which one caterham or westfield?

[jb6672]

hi all! i would like to buy either. i have no experience with kit cars at all. but after reading the forums a zetec 1.6 to 2.0 would be ideal. probably as they are easy to live with on an everyday basis.
what baffles me is which make to go for?
what are the main differences between the 2?
i am looking to spend upto 8000 tops.
can anyone advise?
cheers jay (kit car virgin)

[R300 CYA]

As far as i am aware you would get a much newer westfield for your money than you would a caterham due to residual values being better on caterhams. Both as much fun as each other, personally with a budget of 8k id go for a westfield, mainly because you will get something with a more upto date spec for your budget, over what you would recieve in a caterham for same money. The choice is ultimately yours have a try of both and see which you prefer is probably the best way.

[stone]

R300 CYA said:

As far as i am aware you would get a much newer westfield for your money than you would a caterham due to residual values being better on caterhams. Both as much fun as each other, personally with a budget of 8k id go for a westfield, mainly because you will get something with a more upto date spec for your budget, over what you would recieve in a caterham for same money. The choice is ultimately yours have a try of both and see which you prefer is probably the best way.

What he said

[v15ben]

Indeed what he said, having been passenger in both a Westy and an academy Caterham I can safely say they are both superb fun. I looked into buying one earlier this year but found both a little out of my budget. Go for the Westy ahead of the Caterham if you want to get a newer car, the Caterhams I found in my budget of £7-8k were fairly old but of course they have very strong residuals. These cars are only as good as their builders when it comes to fit and finish so always check this carefully. There are other alternative kits for less cash with some interesting options from Tiger, MK, Locost etc with some nice bike engined experiences and plenty of cars using the 1.8 K Series or a 1.6 from somewhere or another. These cars have the same ethos at heart and are also great fun but if you want a Westy/Caterham then I'd say Westy within your budget. Happy hunting and can I have a ride when you get one?

[R300 CYA]

If you wanna have a look round a caterham and sit in let me know, im in altrincham so cant be too far away.

[john7]

JB, I was in a similar predicament to you. I looked at Westies & yes they were cheaper than a similar aged Caterham - bearing in mind specification etc, but one thing that I noticed was build quality between the two. OK I could have been looking at self-build Westies but one thing to take into consideration is the fact that a Caterham is part built when it leaves the factory. I'm sure you will get more 'spec' for your money buying a Westie & again I'm sure the fun factor will be the same, in other words "you pays your money ...." I live in Wigan if you fancy a blat in my 7. (Does this make sense I've adh a drnik!)

[smiles3]

Having been involved in building both cars - I would opt for the Caterham - the high residuals are for a reason - with the kit being part built the build quality on the Caterham is less dependant on the builder. I have a 16 year old Caterham and it still drives well. The Westfield requires the builder to make a load of parts themselves (Brackets, etc) - but it is clear if the person who built it is competent then the results can be good,
It really is down to the individual vehicle - just the Westfield variability is far higher.

[jb6672]

thanks all looks like a westfield is suitable. am i correct on a ztec engine rather than a pinto? cheers

[stiglet]

jb6672 said:

thanks all looks like a westfield is suitable. am i correct on a ztec engine rather than a pinto? cheers

Yep, but on that budget you may just get a good vx xe which is a great powerplant in either a Cat. or Westie

Have fun looking