Northwarks Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi all - Been lurking for a while and keen to buy my first Westfield. I went to take a look at this one last weekend and wondered if anyone knows it ? Not a lot of history with it but looks quite tidy : http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/westfield/all-models/2-0l-westfield-wide-body-seiw/1313259 Thoughts? Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbaldbloke Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Welcome. If it were me I'd get along to your local club meeting, introduce yourself and arrange for one or two of the more knowledgeable members in the area to look with you. It's not really possible to comment on a specific car from photos alone, the devil is in the detail. Someone on here may know the car though. A search on the forum for the dealer, Toybox, will bring you a range of opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E. Coyote Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Morning Kev, and welcome! In addition to what has already been said, it's worth sharing your thoughts on what you'll use the car for - that one looks like a nice tourer but difficult to tell from the pics (for example, can't tell if the battery is fully secured?). One like this would be more my sort of thing though (and £1500 cheaper!): http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic/101989-westfield-se-18-zetec/ and has the advantage of lots of history (something that you don't always get buying from the trade)... but wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. The thing with these cars is that you're often, in part, "buying the owner" - I'm 3rd owner of mine, bought from a technician from a main dealer, who bought it from the chap who built it (who clearly knew his onions) - had a great chat about the detail of the car and given a whacking great history file and a ton of spares as part of the deal... plus a surprise full tank of Optimax in it when I picked it up. Never needed to get in touch to clarify intricacies of the car, but the offer was there. Where in the country are you? Lots of club meets = lots of cars to have a look around to get used to them (and almost certainly people happy for you to take a ride out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dh-guest Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Agree with the above comments, I visited this dealer before buying mine and felt that it was over priced. I would recommend buying direct from the last owner as all he is doing is tidying the cars up and adding a minimum of a £2000 service charge on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Welcome Kev. As the others have said, the best way to find a new Westfield, and one that will suit you, is to see as many as possible. Club meets are fantastic for this, at this time of year there will usually be plenty of very different styles of Westfield to see. Most owners will be only to pleased to let you have a good close look, passenger rides out aren't usually a problem either. It'll give you so much more confidence when going to look at cars for sale though, plus it will give you a better idea of the sort of spec you want. Some very nice cars in the for sale section of the Boardroom at the moment. Chris, Wile E Coyote makes an excellent point though; a well developed Westfield picks up a lot of traits of the owner, so it's worth checking the owner out as much as the car when you go to see one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyblues Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Hi and welcome good advice above, hope you find something to your liking, and join the club full time when you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAFKARM Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Welcome to the club Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User0083 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Welcome along, Toy box is a well known trader. Nothing bad to say about them and the car looks good, however any car trader has obtained the car for less, done little work and sell for a profit. So he would've got it £1k-£2k cheaper from a private seller. My advice is to pop to your local club and find a mate of a mate that knows for one kinda thing. I was surprised at how easy they are to work on and if it's a Zetec you can get a brand new "crated" Zetec-R for £800!!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290866458062?redirect=mobile So no need to worry about the engine! And there's not much else to the car. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northwarks Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 Hi all - thanks for the valuable advice, I'm hoping to take another look at the car this weekend .. I really wanted a tourer rather than a stripped down track day car but as the Westie will replace my WRX I want something to give me the adrenalin fix ... I've taken a look at the DVLA site and it suggests its not been taxed since April 2006 (that's if I understand date of liability ?) So got some questions to ask now I've got over the initial excitement Kev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Kev, You will find that a 135 bhp westy will more than make up the buzz of say a 300BHP volvo... ive had both.... and the westy is a car that you feel and actually drive. A 200 BHP westy IMO is wasted on the road as you will be approaching 70 in 2nd gear. My westy is only a cross flow but it's chuffing quick and gives me enough adrenalin.. wait for the right car and you will be well happy... James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAFKARM Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I respectfully disagree James, the first westie I tried had 130bhp and was really disappointing compared to my 200bhp MX5. Not that its all about speed, but the straight line shove of the MX5 was on a different level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbaldbloke Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Kev, Can I suggest you post the link to the Toybox car in the general stuff forum and title it something like, "Possible purchase, does anyone know this car?" I would be surprised if you didn't get some useful information very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User0083 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I went from a 2.2 turbo Astra to a 2.2 pinto'turbo Robin Hood to a S2000... The Robin Hood was the best drive out of the three. Got my 155bhp Westfield next and it's the best. As with many here I came from motorbikes, Ducati 916r was my last one. I actually think the Westie is better. Not faster, better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Good Point Russ and accepted... I was merely meaning to mention to a potential newbie that a "standard" i.e. lesser powered car (compared to a 250bhp subaru) will give a different driving experience to many "normal" road cars" but one that many find ultimately rewarding... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 my most rewarding drive this year was on this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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