Windscreen vs aeroscreen on a kit car
Discussion
Jukebag said:
The lack of a windscreen doesn't really affect the driveability and visibility much imo
It can very much improve it, IMO - especially if you find sidescreens too claustrophobic. You get a hell of a battering from turbulence if you use a windscreen without sidescreens, and the wiper and demist systems on most 'Sevens' are a bad joke (as is visibility out through the hood and sidescreens, if you run full weather gear).But even I wouldn't have much enthusiasm for driving (or buying) an aeroscreened car in current weather conditions.
jkh112 said:
Not everyone will like the colour
Not everyone will like aeroscreens
Not everyone will like the dash
Not everyone will like the rear suspension
You don’t need everyone to like it.
It is a relatively cheap car with a relatively decent engine.
Just get an MOT and take it from there.
Oddly it would be the carbs on a Duratec that would be a negative, however at that price it wouldn't stop me from buying the car like a Pinto would, you could keep your eye out for some second hand throttle bodies and ECU etc. at a good price.Not everyone will like aeroscreens
Not everyone will like the dash
Not everyone will like the rear suspension
You don’t need everyone to like it.
It is a relatively cheap car with a relatively decent engine.
Just get an MOT and take it from there.
Hopefully it doesn't have the standard Tiger engine mounts either...
Get it MOT'd, if necessary tax it and get yourself insured, that way you can take people out for a drive and demonstate the car is a runner. You can cancel the tax/recover the unused tax and you might get something back for the insurance. Talk to one of the well known brokers and explain you want a policy just to take the car out demo drives to sell it and see if they can find something cheap or with a good refund ratio.
Either that or eBay as a non-MOT'd and take what you can get.
I agree an MOT is essential. I don't think eBay would be my ideal route to be honest, I'd rather just stick to a good old car site or dedicated kit car forum. The Locost Builders forum sounds a good place; I've seen one or two Tigers on there going for around what I want, though admittedly look in better nick. The Tiger I have originally had a Pinto, but due to a local garage trying to fleece more money, the engine was just left with them and, having learned of how good and efficient a Duratec engine (and quite uncommon from what I heard) was, it was decided a Duratec would a suitable replacement.
At least the Tiger got some use, though never covered many miles. My dads cousins son was the inspiration for building our Tiger, as he had himself built one. A very nice example with a Pinto, though I heard not too long ago that he hasn't used the car in 10 years and was just sitting in his garage. Why do people build them, all that hard work and money spent, fully roadworthy, yet never bother driving them?. I suppose to some it's just an hobby.
At least the Tiger got some use, though never covered many miles. My dads cousins son was the inspiration for building our Tiger, as he had himself built one. A very nice example with a Pinto, though I heard not too long ago that he hasn't used the car in 10 years and was just sitting in his garage. Why do people build them, all that hard work and money spent, fully roadworthy, yet never bother driving them?. I suppose to some it's just an hobby.
Edited by Jukebag on Tuesday 6th February 11:02
Edited by Jukebag on Tuesday 6th February 11:05
Jukebag said:
At the moment I've got my work cut out so to speak with sorting the Tiger and another kit car I will trying to sell soon which is an E-Type. I would love to tidy the E-Type up, maybe put in a better dashboard, but with the engine liikely needing sorting out, brakes freeing up (been stood for 2 years), and other mechanical issues, I think that will have to be put on the back burner for the foreseeable future. As with the Tiger. I'm being urged to sell. They won't sell for much in their current state.
I feel your pain, one kit car that needs a bit of tidying up and the handbrake sorted to get it MOT'd so I can use it (if I have time), a part completed kit in the garage and another car that I want to sell but needs a few jobs doing to get it MOT'd and advertised. Not to mention trying to organise building a house and going to work...I think I need to retire to have enough time!
Jukebag said:
Why do people build them, all that hard work and money spent, fully roadworthy, yet never bother driving them?. I suppose to some it's just an hobby.
Along with a few other things, I have an Ultima and many of them are exactly as you describe. High spec, great condition, well built and mega low, low, low mileage. I guess for some folk it's the engineering challenge of building them and owning them rather than driving them. Even so, I always think mine gets well used but the reality is that I doubt I did 2k miles in it last year.
Just wondering if anyone knows if i should be wary of enquiries from overseas?. Lately alot of the enquiries about the car seem to be from foreign emails rather than from the UK. Is there any reason to be cautious about?. One email i received seemed very vague and brief, saying cash awaits amongst other mundane questions like what year the Q plate is.
Lots of cars go abroad , so not a big issue. Sold my Elise to a french man who deals in them and paid without question. Q plates maybe a bit more awkward for re-registering though. Usually its down to age of car and pre- emission dates etc. Mate took his Westfield on a Q plate to Czech Republic but had to register it initially to his brother in law , as a resident.
I quite like it in a weird way....but for around 5 grand there are better cars I think.
At that price, an MOT is essential I think - at least if you have that you just have to find someone who likes the marmite nature of this! MOT and 4 grand and it starts to get interesting!
Re. The ‘weird’ wheelbase comment...did you mean track? I presume the E1 is the Tiger that uses the entire rear subframe from the Sierra, and so is really wide at the back, but has a narrow front track?
At that price, an MOT is essential I think - at least if you have that you just have to find someone who likes the marmite nature of this! MOT and 4 grand and it starts to get interesting!
Re. The ‘weird’ wheelbase comment...did you mean track? I presume the E1 is the Tiger that uses the entire rear subframe from the Sierra, and so is really wide at the back, but has a narrow front track?
fact is: the car is not interesting for abroad buyers....as the car is too "young". reg-date 2007: younger reg.dates from 1992 onwards need a catalytic converter incl. lots of other things in ALL other EU countries.
anyway...this said...why the car doesnt sell, even the sales price is not too bad, considering it has a duratec fitted:
-its a Tiger Cat E1 ...not the best model around
Tiger Seven-ish cars are more associated with "modern" style seven´s: this car has been built with some "old-school" design elements which most potential Tiger-buyers will put them off:
- brookland screens
- long wings
- metal dash
- kitcar world is a small market
- wrong season
- too many reflectors on the side, on the back
-modern wheels which do not match the "oldschool-ish" design elements
-the engine looks like been squeezed in
-remote filler where the overflow isnt connected does not look trustworthy
-geneal impression of enginebay: too many cables, hoses...doesnt look tidy and "neat"
-no airfilters
-not everybody likes an exhaust on the drivers side
- color looks bit boring...black,without any contrasts (like stripe, differtn color nose or wings)
anyway...this said...why the car doesnt sell, even the sales price is not too bad, considering it has a duratec fitted:
-its a Tiger Cat E1 ...not the best model around
Tiger Seven-ish cars are more associated with "modern" style seven´s: this car has been built with some "old-school" design elements which most potential Tiger-buyers will put them off:
- brookland screens
- long wings
- metal dash
- kitcar world is a small market
- wrong season
- too many reflectors on the side, on the back
-modern wheels which do not match the "oldschool-ish" design elements
-the engine looks like been squeezed in
-remote filler where the overflow isnt connected does not look trustworthy
-geneal impression of enginebay: too many cables, hoses...doesnt look tidy and "neat"
-no airfilters
-not everybody likes an exhaust on the drivers side
- color looks bit boring...black,without any contrasts (like stripe, differtn color nose or wings)
Hi, I owned a Robinhood , initially with a full screen and wipers , but without side screens the wind just went straight up your nose and you could loose your had above 40mph. I went over to aero screens and never regretted it. Your hat stayed on. No need for full face helmet either
On top of that it looked much better
On top of that it looked much better
I'm not sure it's surprising given the time of year the car was first advertised.... Your target buyer is someone who wants a low budget (probably impulse) summer fun car - this lot are simply not looking in September/when you first advertised. IMO people buying kit 7s from Sept-March have usually planned it as a winter project and without meaning to sound rude they wont be wanting tiger as the base to start from. Have it MOT'd, ready to go and wait till the sun comes out - priced correctly it will sell.
If your in the extremes of say cornwall, norfolk, wales or scotland maybe get quotes for transportation and put them on the advert to make it more attractive to a wider audience.
If your in the extremes of say cornwall, norfolk, wales or scotland maybe get quotes for transportation and put them on the advert to make it more attractive to a wider audience.
I agree about the engine looking squeezed in. It's likely why there was apparently no room for a wiper motor, or so I was told. The car originally had a Pinto; the Pinto was left with a garage because they were trying to fleece more money, so the alternative was to go for a Duratec, of which I heard were quite rare at the time but efficient and powerful.
Tbh, I hadn't really taken much notice of the side exhaust being on the drivers side. Personally I don't think the silver dash looks awful, but that's just my opinion. I don't understand why so many would find a Tiger Cat off-putting. At the end of the day Tiger's, and Robin Hoods, are catered for the entry level budget-minded kit car builder, replicating the style of the Caterham and Lotus 7.
Tbh, I hadn't really taken much notice of the side exhaust being on the drivers side. Personally I don't think the silver dash looks awful, but that's just my opinion. I don't understand why so many would find a Tiger Cat off-putting. At the end of the day Tiger's, and Robin Hoods, are catered for the entry level budget-minded kit car builder, replicating the style of the Caterham and Lotus 7.
Edited by Jukebag on Tuesday 20th February 21:16
Reply to an old post.
Regarding the Tiger Cat I have for sale, a few weeks ago I finally got round to putting it through an MOT, of which it failed the first time of which got sorted soon after. Passed second time with a few advisories. The MOT hasn't made any difference as, apart from two email enquiries (mainly wanting to know if the seats would move back or were bolted from underneath, and info re advisories and more photos, which I forwarded to them, and someone from overseas who seemed interested), apart from that I've had no real luck, and not one person come to even view the car.
I suspect the price is putting them off, but I don't understand why as there seems to be plenty of Tiger E1s for sale asking for the same money (the Tiger Owners Forum had a couple, some which have sold). Or maybe the colour is a big turn off, or the lack of a full windscreen and soft top.
Quite a few high powered kit car (and classic) sellers seem to go a little OTT in the ads describing and listing all of the things it has on it, where such a part came from, how much BHP it does and so on.
Regarding the Tiger Cat I have for sale, a few weeks ago I finally got round to putting it through an MOT, of which it failed the first time of which got sorted soon after. Passed second time with a few advisories. The MOT hasn't made any difference as, apart from two email enquiries (mainly wanting to know if the seats would move back or were bolted from underneath, and info re advisories and more photos, which I forwarded to them, and someone from overseas who seemed interested), apart from that I've had no real luck, and not one person come to even view the car.
I suspect the price is putting them off, but I don't understand why as there seems to be plenty of Tiger E1s for sale asking for the same money (the Tiger Owners Forum had a couple, some which have sold). Or maybe the colour is a big turn off, or the lack of a full windscreen and soft top.
Quite a few high powered kit car (and classic) sellers seem to go a little OTT in the ads describing and listing all of the things it has on it, where such a part came from, how much BHP it does and so on.
swap the front arches for some cycle cover type ones = £100.
buy some vinyl viper stripes and chequered flag motifs in a lurid green or something else equally horrid. £20
swap the aeroscreens for a FG one £100. (sell yours for £50)
maybe consider spraying the wheels the same lurid green as the viper stripes. DIY for £50
remove the numerous reflectors, and swap the tail lights to the round ones. £100
can you also luridly-greenly-wrap the dashboard?
it'll look more modern and be of more interest to more peoples than the older style it currently is.
Good news on the MOT though
buy some vinyl viper stripes and chequered flag motifs in a lurid green or something else equally horrid. £20
swap the aeroscreens for a FG one £100. (sell yours for £50)
maybe consider spraying the wheels the same lurid green as the viper stripes. DIY for £50
remove the numerous reflectors, and swap the tail lights to the round ones. £100
can you also luridly-greenly-wrap the dashboard?
it'll look more modern and be of more interest to more peoples than the older style it currently is.
Good news on the MOT though
Thanks for the tips, but I don't see how the car doesn't look modern; there are surely plenty of similar styled Tigers and similar such kit cars about, some I've seen with just an aeroscreen. Spending £100 here £100 there just to "improve" the look and make it more appealing (probably to some 20 plus Caterham wannabe who wants to thrash it) I don't think would be worth it. I agree the colour wouldve better with something like a yellow,silver, or black/silver, green, rather than all black, but I didn't make the car. The wheel arches, to me any way, are erelevant and don't tarnish the look of the car, but most kits of this model do seem to have cycle wing type arches rather than the one I'm selling have. I've no idea why those style were chosen over the more common type.
I've just bought a Westfield and I had a very firm idea of what I was looking for, which pretty much echoes what several people have said above.
Looking at your car, the aspects that immediately put me off are:-
Aero-screen - more suited to an old Morgan - check out the aero screen on my Westie below
Swept wings - anybody preferring this style is definitely in the minority
Indicators on the swept wings - just looks "kit-car" - plenty of other options available that look much neater
Mismatched tyres on the front (which gives the impression of the car being run cheaply)
Colour - Seven-alikes are meant to be in yer face....
Everything is 'fixable' for not a lot of cash.
In your favour though, is the engine - not many Duratec-engined kits out there at this price point - has the car ever been dyno'd? If so, a photo of the dyno plot of just info on the power levels would be helpful
Looking at your car, the aspects that immediately put me off are:-
Aero-screen - more suited to an old Morgan - check out the aero screen on my Westie below
Swept wings - anybody preferring this style is definitely in the minority
Indicators on the swept wings - just looks "kit-car" - plenty of other options available that look much neater
Mismatched tyres on the front (which gives the impression of the car being run cheaply)
Colour - Seven-alikes are meant to be in yer face....
Everything is 'fixable' for not a lot of cash.
In your favour though, is the engine - not many Duratec-engined kits out there at this price point - has the car ever been dyno'd? If so, a photo of the dyno plot of just info on the power levels would be helpful
Just come back to this thread after several months. And reading it again it seems that for everyone suggesting things to do to the car you (the OP) seem to reject them and disagree.
In the meantime people are off buying all the other cars for sale in this glorious weather.
So either take some of the suggestions or just accept you'll have an unsold car at the end of the season unless that one person that agrees with you comes along.
Your choice.
In the meantime people are off buying all the other cars for sale in this glorious weather.
So either take some of the suggestions or just accept you'll have an unsold car at the end of the season unless that one person that agrees with you comes along.
Your choice.
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