entry level caterham? which model and what price to pay

[mnrvortxf20c]

am interested in an entry level caterham, ideally i would like a more powerful unit but funds dont allow. i am not new to kit cars and currently have one with honda s2000 power. but id like to sell and go for a caterham of some descriiption.
what would be a good entry level caterham? id prefer a light well balanced one which is well set up over a shoddy high powered one which has been messed with.
i was thinking of an older series 3 with ford crossflow etc, or k seiries. and would £10k buy a decent example? cheers.

[Tango7]

A budget of £10k is an excellent starting point for an earlyish K series Roadsport or a late Xflow or even Zetec powered car. They should be a 5 speed car (unless you are very lucky!) an be de dion suspension at this price

If you can stretch a little more, there is a VX powered car in the classifieds for £11k that has been viewed by a friend and is meant to be excellent value : http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3988474.htm .

T

Edited by Tango7 on Thursday 21st June 18:45

[mnrvortxf20c]

thankyou. but im not in the market at the moment, i would need to sell my mnr first, hopefully for a bit more so i can release some cash.
that car does look nice,do you know how well they handle with the vx lump as opposed to the lighter k-series or crossflow? does it affect balance much?

[Tango7]

Hi,

I had an HPC sometime ago and it was a superb all round car. On the track it was a bit nose heavy than a K series but it wasn't a problem at all and the engine was pretty much bulletproof. For weekend blats, odd trackdays and mainly touring, it was a great car

T

[jcelee]

I've had my De-dion x-flow powered 7 for more than 8 years and still love it to bits. Not spectacularly powerful but still very very quick. The engine has proven bulletproof (touch wood) and sounds glorious through twin-40 Webers. The noise of an angry Crossflow really gives the car character and owners of modern fuel injected cars in convoy always comment on just how awesome it sounds. I've recently fitted adjustable platforms, fine tuned the spring rates, lowered it and flat-floored it and this has really transformed the handling from good to amazing.

I think there is a lot to be said for having a 7 with low enough power to really be able to exploit on the road (<150bhp I'd say). Also a well driven low powered 7 will take on most things on track (including much more powerful 7s). Driver upgrades are often most rewarding.