new to the caterham scene

[bungalow4x4]

hi there i am new to this style of car and i am looking at buying a caterham or a westfield anyone got any tips of wat to look for and general tips in this field of cars your help will be greatly appreciated thank you.

[ewenm]

Get along to your local Caterham and/or Westfield meet. Caterham ones can be found on the Lotus 7 Club GB website, Westfield ones on the Westfield Sports Car Club website. You'll find lots of people eager to talk about the cars and to take you out in them.

[Dave J]

what will the car be used for ?

trackdays
touring
racing
Sunday adrenalin fix
everyday car

[Eric Mc]

Where do you live? A trip to Caterham Cars in Caterham town centre might be worthwhile if it's anywhere in yiour area.

[bungalow4x4]

i live way up north of scotland so i am nowhere near anything lol. the car will be used for almost everyday driving but i do havw another car for snow and really bad weather.

[Dave J]

on that basis my suggestion would be an r300 duratec with weather gear

great all rounder

- where are the trolls that bash blatchat for not welcoming new members ???

[V7SLR]

Agree with Dave - with your location get a nicely specced model with weather gear. Despite the reports you've probably heared from various Journos about the weather gear being no better than a wet hankie, it's actually very effective and of quite a reasonable quality (no experience of the Westfield alternative). And no, with the kind of cloud bursts I've experienced touring Scotland weather gear is not the soft option!!!
Whether you can go Duratec or not is really budget dependent - moving down the price scale there are good R300 K-Series cars, and even 1800SS (K-Series) that will still be reliable. If not able to buy into the latest Duratec or Sigma cars, for the money my personal choice would be to choose a K. Vauxhall and older Fords are just too old hat now (prepares to be flamed!)

And BTW, Welcome

Stu.

[Smollet]

Make sure that the car you buy has a heater as quite a few have them removed in the quest for speed. Good luck in your hunt.

Edited by Smollet on Friday 16th July 08:37

[bungalow4x4]

thanks guys you tips and info have been very helpfull so far thanks again

[Glasgow2]

i too live in scotland and will have caterham for road use. Last week i booked a slot for a new factory build. Havent made up my mind between a superlight and R300. I have to have the weather gear and heater. My understanding the only main difference between the superlight and R300 is the engine. Would this justify the extra few thousands pounds...?

Edited by Glasgow2 on Sunday 18th July 17:03

[GetCarter]

FYI The R300 is a superlight. There are a few superlights, starting with the Sigma, ending up with the R500.

If you visit www.Caterham.co.uk - you can read all about them.

Edited by GetCarter on Sunday 18th July 18:53

[Glasgow2]

yes getcarter, i'm aware R300 is a superlight. I'm simply asking is the three thousand pounds difference between the 2 cars only for a different engine - duratec 2L, 175 vs sigma 1.6, 150? Thanks

Edited by Glasgow2 on Monday 19th July 21:23

[Nicodema]

FYI, the diffs are:
2.0 Duratec
The "aero whiskers"
The new pushbutton dash (I really like it, YMMV)
Keyless start
The stickers that say "Superlight R300"

Is it worth it? To us yes, we know we can upgrade the engine from 175, whereas the 150 is near the top of what the Sigma will put out. Both great cars though.

Edited by Nicodema on Wednesday 21st July 15:56

[Sheffield]

If your budget doesnt run to a new car an older one can still be fantastic. Mine is 12 year old but has still done less than 10k! I recently purchased it from Caterham Midlands. I recommend a phone call to them and calling in to see them next time you are down south. They can give you some great advice on your first car.
It would also be a great drive home from there if the summer comes back...

[Pesmo]

Personally I would suggest you avoid big power to start with given what you have told us. 160-190hp is likely to be more than enough initially for the roads you have in that part of Scotland.

Nice things to look for on a car;

LSD or Torque biasing Diff
FIA roll bar
4 point harnesses
Weather gear or Tonneau
Avon CR500's (not too bad in winter)
Spare wheel (some have it removed)
Good ground clearance (not all have this)
6 Speed box or the 5 speed type 9 with the modified higher 1st gear
Personally I would go for a well set up injection car rather than carbs if using the car daily.
Ask if any extra rust protection has been added
Bare ali may not look good on a car used daily (it is not road salt tollerant) so consider a painted car if its a Caterham.

I would also sit in a few to see if you can get away with a standard chassis or if you need the larger SV if its a Caterham

[GetCarter]

bungalow4x4 said:

i live way up north of scotland so i am nowhere near anything lol. the car will be used for almost everyday driving but i do havw another car for snow and really bad weather.

For an everyday car (as mentioned) the weather gear, tonneau and heater are all important. Too much power will be a pain in bad weather. Having said that I have another R500 arriving here this week, and am in Wester Ross. If you fancy a trip out with me to get an idea of how the car is to live with, give me a shout.

Steve

[ewenm]

GetCarter said:

bungalow4x4 said:

i live way up north of scotland so i am nowhere near anything lol. the car will be used for almost everyday driving but i do havw another car for snow and really bad weather.

For an everyday car (as mentioned) the weather gear, tonneau and heater are all important. Too much power will be a pain in bad weather. Having said that I have another R500 arriving here this week, and am in Wester Ross. If you fancy a trip out with me to get an idea of how the car is to live with, give me a shout.

Steve

"Too much power"? the right foot isn't digital Steve!