Almost decided
Discussion
Hi.
I currently drive the previous Porsche Cayman GTS
It goes back this year and I have almost convinced myself to put my deposit on a new build 620s
I ride motorbikes and have to travel weekly from Scotland to Nottingham. I do this on my bike sometimes and have had some horrendous journeys.
This will be my last combustion engine and I want it to be special. The Porsche has been awesome but I have always wanted a Caterham. It will be my daily driver and will take me to and from Nottingham.
I don’t want to get soaked. And I want to be comfortable. Well more comfortable than on my bike. :-).
I have some questions. The drive takes 8 hours. I will need music. So was thinking my iPad mounted and 2 Bluetooth speakers :-).
Any advice and suggestions to make this possible for me will be welcomed.
I am a little mad. But want the next 4 years to be an adventure.
:-)
I currently drive the previous Porsche Cayman GTS
It goes back this year and I have almost convinced myself to put my deposit on a new build 620s
I ride motorbikes and have to travel weekly from Scotland to Nottingham. I do this on my bike sometimes and have had some horrendous journeys.
This will be my last combustion engine and I want it to be special. The Porsche has been awesome but I have always wanted a Caterham. It will be my daily driver and will take me to and from Nottingham.
I don’t want to get soaked. And I want to be comfortable. Well more comfortable than on my bike. :-).
I have some questions. The drive takes 8 hours. I will need music. So was thinking my iPad mounted and 2 Bluetooth speakers :-).
Any advice and suggestions to make this possible for me will be welcomed.
I am a little mad. But want the next 4 years to be an adventure.
:-)
Get some Bluetooth headphones for your music and satnav instructions. Driving with the roof on is awful - a half hood is a good option - but keep your heated weatherproof motorbiking gear handy. Driving gloves - either traditional leather, go-kart style or weatherproof cycling gloves will help keep the feeling in your hands too.
If you are parking up overnight outside, look for a long-nose shower cap to keep the rain out of the engine bay.
Enjoy the adventure.
If you are parking up overnight outside, look for a long-nose shower cap to keep the rain out of the engine bay.
Enjoy the adventure.
Sorry i dont see this being a nice adventure but a tiresome one.
I can't see the fun in driving 8 hours in a caterham on the motorway...
There are other reasons to get one and enjoy it.
Also for daily commuting....
I think you should reconsider what you can do with the caterham and what other car that can do that better.
Having said all that i am a caterham fanatic but do not commute in it or drive it on the motorway. good luck
I can't see the fun in driving 8 hours in a caterham on the motorway...
There are other reasons to get one and enjoy it.
Also for daily commuting....
I think you should reconsider what you can do with the caterham and what other car that can do that better.
Having said all that i am a caterham fanatic but do not commute in it or drive it on the motorway. good luck
Buy a 420 for fun and experience and with the money saved a daily runaround for the “grind”.
I love Caterham’s and drive them all the year round but I’d rather sit on a pointed stick for 8 hours than have to do an 8 hour motorway commute in a Caterham!
Otherwise as suggested get an Elise or Exige, though don’t expect great sound systems in either as they are both noisy interior wise
I love Caterham’s and drive them all the year round but I’d rather sit on a pointed stick for 8 hours than have to do an 8 hour motorway commute in a Caterham!
Otherwise as suggested get an Elise or Exige, though don’t expect great sound systems in either as they are both noisy interior wise
I've owned multiple Caterhams.....but doing an 8 hour journey in one? I really wouldn't recommend it.
An Elise / Exige might be in the middle, a Cayman would be unbridled luxury compared with a Caterham. But there are a lot of people that wouldn't want to do an 8 hour journey in a Cayman either!
An Elise / Exige might be in the middle, a Cayman would be unbridled luxury compared with a Caterham. But there are a lot of people that wouldn't want to do an 8 hour journey in a Cayman either!
I get everyone’s points.
I am used to doing the 8 hours on my Kawasaki.
If I could ensure water free environment I would still think of the Caterham.
My weekends will be so amazing as I live in Grantown on Spey in the highlands. The roads are amazing. But I won’t have an option but to do the horrible journey several times a year.
I have my heated motorbike gear and waterproof luggage :-)
Head phones over speakers is a great option and ear plugs. :-).
At some point I’ll be getting a Tesla and will be able to use that for the awful journey and the caterham then will be my toy.
I will get all paint work and carbon wrapped and protected.
And will try to get caterham to double check they have sealed every thing properly. :-)
Has anyone tries to create a more waterproof seal on the doors
I am used to doing the 8 hours on my Kawasaki.
If I could ensure water free environment I would still think of the Caterham.
My weekends will be so amazing as I live in Grantown on Spey in the highlands. The roads are amazing. But I won’t have an option but to do the horrible journey several times a year.
I have my heated motorbike gear and waterproof luggage :-)
Head phones over speakers is a great option and ear plugs. :-).
At some point I’ll be getting a Tesla and will be able to use that for the awful journey and the caterham then will be my toy.
I will get all paint work and carbon wrapped and protected.
And will try to get caterham to double check they have sealed every thing properly. :-)
Has anyone tries to create a more waterproof seal on the doors
Edited by Phillip-8c43x on Thursday 11th March 09:13
The doors are just held closed with poppers on the trailing edge, and have no seal on the leading edge. They are not 'waterproof' and just lift off when you want to remove them. The full hood sits over the top and tries to stop water from going down the inside of the doors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JB40jKnZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4JB40jKnZA
Phillip-8c43x said:
Hi.
I currently drive the previous Porsche Cayman GTS
It goes back this year and I have almost convinced myself to put my deposit on a new build 620s
I ride motorbikes and have to travel weekly from Scotland to Nottingham. I do this on my bike sometimes and have had some horrendous journeys.
This will be my last combustion engine and I want it to be special. The Porsche has been awesome but I have always wanted a Caterham. It will be my daily driver and will take me to and from Nottingham.
I don’t want to get soaked. And I want to be comfortable. Well more comfortable than on my bike. :-).
I have some questions. The drive takes 8 hours. I will need music. So was thinking my iPad mounted and 2 Bluetooth speakers :-).
Any advice and suggestions to make this possible for me will be welcomed.
I am a little mad. But want the next 4 years to be an adventure.
:-)
Don't even contemplate it...... having ridden bikes on the motorway and caterhams on the motorway it's a stupid idea. You will regret it in the winter/dark/pissing rain as you have ZERO visibility in a Caterham. On a Bike you sit up and ride higher than most car driver's. In the rain, every truck will drench you and drown your car, you'll aquaplane between the lanes, and bounce from one rut to another left by trucks. It is not a pleasant or exciting or enjoyable experience.... and as for music, if you manage to hear anything over the racket of a caterham. Good luck I currently drive the previous Porsche Cayman GTS
It goes back this year and I have almost convinced myself to put my deposit on a new build 620s
I ride motorbikes and have to travel weekly from Scotland to Nottingham. I do this on my bike sometimes and have had some horrendous journeys.
This will be my last combustion engine and I want it to be special. The Porsche has been awesome but I have always wanted a Caterham. It will be my daily driver and will take me to and from Nottingham.
I don’t want to get soaked. And I want to be comfortable. Well more comfortable than on my bike. :-).
I have some questions. The drive takes 8 hours. I will need music. So was thinking my iPad mounted and 2 Bluetooth speakers :-).
Any advice and suggestions to make this possible for me will be welcomed.
I am a little mad. But want the next 4 years to be an adventure.
:-)
Apart from that, nipping between cars in the dry could be fun, but just think of all those miles and how it's going to wreck the car?????
If you ever managed to make a Caterham watertight you’d be left sitting in a steaming up greenhouse unless you plan to stop breathing.
With the full hood up the temperature inside rockets, everything mists up you’ll be glad of some fresh air or spray. The heated screen does a reasonable job but the rest of the “windows” just disappear under the fog. Caterham even have a zip opening for the rear window to left some air circulate.
The “heater” generally has two settings hot or off.
Little things in the rain like the wipers not being intermittent would start to drive you crazy and the fact you’d have to use the screen wash every other minute due to your low position and the corresponding amount of road crap thrown up by the traffic in front.
Don’t get me wrong driving a Caterham in the cold/damp/wet is an adventure/ fun for an hour or so for a quick blast and keeps you on your toes, beyond that though forget it.
With the full hood up the temperature inside rockets, everything mists up you’ll be glad of some fresh air or spray. The heated screen does a reasonable job but the rest of the “windows” just disappear under the fog. Caterham even have a zip opening for the rear window to left some air circulate.
The “heater” generally has two settings hot or off.
Little things in the rain like the wipers not being intermittent would start to drive you crazy and the fact you’d have to use the screen wash every other minute due to your low position and the corresponding amount of road crap thrown up by the traffic in front.
Don’t get me wrong driving a Caterham in the cold/damp/wet is an adventure/ fun for an hour or so for a quick blast and keeps you on your toes, beyond that though forget it.
F that - as above, would be a horrific experience. Go buy a £20k ex academy car and have fun at the weekends, then spend the rest on a nice comfortable road car.
Also - good luck with that 8hr drive in a tesla - you'll become very friendly with the charging stations!
Why concede to EV so early - make the most of ICE whilst it's still here!
Also - good luck with that 8hr drive in a tesla - you'll become very friendly with the charging stations!
Why concede to EV so early - make the most of ICE whilst it's still here!
braddo said:
Caterhams are deafeningly loud at motorway speeds. Just as loud if not worse with the hood up. Noise from engine, exhaust, wind noise, road noise, passing vehicles.
The only music option is earphones. And when you don't want music, earplugs.
+1 to this.The only music option is earphones.
And when you don't want music, earplugs.8 hours of 80+dB is not going to be good for the hearing, unless you like raging tinnitus combined with losing the top end of the frequency range.
Adding a loud stereo on top of the road noise, so you can hear the stereo, just makes it worse.
I hate driving in earplugs as it makes it hard to hear those little noises that tell you what the car and the road surface (and the morons we share the road with) are doing, but if you're spending that much on a car, you can probably afford some custom-fit versions that attenuate the noise levels but don't block it out completely.
If you still want some roof-down action on longer trips, as already mentioned you could pick up a 420R for local trips and then spend the difference on something else for the longer journeys - I would suggest an MX5, because that is the PH answer for everything (obviously
) but it will be comfortable, definitely dry if you need it to be dry, and will still be enjoyable if you find a decent road on the long journeys.Phillip-8c43x said:
Hi.
I am a little mad. But want the next 4 years to be an adventure.
:-)
Sadly it won't be. I've daily driven in the past doing high miles, some mega times, but the long, wet, dark journeys, utterly vile. In fact after 3 years I hated the car. And as for twice weekly 8 hour journeys, don't even go there.I am a little mad. But want the next 4 years to be an adventure.
:-)
Phillip-8c43x said:
I get everyone’s points.
I am used to doing the 8 hours on my Kawasaki.
So imagine that journey on the bike but without the ability to do any filtering through traffic, or the easy overtaking on country roads. I am used to doing the 8 hours on my Kawasaki.
The Caterham will be like that.
I drive my Caterham on dual carriageways a lot (to get out of London to country roads and track days etc) and have done so in wet conditions several times, but for a regular 8 hour trip with motorways and traffic, the benefits of being in a Caterham would never, ever outweigh the negatives.
There must be another mad person like me that is only seeing the romance of buying a car and modifying it to make it capes or of this type of driving.
Or am I completely mad.
I spoke with Robert from Caterham Silverstein and he thinks with a little love and attention I can make the car in the image I need
Or am I completely mad.
I spoke with Robert from Caterham Silverstein and he thinks with a little love and attention I can make the car in the image I need
Ok ignore me id you wish because I have a westfield not a caterham, but I had to drive from cambridge to north wales in torrential rain once.
Steamed up, still got wet, invisible to massive trucks hurtling past, poor visibility, in fact no visibility when you go past a truck.
Worst journey of my life, and far worse than when I've done it on a bike.
Get one for fun and use something sensible foe the commute
Steamed up, still got wet, invisible to massive trucks hurtling past, poor visibility, in fact no visibility when you go past a truck.
Worst journey of my life, and far worse than when I've done it on a bike.
Get one for fun and use something sensible foe the commute
There could be a way to make the journey work (better) with a Caterham. Instead of trying to make the car in to something its not (motorway friendly), perhaps try to alter the journey in to a Caterham (think Bike) friendly version.
Can you break the journey in to two parts with an overnight break? Less time in the car will help it be less of a slog, but more importantly, you can choose the 'long way round' and scythe through some A- and B- road cross country delights as well as the occasional dual-carriageway if you need to make up time. Find a plush B&B on the 'pretty route' and see if you can get 6 hours of great driving in each day.
If I was making this journey I'd take 3 days, hit all the classic routes, national parks and mountains on the way.
Can you break the journey in to two parts with an overnight break? Less time in the car will help it be less of a slog, but more importantly, you can choose the 'long way round' and scythe through some A- and B- road cross country delights as well as the occasional dual-carriageway if you need to make up time. Find a plush B&B on the 'pretty route' and see if you can get 6 hours of great driving in each day.
If I was making this journey I'd take 3 days, hit all the classic routes, national parks and mountains on the way.
Hi Philip,
I like your thinking even if its not the obvious choice, Caterham's are great fun even on Motorways and long drives have never bothered me :-)
My two pence worth:
1. Get 13inch wheels with large depth tyres (55), Caterham run at very low PSI (around 18-19 cold) so this effectively translates to extra soft suspension.
2. There are lots of bluetooth enabled comms devices around (similar to motor bikes helmet comms but looks more like airplane pilots set), I have autocom setup. The headphones also help as sounds deadening.
3. Personally would choose a 420 over 620 for road use. Still rapid but a bit more compliant and has a greater range than 100miles.
4. Rain isn't great fun, I have found myself hydroplaning at 40mph on all weather tyres (ZZS's) on the motor whilst being overtaken by lorries :-(
5. Worth trying both tillets and leather seats for a long journey/time, tillets give me knee paid after time but others swear by them.
6. SV chassis is generally considered more comfortable ride due to the large wheelbase although I have to admit I have never driven one.
I like your thinking even if its not the obvious choice, Caterham's are great fun even on Motorways and long drives have never bothered me :-)
My two pence worth:
1. Get 13inch wheels with large depth tyres (55), Caterham run at very low PSI (around 18-19 cold) so this effectively translates to extra soft suspension.
2. There are lots of bluetooth enabled comms devices around (similar to motor bikes helmet comms but looks more like airplane pilots set), I have autocom setup. The headphones also help as sounds deadening.
3. Personally would choose a 420 over 620 for road use. Still rapid but a bit more compliant and has a greater range than 100miles.
4. Rain isn't great fun, I have found myself hydroplaning at 40mph on all weather tyres (ZZS's) on the motor whilst being overtaken by lorries :-(
5. Worth trying both tillets and leather seats for a long journey/time, tillets give me knee paid after time but others swear by them.
6. SV chassis is generally considered more comfortable ride due to the large wheelbase although I have to admit I have never driven one.
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