Honeymoon?

[galois]

Hi

I have talked my other half into taking a Caterham 7 round Ireland for our honeymoon. My questions are:

Is this completely impractical?
What is the most economical way of doing this (no Caterham 7 yet)

[canam]

Richard,
As nobody seems to be answering....
Are you thinking of buying a car ready for the great day, or just hiring one for the honeymoon?
If you've never owned one before, then taking one on a touring holiday could be a bit of a baptism by fire, especially in Ireland. The standard hood is a pain, and the lack of storage space could be a strain on your marriage, depending on the nature of your wife-to-be.
More background info would enable people to offer better advice.

Alan

Edited by canam on Sunday 18th March 19:26

[Martin B 7]

Having travelled to the west coast of Ireland several times last year I would be very careful of taking a Caterham, some of the roads are really poor and you will struggle for ground clearance, just enjoy the views and conviviality, then drive a Caterham when you get home

Martin

[murph7355]

If you're used to a 7, and your other half is *extremely* accommodating, touring to Ireland is possible (did the Ring of Kerry a while back - drove there and back from London).

But honestly, taking one on honeymoon is more insane than getting married in the first place.

Take her somewhere really nice and romantic and accumulate some brownie points so that you can buy your own 7 to use when you want further down the line. From what I've been told by married people, this will be a blessing as eventually you'll want to be spending more time out in the car on your own. And if you have a 7, she'll be pleased to let you go on your own too. Everyone wins.

Good luck with the wedding though

[galois]

Thanks for the answers.

My other half and I have agreed to tour round Ireland in a sports car for our honeymoon. As I have fancied a 7 for some time I thought that might be a good intro to the car. I was thinking we would buy the car for the duration and then sell it when we got back.

From your comments I think we may be better off ditching the idea for now, or at least until I can get her in one this summer.

Oh and she has already agreed to the 7!

[thinfourth]

Ignore the surrender monkeys

Okay point 1 the hood being useless

yes totally useless which is why i have a device called a jacket and the hood lives under the bed

point 2 Low ground clearance

Keep you eyes peeled and you have no problems I have taken mine up forest tracks regularly when watching rallys etc

Point 3 completely impractical

Well take a volvo estate unless you want to have fun. In which case jill judd does a wonderful bag that sits ontop of the boot that gives you more carrying potential

Point 4 buying a car using it then selling

You might have trouble with the selling bit, not through lack of buyers but lack of motivation on your part

[murph7355]

Surrender monkeys my arse. We're trying to stop the chap being subject to a divorce less than a week into marriage! Which would definitely scupper his 7 owning plans.

I've toured Ireland with a bird. Not on honeymoon I hasten to add. She enjoyed it, kind of. But girls that would appreciate that sort of thing at all, let alone on honeymoon, having never been in a 7 for any length of time are few and far between.

Seriously, if you want to tour Ireland (and it is very lovely), get yourself an MX5 or a Boxster. You're other half will enjoy it so much more. And whilst not a 7, these cars are very enjoyable drives that could be bought and sold on for not much loss (probably easier than doing so with a 7).

[ewenm]

I toured the USA in my 7 with a girl - she loved it. It just depends on the woman. For practicality, I ditched the spare wheel and instead strapped a suitcase onto the wheel holder. we carried everything we needed for 3.5 weeks in the USA in the boot or that suitcase or in a couple of canoe bags strapped to either side of the rollbar - that includes tools and spares, not just clothing.

Make sure your wife-to-be really understands what she's letting herself in for. Possibly get along to a Lotus 7 club meet (see here www.lotussevenclub.com for area meets) and get her a short passnger ride.

[galois]

Thanks for the further comments. The wife to be is a practical sort who I think will cope with the straightened packing requirements. My plan for a trial run was to rent a Caterham for a day or two over the summer to see how she liked it.

On the boxster/mx5 option - whilst more practical that is a much tougher sell to the other half as she doesn't like them.