Going to Look at my first Westfield - any tips?

[beerexpressman]

I am going to look at my first Westfield this weekend, with a view to buying one this Spring.

Has anyone got any tips on what to look out for, problem areas, questions to ask etc?

Cheers

[Equus]

Specification is the important bit, really: what engine/gearbox it has, whether it's IRS or live axle, wide or narrow body, cyclewings or flared wings, windscreen or aeroscreen, instruments, wheels and tyres... these are the things that will dictate price, and how easy it is to sell on when you come to part with it.

They're very simple cars, so apart from that it's mainly down to the general impression you get of build quality and condition.

Make sure it's correctly registered, of course, but most Westfields are.

[anonymous-user]

Make sure you can fit in the thing and do the belts up would be check 1, they can be insanely tight around the hips as I found out when I looked at a lovely blue one last year. Another inch of space and I would have bought it, but the belt buckles made it agony to sit in it

[Justin S]

Have you a link to the car. lots are known about ....

[CanAm]

JimSuperSix said:

Make sure you can fit in the thing and do the belts up would be check 1, they can be insanely tight around the hips as I found out when I looked at a lovely blue one last year. Another inch of space and I would have bought it, but the belt buckles made it agony to sit in it

Did it have inertia reel belts? If so, a four point harness would have solved the problem as you then just have the buckle in your lap.

[anonymous-user]

CanAm said:

JimSuperSix said:

Make sure you can fit in the thing and do the belts up would be check 1, they can be insanely tight around the hips as I found out when I looked at a lovely blue one last year. Another inch of space and I would have bought it, but the belt buckles made it agony to sit in it

Did it have inertia reel belts? If so, a four point harness would have solved the problem as you then just have the buckle in your lap.

I think it had harnesses of some sort, I can't really remember for sure. I had a good poke around and considered all the options of whether I could modify it to give another inch or two of space, even down to removing the inner cockpit side panels, but it didn't seem likely to make enough space to be comfortable. IIRC it wasn't just the seatbelts, it was actually getting into the seat far enough so that I wasn't jammed solid between the cockpit sides, then the belts were digging in even more and it was really unpleasant.

I was quite surprised just how narrow it was - I had a Tiger Super 6 before that and fitted fine, so I was expecting the Westfield to be similar. I bought a Fury in the end which has more than enough space to be comfortable.

[beerexpressman]

Justin S said:

Have you a link to the car. lots are known about ....

https://m.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C865672

Thanks for all the advice so far...

[Mr MXT]

beerexpressman said:

https://m.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C865672

Thanks for all the advice so far...

I think that’s expensive for what it is (x flow?)

Look at as many as you can, take a westfield owner with you if you can and for that kind of money I’d get a zetec.

[Equus]

Mr MXT said:

I think that’s expensive for what it is (x flow?)

Look at as many as you can, take a westfield owner with you if you can and for that kind of money I’d get a zetec.

It states 2000cc, so it's not a Crossflow. Quite possibly it is a Zetec.

[Mr MXT]

Equus said:

It states 2000cc, so it's not a Crossflow. Quite possibly it is a Zetec.

You can see the engine in the last picture, it's not a zetec.

OP - another thing, don't be put off by a Q plate.

[Equus]

Mr MXT said:

You can see the engine in the last picture, it's not a zetec.

So you can!

It's a Pinto... in which case, yes, it's definitely overpriced: the Pinto is even less desirable than the Crossflow (the Crossflow was a good choice, in its day, being relatively light and revvy; it's just very dated, now. The Pinto is, was, and always has been, a boat anchor - overweight, underpowered, and prone to top-end oil starvation).

I'd say pay no more than £6.5K for that car, even if the rest of it is immaculate.

Then ditch the Pinto and do a Zetec or Duratec conversion on it.

[spyder dryver]

Don't rush to buy the first one that you look at. There'll be plenty more about in the coming weeks. I wouldn't have a Pinto either, especially at that price.
£10K should buy a high spec Zetec engined car. Having said that there's a similar Pinto engined car on ebay at the same money.
Maybe values are on the up!

[GinG15]

a pinto engined westfield for nealry 10K???

thas a joke.....5k, no more

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

even its already sold....check out the spec and see the price

[beerexpressman]

There seem to be a lot of Pinto engine cars up for strong money at the moment.

Hopefully I am seeing a 2.0 Zetec engined car this weekend which may be better value.

Thanks to all for the advice!

[Lordbenny]

Don’t be put off by...
Q Plate
High’ish Mileage (20,000+ mileage means it’s been driven regularly which is a good sign.
Cosmetic things that you wouldn’t have if it was your car....they can be easily changed at little cost.
If the seller isn’t boasting about big bhp figures...they mean very little, it’s all about the drive!

Do be put off if....
It looks like corners have been cut when building.
It isn’t running properly...if the seller can’t be bothered to get it spot on....walk
It hasn’t got a nice thick binder full of history, receipts etc

The rest is really down to intuition and no different from buying a regular car. I’m sure you’ve done your home work with regard to the spec you want....wide/narrow, track/road focused, windscreen/aero screen etc etc

Good luck

[CanAm]

You might want to try the members club on http://www.wscc.co.uk

[Lordbenny]

CanAm said:

You might want to try the members club on http://www.wscc.co.uk

If you don’t mind having do deal with quite a few tts!

[Andy665]

Lordbenny said:

If you don’t mind having do deal with quite a few tts!

Bit harsh. Been a member of the WSCC for 2 years and pretty decent bunch of people - I tend to find that if you act like a t**t you then get treated like one, you act decently and you get treated decently - been a very useful source of information for me

[Justin S]

Lordbenny said:

CanAm said:

You might want to try the members club on http://www.wscc.co.uk

If you don’t mind having do deal with quite a few tts!

By all accounts and seeing your threads on there, you did dispose of your toys out your pram. Shame really. Its the best place to get information.
The car is a single donor vehicle. Meaning it used a sierra for its donor and was supplied an age related plate the same age as the sierra. Looks tidy enough, but there are more modern engined cars around for the same money.
Dont buy the first car you see and join the club and go to meetings and maybe ride outs to see what its all about. Now is not the time to buy a car as most are in hibernation. There are decent cars about , just need to be patient. Good luck with your search.

[beerexpressman]

Justin S said:

Lordbenny said:

CanAm said:

You might want to try the members club on http://www.wscc.co.uk

If you don’t mind having do deal with quite a few tts!

By all accounts and seeing your threads on there, you did dispose of your toys out your pram. Shame really. Its the best place to get information.
The car is a single donor vehicle. Meaning it used a sierra for its donor and was supplied an age related plate the same age as the sierra. Looks tidy enough, but there are more modern engined cars around for the same money.
Dont buy the first car you see and join the club and go to meetings and maybe ride outs to see what its all about. Now is not the time to buy a car as most are in hibernation. There are decent cars about , just need to be patient. Good luck with your search.

I have been keeping an eye on the owners club forum for quite a while...
I was hoping the prices might be a little lower before Spring / early summer. I think your right about being patient, but the garage has been cleaned out already (well sort of...)
I'll keep any eye out for meetings locally (West Mids)

Cheers to all!