Rookie wanting a caterham. BADLY!
Discussion
Hello all,
here's my dilemma... i went along with a mate to test a caterham over the weekend. I fell in love (with the car that is). I'm not hugely experienced with racing cars and do not know all the in's and out's of purchasing one. At the moment i'm a bit out of pocket to affrod a brand new one, so the second hand ones seem a more viable option - what do i need to look at when test driving? any tell tale signs of a time bomb? I do realise that things are going to go wrong periodically and i will get my hands dirty from time to time, yet are there things that i should know in order to save myself loads of grief and money?
also, has anyone been to one of the experience days? are they any good?
right, please let me know, i'd rather make an educated decision than a blind stab in the dark when purchasing my very first caterham.
thanks in advance.
here's my dilemma... i went along with a mate to test a caterham over the weekend. I fell in love (with the car that is). I'm not hugely experienced with racing cars and do not know all the in's and out's of purchasing one. At the moment i'm a bit out of pocket to affrod a brand new one, so the second hand ones seem a more viable option - what do i need to look at when test driving? any tell tale signs of a time bomb? I do realise that things are going to go wrong periodically and i will get my hands dirty from time to time, yet are there things that i should know in order to save myself loads of grief and money?
also, has anyone been to one of the experience days? are they any good?
right, please let me know, i'd rather make an educated decision than a blind stab in the dark when purchasing my very first caterham.
thanks in advance.
If you're going to get a couple of year old, one owner car from Caterham themselves, chances are you can buy with normal used car checks pretty confidently.
But if you are going to go for an older car (lets say £8-£14K), there are quite a few things that I'd be looking for that are less generic used car sort of checks.
Work out what sort of car you want and then read up on what to look for on Blatchat. When you've narrowed your search down to a car that you think will suit you, find someone who knows Caterhams to check it out for you . . .. just to be sure it's what you think it is and that there are no hidden problems.
But if you are going to go for an older car (lets say £8-£14K), there are quite a few things that I'd be looking for that are less generic used car sort of checks.
Work out what sort of car you want and then read up on what to look for on Blatchat. When you've narrowed your search down to a car that you think will suit you, find someone who knows Caterhams to check it out for you . . .. just to be sure it's what you think it is and that there are no hidden problems.
well, the intended use for the car would be more in the realm of daily driving (commuting) as well as the occasional track day. i am not really looking for a race car only. having read-up on the subject i reckon the classic or the roadsport would fit the criteria well. maybe with the 150bhp sigma...
another idea i am entertaining at the moment is building my own. purchasing the kit and getting my hands dirty. any thoughts on that? as i said my racing car experience is not great, yet what i lack in skill i'm willing to compensate with sheer determination and willingness to learn.
cheers, and carry on posting advice. all help is appreciated.
another idea i am entertaining at the moment is building my own. purchasing the kit and getting my hands dirty. any thoughts on that? as i said my racing car experience is not great, yet what i lack in skill i'm willing to compensate with sheer determination and willingness to learn.
cheers, and carry on posting advice. all help is appreciated.
I think you wouldnt go far wrong with a Roadsport with a K Series engine. The engines are very adaptable and reliable, easy to look after, cheap to maintain and perfect for track use. I would say Tillet seats are a must for track use though.You should take a look at Caterham's own website as they have a few quality preowned cars for sale, including mine. Its in Aston Martin Almond Green with a Lotus Yellow noseband. Apologies for the plug 
thank you all again for the input.
i live in berkshire - south east in the broadest sense.
regarding the k-series engines... if i'm not mistaken they are out of production (?), does this pose a problem in the future in getting parts etc? good point about the seats. with the track days, how essential are the limited slip diffs and other add on's? i do understand they improve the handling and the performance. do most of the pre-owned cars sold at the moment come with those already fitted? most of the adverts don't have a very good spec list...
carburettor vs. injection? surely the carburettor engines give a more authentic caterham experience with the sounds, the feel, the endless tuning and all, but do you lose out on anything with a newer injection engine?
cheers all, have a nice weekend.
i live in berkshire - south east in the broadest sense.
regarding the k-series engines... if i'm not mistaken they are out of production (?), does this pose a problem in the future in getting parts etc? good point about the seats. with the track days, how essential are the limited slip diffs and other add on's? i do understand they improve the handling and the performance. do most of the pre-owned cars sold at the moment come with those already fitted? most of the adverts don't have a very good spec list...
carburettor vs. injection? surely the carburettor engines give a more authentic caterham experience with the sounds, the feel, the endless tuning and all, but do you lose out on anything with a newer injection engine?
cheers all, have a nice weekend.
Get the best car you can afford. There is nothing wrong with the K series engine if looked after. Parts are easily obtained. My R300 engine has done about 28k now, consisting of mostly track days.
So although I would like a Duratec engine, until the K destroys itself I am quite happy with it.
I would recommend buying the best spec you can afford, for track days LSD is a good idea. I changed to Tillets after breaking the S type seats due to the forces put on them on a track.
If you can get a good car at a sensible price, you can always upgrade the bits later.
So although I would like a Duratec engine, until the K destroys itself I am quite happy with it.
I would recommend buying the best spec you can afford, for track days LSD is a good idea. I changed to Tillets after breaking the S type seats due to the forces put on them on a track.
If you can get a good car at a sensible price, you can always upgrade the bits later.
Echo the sentiments of buy the best you can afford.
If you give us a budget you'll get a myriad of suggestions as the best spec to go for.
Opting for a K-series car will give you greater choice. I wouldn't worry two hoots about spares availability, put it this way would you even countenance the thought buying a Series 1 Elise ?
If you're using the car everyday certain considerations need to be given to things you wouldn't necessarily look were the car for limited mileage touring / track days.
- For instance comfort becomes a key consideration. For many of us, choice of seats is dependent upon our height and a desire to look through, rather than over the windscreen. If you're of average height I would go for the comfiest seats you can find, you'll be pretty snug whichever seat you choose.
- Equally a modicum of economy may be nice so injection over wallet emptying carbs.
- Not something you would normally associate with a 7 but I happen to think they are surprisingly practical. You'd be amazed what can be packed into them especially with fitted luggage and a boot rack.
- In normal road driving very little stress is put on the components so touch wood you should get quite a reliable car. I was quite nervous about the perceived kit car reputation of a 7 when buying my car but I couldn't have been wrong. It's been comfortably the most reliable specialist car I've owned which is good as I'm a complete technical numpty.
Nor would I get hung up over having to have certain options. Most can be added at a later stage if you so desire but to be honest just buy a car and then decide whether you think they are worthwhile don't go spending addtional cash because you think you should.
Anyway good luck and let us know how you get on.
If you give us a budget you'll get a myriad of suggestions as the best spec to go for.
Opting for a K-series car will give you greater choice. I wouldn't worry two hoots about spares availability, put it this way would you even countenance the thought buying a Series 1 Elise ?
If you're using the car everyday certain considerations need to be given to things you wouldn't necessarily look were the car for limited mileage touring / track days.
- For instance comfort becomes a key consideration. For many of us, choice of seats is dependent upon our height and a desire to look through, rather than over the windscreen. If you're of average height I would go for the comfiest seats you can find, you'll be pretty snug whichever seat you choose.
- Equally a modicum of economy may be nice so injection over wallet emptying carbs.
- Not something you would normally associate with a 7 but I happen to think they are surprisingly practical. You'd be amazed what can be packed into them especially with fitted luggage and a boot rack.
- In normal road driving very little stress is put on the components so touch wood you should get quite a reliable car. I was quite nervous about the perceived kit car reputation of a 7 when buying my car but I couldn't have been wrong. It's been comfortably the most reliable specialist car I've owned which is good as I'm a complete technical numpty.
Nor would I get hung up over having to have certain options. Most can be added at a later stage if you so desire but to be honest just buy a car and then decide whether you think they are worthwhile don't go spending addtional cash because you think you should.
Anyway good luck and let us know how you get on.
regarding my budget... that is a part of the dilemma as well. as it stands i'm not sure whether i should cough out 16-18k for a new one, or go for 12-14k for a 10 year old one. is it false economy to buy a slightly cheaper second hand car? mind you, anything i can save with the purchasing price i can put towards upgrading later on.
to come back to a previous question, how difficult/troublesome are they to build yourself? i am still entertaining the idea of byuying the kit and assembling it myself. what sort of tools are required? ( i mean i have the basic wrenches and stuff, but do i need specialist power tools etc? )on the website it said that i need an engine hoist, so can i borrow one or rent one - how does it work?
to come back to a previous question, how difficult/troublesome are they to build yourself? i am still entertaining the idea of byuying the kit and assembling it myself. what sort of tools are required? ( i mean i have the basic wrenches and stuff, but do i need specialist power tools etc? )on the website it said that i need an engine hoist, so can i borrow one or rent one - how does it work?
Dr. Hunkydory said:
to come back to a previous question, how difficult/troublesome are they to build yourself? i am still entertaining the idea of byuying the kit and assembling it myself. what sort of tools are required? ( i mean i have the basic wrenches and stuff, but do i need specialist power tools etc? )on the website it said that i need an engine hoist, so can i borrow one or rent one - how does it work?
Everything you need to read is in the document below. http://www.caterham.co.uk/assets/html/showroom/ASS...
Page 16 gives you a list of tools you need.
Loads of people will let your borrow their engine hoists, you can have mine as long as you collect and drop back yourself. And once you ask for advise, be careful as everyone will want to come and help you to relive the fun of their own self builds.
Most of the build you can do by yourself but you will need a hand when lowering the engine and gearbox into the engine bay/transmission tunnel.
Go for it, i guarantee you won't regret it!!!
Can't recommend self building the car enough, it was quite an adventure!
Dr. Hunkydory said:
also, has anyone been to one of the experience days? are they any good?
Caterham's own experience day? It's a hoot! My sons and I went to Silverstone and shared a car and instructor and it beat Silverstone's Ferrari driving experience day into a cocked hat.
The booking is done through Caterham on their website. On the day, there's a drivers' briefing, you adjourn to the circuit and you are introduced to the car and your instructor. He takes you round the course (the southern half of the GP circuit, in our case - Hangar Straight, Stowe, The Vale, oh, man!) and then you have several drives yourself with the instructor as passenger as you get progressively faster. Each drive is several laps long. Absolutely terrific. Afterwards the instructor took each of us out in it to show us what can be done.
The 7 moved considerably higher on my want list as a result.
Word of advice, don't do the macho thing with a fabulous girl signing you in. It may be Sam, one of the instructors...
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