First Caterham...getting the right spec...
Discussion
I've decided 2021 is the year that I'm going to buy a Caterham. I've loved them since I was a schoolboy, was blown away when I drove one on a trackday many years ago, and it's on the "before I turn 50 list" that only has just over three years left to run. I've had a 986 Boxster as the "fun" car for 7 years now and really fancy a change to something more focussed and fun, with lower running costs. I do all of my own spannering on the Boxster but parts are expensive, access to everywhere is tricky, and it sees the "common faults" list as some kind of goal! When I do sell it, someone is going to get a seriously sorted car with every box ticked!
Intended use of the 7 will be general "fun" driving when I can get away with using it instead of the daily, perhaps the odd trackday, and "blatpacking" (I'll copyright that term now haha) which would be just like bikepacking, using the same ultralight and very compact camping kit I use for cycle touring, but substituting the bicycle for a 7, velcroing the bags to the roll cage rather than the bike frame, and having the luxury of a bit more space for the odd change of clothes!
I've read many buyers guides...many are old, and many are contradictory, and I think I've made sense of it all and know the kind of car I'd be after. On that, it's a big shame the Lotus 7 Club only makers buyers guides available for paid members...surely you want to attract people in with all the "buying" info up front, and have the "using/tuning" stuff as paid for? But I just wanted to run this past experienced 7 owners to make sure I'm on the right path.
So based on the above, does this sound about right, in terms of spec and my understanding of Sevens?
-Engine...K 1.6 or above, solid history etc, or the more modern Fords. 130-160 BHP. K is the revvy thrasher that need a close eye on oil and coolant levels, (I'm aware of the HGF thing), Ford is a bit more modern and linear in power delivery.
-Chassis...no real difference in imperial or metric, imperials may be slightly neater in the joins, check for corrosion on either. Wider track could be on either chassis, (correct?) desirable but absolutely not essential
-Gearbox...realistically a 5 may be slightly better and more relaxed for cruising/road work, although a K prefers a 6, and a track prefers a 6
-At 5'11" lowered floors are good but not a deal breaker. Sorry, but the SV just does not look "right" to me.
-Wheels...smaller = cheaper tyres and more comfort. However these are easily swapped
-I'd absolutely want a full screen and a hood, so no FIA bar, or race cages
-Heater is a nice to have but not a deal breaker
-Buying an ex-Academy car is usually fine, an ex-racer a fair bit more risky
-Tillets are OK and I know sell well on eBay...if they weren't for me what is the cost to change to standard seats?
-Post '96 cars have the more usual handbrake position and marginally better dashboards
-All of the other stuff is fairly irrelevant for my purposes...power/brake/interior mods/carbon is all nice to have but should take second place to the important stuff above
-Buy on condition and history rather then perhaps age or mileage
Anything I've missed? With a circa £20k budget does that all sound sensible?
Thanks!
Intended use of the 7 will be general "fun" driving when I can get away with using it instead of the daily, perhaps the odd trackday, and "blatpacking" (I'll copyright that term now haha) which would be just like bikepacking, using the same ultralight and very compact camping kit I use for cycle touring, but substituting the bicycle for a 7, velcroing the bags to the roll cage rather than the bike frame, and having the luxury of a bit more space for the odd change of clothes!
I've read many buyers guides...many are old, and many are contradictory, and I think I've made sense of it all and know the kind of car I'd be after. On that, it's a big shame the Lotus 7 Club only makers buyers guides available for paid members...surely you want to attract people in with all the "buying" info up front, and have the "using/tuning" stuff as paid for? But I just wanted to run this past experienced 7 owners to make sure I'm on the right path.
So based on the above, does this sound about right, in terms of spec and my understanding of Sevens?
-Engine...K 1.6 or above, solid history etc, or the more modern Fords. 130-160 BHP. K is the revvy thrasher that need a close eye on oil and coolant levels, (I'm aware of the HGF thing), Ford is a bit more modern and linear in power delivery.
-Chassis...no real difference in imperial or metric, imperials may be slightly neater in the joins, check for corrosion on either. Wider track could be on either chassis, (correct?) desirable but absolutely not essential
-Gearbox...realistically a 5 may be slightly better and more relaxed for cruising/road work, although a K prefers a 6, and a track prefers a 6
-At 5'11" lowered floors are good but not a deal breaker. Sorry, but the SV just does not look "right" to me.
-Wheels...smaller = cheaper tyres and more comfort. However these are easily swapped
-I'd absolutely want a full screen and a hood, so no FIA bar, or race cages
-Heater is a nice to have but not a deal breaker
-Buying an ex-Academy car is usually fine, an ex-racer a fair bit more risky
-Tillets are OK and I know sell well on eBay...if they weren't for me what is the cost to change to standard seats?
-Post '96 cars have the more usual handbrake position and marginally better dashboards
-All of the other stuff is fairly irrelevant for my purposes...power/brake/interior mods/carbon is all nice to have but should take second place to the important stuff above
-Buy on condition and history rather then perhaps age or mileage
Anything I've missed? With a circa £20k budget does that all sound sensible?
Thanks!
£20k is a decent budget and will get you into something you’ll love.
My two bits of advice would be : 1) Drive (or at least sit in) as many as you can. If you’ve not had 7s before, that will help you understand what you do and don’t need, and 2) They are giant Meccano sets really, so if you can’t get exactly what you’re after, the chances are you can adapt it.
Oh, and save some money for upgrades - once “upgraditis” hits, it’s difficult to shake 😀
Have fun shopping.
My two bits of advice would be : 1) Drive (or at least sit in) as many as you can. If you’ve not had 7s before, that will help you understand what you do and don’t need, and 2) They are giant Meccano sets really, so if you can’t get exactly what you’re after, the chances are you can adapt it.
Oh, and save some money for upgrades - once “upgraditis” hits, it’s difficult to shake 😀
Have fun shopping.
Turn7 said:
antonio.cocchi said:
There Is a fantastic Superlight with top specs in Arnie's group, more or less on your budget, have a look!
How are you getting on with the paperwork Antonio ?Hope you have a good xmas, things dont look so great in my favourite place in the world right now......
Paperwork gets as planned... Slowly slowly.
We need at least two more months.Works on Seven going slow too (I've put a picture in "my thread" last week), but I have a lot of thing in my head (some good idea and a loooot of expensive idea).
Christmas was a bit strange, Just me, my wife and my mother-in-law
Things probably look worst than reality, but night is darkest just before sunrise.
Now I have finger crossed for my dad, he stay in a retirement home for Alzheimer and he take covid (Just noticed to us on 24) bit look like he respond to terapy. We cannot visit him (I see him two time since february), but doesn't matter, for him nothing change, he stay in his own world, I just want he doesn't fell pain. He 73, the oldest man in the story of our family.
antonio.cocchi said:
Turn7 said:
antonio.cocchi said:
There Is a fantastic Superlight with top specs in Arnie's group, more or less on your budget, have a look!
How are you getting on with the paperwork Antonio ?Hope you have a good xmas, things dont look so great in my favourite place in the world right now......
Paperwork gets as planned... Slowly slowly.
We need at least two more months.Works on Seven going slow to (I've put a picture in "my thread" last week), but I have a lot of thing in my head (some good idea and a loooot of expensive idea).
Christmas was a bit strange, Just me, my wife and my mother-in-law
Things probably look worst than reality, but night is darkest just before sunrise.
Now I have finger crossed for my dad, he stay in a retirement home for Alzheimer and he take covid (Just noticed to us on 24) bit look like he respond to terapy. We cannot visit him (I see him two time since february), but doesn't matter, for him nothing change, he stay in his own world, I just want he doesn't fell pain. He 73, the oldest man in the story of our family.
Pm if you need to chat, all the best!
Good advice so far on the FIA bar and wheel sizes (ie get one and go for 13s) and I think you’ve got a handle on everything you listed in the OP. The only thing to add is at 5’11” I think you’d need lowered floors especially if you want to track it. I’m 5’9” and with a helmet on, I need them so I’m certain you will too. As mentioned they can be retro fitted so not a deal breaker but if you can find the right car, so much the better.
Not sure I agree that you need lowered floors. I'm 5'10 and mine doesn't have them. I haven't tracked it yet but it should be fine. Puma speed cats are essential though.
I bought a 1.8 K superlight for within your budget in September. Higher mileage than many and has a bit of a history, including a couple of engine rebuilds and 55k miles but in great condition underneath and came with a spare set of 13' mini lites, full weather gear, aeroscreen etc. Superlight spec is brilliant,tillets etc. Then the clutch broke on the way home so a couple of mates helped me change that and I decided to upgrade a few things... Anyway, its totally mega and I can't wait to get it on track when the weather gets warmer.
The one in the Facebook group at 22k is lovely mind, when I saw it advertised it did make me wish I'd waited. Reckon you'd make money on that if you didn't get on with it and decided to sell in the summer...
I bought a 1.8 K superlight for within your budget in September. Higher mileage than many and has a bit of a history, including a couple of engine rebuilds and 55k miles but in great condition underneath and came with a spare set of 13' mini lites, full weather gear, aeroscreen etc. Superlight spec is brilliant,tillets etc. Then the clutch broke on the way home so a couple of mates helped me change that and I decided to upgrade a few things... Anyway, its totally mega and I can't wait to get it on track when the weather gets warmer.
The one in the Facebook group at 22k is lovely mind, when I saw it advertised it did make me wish I'd waited. Reckon you'd make money on that if you didn't get on with it and decided to sell in the summer...
I was in a similar position to you and had always wanted a Caterham. Having been through the process recently, I think your plan is spot on. K series is more charchterful and you don’t need a lot of power, 140-150bhp is probably perfect.
It is hard to find the perfect spec car but you can wait and might get lucky if you have a colour / spec in mind. The Tillets are very comfortable and much better on track (or road IMO) so don’t discount them. Most people prefer them. I find the heater very useful, especially if taking a passenger.
I found a lot of cars are owner maintained and don’t have a complete service history in the way some other cars do. I would buy on condition or budget for work that may need doing. Don’t discount dealers, you may pay a little more up front but they often find the best cars and you’ll get some back up should you have a problem. It can work out cheaper in the long run.
They are very different to drive than pretty much any other road going sports car so take your time to get used to it and be extra careful in wet / cold conditions as they are light and the power delivery is spikey.
It is hard to find the perfect spec car but you can wait and might get lucky if you have a colour / spec in mind. The Tillets are very comfortable and much better on track (or road IMO) so don’t discount them. Most people prefer them. I find the heater very useful, especially if taking a passenger.
I found a lot of cars are owner maintained and don’t have a complete service history in the way some other cars do. I would buy on condition or budget for work that may need doing. Don’t discount dealers, you may pay a little more up front but they often find the best cars and you’ll get some back up should you have a problem. It can work out cheaper in the long run.
They are very different to drive than pretty much any other road going sports car so take your time to get used to it and be extra careful in wet / cold conditions as they are light and the power delivery is spikey.
I'm 5'11 and lowered floors would be better for me (standard seats) but it depends on your proportions. This is mainly to lower my head relative to the rollbar height.
For the standard seats, a £25 solution to lowering seat height is to buy the basic plastic seat base from Oxted Trimmers, which pretty much sits you on the floor. Fine for short trips and track days, and then drop in the standard seat base for longer journeys.
My 96 car has a single-diagonal 'FIA' roll bar and the full hood fits over it - just. I bought a set of rubbery work gloves from screwfix which help a lot to grip the hood properly, especially if conditions are cold/wet.
For the standard seats, a £25 solution to lowering seat height is to buy the basic plastic seat base from Oxted Trimmers, which pretty much sits you on the floor. Fine for short trips and track days, and then drop in the standard seat base for longer journeys.
My 96 car has a single-diagonal 'FIA' roll bar and the full hood fits over it - just. I bought a set of rubbery work gloves from screwfix which help a lot to grip the hood properly, especially if conditions are cold/wet.
Some great advice, many thanks all. So it looks like the only tweak to my spec is perhaps to try and find one with a heater. A couple of questions on that, can a heater be retro fitted fairly easily, and are electric heated seats an option? I have a very old (1986) Defender 110, and when I refurbed the front seats with new foams and leather trim, I added electric seat pads and it does make the world of difference to an otherwise very cold, draughty old thing that I need to drive with the window open to stop it misting up...the "heater" is pretty much useless, especially in such a big vehicle with so much cold glass. The Boxster does not have heated seats, however the heater is excellent and the draught control is excellent compared to a Caterham so I've never really found the need to retrofit.
Service history does not bother me too much, as long as the owner has bills for the really technical bits, and parts receipts for the DIY stuff. In the 7 years I've owned the Boxster, I have changed the following. Front coffin arms, drop links, tuning forks, front shocks, front springs, all discs, pads, flexis upgraded to braided, all solid brake lines replaced, exhaust, couple of O2 sensors, window regulator, complete steering rack, indicator stalk assembly, service items such as plugs, coil packs, belts, oil, brake fluid, PAS fluid, and right now it's up on axle stands receiving a new water pump, 2 new radiators, 2 a/c condensers, desiccator, and coolant. In actual fact the only non-DIY receipts I have are for tyres, geo, alloy refurb and a wheel bearing as I did not own a press and an initial service after I bought it. As I said, someone is going to get a very well looked after car when it goes!
That blue Superlight does look lovely...realistically I'm still a couple of months away from "pulling the trigger" otherwise I'd definitely be having a serious look at it...although I do have a slight leaning towards a 5 speeder perhaps.
Thanks again...any other thoughts most welcome.
Service history does not bother me too much, as long as the owner has bills for the really technical bits, and parts receipts for the DIY stuff. In the 7 years I've owned the Boxster, I have changed the following. Front coffin arms, drop links, tuning forks, front shocks, front springs, all discs, pads, flexis upgraded to braided, all solid brake lines replaced, exhaust, couple of O2 sensors, window regulator, complete steering rack, indicator stalk assembly, service items such as plugs, coil packs, belts, oil, brake fluid, PAS fluid, and right now it's up on axle stands receiving a new water pump, 2 new radiators, 2 a/c condensers, desiccator, and coolant. In actual fact the only non-DIY receipts I have are for tyres, geo, alloy refurb and a wheel bearing as I did not own a press and an initial service after I bought it. As I said, someone is going to get a very well looked after car when it goes!
That blue Superlight does look lovely...realistically I'm still a couple of months away from "pulling the trigger" otherwise I'd definitely be having a serious look at it...although I do have a slight leaning towards a 5 speeder perhaps.
Thanks again...any other thoughts most welcome.
Oh and I'd say the heater is essential if you intend to use the car with the full hood or in cold weather.
Edited to add: the 7 cabin is obviously very small and the heater in my K'series starts blowing warm air in just a few minutes - it gets nice and toasty quickly. No need for heated seats. Hands, head and neck are where you get cold with a roof-off drive!
Edited to add: the 7 cabin is obviously very small and the heater in my K'series starts blowing warm air in just a few minutes - it gets nice and toasty quickly. No need for heated seats. Hands, head and neck are where you get cold with a roof-off drive!
Edited by braddo on Wednesday 30th December 15:06
I was in a similar position myself three years ago. My first real time at the wheel of a Caterham was via a hire company in the Scottish Highlands. Spoilt I was, yes. I went back the next year and hired another one for the North Coast 500. Amazing.
My wish / want list was very similar to yours, but my budget was a few grand less… and then after 12 months of searching online – across Facebook Groups, specialist dealers and of course here on Pistonheads, the right spec came up at the right price. Here she is:
As you may already know, buy on condition above all else, and do try to view a few before you buy – the dealer sites are good for this and they will help you identify any other must-haves… then get in and enjoy.
The Lotus Seven Club is a good source of information and support – and you don't need to own a car to join.
My wish / want list was very similar to yours, but my budget was a few grand less… and then after 12 months of searching online – across Facebook Groups, specialist dealers and of course here on Pistonheads, the right spec came up at the right price. Here she is:
As you may already know, buy on condition above all else, and do try to view a few before you buy – the dealer sites are good for this and they will help you identify any other must-haves… then get in and enjoy.
The Lotus Seven Club is a good source of information and support – and you don't need to own a car to join.
Gassing Station | Caterham | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff