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Is my budget realistic


westfieldag

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Hi all,

Hopefully going to become an owner in the near future,

My budget is £6500 to £7000

Is that a realistic budget to get a tidy car (I'm not too bothered about the engine tbh but prefer a zetec over the older pinto etc.)?

Also at 24 years old how much should I expect to pay for a years insurance, 2-3,000 miles a year and 2 years NCB?

Any other advice on westfields, where to search for them, models/engines to go for would be appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

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have you researched current cars for sale and seen one that ticks your boxes? there are a few for sale here and on PH etc. Normally people thinking about selling their Westfields would tend to get stronger prices in the spring rather than the autumn so you may catch a bargain over the next few months if you're lucky.

as for insurance, there are so many factors it's pointless throwing figures at you. make sure however, you seek quotes from at least 3 kit car specialists (APlan, A Flux etc) and not the usual Road car insurers.

how do you intend to use the car?

daily driver / weekend toy / track car? 

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Welcome to a great club, you certainly picked the best place to get the info you need. 

Your budget is in my opinion at the low end of the Zetec engined market but should get you a decent carb'd version. Fuel injection would be better but you will need to either push the budget or be very patient. 

Where are you? Put a location in your profile and local members can get in touch to help. Get along to a local meet and you can gain access to a wealth of knowledge and see some cars to help you know what to look for. 

As Craig said, tell us more about what you want to do with the car as that will also help us know what kind of car to recommend. 

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Agree with the above! At that end, you will need to do some updating to the car so plan for a decent contingency fund. My car initially cost me £4k, but the crossflow blew up on the first track day and EVERYTHING needed replacing. There's a lovely Pinto engined car for sale on here, seller is @DaveTheGardner, it's a really stunning car and well cared for example.

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I intend to use the car as a weekend toy (occasionally using it on a Sunny day for the 50 miles round trip to work)

I currently cover 18,000 miles a year so my choice of every day car is limited. I currently drive a 1.4 Seat Ibiza and have been debating whether to get a polo gti or stick with the ibiza and getting a westfield for fun.

I am competent at working on cars to an extent but don't have any experience working with carbs

I'm based in a village near Crewe, Cheshire, will have a look how to add that to my profile

For £6500 what engine and condition car could I expect? would there be decent cars available for cheaper?

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You would need to get along and view some 'for sale' cars to have a true understanding of what you can get for your money.  Age rarely comes into it but the engine fitted and quality of the build does. £6.5k  just gets you into the Redtops and Zetec engined cars.   As you're handy with the spanners you can make the car your own and improve it over time.   Don't forget to ask advice on this forum, there are many tried and tested upgrades you can do.

Insurance premium can be reduced by having a limited yearly mileage, being a member of a car club, using your garage overnight, having a parts only insurance,  having high excess level and of course shopping around the kit car specialised insurers.

If you go to some club meets you'll have plenty of advice and know what to look for on a Westfield.  You could post up a link to any Westfield that interests you, members will soon give you the yay or nay on whether it's a good starter project for you.

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21 minutes ago, westfieldag said:

I'm based in a village near Crewe, Cheshire, 

I'm in Whitchurch, not too far from you. there are a couple of Crewe members on here also if I'm not mistaken.

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There will be lots of Westfields (hopefully) at Oulton Park on Sunday/Monday for the Gold Cup, if you can make it over. It's also the Cheshire Area meet a week on Thursday (the 7th September) at the Whipping Stocks near Knutsford, again, weather dependant, should be more Westfields there.

Its worth trying to see as many as you can, regardless of whether they're actually for sale or not, as it will help you make sense of what your seeing when you do view cars on sale.

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If you want to dip your toe in Westy waters you'd not go wrong here 

 

at that price you won't lose a penny a year or two down the line. 

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Thanks all for the advice, it's appreciated

Unfortunatley I'm away at Leeds Festival this weekend and can't get down to Oulton Park

I'd be interested in visting a meet at some point though, will there be any in the last of this summer/autumn?

Also what is the likelehood of someone letting me be the passenger for a meet/trip out, to help me get a feel for the cars

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Having my first westy at the age of 19 i was paying around £1800 insurance on limited milage parked in a garage at home. But that was 10 years ago so wont really be relevant now. 

 

As everyone else has said, the right car will come along soon enough (and probably push your budget) dont jump for the first one you see amd be prepared to travel to view them.

 

Good luck with the search 

 

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11 hours ago, chriss1455 said:

Having my first westy at the age of 19 i was paying around £1800 insurance on limited milage parked in a garage at home. But that was 10 years ago so wont really be relevant now. 

 

As everyone else has said, the right car will come along soon enough (and probably push your budget) dont jump for the first one you see amd be prepared to travel to view them.

 

Good luck with the search 

 

Ouch - was that as your "main" car?

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1 hour ago, RussH said:

Ouch - was that as your "main" car?

No i had a megane at the time which was a similar price. 

 

Didnt have a choice as it was the only quote i could get at the time because i was under 21

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