather gear. Get an immobiliser if you're concerned about it being stolen and don't leave anything in the car - it'll get wet anyway. Some cars have lockable boots which is handy for smaller stuff.
Regards,
Mark
Wacky Racer said:
You should be OK, insurance would be fairly cheap for a young driver, you will have a lot of fun, but to be honest they are not very practical, and not much use between November and April, (too bloody cold) but on the plus side, depreciation is minimal and they do not seem to attract vandals too much......
Thats the main advantage - cheap insurance! I've had some totally stupid quotes, and because of this, and the little to no depreciation on second hand cars makes them very attractive to me
Oh, and about practicality, my dad keeps going on about original minis and smart cars, so practicality isn't really an issue. I have thought of getting a car like an old Polo for say £800-£1000 to use between November and Febuary (What are you on about April? i've been riding a bike right through the winter!
). Oh, and of course it will probably be faster, louder, cooler and way cheaper than all my mates cars
m1spw said:The only thing to bear in mind is that you may not acrue no claims. This may not seem important now but in a few years time when you're mates are jumping into banzai jap imports and you can't afford to insure them it will.
Thats the main advantage - cheap insurance! I've had some totally stupid quotes, and because of this, and the little to no depreciation on second hand cars makes them very attractive to me
Having said that you will be building up ncb on the winter car I guess.
Mark
Sam_68 said:
Earlier discussion along similar lines here
And I have lasted so far, every day come rain, snow, fog and maybe soon some sun!
I can give you lots of hints/tips for surviving, but make sure you have side screen!
17 miles each way on my commute, and (touch wood) still loving it!
dern said:
The only thing to bear in mind is that you may not acrue no claims. This may not seem important now but in a few years time when you're mates are jumping into banzai jap imports and you can't afford to insure them it will.
Having said that you will be building up ncb on the winter car I guess.
Mark
Someone else mentioned this to me, although they said that it was only limited milage policies that you don't get NCB on?
Can someone confirm this? Even if I don't get any NCB, road experience and not having any accidents (hopefully!) should count towards something...
Just get a normal shitter for a first car, chances are you may stack it. Wait a year and then get a 1.6 16v kit car. no point getting a 1.4 8v engine only producing only about 70bhp max for a nice looking car. Wait a year get a nice tuned 1.6 16v engine you could easily get 140+bhp out of it with some mods...
TimW said:
Just get a normal shitter for a first car, chances are you may stack it. Wait a year and then get a 1.6 16v kit car. no point getting a 1.4 8v engine only producing only about 70bhp max for a nice looking car. Wait a year get a nice tuned 1.6 16v engine you could easily get 140+bhp out of it with some mods...
Err...no. firstly, a 1.4 kit car is hardly slow, as I would imagine it would only weight somewhere in the region of 700kg - far less than your average car.
Secondly, they are better value for money, have better performance, more smiles per miles, and I don't want to drive around in what you describe as a "shitter"...
I reckon I could put up with a kit car all year round actually, just might need better heaters and a while to find where the leaks ar ecoming from. I could also maybe add a bit more lining to the roof...
I used the Marlin daily for 2 years and until it sprung a thermostat gasket leak and the clutch got too bad was using it to go to work and back.
I will admit that it got fairly tiresome towards the back of last year getting into a cold, soaking car and then getting drenched going home (and that was before the snow), but that was also because the roof had two large holes in (by design not tears). In the end I gave up and got my big Carina - it's was world apart in terms of comfort even though it's a knackered, old and slowly dying car.
However, for what you are after I'd be inclined to suggest the Marlin Roadster. It's cheap (as in decent examples go for £2000), has a solid, upgradable engine (BL B Series as found in the MGB), spares are easily obtainable (again, MGB for the post part and the Marlin Owners Club have access to loads of spares) and it is an open top sports-car. If you don't like the wing formation (i.e. the full side wings), then you can change them to cycle wings easily (same as the 7 replicas) and you end up with a funky looking, relatively quick sports car. As for Engine options, well you can have the 1.3 O Series (from the Ital), 1.8 B Series (from the Marina, but most parts are the same as an MGB), Rover V8 (there is one with a TVR 4.2 in it) and Alfa Romeo 2.0lt Twin Cam. The chassis is a really strong box-section afair (which weighs quite a bit admitably) and I personally thought the 1.8 B I had was slightly underpowered, but it's a bit like the MX5 - it might be relatively slow on the straights but round the corners it would hold one for grim death whilst neatly giving you all the feedback you could possibly need. The suspension is set fairly tough (it's got a drop kit on as standard and mine had 3rd party dampers) but that didn't cause a problem for most journeys (we toured Scotland in it quite comfortably).
The main beauty of it however is echo'd by most of the other Kit-Cars of this sort - they are so simple to work on. When I bought her I was a competent tinkerer, i.e. someone who was capable of using a spanner/screwdriver. By the end of my ownership I'm comfortably able to chat about engines, suspension etc and open bonnets and not be frightened of attempting to fix something. Heck with the new car I'm standing there telling the seller what wrong with it!
If you want to have a chat about Marlin's, drop me a line. There are plenty of options however, just not sure you'll find anything which ticks all the boxes cheaply. My old car is even available (not from me mind), although it'll need a little bit of work rebuilding it is a solid example and was perfect until the end.
>> Edited by docevi1 on Wednesday 22 February 21:03
I will admit that it got fairly tiresome towards the back of last year getting into a cold, soaking car and then getting drenched going home (and that was before the snow), but that was also because the roof had two large holes in (by design not tears). In the end I gave up and got my big Carina - it's was world apart in terms of comfort even though it's a knackered, old and slowly dying car.
However, for what you are after I'd be inclined to suggest the Marlin Roadster. It's cheap (as in decent examples go for £2000), has a solid, upgradable engine (BL B Series as found in the MGB), spares are easily obtainable (again, MGB for the post part and the Marlin Owners Club have access to loads of spares) and it is an open top sports-car. If you don't like the wing formation (i.e. the full side wings), then you can change them to cycle wings easily (same as the 7 replicas) and you end up with a funky looking, relatively quick sports car. As for Engine options, well you can have the 1.3 O Series (from the Ital), 1.8 B Series (from the Marina, but most parts are the same as an MGB), Rover V8 (there is one with a TVR 4.2 in it) and Alfa Romeo 2.0lt Twin Cam. The chassis is a really strong box-section afair (which weighs quite a bit admitably) and I personally thought the 1.8 B I had was slightly underpowered, but it's a bit like the MX5 - it might be relatively slow on the straights but round the corners it would hold one for grim death whilst neatly giving you all the feedback you could possibly need. The suspension is set fairly tough (it's got a drop kit on as standard and mine had 3rd party dampers) but that didn't cause a problem for most journeys (we toured Scotland in it quite comfortably).
The main beauty of it however is echo'd by most of the other Kit-Cars of this sort - they are so simple to work on. When I bought her I was a competent tinkerer, i.e. someone who was capable of using a spanner/screwdriver. By the end of my ownership I'm comfortably able to chat about engines, suspension etc and open bonnets and not be frightened of attempting to fix something. Heck with the new car I'm standing there telling the seller what wrong with it!
If you want to have a chat about Marlin's, drop me a line. There are plenty of options however, just not sure you'll find anything which ticks all the boxes cheaply. My old car is even available (not from me mind), although it'll need a little bit of work rebuilding it is a solid example and was perfect until the end.
' said:No I didn't!
['![]V[] W]You'll stack it...
>> Edited by docevi1 on Wednesday 22 February 21:03
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