Caterham newbie

[dododo]

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of getting a Caterham but don't know where to start so thought I'd seek help!

I want to buy one in the next couple of months once I have decided which to get. I'm thinking of either the 1.8 or 2.0 model. Any thoughts on which would be the better choice? I am used to driving powerful(ish) cars but not a car without any driving assists like ABS, TCS etc.

I wouldn't drive it every day as I'll keep my regular hatchback for the mundane. The only storage options I have are an uncovered driveway. I don't expect I'd do any track days in it, it would be more for some fun at the weekends and the odd road trip.

Also, whilst not a car expert I consider myself fairly practical so I think I could take on most maintenance tasks that weren't too involved. However, I wouldn't want a car that required me to be constantly taking it apart to repair it because it kept going wrong.

All advice welcome :-)

Thanks!

[RobGT81]

There has been a couple of threads recently with info regarding engines, have a read! I have a 1.8 k-series, love the noise it makes! I got a 5 speed because it seemed better for touring, if I want to accelerate quicker I will go speak to DVA It lives on the driveway under a cover with no real issues driven all year round, keep on top of the maintenance and corrosion protection and it will be fine.

[framerateuk]

This thread was quite literally the first thread on the page when you posted:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[dododo]

Thanks for the response. I've been reading the other engine threads and they have me lost! I want something that has *great* acceleration but doesn't need to be a Ferrari killer - but importantly I don't want anything that is too much work to keep on the road. My current car is quick, but I imagine that all the electronics get in the way of the driving experience (it has ABS/TCS/4x4 etc.).

I've seen threads that range from people saying the 1.6 is awesome to other saying that the 2.0 is the one to get.

also - how much maintenance should I expect to have to do over a year?

[framerateuk]

As I said in the other thread, my best advice would be to pop to Caterham themselves and hire one for the day. You'll usually get a standard Sigma 125, which should give you an idea of the performance on offer.

Let's start with the obvious, what do you consider quick? You say your current car is quick, but you don't say what your current car is?

[dododo]

Sorry, should have mentioned... I have an Audi S3. 0-60 time is sub 6 seconds - not sure what exactly, but I think its 5.7. It drives fantastic, but is just not very exciting hence the wish for something like a Caterham :-)

I don't live far from the Crawley Caterham sales office, i'll try to pop along and see a few. and maybe hire one for the day.

[framerateuk]

Ok, so you were in a similar position to me. My main car is a Megane 250 Cup. Which is brilliant on trackdays, has plenty of straight line grunt.

My 1.6 Caterham is pretty different. Off the line, it's easily quicker, and combined with the 6 speed box, the noise and the wind in your face, it's much more frantic.

I would have been quite happy with a 125bhp but managed to find the 140 that I was really looking for. On the road, you really don't need more and it's great to be able to wring it's neck at every opportunity (something you definitely can't do in a modern hot hatch). More power would be nice for trackdays, but I did a day at Pembrey this weekend and not for a second did I feel I wanted more power.

Money wise, I've spent over 3k on the car this year. Mostly from buying equipment to get it to the spec I wanted.

4 replacement tyres
4 x 13" wheels (which I've yet to acquire tyres for)
New windscreen (big crack in driver's vision)
New immobilizer (my car had it wired out)
Full service from a local specialist
Half hood instead of the standard full hood
New seat runners (they were quite worn)
Replacement throttle cable and spare.
New 7 grill
Red stripes
Replacement anti roll bar links
Rear brake pads

There were a few other things too. But you get the idea. My bills should be a lot lower next year since it's at my ideal spec now and I intend to keep it that way while I spend the money on driving it instead .

[dododo]

Brilliant. Sounds like the 140 is the one to check out first. It's half a second quicker to 60 than my S3 but I expect the sensation of speed will be much greater :-)

I'm not out to thrash the car like an Essex boy, just to have some fun!

I've been looking on Autotrader and Caterham's seem rather few and far between :-S any suggestions on how to locate some? or should I head to the Crawley dealer first?

[assadahmed]

Im heading over to the Caterham showroom tom morning to pick up a Roadsport 125 for the day. My initial thoughts were that I need more power but thinking about how low and exposed the car is, 125bhp may be more than enough.

My drive tom should provide a great insight as to how 125bhp feels. Have a route planned out so should be fun!

I was wondering what kind of money would be needed to be spent if I bought a 125 but wanted to add slightly more power after a year or so?

[framerateuk]

assadahmed said:

Im heading over to the Caterham showroom tom morning to pick up a Roadsport 125 for the day. My initial thoughts were that I need more power but thinking about how low and exposed the car is, 125bhp may be more than enough.

My drive tom should provide a great insight as to how 125bhp feels. Have a route planned out so should be fun!

I was wondering what kind of money would be needed to be spent if I bought a 125 but wanted to add slightly more power after a year or so?

The 140 "Supersport" kit is around the £2000 mark. Premier Power do some nice upgrades for the Sigma too. From 155 up to 200. They've got a good rep but are quite pricey. They have an open day this weekend which I'm hoping to go to if it's not raining!

dododo said:

Brilliant. Sounds like the 140 is the one to check out first. It's half a second quicker to 60 than my S3 but I expect the sensation of speed will be much greater :-)

I'm not out to thrash the car like an Essex boy, just to have some fun!

I've been looking on Autotrader and Caterham's seem rather few and far between :-S any suggestions on how to locate some? or should I head to the Crawley dealer first?

You won't feel that turbo kick that you get in the S3, but it'll pull well all the way to the redline. Some guys feel they have to go for higher powered cars because they're so used to the torque of a turbo engine. I quite like the revvy nature of the Sigma. I think you should have to rev the nuts off a Caterham!

I found mine in the Pistonheads Classfields.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...

Have a browse. It's probably a better place to find this sort of car than Autotrader.

Edited by framerateuk on Wednesday 25th September 20:31

[DickieH]

Framerateuk, sorry to hijack the thread a little but i was wondering where you got your major service done and where you happy with work. I m new to the fold and will be needing a major one done in the coming months. Assuming you re allowed to recommend or answer such questions on the forum.
Cheers

[framerateuk]

Ha, no problems, the big service was done by Andy at Q-Mech near Bridgend, about 10 minutes off the M4.

He's got lots of experience and raced in the Academy with his own car. He does a load of Lotus work too. Certainly knows his stuff!

The car was running a bit rough before it went in
Pedals were in completely the wrong places
Seat runners were a mess and didn't work at all.
One of the seats had a crack in the frame which was welded
Fixed an annoying flapping noise from under the dashboard (some rivets had come loose!)
Gear stick likeage shimmed to remove play

There was plenty of other stuff that was checked and fixed too, but I was really impressed by the service. The car was so much better to drive as a result.

[dododo]

Excellent! Do you have any details on that open day? Might be worth checking out.

I also was assuming that I needed 250+ BHP because that's what hot hatches have, need to reset that mentality I think though regarding a Caterham.

[framerateuk]

dododo said:

Excellent! Do you have any details on that open day? Might be worth checking out.

I also was assuming that I needed 250+ BHP because that's what hot hatches have, need to reset that mentality I think though regarding a Caterham.

250 bhp would put you near R500 levels of power. Not for the faint hearted! Even with 140bhp I'm running around 260bhp per tonne. That's far higher than any of the modern hatches (I think my Megane works out about 180bhp per tonne).

Yeah the open day is advertised here:
http://premierpowerengines.com/

[coppice]

dododo said:

Excellent! Do you have any details on that open day? Might be worth checking out.

I also was assuming that I needed 250+ BHP because that's what hot hatches have, need to reset that mentality I think though regarding a Caterham.

Hot hatch weighs 1200-1300kg plus; Seven weighs less than half that. I have 225bhp in mine and it feels bloody ballistic.And scary in the wet, when I am often left floundering by luke warm hatches, let alone hot ones...

[SidewaysSi]

coppice said:

dododo said:

Excellent! Do you have any details on that open day? Might be worth checking out.

I also was assuming that I needed 250+ BHP because that's what hot hatches have, need to reset that mentality I think though regarding a Caterham.

Hot hatch weighs 1200-1300kg plus; Seven weighs less than half that. I have 225bhp in mine and it feels bloody ballistic.And scary in the wet, when I am often left floundering by luke warm hatches, let alone hot ones...

I totally agree. A Caterham or other similar machine is just not like a normal car and to think you need 250bhp because your Audi has it needs a serious rethink! Unlike your Audi, these things weigh approx 500Kg which has a profound effect on the way they drive, both in the sense of acceleration as well as handling.

They do have rubbish aerodynamics so they are not that strong once into three figures and no doubt above 80mph or so, a modern hot hatch would leave most Caterhams behind.

However, they are about sharpening your driving skills - you can't just plant your foot without thinking about the road surface and how warm the tyres are. Many people have spun or crashed Sevens, particularly when new to ownership as having skinny tyres with no weight over the rear can be an interesting combination! Particularly on anything less than a hot, dry day.

I love Caterhams and will always have one but if it is your first, I would suggest something with "only" 120-140 bhp. Learn the car, learn how it drives and handles and then move up the ladder. These cars are brilliant fun and more than quick enough to wring out on the road without losing your licence...

And I woudn't drive them when the salt has been laid unless you are meticulous about cleaning as it tends to lead to pretty quick corrosion.

Edited by SidewaysSi on Thursday 26th September 07:59

[dododo]

framerateuk said:

I found mine in the Pistonheads Classfields.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/c...

Have a browse. It's probably a better place to find this sort of car than Autotrader.

Edited by framerateuk on Wednesday 25th September 20:31

Fantastic, thanks for the link. I've been drooling on the Caterhams for sale all morning :-)

Any advice on the things to look out for when viewing them? I.e. prone to common faults etc.

[dododo]

SidewaysSi said:

I totally agree. A Caterham or other similar machine is just not like a normal car and to think you need 250bhp because your Audi has it needs a serious rethink! Unlike your Audi, these things weigh approx 500Kg which has a profound effect on the way they drive, both in the sense of acceleration as well as handling.

They do have rubbish aerodynamics so they are not that strong once into three figures and no doubt above 80mph or so, a modern hot hatch would leave most Caterhams behind.

However, they are about sharpening your driving skills - you can't just plant your foot without thinking about the road surface and how warm the tyres are. Many people have spun or crashed Sevens, particularly when new to ownership as having skinny tyres with no weight over the rear can be an interesting combination! Particularly on anything less than a hot, dry day.

I love Caterhams and will always have one but if it is your first, I would suggest something with "only" 120-140 bhp. Learn the car, learn how it drives and handles and then move up the ladder. These cars are brilliant fun and more than quick enough to wring out on the road without losing your licence...

And I woudn't drive them when the salt has been laid unless you are meticulous about cleaning as it tends to lead to pretty quick corrosion.

Edited by SidewaysSi on Thursday 26th September 07:59

Agreed. I've come round to thinking that the 140 BHP is plenty for me :-) I would also keep my Audi for the wet days so hopefully I'd be able to resist taking the Caterham out unless the weather was good!

[RobGT81]

140bhp seems to be a good place to start with Sevens. Its more than enough to have fun with on the road.

As mentioned, once they start laying salt and crap on the road, you will need to really keep on top of cleaning and applying corrosion inhibitor type stuff. Apart from that, they are fairly low maintenance. Most of the work comes from upgraditus.

[dododo]

Thanks everyone for the help, I'm now convinced! :-)