First time buyer - what to know?
Discussion
I have a new electric car coming in August and I will be selling my XFR.
I'm seriously going to miss the noise and drama.
I'm a petrol head and can't imagine not having a toy for the weekend. I drove some caterhams and an atom last year and out of all the cars I drove that day I enjoyed the caterhams the most. It also helped I got the fastest lap time
They brake turn and control so well, so much fun.
So I was thinking of that or a a Westfield. I was looking at Westfield as they are cheaper. What do I look for, which engine, age and how do I know the build is any good?
Also what's the running costs like, insurance (it's a Frankenstein so how are they priced?), tax, mot and servicing. I assume the later you do yourself which I will find fun.
What else should I be aware of? I hear you don't drive in the wet
I'm seriously going to miss the noise and drama.
I'm a petrol head and can't imagine not having a toy for the weekend. I drove some caterhams and an atom last year and out of all the cars I drove that day I enjoyed the caterhams the most. It also helped I got the fastest lap time
They brake turn and control so well, so much fun.
So I was thinking of that or a a Westfield. I was looking at Westfield as they are cheaper. What do I look for, which engine, age and how do I know the build is any good?
Also what's the running costs like, insurance (it's a Frankenstein so how are they priced?), tax, mot and servicing. I assume the later you do yourself which I will find fun.
What else should I be aware of? I hear you don't drive in the wet
sylva strikers are even cheaper than wessies and mostly in a better nick.(when set the price in relation)
depends which model of wessie you want to buy...an old SE with x/flow or pinto engine?
ususal checks on thoise cars:
no accident
chassis tubes without rust
dont worry if the suspension looks scruffy, this could be re-furbed easily (but cars which suffer from scruffy suspension, mostly have a scruffy chassis too)
no overheating (check that gauges work properly, most sellers do not tell the truth in that matter)...take it for a drive and when arriving back at sellers let it run on idle for at least 15min and check if the fan kicks in, stops, kicks in..and so on
no clonks from drivetrain (prop-shaft, drive shafts)
check that the speedo is working, if not dont rely on the excuses from the seller...as mostly it isnt an easy and cheap fix
check that pedal box is well fixed and brakes well balanced
check that (cable) clutch is well routed.
check for oil leaks on engine, gearbox and diff
check that tyres are ok (check that a good quality brand is fitted, check age)
depends which model of wessie you want to buy...an old SE with x/flow or pinto engine?
ususal checks on thoise cars:
no accident
chassis tubes without rust
dont worry if the suspension looks scruffy, this could be re-furbed easily (but cars which suffer from scruffy suspension, mostly have a scruffy chassis too)
no overheating (check that gauges work properly, most sellers do not tell the truth in that matter)...take it for a drive and when arriving back at sellers let it run on idle for at least 15min and check if the fan kicks in, stops, kicks in..and so on
no clonks from drivetrain (prop-shaft, drive shafts)
check that the speedo is working, if not dont rely on the excuses from the seller...as mostly it isnt an easy and cheap fix
check that pedal box is well fixed and brakes well balanced
check that (cable) clutch is well routed.
check for oil leaks on engine, gearbox and diff
check that tyres are ok (check that a good quality brand is fitted, check age)
Edited by RochdaleGT on Monday 16th March 21:05
there's a few tips here - http://southernkitcars.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4...
as for insurance... use a specialist broker, in reality there aren't any underwriters, so often the difference in quotes is how the broker sells the policy.
typically most of the guys in our club pay between £110-£250 - the difference in price aside from age/post code will be mileage insured for, open market value or agreed valuation and likely replacement cost.
for me £14k agreed value on 7k miles is £130.
servicing. Yes many do it themselves, one of our members though has a family run garage, so a fair few pass their cars to them for anything more than a pad change.
realistically biggest consumables are tyres. Not really referring to Caterhams, but many of the kit cars inc westies are sold with sellers proudly proclaiming xyz tyre which are often at best average.
tonneau/weather gear is not cheap, so that's a bonus if its included.
depending on how well the car is spec'd you could end up wanting to throw more money at it quite quickly; tyres, tonneay, odds n sods...
( on 13/15 inch wheels decent tyres are much cheaper than 17's/19's on a regular car).
'only use them in the dry' ? err no! But it might be fair to say that many ( not all ) Caterham owners are wary of winter because of the ally construction versus salt in the winter.
Oh and and depending whether you go for a screened car or an aeroscreen you may want to treat yourself to a few goodies clothing wise. running an aeroscreen all year round the best 2 purchases since owning a kit have been a heated jacket and heated gloves ...toasty on a january morning when there's a frost on the ground!
as for insurance... use a specialist broker, in reality there aren't any underwriters, so often the difference in quotes is how the broker sells the policy.
typically most of the guys in our club pay between £110-£250 - the difference in price aside from age/post code will be mileage insured for, open market value or agreed valuation and likely replacement cost.
for me £14k agreed value on 7k miles is £130.
servicing. Yes many do it themselves, one of our members though has a family run garage, so a fair few pass their cars to them for anything more than a pad change.
realistically biggest consumables are tyres. Not really referring to Caterhams, but many of the kit cars inc westies are sold with sellers proudly proclaiming xyz tyre which are often at best average.
tonneau/weather gear is not cheap, so that's a bonus if its included.
depending on how well the car is spec'd you could end up wanting to throw more money at it quite quickly; tyres, tonneay, odds n sods...
( on 13/15 inch wheels decent tyres are much cheaper than 17's/19's on a regular car).
'only use them in the dry' ? err no! But it might be fair to say that many ( not all ) Caterham owners are wary of winter because of the ally construction versus salt in the winter.
Oh and and depending whether you go for a screened car or an aeroscreen you may want to treat yourself to a few goodies clothing wise. running an aeroscreen all year round the best 2 purchases since owning a kit have been a heated jacket and heated gloves ...toasty on a january morning when there's a frost on the ground!
van cleef said:
spyder dryver said:
My first concern would be " is it correctly registered?"
This for me too....it would be the first thing I would check before giving any kit car the once over before any possible purchase.I used to buy kit cars unfinished, unstarted and half built without even seeing the cars because I had never seen a ringer kit car. I have now seen a fair few as several threads on PH confirm. I therefore respectfully suggest that all potential kit car buyers excercise reasonable caution. Not all that glitters......
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