Caterham as a daily
Discussion
Recently I have been thinking of getting a Caterham as a daily runner, and as I am aware a few people use Caterhams as daily runners around these parts I thought I'd seek advice.
Firstly running costs, how are they compared to a "normal" car and how does the insurance work out?
Secondly, how do they cope in the depths of winter and the extra milage of being used more?
I'm sure I'll have more questions later
Thanks in advance
Firstly running costs, how are they compared to a "normal" car and how does the insurance work out?
Secondly, how do they cope in the depths of winter and the extra milage of being used more?
I'm sure I'll have more questions later
Thanks in advance
I used mine as an only car for 5 years.
Running costs - as they are light cars and small engines, MPG is good. Insurance is still relatively cheap even with unlimited mileage.
Depths of winter - with a well-fitted hood and a heater they are fine. The quality of powdercoating will dictate how much extra care you need to take over the chassis. Waxoyl and/or POR15 is good for keeping the corrosion at bay.
I found it easier to think of it as a very practical motorbike than an impractical, difficult car.
Running costs - as they are light cars and small engines, MPG is good. Insurance is still relatively cheap even with unlimited mileage.
Depths of winter - with a well-fitted hood and a heater they are fine. The quality of powdercoating will dictate how much extra care you need to take over the chassis. Waxoyl and/or POR15 is good for keeping the corrosion at bay.
I found it easier to think of it as a very practical motorbike than an impractical, difficult car.
ewenm said:
timrw81 said:
My plan is to do the same, when I can. Does a lot of mileage have a big impact on resale value?
Tim
Probably (not sold mine yet) but as long as you keep it in good condition it shouldn't be too bad.Tim
I'd probably avoid getting a cosmetically mint example as you'll have trouble keeping it that way, try to pay a low-ish price on something outwardly unexceptional but mechanically mint.
I've been shamefully fair weather with mine, but I'd hazzard a guess that you'll never stay completely dry, you'll have to go out dressed for an arctic winter on an even slightly cold day and you'll have trouble getting any significantly-sized luggage in there. On the upside, fuel economy is very good if you keep off the motorways, it'll always put a smile on your face and maintaining them isn't particularly costly. If you're going to put considerable mileage on it I'd suggest doing it yourself. I've done roughly the same jobs on my Caterham as I did in the first twelve months of TVR ownership. The cost of harassing more competent PHers for some help and doing it myself (okay, ourselves) has been dramatically lower than going to a specialist. That's no great surprise, admittedly, but a few grazed knuckles probably equates a grand in indepent specialist's labour costs!
Edited by Chris71 on Sunday 14th February 11:00
I agree on that. Have been fixing things myself lately, which makes it a very cheap car to run. Unfortunately I haven't been too lucky as I've had my share of problems, but I'm not too far from having my Caterham reliable.
About the Caterham as a daily driver, make sure you get yourself a full hood. It's nice to drive without the hood, even in the snow. But if your feeling a bit tired or everything but healthy, it's good to know you can pop the hood on. The car will be completely dry and warm. We went for a drive over 500 miles through snow and freezing temperatures. Wouldn't have done it without the hood.
About the Caterham as a daily driver, make sure you get yourself a full hood. It's nice to drive without the hood, even in the snow. But if your feeling a bit tired or everything but healthy, it's good to know you can pop the hood on. The car will be completely dry and warm. We went for a drive over 500 miles through snow and freezing temperatures. Wouldn't have done it without the hood.
It depends on what your daily drive is. I did it with two caterhams with a 1 year gap in between. At the time I was doing about 18k miles with a mixture of commute and visiting customers. The car had to live outside at home and work.
So it was a very top-on experience.
I did it the second time around for about 6 months when I realised I really hated caterham driving. I longed for the comfort of doing my job in a tin-top. I had a really bad aversion to driving the caterham.
So changed to a (boring) tin-top, managed to convince SWMBO to let me keep a toy and changed my aversion back to love!
I don't regret doing it, but it had an odd outcome.
BTW the first caterham had the dodgy powder-coat so was pretty much toast after its experience. They still suffer if you are going for real actual all-year daily driving.
BErt
So it was a very top-on experience.
I did it the second time around for about 6 months when I realised I really hated caterham driving. I longed for the comfort of doing my job in a tin-top. I had a really bad aversion to driving the caterham.
So changed to a (boring) tin-top, managed to convince SWMBO to let me keep a toy and changed my aversion back to love!
I don't regret doing it, but it had an odd outcome.
BTW the first caterham had the dodgy powder-coat so was pretty much toast after its experience. They still suffer if you are going for real actual all-year daily driving.
BErt
On a related note, any tips for rust proofing, besides painting the chassis with POR 15 and giving it a coat or waxoyl?
Back on topic, I just noticed the insurance question. Daily use (i.e commuting) will obviously be more expensive and you'll have to up the mileage limit considerably, but as a 'weekends and evenings' toy Caterhams are as ludicrously cheap to insure as any other kit/specialist car. I'm in my twenties, living in a high risk area with limited NCB and a recent claim and I pay £330 a year (for a 5,000 social domestic and pleasure policy). Even if it was twice that for regular commuting - which I very much doubt it would be - it still wouldn't be unreasonable for the performance (and the grin factor) you're getting.
I think you are slightly mad for doing it, but the world needs people like that so I emphatically recommend that you do!
Back on topic, I just noticed the insurance question. Daily use (i.e commuting) will obviously be more expensive and you'll have to up the mileage limit considerably, but as a 'weekends and evenings' toy Caterhams are as ludicrously cheap to insure as any other kit/specialist car. I'm in my twenties, living in a high risk area with limited NCB and a recent claim and I pay £330 a year (for a 5,000 social domestic and pleasure policy). Even if it was twice that for regular commuting - which I very much doubt it would be - it still wouldn't be unreasonable for the performance (and the grin factor) you're getting.
I think you are slightly mad for doing it, but the world needs people like that so I emphatically recommend that you do!
Chris71 said:
On a related note, any tips for rust proofing, besides painting the chassis with POR 15 and giving it a coat or waxoyl?
Back on topic, I just noticed the insurance question. Daily use (i.e commuting) will obviously be more expensive and you'll have to up the mileage limit considerably, but as a 'weekends and evenings' toy Caterhams are as ludicrously cheap to insure as any other kit/specialist car. I'm in my twenties, living in a high risk area with limited NCB and a recent claim and I pay £330 a year (for a 5,000 social domestic and pleasure policy). Even if it was twice that for regular commuting - which I very much doubt it would be - it still wouldn't be unreasonable for the performance (and the grin factor) you're getting.
I think you are slightly mad for doing it, but the world needs people like that so I emphatically recommend that you do!
I waxoyled the first car, it still died!Back on topic, I just noticed the insurance question. Daily use (i.e commuting) will obviously be more expensive and you'll have to up the mileage limit considerably, but as a 'weekends and evenings' toy Caterhams are as ludicrously cheap to insure as any other kit/specialist car. I'm in my twenties, living in a high risk area with limited NCB and a recent claim and I pay £330 a year (for a 5,000 social domestic and pleasure policy). Even if it was twice that for regular commuting - which I very much doubt it would be - it still wouldn't be unreasonable for the performance (and the grin factor) you're getting.
I think you are slightly mad for doing it, but the world needs people like that so I emphatically recommend that you do!
BErt
My new plan is to run my Alfa 147 for another 6 months minimum, then either swap to an MX5 over the next winter and should have got enough cash together and buy a Caterham around this time next year, or go straight to Caterham when I get some more money saved up.
Either way I will be getting one as a daily runner at some point in the next year or so.
Either way I will be getting one as a daily runner at some point in the next year or so.
Killer2005 said:
My new plan is to run my Alfa 147 for another 6 months minimum, then either swap to an MX5 over the next winter and should have got enough cash together and buy a Caterham around this time next year, or go straight to Caterham when I get some more money saved up.
Either way I will be getting one as a daily runner at some point in the next year or so.
I am aiming to take mine in twice a week from April on. The neighbours will love me at 6.30 AM firing up the Crossflow......brrrmmm brrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmEither way I will be getting one as a daily runner at some point in the next year or so.
Have ran a BEC Striker for 20 months in 2004 (18k miles) and then a Caterham 1.4SS for 10 months (10k miles) last year, as my only cars, I can say that it is a sometimes tough but always fun option. Getting into a freezing car, with frost on both sides of the screens/doors/windows (only the Caterham as the Striker was aeroscreen'd with no doors,etc!), with a streaming cold, icy roads and a tough motorway commute, sometimes doesn't start off too well. But, by the time you get to where you are going and have warmed up a bit, have had some fun on the slip roads/roundabouts and generally had a few near death experiences, you get out at the other end feeling alive!!! Would I choose to have no other option as an everyday car, needing to do 50 miles per day, mainly on the m-way... No way! Give me a tin-top any day! Would I advise someone else against it? Not at all, try it, you might like it!
36mpg, zero depreciation and all the smiles, waves, epic drives home on a summers afternoon...
What BBert said about loosing the love for the drive is true. You do get used to the car, as you would any other car. You come to expect the rapid response steering, the oversteer on the tighter corners, the overtaking ability, etc, etc. So that when you do come back to planet earth and have to drive a "normal" car, they all feel a bit crap. So just be warned, they are tough to live with & tough to drive in all conditions but they are even tougher to give up afterwards...
BB
36mpg, zero depreciation and all the smiles, waves, epic drives home on a summers afternoon...
What BBert said about loosing the love for the drive is true. You do get used to the car, as you would any other car. You come to expect the rapid response steering, the oversteer on the tighter corners, the overtaking ability, etc, etc. So that when you do come back to planet earth and have to drive a "normal" car, they all feel a bit crap. So just be warned, they are tough to live with & tough to drive in all conditions but they are even tougher to give up afterwards...
BB
BadgerBill said:
What BBert said about loosing the love for the drive is true. You do get used to the car, as you would any other car. You come to expect the rapid response steering, the oversteer on the tighter corners, the overtaking ability, etc, etc. So that when you do come back to planet earth and have to drive a "normal" car, they all feel a bit crap.
That's not quite what I meant 
I ended up *hating* it, cold, damp, noisy uncomfortable, was delighted to get back to a normal car! Then got the love back when I could use it recreationally.
Bert
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