Euro trip 7 vs vx220
Discussion
I am off on a 10 day euro trip next April going through France, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland.
I was planning on doing it in my present toy, a VX220 but ever since I have had the pleasure of hireing a 7 for the weekend for my wedding day I now want a 7 earlier than I was planning.
The original plan was to do the euro trip in my VX and put it up for sale when I return home. What I would like to know is if anyone has any pics of there 7's packed up with there luggage and clobber for a euro trip as the missus thinks the VX will be easier to go away with and load up but I would rather go in a 7. Obviously.
Thanks for you help and pics.
Adam
I was planning on doing it in my present toy, a VX220 but ever since I have had the pleasure of hireing a 7 for the weekend for my wedding day I now want a 7 earlier than I was planning.
The original plan was to do the euro trip in my VX and put it up for sale when I return home. What I would like to know is if anyone has any pics of there 7's packed up with there luggage and clobber for a euro trip as the missus thinks the VX will be easier to go away with and load up but I would rather go in a 7. Obviously.
Thanks for you help and pics.
Adam
If you pack sparingly and sensibly and, more importantly, can convince Mrs ads to do the same there should be no issues with touring in a Seven. I've done Stelvio area several times and always come back with clean, unworn clothing. Also did a week along the Normandy coast, and we were camping that time, again without any shortages.
The question is, do you really want to do it in a Seven?
Much more than a long weekend and it can get pretty trying, and more than about 300 miles in a day is considered a bit hardcore.
I did UK to Stelvio once in one hop, which is fine if you only have yourself to think about, but with a passenger it's a totally different ball game. Sitting in a hot, sweaty, noisy bath tub watching someone else enjoy themselves for eight hours isn't really much fun.
Choose your route carefully (loads of threads on that), and don't get over ambitious as to how far you think you can get in a day.
Something else to bear in mind is that smaller-engined, lower-powered Sevens which are great on leafy B-roads through Sussex are hopeless on Peage/Autostrada/Autobahn.
I could post up a pic of my Seven loaded for Euro-touring, but you'd never know - everything fits in the boot, footwells and behind the seats. Never needed to strap anything to the roll bar or any of that nonsense.
The question is, do you really want to do it in a Seven?
Much more than a long weekend and it can get pretty trying, and more than about 300 miles in a day is considered a bit hardcore.
I did UK to Stelvio once in one hop, which is fine if you only have yourself to think about, but with a passenger it's a totally different ball game. Sitting in a hot, sweaty, noisy bath tub watching someone else enjoy themselves for eight hours isn't really much fun.
Choose your route carefully (loads of threads on that), and don't get over ambitious as to how far you think you can get in a day.
Something else to bear in mind is that smaller-engined, lower-powered Sevens which are great on leafy B-roads through Sussex are hopeless on Peage/Autostrada/Autobahn.
I could post up a pic of my Seven loaded for Euro-touring, but you'd never know - everything fits in the boot, footwells and behind the seats. Never needed to strap anything to the roll bar or any of that nonsense.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 9th September 15:02
Devil's advocaat:
By God you'll need a missus with a good sense of humour if you want to do thousands of miles round Europe in a Seven. Packing up takes ages (it is surprising how much you can fit in/on a Seven, but it's far from easy) Getting wet is a nightmare if it stays wet, and breakdowns would certainly worry me given my cars track record. Driving in Europe can be difficult in the best circumstances if you're not used to it, an unreliable, uncomfortable car that takes an age to pack watertight could be even more fun!
My actual view: One day I'm going to do it anyway. Without the missus
PS doesn't help that I've never seen a standard size boot on a Seven - both my cars have had 50 litre fuel tanks fitted for racing! I'd guess the boot depth is about five inches...
By God you'll need a missus with a good sense of humour if you want to do thousands of miles round Europe in a Seven. Packing up takes ages (it is surprising how much you can fit in/on a Seven, but it's far from easy) Getting wet is a nightmare if it stays wet, and breakdowns would certainly worry me given my cars track record. Driving in Europe can be difficult in the best circumstances if you're not used to it, an unreliable, uncomfortable car that takes an age to pack watertight could be even more fun!
My actual view: One day I'm going to do it anyway. Without the missus
PS doesn't help that I've never seen a standard size boot on a Seven - both my cars have had 50 litre fuel tanks fitted for racing! I'd guess the boot depth is about five inches...
Edited by chris_speed on Friday 9th September 17:36
Assuming the Seven is reliable, I wouldn't mind. I have an SV myself. Packing is no problem. Assuming you would have the standard leather seats, you will find the Caterham way more comfortable than the vx. Leave the doors in the car if you take the misses with you. Make sure your ears are well protected and both will be fine.
If the doors have armrests, you'll probably stay dry in the rain. I've never had the problem getting wet if I used the full hood or the halfhood. I must say my right leg got soaked every time it rained. Will solve that when I have the car back.
I've taken the plunge after a 30 minute test drive. Would never want the vx back.
If the doors have armrests, you'll probably stay dry in the rain. I've never had the problem getting wet if I used the full hood or the halfhood. I must say my right leg got soaked every time it rained. Will solve that when I have the car back.
I've taken the plunge after a 30 minute test drive. Would never want the vx back.
I have been round Scotland twice with my wife in the 7. Covered over 2000 miles both times and certainly saw plenty of rain! The second trip we did included the Shetlands and Orkney.
Tips
A SBFS bag makes loading and unloading the car easier as it is just 3 bags to carry (2 in it, SBFS one on top).
Pick nice places to stay - they don't cost that much more and makes the tour more of a trip.
Have one or two stop-overs where you stay for 2 or 3 nights - it give you a break from load/unload and allows shorter trips
Try to keep the very long days to a minimum - I normally do then at the start and the end.
Break the journeys rather than one masive blat on a single day
Get some dry bags and pack clothes in these in the main bags. You'll be grateful if you see heavy rain
Put the roof on if it is likely to rain overnight - it stops the rain wicking in.
You'd be surprised how much you can get in and packing gets easier every day as you get into the routine.
The smiles, waves, comments and discussion you get into with locals as you park up will make it a much more social holiday than 'just' driving round in a VX
Steve
Tips
A SBFS bag makes loading and unloading the car easier as it is just 3 bags to carry (2 in it, SBFS one on top).
Pick nice places to stay - they don't cost that much more and makes the tour more of a trip.
Have one or two stop-overs where you stay for 2 or 3 nights - it give you a break from load/unload and allows shorter trips
Try to keep the very long days to a minimum - I normally do then at the start and the end.
Break the journeys rather than one masive blat on a single day
Get some dry bags and pack clothes in these in the main bags. You'll be grateful if you see heavy rain
Put the roof on if it is likely to rain overnight - it stops the rain wicking in.
You'd be surprised how much you can get in and packing gets easier every day as you get into the routine.
The smiles, waves, comments and discussion you get into with locals as you park up will make it a much more social holiday than 'just' driving round in a VX
Steve
You can pack more stuff in/on a Caterham than your VX I reckon! I took my S1 Elise to France and you are obviously limited to fitting your gear inside the car or boot itself which can make things quite tight if there are two in the car.
With a seven, you can carry one decent sized carry all in the centre of the boot and use plenty of squiggy bags around the sides and back of main bag. We have camped several times in Europe and put the sleeping bags in waterproof sacks and ty-wrapped them either side of the roll bar sitting on the bootcover with the tent in a hoodbag. If you are staying in hotels or B&B's, its even easier to travel!
I would definitely invest in an intercom system though such as Autocom or Starcom. They really make a massive difference to your comfort levels by listening to music, answering the phone whilst on the move or even talking to each other (if you really have to). Joking aside, they make it much easier for you to have a chat whilst on the move with normal conversational levels - I used to wear mine in my Exige with its stage 2 exhaust as I couldn't hear my CD player when on the motorway.
Go for the seven and really enjoy the trip. If you take the VX, you will probably always wonder "What if".
T
With a seven, you can carry one decent sized carry all in the centre of the boot and use plenty of squiggy bags around the sides and back of main bag. We have camped several times in Europe and put the sleeping bags in waterproof sacks and ty-wrapped them either side of the roll bar sitting on the bootcover with the tent in a hoodbag. If you are staying in hotels or B&B's, its even easier to travel!
I would definitely invest in an intercom system though such as Autocom or Starcom. They really make a massive difference to your comfort levels by listening to music, answering the phone whilst on the move or even talking to each other (if you really have to
). Joking aside, they make it much easier for you to have a chat whilst on the move with normal conversational levels - I used to wear mine in my Exige with its stage 2 exhaust as I couldn't hear my CD player when on the motorway.Go for the seven and really enjoy the trip. If you take the VX, you will probably always wonder "What if".
T
Packing the 7 is easy if you choose your stuff sensibly and once you get into the routine of loading and unloading the car. Second the recommendation for a SBFS boot bag and dry bags.
We (my wife and I) just came back from this route -> http://bit.ly/nGQ7zn in the 7 and it was brilliant.
Oh and get a Liber-T toll tag if you plan on using the toll roads in France. Saves the passenger having to unbuckle at every tool booth
Fully loaded for 2 people and 9 days (complete with CB rig for inter-car comms) at the top of the Stelvio -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/markelane/6137391414/...
We (my wife and I) just came back from this route -> http://bit.ly/nGQ7zn in the 7 and it was brilliant.
Oh and get a Liber-T toll tag if you plan on using the toll roads in France. Saves the passenger having to unbuckle at every tool booth
Fully loaded for 2 people and 9 days (complete with CB rig for inter-car comms) at the top of the Stelvio -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/markelane/6137391414/...
Edited by spiderlane on Sunday 11th September 19:34
We did 4000 miles across the USA in the Caterham and both the OH and I loved it.
A good site for Caterham touring stories is www.mycaterham.com - they've got some good photos of how much stuff you can pack in/on a 7 too.
A good site for Caterham touring stories is www.mycaterham.com - they've got some good photos of how much stuff you can pack in/on a 7 too.
Gassing Station | Caterham | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff