Looking for first Caterham - Opinions on this spec please!

[Worzel]

Morning all,

I'm currently looking to buy a Caterham, have had a couple of Westfields (both around the 150bhp, 550kg mark) plus a range of other sportscars but have missed the rawness and lower running costs of the seven type car.

The car I've found is a 1990 De-dion with a dunnell 220 Zetec, quiafe straight cut type 9 box and a quaife LSD. The cars going to be used for the odd weekend blast, sunny trips to work and then hopefully a few track days per year.

I'm hoping to go and have a look at it when the seller returns from holiday next week. It sounds as if the rest of the car has been well looked after with the gearbox and diff having had a recent refresh at road and race in Kent. The suspension has been re-powder coated over the winter. The main points I'm going to focus on are the condition of the chassis powder coating and any rust that may be present plus bills for the re-builds etc.

Are there any other areas I should concentrate on and is the spec a desirable one in the world of Caterhams!

Thanks,

Jon

[jingars]

I would check the noise from the straight cut box, along with the weight/effort of the change; those might be issues for me for a road car if the "weekend blasts" are long duration sorties!

Of course, I am pussy - hardcore se7eners don't wory about such things

[dptdpt]

As Jingars says, the box will be hard to live with but you'll know once you drive it.

A 1990 car is likely to have started life as an Xflow, which will have helped prevent chassis rust as they liked to shed oil. The chassis is vunerable around the diff and de-dion, which is easily checked by having a good look around, and also inside the skin near your feet, which you can't inspect unless you remove the skin / interior panel. Moisture/mud can accumulate in there over the years.

There are lots of Zetec conversions around, and with sc box and lsd it sounds track orientated, so probably has adjustable dampers, 4 pot front brakes etc.

Nearly every Caterham is different, and all lead a different life, so you can only judge by inspection.

[Worzel]

Thanks guys. Box is my main concern as I've never experienced a straight cut box. Rear suspension and de-dion tube (?) has been removed and re-powder coated too. You're correct on the adjustable dampers, still on std brakes though so these would probably benefit from upgrading, as would the seats as they currently don't have provision for a headrest so I'd imagine the rest of the support they give isn't what I'm used to!

Will have a carefull look around and take a second set of eyes with me along with a trolley jack to have a good look underneath. Sounds like the same self lubricating system as my old MGB!!

Fingers crossed! There don't appear to be that many for sale at the moment, is that typical of this time of year?

Cheers,

Jon

[BertBert]

end of season and begonning of season sees the most cars come on the market. Mid-summer is not that good.

How much is the car you are looking at?

Bert

[kenny.R400]

You don't even notice the straight cut box once you've been out in the car a couple of times, it's a great sound anyway and in any case is all but drowned out by the induction roar. Nowhere near as that offputting rattle my six speeder had on tickover in an R400. As for gear changes if it's just the straight forward quaife or pro box again silky smooth.......and far better ratios than the standard offering...........look on a straight cut box as a bonus not a problem

[Worzel]

Kenny - thanks for the reassurance! Sounds as if it could add to the sensory pleasure!

Bert - it's up at approx £12k, good price?

Thanks,

Jon

[downsman]

My brother has a straight cut four speed box in his car, and it is very loud even with a crash helmet on.
I wouldn't want for road use, but obviously others think differently.

Definitely try before you buy!

[V7SLR]

Worzel said:

it's up at approx £12k, good price?

IMHO that sounds a tad expensive for the age/spec. Why not get down to one of the local L7C meets and discuss what's available with other owners? Chances are you'll get a heads-up on a car that is a better spec for your intended use.

[7tastic]

12K doesn't sound bad to me if its got a 220BHP zetec,
if the car is tidy and you check out all the bits others have sugested then there's no problem owning an early di-dion, I guess the owner would have replaced all the bushes when he had the suspension off, if so it should feel as good as it did when new (as long as the shocks are good)

[NuisanceFactor]

4-speed straight cut box would be noisy until you reach 4th.

5-speed, you will need to check; some gearboxes had a semi-helical 5th which made it somewhat quieter than a straight-cut 5th.

[Worzel]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm going to arrange to view it when the seller's back from holiday. I've looked in to the local seven meets and am going to pop along and take a look at some other cars and chat with some owners for comparison purposes. The owner seems to have done a lot of work over the winter not listed in the ad so will have a decent chat with him to find out more.

Cheers,

Jon

[BertBert]

Very hard to value, but for me it's not the right price even with a 220 zetec. For me 8-10k max.

I presume it's got narrow track suspension and flared wings? As 12k gets you into newer k-series territory, that's where I would go. I also think a 1600 6spd k-series supersport to be the perfect spec for the first caterham.

If it takes your fancy and is in brilliant condition, then it might be right for you, but look at and drive a 1600 supersport with 6 speeds as well for comparison.

Bert

[Worzel]

Thanks Bert,

Have sent you a PM, hope you don't mind.

Jon

[Matt UK]

OP, not sure it it helps you but I picked up a very clean '96 K-series S3 for £12k.

6 speed box, LSD and some engine mods taking the 1.8 up to a dyno'd 175bhp.

Not really sure if mine was good value or not, but I liked the car and the seller so a done deal.

Whatever Caterham you get, you'll love it!

[Worzel]

Thanks Matt! Always handy to know. I went to see it this afternoon, amazingly quick!! Maybe a bit too quick, just trying to work it out in my head whether I'd be better going for a lsightly newer car and then upgrading the engine at a later date if I felt the need. Didn't find the noise of the straight cut gears an issue, given my expected use I thought it sounded fantastic! Not sure the wife would agree with me though...

Out of interest, is it expensive to get more power out of the 1800 K-series? I've got another car lined up to see which is a 140bhp Roadsport with a 6 spd box.

Cheers and enjoy the car!

Jon

[Matt UK]

I'm not really sure on the exact costs of getting more power out of the k series.

The previous owner of my car reckoned he's thrown about £6k at the upgrades over the years.

On the plus side to upgrading over time:
There are lots of proven solutions and plenty of engine builders to work on that engine - so you have choice.
You can upgrade over time when you are ready
You end up with the exact car you want.
The downside is you have to pay for all the parts and labour!

The plus points of buying a car someone else has upgraded is:
You never pay the full premium of the upgrades, so cheaper than doing it yourself
It's already done so you get a quick car on day 1.
The downside (like any modified car I guess) is that if something needs attention you have to trace back and work out what part was installed. Not a massive issue though if the previous owner is a good egg and is happy to stay in touch and help you with any questions! Plus Caterham owners seem like helpful folk and someone will always be ready to help you out of a pickle.

Good luck with the hunt!

eta, I'm in Kent so if you want to have a look / spin in my car as a reference point, just PM me. Quite new to Caterham's myself so more than happy to help out if I can.

Edited by Matt UK on Sunday 3rd July 23:20

[Worzel]

Thanks for the offer Matt, went to see the car on the link below this evening and have put a deposit on it so just need to sort out a pick up date!! Over the moon with it, absolutely immaculate condition!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2995360.htm

Thanks to everyone for their input and help!

Jon

Edited by Worzel on Monday 4th July 22:28

[SLR400]

Good choice, enjoy but take care to begin with

[Matt UK]

Looks fantastic!