Well, a month ago the wife allowed me to buy a Caterham as my toy and a scoob as a family car, though we've since opted for a RAV4 as a family car. That was before she saw the Caterham. She's now objected a number of times, and I think she's quietly furious that I'm pressing on with the decision. She wants me to get the scoob as the toy and the RAV4 as a family car.

It's been absolutely chucking it down in Lisbon for the last month, real November Atlantic weather, and she doesn't hesitate to say this each time I mention the car. We have statistically the most dangerous drivers in Europe, and some pretty awful roads to go with it. I don't think anyone organises track days for me to go on, and frankly I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself and wondering if I'm making the right decision :(.

The only plus point is, provided I don't use the car to commute (looks likely), then I will rarely if ever have the RAV when she would be forced to drive the Caterham (at present, perhaps due to lack of cars, we never go to two different places at the same time). I've had a scoob, and though immensely capable, it didn't make me grin as much as my 205 GTI or Dutton unless I was doing outrageous speeds.

Can anyone give me a boost, or tell me if they think she's right? TBH I think she's less scared of having to drive it (or be a passenger) and more scared of me being killed in it. No comments about divorce please!

Brendan

R U a man or a mouse.

dont answer that, just squeek!!

BB:)

I've got a Caterham. I run mine purely as a toy, and a cheap runaround as a daily car.

I never fail to get out of my 7, grinning from ear to ear. It's fantastic.

My advice to anyone thinking of getting one - just do it!

Den

I have a westy megablde (not a cat i know-but similar driving experience)

And quite simply the scooby can not compare to fun factor.

They are in different leagues, if anything id take the scooby as the normal family car (coz that’s what its gona feel like after you play in the cat) and have a cat or westy for fun :)


It aint about speed, its about FUN!!! And loads of tail happy buckets loads of it J

Thumbs up for Westies and Cateringvans! ;)

I'll give you Cateringvan, you Wetfield driver! ;)

Den

I bought a Westfield at the beginning of the summer. It was great fun for a few months, while the weather was nice and warm and the novelty factor was there.

Right now, the weather is awful, the roads are always wet and slippery even it's not actually raining, and my Westy is sitting on the drive under a cover looking rather sorry for itself. It hasn't helped that it's had its fair share of mechanical and electrical problems that seem a lot more expense and hassle than I can really be bothered with.

If you're really keen on the idea then by all means go for it - they can be great fun - but do think through the practicalities first. They're downright scary in the wet (I got unexpected wheelspin in 3rd a couple of weeks ago and fishtailed along the A404 for 100 yards!). You'd better actively enjoy wielding a spanner, too - it's something I'm prepared to do, but I don't derive any pleasure from it. I hoped that would change, but it hasn't.

I'll probably spend the winter fixing all the faults, then sell the car and put the money towards upgrading my scooby to a MY03 STI.

Andy.

I think last time you posted the concensus was that for your needs and roads something like an Elise would be much more suitable for you.

Regards,

Greg

I think people have to realise that they're not everyday cars, they were never meant to be. They also need a little more skill to drive. If you floor it in every gear of course they will wheelspin. I think they're great in slippery conditions, it teaches you about RWD car control at sensible speeds. Anyone can drive an Impreza fast.

[Edited by Dave_7 - 11/21/2002 10:26:30 AM]

Den, catflap, Mossman - that's what I was hoping to hear.

Andy_C - that's what I was dreading! I'm aware of the driving characteristics, having had a similar car for 4 yrs, and I bet it had more faults than yours!!! I sure as hell learned how to wield a spanner, running it on a university student budget. But I'd guarantee that I wouldn't get the same grin out of an STI. And frankly, as Dave points out, I'm really hoping to learn about driving, rather than letting the car do the work for me. Despite 15 yrs driving, as soon as I slide I'm a passenger, and I'm hoping it will be cheap to learn control in a Caterham (rather than with the weight and speed involved in putting an Impreza out of joint).

gregh - you're absolutely right, but my budget didn't stretch to an Elise (out here they cost a fortune), and I wouldn't feel as confident working on one as on a Caterham if, sorry when, it went wrong.

I sent the deposit yesterday, but still have to wait a month to see if the Portuguese approve me importing it - SVA isn't European!. If approved, I hope to build it in the UK next Easter.

Sunny today, my mood's a bit better :)

Brendan

No way dude, im out in mine almost every night, was last night and will be tonight :) rain or not

I used to bike and giggled at the fair weather riders, who parked their bike away for 6 months, same with the wetsy get out ther get wet and get sliding (safely), just reduce speed, increase braking distences, but still have LOADS A FUN

Brendan - you should join the Lotus 7 Club (for Lotus & Caterham 7 owners) - the forums will be useful when you do the build - the people at the club are very friendly and helpful.

Den

Thanks Den, I'm already asking irritating questions on blatchat under name of Dippy!

Brendan

Ah. Bet you'll never guess what my Blatchat ID is! ;) :p

Den

Let's put it this way - do you have a limited imagination? :p

[Edited by Brendan Hughes - 11/21/2002 3:19:22 PM]

Sorry Brendan, I didn't really want to p*ss on your fireworks :(

My Westy is great fun when the weather's nice, but I just don't feel like risking my life with it in the rain. I'll freely admit that my knowledge of driving dynamics is lacking, and that I like my scooby's idiot-proof nature.

Sometimes I do feel like driving the Westfield to work in the morning, but know that by the time I'm ready to come home it'll be dark and cold, and that I'll wish I could climb into my nice warm scooby instead.

I guess I bought the Westy to satisfy my curiosity and to break up the monotony of the daily motorway slog. Trouble is, now the novelty factor has worn off, it just feels like a lot of hassle :(

A.

I have a CV2 68bhp @ flywheel it's proper fast you know i would beat a sabru easy

Over here in the UK you can get Elise's for £12k or lower for 3 year old models, how much is the Caterham going to cost you???

the caterhams are amazing, a truly unique experience and one that every driving fanatic should experience at some point or another. However, it can be painful experience as well cos they are not very realible, they are very expensive just for occasional use and teh experience may be shortlived... not everyone will perservere with them and be able to find a place for one in their lives once the novelty wears off (apart from teh real die-hards).

Also, for my mind, they only really come into their own on teh circuit ... in this environment they make any other road car seem lorry-sized, hugely fat, slow, inprecise and generally highly recalcitrant .. but at teh same time they have enough friendliness and in-built softness to make them much more enjoyable that something like a full blown single seater.

On the road, they are great fun but dont make as much sense cos of their crude nature and only good for a few hours drive before they wear you out. IMO, a lotus elise is maybe a preferable road car which gives far more practicality and ride composure but whilst also offering nearly teh same levels of precision, flickability and feedback/involvement. Saying that though, they are dead slow in comparison ..... i own a 400/ton superlight R and i dont think i'd ever tire of the sensation of going from 20mph up to aroudn 100mph with no windsreen and no doors, its a trulyt mindboggling experience.

The other problem is afetr youve owned one you get p1ssed off a bit by teh limits of other cars. Cornering, braking levles etc.. all seem just a bit pathetic in tin-tops once youve owned a fast caterham.

No probs Andy, it was exactly what I was asking for, thanks for being candid (sob sob…).

Gregh - problem is that I need a LHD car, so s/h prices in UK are irrelevant - and I am not allowed to import one from anywhere else than UK, stuffing my chance of bringing in e.g. a cheap French one. As new prices here for an Elise are so high (50 000-odd euros), s/h prices for an oldie are still over 30k, which really pushes my budget too far. At present I'm on about 27k for a new 140 bhp Caterham, way over my original budget of 20k. I haven't asked the price of buying a new LHD one from the UK, but if it's like Caterham it will be list plus 1k or thereabouts, making it about 37k euros for the "slow" new Elise from the UK, or 32k for an old Portuguese Mk I model!

Jackal - all sounds accurate, from 4 years in a nuts 'n' bolts Dutton as my only car and a couple of days' hire of a Caterham. Oh, and I sure as hell don't expect to do "more than a few hours' driving" at a time in it!

Brendan

vx220 is much fasster

.........to the bottom of the sea as they are so much heavier

teh VX220 is NOT much faster
different charachter engine yes... but the thing about the K series in the elise is that tuning wise theres tons and tons that been explored and developed by all sorts of people. Getting the stock elise engine to around 160-180bhp is a very simple affair and done pretty cheaply as well.

If you do go for one, make sure it has an optional roof for your incliment weather - although my research to date says there isn't really a good fitting roof for one.

I've seriously looked at a Lotus 7 replica - there's a fairly active local club. At the end of the day though it came down to : while it's incredible fun, how many days will I actually drive it compared to the Scooby? I also really like/need a/c...

If you've got plenty spare cash laying around go for it, otherwise decide with your head, not your heart.

IMO of course. :)

You are far better off going for a tonneau than a roof, especially if the car is a dry weather toy. The roof takes an age to put on (even when you have experience of doing it) whereas the tonneau is as easy as pie. Chances are, if you need to put the roof up - the cockpit is soaked by the time you have the roof up.

From personal experience though - do not rely on a tonneau to keep the cockpit dry in heavy rain :( - it is fine for light showers though.

Den

If youve got to think about it, then you dont want one enough!

I liked the idea of a westy, then one day went for a drive in one, & bought it!

You dont have to worry about the weather, even at this time of the year, were out approx 3-4 times a week, blasting round the country lanes, who cares if the roads are wet, its more fun then & doesnt wear your tyres out!!

I have a crappy cavalier as my second car (which is ace cause you dont have to clean it/worry where you park it etc..), & if you offered me a scoob again which i could drive everyday or a westy to drive occasionally, the westy gets it every time!!

IMHO.

plus you can then start to learn how to drive ;-)

HEHEH dont listen to him th eman is inasne

He takes me rallying in his westfield ;)

WE GET AIR - IN THE WET

HEHE

DodgeT - is mad ! Seen him looking into his side exit zorst for flames ! :D :D :D ;)

I think Goober organising a trip to wales soon ! :D You taking the go-kart ? ;)

VX220 has far sweeter engine than K-Series. Everybody says the K-Series sounds naff. VX has 147bhp as std and can be tuned to a hell of a lot more. It is 2.2 litre and is smooth as it had counter rotation balancer shafts like a Porsche.
If you are on about safety and dangerous road's I would avoid Caterham and Westfield. They may handle fine, but VX220 or Speedster (whatever it's called where u are) has ABS so is a safer car.
Remember the VX220 is an improved Elise because it handles the same but stops better and can be serviced at any VX/Opel dealer.

Regds,

Mantamagic

Ah, in that case, you'd better not drive to work today, in case the worst happens, or cross the road - both have an inherent level of danger.

Owning a Caterham or Westie will make you more aware of your surroundings and other road users - you have to be - much in the same way as I guess bikers have to be more aware.

If the road safety issue bothers you, get some roadcraft courses under your belt.

Den