New Engine being announced this year?
Discussion
As Bert knows - I HATE CATERHAM !!! Not the cars, but the company , and here's a classic example of why.
If an engine manufacturer was to secretly buy a caterham, do all the R+D for install and then offer to provide an option to replace the Sigma at the right price, Caterham would jump at it. Unfortunately that's unlikely to happen, which leaves Caterham to do it themselves......... Right - like that's ever going to happen.
Caterhams order books are full, therefore they can't be bothered. When you add that ethos to the way they behave with their customers in regard to warranty, customer care, etc ( examples posted on this site and elsewhere ) you see a pattern of a company that puts low value on the customer. It's a bit like the behaviour of many beautiful people - If you're very attractive, you learn that interested parties will put up with a great deal s
t from you that unattractive people would never get away with and if your partner did leave, there are others queueing up to take their place.
I'd be very surprised if a new option ( if any ) will be offered, and if one is I'd also be surprised if it's been developed fully in-house.
They appear to me to be the worst example of the laziest bunch of tight fisted fkers in the industry. What makes it worse it that I love the cars, which means that I along with all you other fans are part of the problems. By buying a car that should be better, allows the company to just continue taking the piss.
I guess that this will continue with an electric option. I can just imagine the company meeting..... On one side of the table will be a bunch of technicians showing how all the latest high tech could make the car amazing. On the other side will be the directors insisting that cheap more standard tech be used, with the ethos that it makes no difference because the faithful fans will buy it anyway. Leaving you the customer to lose out. This has been going on for years but you just can't see it or won't entertain the the thought that it's happening.
Come on caterham WAKE UP !!! and prove me wrong. Nothing would make me happier.
In the meantime I've been enjoying my Birkin. My problem is that I've decided to sell it knowing that it's better than its rival and therefore if i want another 7 at some point in the future, most replacements will be not as good. What a dilemma !!
Come on Bert ignore all and just carry on calling me a hater.
If an engine manufacturer was to secretly buy a caterham, do all the R+D for install and then offer to provide an option to replace the Sigma at the right price, Caterham would jump at it. Unfortunately that's unlikely to happen, which leaves Caterham to do it themselves......... Right - like that's ever going to happen.
Caterhams order books are full, therefore they can't be bothered. When you add that ethos to the way they behave with their customers in regard to warranty, customer care, etc ( examples posted on this site and elsewhere ) you see a pattern of a company that puts low value on the customer. It's a bit like the behaviour of many beautiful people - If you're very attractive, you learn that interested parties will put up with a great deal s
t from you that unattractive people would never get away with and if your partner did leave, there are others queueing up to take their place.I'd be very surprised if a new option ( if any ) will be offered, and if one is I'd also be surprised if it's been developed fully in-house.
They appear to me to be the worst example of the laziest bunch of tight fisted f
kers in the industry. What makes it worse it that I love the cars, which means that I along with all you other fans are part of the problems. By buying a car that should be better, allows the company to just continue taking the piss.I guess that this will continue with an electric option. I can just imagine the company meeting..... On one side of the table will be a bunch of technicians showing how all the latest high tech could make the car amazing. On the other side will be the directors insisting that cheap more standard tech be used, with the ethos that it makes no difference because the faithful fans will buy it anyway. Leaving you the customer to lose out. This has been going on for years but you just can't see it or won't entertain the the thought that it's happening.
Come on caterham WAKE UP !!! and prove me wrong. Nothing would make me happier.
In the meantime I've been enjoying my Birkin. My problem is that I've decided to sell it knowing that it's better than its rival and therefore if i want another 7 at some point in the future, most replacements will be not as good. What a dilemma !!
Come on Bert ignore all and just carry on calling me a hater.
The trouble is that your rant is not very logical. I'm not sure you've been a customer to experience all those hateful things or are you are just angry on the behalf of others?
I've been angry with specific deficiencies in my customer experience with them over time, but we've managed to sort them out give or take.
Regarding the engine choice, I'm not sure why they need to have something to replace the sigma. Why is it so critical?
You may well have a point on some of the things you are unhappy about, but adding everything in you can think of as more examples of their deficiencies stands up poorly to logical scrutiny and supports the accusation of "hater".
Perhaps explain why you are so vexed about the current engine lineup at caterham?
Cheers
Bert
I've been angry with specific deficiencies in my customer experience with them over time, but we've managed to sort them out give or take.
Regarding the engine choice, I'm not sure why they need to have something to replace the sigma. Why is it so critical?
You may well have a point on some of the things you are unhappy about, but adding everything in you can think of as more examples of their deficiencies stands up poorly to logical scrutiny and supports the accusation of "hater".
Perhaps explain why you are so vexed about the current engine lineup at caterham?
Cheers
Bert
the av8er said:
Nothing I say will make you see things as I do, or even part way towards the way I do. So I don't think there's much point.
You stick to what you're happy with.
I'll wait in hope that they may change their ways, but they better hurry up as I'm getting old !!
I'm more than happy to engage in debate on the subject, but I don't think you want to. Try me. Take my post and say what you think on the specific points. Or if it's just a rant good on you! We are starting from a different place, but doesn't mean we can't see each other's pov. I like a logical debate.You stick to what you're happy with.
I'll wait in hope that they may change their ways, but they better hurry up as I'm getting old !!
andylaight said:
think that Bert's waiting for the crossflow to be reintroduced 
Well that's an interesting point. I quite like engines. And yes I have a crossflow caterham that I am refurbing, loving the idea that all that 80's tech makes a cracking fun car. But then I have a measily 2.0 pinto in my 440kg Reynard. That's quite enjoyable at the sharp end of the grid. Or the rather strange old Toyota V6 at 410bhp in the Lotus. Or is it the 190bhp in the 1963 Elan twincam? Maybe the 500bhp V6 in the Revolution? V6 turbo 510bhp in the Alfa QF. Or the forthcoming mega high tech AMG i4 in the Emira.Not sure about you Andy, but there's quite a lot of diversity in the Bert stable. And I didn't even get to mention the 2.4S aircooled 911 motor (brings back memories eh?) or the rather brilliant electric motor in the Zoe.
Yep, quite like engines - hoping to get a try out in the Praga this season.
though along with the more prosaic 2.3td in the camper, 2.0petrol in the mazda. I think the answer to Bert's question about 'Why do you need a replacement for the sigma' is that it means there's a price filler in between the 360 and 170. I for one would have gone for the Sigma, and spec'd it up from there so that I might have been at Low £30s. With the 360+options, I'm almost at £40k, which is more than I really wanted to spend.
I was chatting to the guy at Krazy Horse, and he was saying that Caterham have been asking dealers about various options. One of those was apparently a detuned Duratec 2.0 (presumably 140/150bhp). But I guess that would be the same weight and not reduce the cost much. It seems easy to sit on the sidelines and make suggestions...but clearly there's a lot to choosing a new engine. My first thoughts were the MX-5 1.5...or the ford eco-boost triple...even the 1.0 litre version, which comes in 100, 125 and 140bhp guises. But too many other things that may not work, starting with gearboxes and packaging etc. And as they said in the webinar, the willingness of the engine manufacturer to sell the engines etc to Caterham for relatively small numbers.
I was chatting to the guy at Krazy Horse, and he was saying that Caterham have been asking dealers about various options. One of those was apparently a detuned Duratec 2.0 (presumably 140/150bhp). But I guess that would be the same weight and not reduce the cost much. It seems easy to sit on the sidelines and make suggestions...but clearly there's a lot to choosing a new engine. My first thoughts were the MX-5 1.5...or the ford eco-boost triple...even the 1.0 litre version, which comes in 100, 125 and 140bhp guises. But too many other things that may not work, starting with gearboxes and packaging etc. And as they said in the webinar, the willingness of the engine manufacturer to sell the engines etc to Caterham for relatively small numbers.
Edited by jezzaaa on Tuesday 22 March 10:55
agatebox said:
... 170 ...
I'll admit to being baffled by the 170 models. I completely get the draw of a low powered Caterham, but not an asthmatic 660cc turbo unit that would be bettered by a simple 1.4 or 1.6 NA engine. It strikes me as a car for Japanese regs (Kei car), but they've tried to dump extra stock into the UK market.Also - no 6 speed manual gearbox anymore on any model, just a 5 speed? Is it the 1980s again?
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