Seven type things ?
Discussion
Long story short, my garage has long been filled with a toilet and white goods, but due to a potential extension happening, the garage is freed up and I have inside space for a car after 20 years, so potentially instead of spending on a more expensive daily it allows me to think of something more fun.
So Seven type things come to mind, what would you get for ten grand ? would it be any good, have no illusions of racing it, maybe a track day but thats not my main desire, doesnt have to mentally fast, just decently quick and dont think I want anything super frantic, so that kind of, I assume rules bike engined ones out, they look fantastic but dont think that is what I want, am after simplicity and reliability.
I had a go in a neighbours Westfield, it was awesome, fantastically quick but basically a track car but would be thinking more along the lines of something less lairy, not super highly tuned that I can get in and take out and have some fun and then put back, leave it a few months, come to it and it start.
Cost wise, am guessing insurance is pretty cheap, they seem to hold their money, so if bought at the right price and kept well, shouldn't lose money, VED will depend but can SORN it if not used over winter.
Oh, windscreen wise, lots dont have one, better with or without ?
So, what do you recommend if I was to go that way ? early days yet, need to get the extension sorted first.
So Seven type things come to mind, what would you get for ten grand ? would it be any good, have no illusions of racing it, maybe a track day but thats not my main desire, doesnt have to mentally fast, just decently quick and dont think I want anything super frantic, so that kind of, I assume rules bike engined ones out, they look fantastic but dont think that is what I want, am after simplicity and reliability.
I had a go in a neighbours Westfield, it was awesome, fantastically quick but basically a track car but would be thinking more along the lines of something less lairy, not super highly tuned that I can get in and take out and have some fun and then put back, leave it a few months, come to it and it start.
Cost wise, am guessing insurance is pretty cheap, they seem to hold their money, so if bought at the right price and kept well, shouldn't lose money, VED will depend but can SORN it if not used over winter.
Oh, windscreen wise, lots dont have one, better with or without ?
So, what do you recommend if I was to go that way ? early days yet, need to get the extension sorted first.
Edited by J4CKO on Thursday 13th July 12:22
Frankthered said:
My someday, sometime plan would be to find myself a tatty mk1 MX5/Eunos and run that for a little while. Then, when the MOT runs out (or gets too hard), I'd be taking that to bits to make a Westfield SDV.
It doesn't sound like you want to build though. £10k should buy you something very tidy in a Westfield, MK, Sylva/Raw or Tiger (just make sure you fit) especially if you don't want that much power. It sounds like something with a Zetec, Toyota 4AGE, Mazda or even an oldskool Crossflow would give you enough grunt.
Cheers, you are right, not after building one at this point, would prefer a well sorted one I can enjoy.It doesn't sound like you want to build though. £10k should buy you something very tidy in a Westfield, MK, Sylva/Raw or Tiger (just make sure you fit) especially if you don't want that much power. It sounds like something with a Zetec, Toyota 4AGE, Mazda or even an oldskool Crossflow would give you enough grunt.
Fit wise, thats a point, I am six foot bang on and 14 and a half stone, am lighter than I used to be so should be ok, I have wide shoulders though, they do seem to do a wide version, will look into those.
Engine wise, that sounds the kind of thing, 100 - 150 horsepower, I guess would be plenty to be going on with, would want to learn to drive it rather than have something terrifying, is easy to think you need 300 bhp but I think those kind of cars are for serious use, by people that can properly drive, think you need to go through the ranks a bit rather than just jump in at the deep end.
Are they all much of a muchness the ones you listed ? I suppose a lot depends on the individual build ?
What about a Locost ? am guessing they can be pretty variable, have seen someone welding a frame from one with zero welding skills, I am no expert but I didnt fancy entrusting my safety to the bird plop special, Sevens look a bit less than safe in a crash anyway so you dont need the chassis unravelling at speed as well .
CrutyRammers said:
Please don't get a dutton.
Hmm, remember these, sure they are great but not the look I would want really, kind of have a sixth form project vibe going on, plus I think they are all pretty ancient by now, all Weller wheels and cracked fibreglass most seem to be.Edited by J4CKO on Friday 14th July 00:23
Will have a word with my neighbour as he never seems to use his, see if he is thinking of selling up at some point, not in a position to buy until this extension is done and I have the garage back, was going to spend 17 grand on a daily but came to the realization that I will have the garage back which opens many more interesting possibilities.
Might see about renting one for a day and see how I get on with it, or getting a track day where they use them.
Might see about renting one for a day and see how I get on with it, or getting a track day where they use them.
smash said:
Dutton shouldn't be on your list.
Robin Hood are OK on cheap and cheerful basis although avoid EXMO - I had a V8 one which was immense fun but then it was only 4k so I balanced grin factor with cost with quality.
MK Indy and GBS would be worth adding to your list around Westfield position-ish and definitely Dax Rush
Cheers, have spotted those on my travels, the Dax Rush looks good. Unless you are into it, they all look similar, dont want to buy something I think looks awesome and then get told they are a pile of crap so few months to do my homework.Robin Hood are OK on cheap and cheerful basis although avoid EXMO - I had a V8 one which was immense fun but then it was only 4k so I balanced grin factor with cost with quality.
MK Indy and GBS would be worth adding to your list around Westfield position-ish and definitely Dax Rush
CrutyRammers said:
Most Rushes will be a bit more pricey than 10k, though there may be a few around for that. Simply because most of them tend to be v8s or turbo cossies rather than the more common ford engines and hence have been more expensive to build. Some of the older ones have Pintos in, but I'd definitely go for a newer westfield than an old 2.0L Dax.
Yeah, a nosey round over lunch confirmed that they are indeed pretty pricey, though not as expensive as the extension required to regain the use of a fairly average single garage, any suggestions of things being placed into the garage by my wife are met with a resounding no, we moved from a semi with a great garage that had scope for improvements, nearly bought a house with a double to replace it but she bailed at the last minute so we ended up here and had to use the garage for utility stuff, now it moves out and will be jealously guarded, a Seven fits with a metre and a half spare length so wont be int he way, was looking at getting an M135i etc but will defer, get a cheaper daily and a Seven type thing, or similar.Can always borrow some space if I get one before but need to see how much the building costs before doing anything.
Justin S said:
Get a wide body Westfield. Buy for 10 grand, use for a few years, sell for 10 grand. If you keep it good, you wont loose money on it.I sold both of my previous cars for the same money I bought and there was years between buying and selling. No depreciation is great.
Definitely, that is the plan.Cheaper, but still interesting daily, 5 grand hot hatch and ten grands worth of Seven, couple of grand either way on each, costs wise I maintain cars myself so dont spend much on that, Sevens are simple, light and use common parts so minimal outlay on consumables, get one with a reliable engine that is easily replaced. VED would be, I assume £230 as they seem to be taxed on the old rules and can be sorned, insurance is pretty cheap, MOT for £40 and not much depreciation, could have one there for £500 a year, two payments on a very average lease car.
Just need the garage,
GinG15 said:
if you want a kind of "oldschool" seven-ish car (oldschool engine), but with suberb handling:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYLVA-STRIKER-1700-CROSS...
IMO 1k overpriced, but its a nice car.
so you see,, you can get soemthing good for not much money.
compared to this car, even the best Robin Hood should not cost more than 800pound!!!
Yeah, saw that one, looks ok, will be a little while as need to get the extension done as wont have anywhere to put it until then, plus it depends on the financial side of that how much I would be able to spend, the wife seems ok with it, think she gets the fact that they are a fairly place to put money, not an investment but better then spending say 17 grand on a daily that will depreciate, she has seen with my 944 Cab and 350Z Roadster that certain cars you can own for a while and not lose anything.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SYLVA-STRIKER-1700-CROSS...
IMO 1k overpriced, but its a nice car.
so you see,, you can get soemthing good for not much money.
compared to this car, even the best Robin Hood should not cost more than 800pound!!!
Asked my neighbour who is into them and he echoed the advice on here, his is a 260 bhp Vauxhall Redtop, straight cut gearbox, LSD etc, not selling at the moment but said to ask me if he did think of moving it on, probably a bit too much car for me really.
Am forming a list of engines and their relative pros and cons,
Kent/Crossflow, 1.3 possibly a bit feeble, 1.6 better, 120 bhp about your lot, been around since the dawn of time, would do the trick but possibly end up wanting to swap it out.
Pinto, old and heavy, gets the job done, 1.6 a bit lame, 2.0 worth having, tunable but 160 bhp is your lot without going silly
Zetec, better than a Pinto, though not as good as a Duratec
Vauxhall XE Redtop - very tunable but expensive to buy and tune.
Rover K series, nice and light, can make good power but expensive to tune and can be problematic, but probably less so in a light kit car ?
Bike engines, crap low down torque, immense revs, very, very fast but more suited to track work really, enforce quite a few compromises though varies between different engines, can be a little fragile.
Rover V8, power wise, 300 plus can be available, loads of torque, not that heavy, similar to a Pinto weight wise, maybe lighter, slightly at odds with traditional the seven ethos.
Cosworth YB turbo, 204 bhp out of the box, skys the limit, but probably overkill and a bit terrifying for a noob like me
S2000 - 240 bhp or more from the box, relative dearth of torque not a problem in a light car, fairly heavy engine but power delivery totally suited to a seven type car and puts it on par with the higher end Caterhams.
Mazda MX5, good option as a sports car engine anyway, ends up like it is in an MX5 only more so due to less weight, tough as old boots, can be relatively cheaply turbocharged, replacements still cheap.
Am interested to get an idea how they feel, my Merc CLS moves pretty well, it is 210 bhp per tonne or thereabouts, got me to thinking, even a fairly low powered seven is easily over that figure, will probably avoid bike engined ones and V8s, mainy due to expensive, but everything else is fair game and a lot depends on the car it sits in, the Locost thing is great but seen some shonky looking welding.
Kent/Crossflow, 1.3 possibly a bit feeble, 1.6 better, 120 bhp about your lot, been around since the dawn of time, would do the trick but possibly end up wanting to swap it out.
Pinto, old and heavy, gets the job done, 1.6 a bit lame, 2.0 worth having, tunable but 160 bhp is your lot without going silly
Zetec, better than a Pinto, though not as good as a Duratec
Vauxhall XE Redtop - very tunable but expensive to buy and tune.
Rover K series, nice and light, can make good power but expensive to tune and can be problematic, but probably less so in a light kit car ?
Bike engines, crap low down torque, immense revs, very, very fast but more suited to track work really, enforce quite a few compromises though varies between different engines, can be a little fragile.
Rover V8, power wise, 300 plus can be available, loads of torque, not that heavy, similar to a Pinto weight wise, maybe lighter, slightly at odds with traditional the seven ethos.
Cosworth YB turbo, 204 bhp out of the box, skys the limit, but probably overkill and a bit terrifying for a noob like me
S2000 - 240 bhp or more from the box, relative dearth of torque not a problem in a light car, fairly heavy engine but power delivery totally suited to a seven type car and puts it on par with the higher end Caterhams.
Mazda MX5, good option as a sports car engine anyway, ends up like it is in an MX5 only more so due to less weight, tough as old boots, can be relatively cheaply turbocharged, replacements still cheap.
Am interested to get an idea how they feel, my Merc CLS moves pretty well, it is 210 bhp per tonne or thereabouts, got me to thinking, even a fairly low powered seven is easily over that figure, will probably avoid bike engined ones and V8s, mainy due to expensive, but everything else is fair game and a lot depends on the car it sits in, the Locost thing is great but seen some shonky looking welding.
Mr MXT said:
J4CKO said:
There is a Saab B204 engined seven alike on Ebay at the moment, I had a Saab 9-3 with a similar unit and it was great, not sure if it would suit a seven but I bet its rapid.
If its the F27, im not sure "250 - 270bhp" is a good idea to pop your seven cherry with...Gassing Station | Kit Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff