Value my caterham

[julians]

I was wondering if anyone could give me an opinion of what my caterham is worth, its not for sale, but just interested to hear opinions on value if I were to sell it.

Its a 1996 2.0 Zetec engined car , its NOT on a Q plate, superficially it looks a bit tatty (ally bodywork has plenty of patina), but mechanically its sound.

Full Spec below:-


1996 caterham 7 - Bare aluminium and black wings/nosecone on an L plate (ie not Q reg'd)

Engine

2.0 Zetec fuel injected - ~200bhp
DTA 3d ECU
jenvey throttle bodies
piper 285 cams
raceline ported head
ARP con rod bolts
Raceline wet sump
Raceline water rail
Raceline lightweight flywheel
Raceline reduction gear starter motor
Radtec aluminium radiator
oil catch tank
Lightweight drycell sealed battery

Exhaust

Raceline 4 into 1 exhaust manifold
Raceco Titanium Silencer

Gearbox/drivetrain

Aluminium bell housing
Quaife straight cut 5 speed gearbox
Ford viscous LSD 3.92 ratio

Suspension/Wheels/brakes

caterham M1 race Bilstein race dampers with adjustable height platforms (corner weighted for 85kg driver)
Caterham widetrack front suspension
Caterham 4 pot AP 'big brakes' and 'big' master cylinder
13" minilite wheels (black centre, silver rim)
Yokohama 32r tyres (medium compound)

Interior/safety

4 point harnesses
Roadsports roll cage
Carbon dashboard
Mychron MXL Pista digital data logging dashboard (G sensors, revs, speed, water temp, oil pressure, battery, miles, inputs for more sensors)
Caterham Tillet fibreglass seats
Quick release Momo steering wheel
Black windscreen surround
full weather gear

Edited by julians on Friday 25th March 10:16

[S47]

Julians
If it looks Tatty it'll be hard to sell at any price IMO
7's get a hammering, any that look tatty = they ain't been well looked after - sorry.
Undoubtably others will dis-agree.

[julians]

It certainly wont sell to a polisher/sunday driver, thats a given,even if it looked perfect from a bodywork point of view, the spec of the car and the way it drives does not lend itself to that sort of owner, they'd hate it, it is not a relaxing drive , no caterham is compared to a 'normal' car, but this one is fairly extreme even by caterham standards, mainly due to the noise from the straight cut gearbox and the stiffness of the suspension.

But to say it has no value just because the bodywork is tatty is a bit strong.

But nonetheless, thanks for your opinion, and I mean that sincerely.

[S47]

Julians
I've owned 7's since the 70's, recently my wife decided she wanted one to replace Her Morgan, to say it's a minefield understates the caterham market. Whenever we looked a a car for the wife, if the car looked tatty we walked immediatly, irrespective of the car spec, there's plenty for sale, after over a year searching we bought an ex academy car less than a year old. not mint by any means [few 7's are] - but OK for the price paid. your car being an Oldish 1996 car. will certianly be difficult to shift IMHO, unless the price is low.
IMO a straight cut Box adds to the 7 experiece, My 1970 Lotus 7 has one and a TB'd zetec

[Markp13]

Sorry to hijack the thread but what are peoples opinions on a straight cut gearbox? I was in a car with one yesterday and it did whine a bit but anything over 50mph the sound was drowned out.

Is it a good option to have?

[julians]

Its just the bare ally bodywork that makes it look tatty, its a pig to stay on top of and keep looking tiptop.

I'm getting a price for getting it professionally polished up , either to a mirror finish or a satin finish, havent worked out which yet, I reckon that should do wonders for the first impression.

I had a quick look on the PH classifieds, theres a few old fairly low spec tatty looking crossflow cars for £10k,plus a couple of academy racers and newer/shinier but lower power/performance K cars are around 16-18k, so I reckon this has got to be worth ~12k maybe even a bit more.

It definately needs the right buyer though, someone who wants performance, but doesnt have the budget for an R400, which I guess is fairly niche.

As I said, its not for sale, I've had it for 11 years now, I just wondered what it might be worth if I had to sell it.

[julians]

Straight cut boxes are noisy and hard work on a long journey unless you leave it in whichever gear results in a 1:1 gear ratio, in which case they are the same as a regular gearbox.

They're fine on track though, but i dont think they're significantly better than the caterham 6 speed, they are however significantly cheaper than the 6 speed, and you get a choice of ratios much better suited to a caterham compared to the normal five speed.

[rubystone]

Bit of a niche car. Price it too high and you'll never sell it. I think it'd fetch about £10k based on your description. Sadly you'll not get back the value of the parts you've put on it and the straight cut 'box, choice of engine and cage will also limit its appeal. I'd say forget about what it may be worth and just enjoy it for what it means to you

[mickrick]

julians, if you polish it, it will just show up the imperfections more.
I would suggest flatting it with some 3M superfine, or microfine pads to give it a satin finish.
Like this.


It's a wole lot more work and exspense, if you're paying someone, to get it like this.

To say a polisher wouldn't want an "extreme" car just isn't true. I'm definately a polisher, and I like quick machinery. I've had my fare share of quick cars and bikes, and they where always impeccable. Cleanliness is all part of good preperation and maintenance.
Nothing wrong with Patena, but I'd walk away from tatty.
Anyway, if you want some polishing tips on alloy, I'm here.

[Dave J]

8-10k

[julians]

Thanks all, I guess if I were to sell it, I'd put it up at 12k and then see what it actually went for.

Mickrick, do you have any more pictures of that satin finish?

[kenny.R400]

I knew that car well. My mate Martin built it. I bought a new HPC at the same time and both cars looked identical in black/ali. Also drove it and was surprised how nice it was with the Zetec motor, revved better than the standard HPC and certainly turned in better with its lighter front end.

15 years ago.......jeez.

Oh, and the Cossie diff, Caterham and the experts said it wouldn't go into a 7 at the time............he proved them wrong and the diff proved a cracker.

Edited by kenny.R400 on Saturday 26th March 09:29

Edited by kenny.R400 on Saturday 26th March 09:33

[kenny.R400]

As for price I'd take the trick bits off and aim for 10k,selling the bits later to achieve something like you're after

[mickrick]

julians said:

Thanks all, I guess if I were to sell it, I'd put it up at 12k and then see what it actually went for.

Mickrick, do you have any more pictures of that satin finish?

Sorry mate I'm afraid I don't, as it's all polished up now.
I use aluminium oxide paper to take out any scratches up to 220 grade, before using the 3M pads.

[mickrick]

Are you sure you have a "Big" master cylinder?
You actually should have a smaller one to have less effort on the pedal.
Pedant mode off.

O/T Kenny, how's the JPE? Do you still have your HPC?

[julians]

Hi Kenny,

yes its martins old car (I guess the viscous LSD gave the game away?), still going strong, done several hundred miles (maybe even thousands) on track since I bought it off martin, hence looking a bit tired now.

It goes brilliantly, very fast, engine is bulletproof ,upgraded a little since I bought it from Martin, as has the whole car really. Its a lot more track oriented now.

[kenny.R400]

Mick, how's everything mate?.............your car looks superb, can't wait to see some finished pics.

Only used the JPE twice on shortish runs to try it out, it's unlike any other 7 I've driven. Almost had a deal done done on an R500 when this reared its head, I was 500 quid away with the bloke, glad he stuck to his guns now. After driving them both they are so different it's amazing......over the moon with it....the power and brutal urgency at 6500 is truly sensational no matter what people may think.

Will have to sell the HPC evo as the bank balance now reads a big fat zero.

Nice to speak again
All the best,
Kenny

[kenny.R400]

Nice one Julian, I remember you buying it and the name when you posted on BC. I also remember I was doing the Longton sprint championship at the time, we used to practice at three sisters every thursday.............after just 3 laps in Martins/yours Zetec I'd matched my best time in the old VX......as I say it was just so sweet on turn in at the slow corners.

All the best.

[julians]

Just done a quick calculation, I reckon its done about 4000 miles on track since I bought it.