Trying to figure out what to buy

[Durch]

Hi all, I am on the lookout for an S3 Caterham and am trying to understand the options and what to pursue. I've done a fair bit of reading up so hopefully these aren't the same old questions, but sorry if they are.

Realistically my budget is up to £20k , but would rather spend as little as possible to get something suitable. Something older which is akin to the current 270/310S would be ideal.

Questions:
- At what mileage are suspension/drivetrain refreshes something to consider? I've seen some claiming 'full refreshes' under 10k miles, and others with 50k+ miles and no major work apparent. I'd like to think that a non-race car would be good for 30k+ miles without significant work.

- At what age does chassis/bodywork become something to consider, particularly corrosion? I imagine this is a string length question.

- Considering buying privately, are there any key areas to look at? Unsurprisingly, my main fear is chassis damage.

- Are those with passenger-side exhausts noticeably quieter than those on the driver's side? i.e. K vs Sigma

- Ford 1.6s - any pros/cons around Ford or Mazda gearboxes? It doesn't feel like a big factor, but my budget looks to be pushing me towards the Ford box.


Thanks for any input you can offer.

Edited by Durch on Tuesday 10th November 16:56

[Durch]

Thanks, unfortunately I don't do Facebook so am mostly looking at AT, PH and a few dealer websites.

+ Thanks DCL, quite happy with the spannering but don't want to buy something that has a large/expensive job looming.

[Durch]

DoubleD said:

It might be worth you creating a facebook account

No chance of that happening. I'll stick with the other avenues.

[Durch]

mr momo said:

Where are you located ? I found the my regional clubs (L7C and Jock7s) were fantastic for support and camaraderie. You can also lots of questions and look at the different cars/configurations/ages.

Thanks. I'm in London, and see there are/were some reasonably local get togethers for other idiots who think it's a good idea owning a Caterham in the capital. It looks like I need to become a member of L7C to post in the forums, however.