620R Discounts??

[likesachange]

Evening gents.

I have been pondering about a 620r for a while now.

Now I haven’t had the privilege of being in a 620r only a classic 7 from the 70’s which while was gutless to say the least, it was impressive.

I was just curious to know if there is much negotiation available on a new car?? Who’s the go to dealer/specialist??

I’m going to guess the price is the price and you may get a free cover or something... but instead of wasting all the salesman’s time I’d rather waste yours . If it’s a no go then I will have to see what spec suits me best more than the deal I can find!

PS I know a 620r is a little ridiculous and wasted 95% of the time etc etc

[ginger steve]

I doubt you will get much discount on a new car. Personally, I would go for a used car anyway, as its not like they are without fault when new and a well used one thats been looked after and had any issues ironed out would be a good buy.

[likesachange]

ginger steve said:

I doubt you will get much discount on a new car. Personally, I would go for a used car anyway, as its not like they are without fault when new and a well used one thats been looked after and had any issues ironed out would be a good buy.

That’s a fair comment. As new ones don’t come with much of a warranty from my understanding..

What’s lifespan expectancy of the sequential box and how much for a rebuild ??

[jimhcat]

I think the Sadev boxes are pretty robust.
I had mine serviced when it was out of the car having flappy paddles fitted and it was about £700 including transport

[agatebox]

Before worrying about discounts etc. I suggest you need to arrange a test drive of a 620R.
You might be very surprised, though not necessarily in a good way, if you’ve only had experience in a much earlier car.
For me a 620R turns the whole Caterham experience level up to 11 in terms of intensity, mechanical feel/noise (engine/gearbox/diff), irrespective of how fast it feels, and it is like Marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it.
Don’t get me wrong they’re great cars, but they don’t suit everybody, as witnessed by the number of short ownership/low mileage ones that come on the used market.

[jimhcat]

I would look at the second hand ones first as there are often low mileage ones available at better prices. The spec doesn't matter so much on a Caterham as everything can be changed.
The warranty is a bit of a joke anyway and you are probably better taking it to an independent and self funding any issues.
Things may have changed but when I got mine the factory build process was not very engaging and CC don't do anything to make you feel a valued customer.
IMHO the standard car is ridiculously firmly sprung and really benefits from a spring and damper change.
A few have had bore wash issues because they tend to run quite rich on the standard ECU map.
You will probably find a few people will tell you that they are way too much and that a 420R or 310 etc are the sweet spot for Caterhams. The 620R is perfectly tractable though and easy enough to drive slowly on the road. The power delivery is quite linear and if you keep the revs down they are tame enough.
As others have said, you need to try and see if it suits your purpose

[likesachange]

agatebox said:

Before worrying about discounts etc. I suggest you need to arrange a test drive of a 620R.
You might be very surprised, though not necessarily in a good way, if you’ve only had experience in a much earlier car.
For me a 620R turns the whole Caterham experience level up to 11 in terms of intensity, mechanical feel/noise (engine/gearbox/diff), irrespective of how fast it feels, and it is like Marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it.
Don’t get me wrong they’re great cars, but they don’t suit everybody, as witnessed by the number of short ownership/low mileage ones that come on the used market.

I’ve not driven one but am a sucker for cars that raise a smile from acceleration alone.

I’ve had an Atom 300, Zenos E10R and highly modified Exige for reference... all of which I explored ways to get more power...

[likesachange]

jimhcat said:

I would look at the second hand ones first as there are often low mileage ones available at better prices. The spec doesn't matter so much on a Caterham as everything can be changed.
The warranty is a bit of a joke anyway and you are probably better taking it to an independent and self funding any issues.
Things may have changed but when I got mine the factory build process was not very engaging and CC don't do anything to make you feel a valued customer.
IMHO the standard car is ridiculously firmly sprung and really benefits from a spring and damper change.
A few have had bore wash issues because they tend to run quite rich on the standard ECU map.
You will probably find a few people will tell you that they are way too much and that a 420R or 310 etc are the sweet spot for Caterhams. The 620R is perfectly tractable though and easy enough to drive slowly on the road. The power delivery is quite linear and if you keep the revs down they are tame enough.
As others have said, you need to try and see if it suits your purpose

Thanks for the info. I am quite big at around 100kg and 6ft2 so I think the SV chassis ? And lowered floor would be needed ?

Clearly you have to treat the car with respect and certainly never use the loud pedal like an on off switch!

[agatebox]

“ ......... that raise a smile from acceleration alone.”
Sounds like you need a 1000cc Sportsbike ..... you won’t be left wanting more :-)

[PiersR]

I think it is well known in the industry that CC do not do discounts. On a new car, you may be lucky and they may/might/possibly/no chance throw in something.

There seem to be a fair number of second hand 620’s on the market. However finding one to your needs may be tricky. Good luck.

[jimhcat]

I am also 6' 2" so I needed lowered floors. I still found that my head was too high for the roll bar so went with a bead seat to gain some more space.
You may find that your left leg hits the steering wheel when your foot is over the clutch. The bead seat helps this and you can extend the steering column to get a bit more clearance too.
At 100kg you should still fit an S3 but it will be nice and snug. I suggest you take the seat out and sit on the floor to see if a bead seat will help sort it for you. I would personally avoid an SV as they give you quite a bit more room and you lose a bit of the feeling of being connected with the car (just my opinion though).

[likesachange]

agatebox said:

“ ......... that raise a smile from acceleration alone.”
Sounds like you need a 1000cc Sportsbike ..... you won’t be left wanting more :-)

Don’t you have to wear those gay helmet things with those

[likesachange]

jimhcat said:

I am also 6' 2" so I needed lowered floors. I still found that my head was too high for the roll bar so went with a bead seat to gain some more space.
You may find that your left leg hits the steering wheel when your foot is over the clutch. The bead seat helps this and you can extend the steering column to get a bit more clearance too.
At 100kg you should still fit an S3 but it will be nice and snug. I suggest you take the seat out and sit on the floor to see if a bead seat will help sort it for you. I would personally avoid an SV as they give you quite a bit more room and you lose a bit of the feeling of being connected with the car (just my opinion though).

A bead seat?? Sounds interesting. Surely an SV would still be quite a great driving prospect and maybe closer to the Atom in terms of cabin room?

[agatebox]

“ .... helmet”.
As you do with a 620R with an Aeroscreen if you want to preserve your head :-)

Edited by agatebox on Sunday 29th November 12:55

[likesachange]

agatebox said:

As you do with a 620R with an Aeroscreen if you want to preserve your head :-)

I have quite a hollow one so whistles as the wind passes through

[Glenn63]

On a side note, I’ve been thinking of a caterham next year Iv always just tracked my daily but il be getting a pickup next year for work so il have a decent tow vehicle so thinking of taking the caterham route. Iv been watching videos of the 620r and came across this one and I thought the 620r would be a monster but it just doesn’t seem that fast, the Gt4 is a fast car granted but still thought the 620 would easily out drag it. If the difference is really that small I think I’d rather something like the gt4 as I’d use it a lot more. What do 620 owners think? I know speed isn’t everything etc but still want to be ‘excited/scared’ a bit!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7MEL1aLpIGg

[likesachange]

Glenn63 said:

On a side note, I’ve been thinking of a caterham next year Iv always just tracked my daily but il be getting a pickup next year for work so il have a decent tow vehicle so thinking of taking the caterham route. Iv been watching videos of the 620r and came across this one and I thought the 620r would be a monster but it just doesn’t seem that fast, the Gt4 is a fast car granted but still thought the 620 would easily out drag it. If the difference is really that small I think I’d rather something like the gt4 as I’d use it a lot more. What do 620 owners think? I know speed isn’t everything etc but still want to be ‘excited/scared’ a bit!

Ha funnily enough I watched that one yesterday too and thought the same..
but like most cars of this elk they do loose top end acceleration pretty drastically when they hit the ton.
These small engines don’t like to push bricks through the air when that resistance increases!
It was annoying that the GT4 kept passing him on the main straight instead of holding back that one lap so caterham could gap him!.

[Glug69]

If you read the comments section, he explains why the car is so slow.

[Glenn63]

Glug69 said:

If you read the comments section, he explains why the car is so slow.

Ah so it does! I was using my phone and they are right down at the bottom but not shown unless you click it! Assuming it would have been around 200bhp then without the charger pretty much as he says? In that case it’s actually quite fast i guess! There aren’t to many videos around amongst other cars to see how quick they are in comparison, assuming a test drive is the only real answer

[Glug69]

It didn't look as quick as my 150 Sigma, but I've not had mine on track so it may seem different.