Newbie here, does anyone know this car?

[atl502]

Hi all,

 

New to the forum and have been soaking up as much information as I can while I look to purchase my first Westfield.

I have found what I think would be a good starter at Hallmark Cars, does anybody happen to know this car or have any information about it? Has anybody bought from here before?

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/westfield/all-models/westfield-sei-wide-body/1407008

 

(Apologies if direct links are not allowed)

 

Its a 1.7 crossflow with Weber 45s, 4 into 1 exhaust, spax adjustables, what looks like an RAC roll bar and a few more bits.

 

I am going to the view the car tomorrow so does anybody have any pointers on what to specifically look for? Would this be a good first car to learn all things Westfield with?

 

Thanks for the help.

Regards,

 

Adam

[Terry Everall]

I dont know the car!

 

Its quite a high price for crossflow in current market

It has done a lot of miles compared to some cars so look at general underbody and chassis condition for rust and damage

Rollover bar is good

14" wheels not popular as tyre choice a bit limited ( 13"" AND 15" more common)

Most crossflows would not run an oil cooler AFAIK

Check how old tyres are because they may need replacing due to going hard

Cobra seats are a little bulky IMHO

 

Good luck with your search

Have a look in for sale section to do comparisons

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Try and look at/try out as many cars as you can, tempting though it is, don't just buy the first one that comes along!

 

Its not a bad price, but at the moment there have been some absolute bargains around that do make it look a bit steep.

 

Seem to be lots of non standard bits on it that either float your boat or don't. The possible downside is that things may not match the construction manual/workshop manual when it comes to maintenance. It's not a major issue, just depends how confident you are at interpreting how things have been done on other cars and transferring that to this one.

[atl502]

I dont know the car!

 

Its quite a high price for crossflow in current market

It has done a lot of miles compared to some cars so look at general underbody and chassis condition for rust and damage

Rollover bar is good

14" wheels not popular as tyre choice a bit limited ( 13"" AND 15" more common)

Most crossflows would not run an oil cooler AFAIK

Check how old tyres are because they may need replacing due to going hard

Cobra seats are a little bulky IMHO

 

Good luck with your search

Have a look in for sale section to do comparisons

Hi Terry,

 

Thanks for the info, I was wondering whether it was a little expensive for a crossflow. Ideally I would like a 2.0L zetec as these seem the most popular / future proof but unfortunately none seem to be within budget. (I will have to haggle to get the price within budget on this one)

 

I have been keeping an eye on the classifieds here as well yes

 

Cheers

[atl502]

Try and look at/try out as many cars as you can, tempting though it is, don't just buy the first one that comes along!

 

Its not a bad price, but at the moment there have been some absolute bargains around that do make it look a bit steep.

 

Seem to be lots of non standard bits on it that either float your boat or don't. The possible downside is that things may not match the construction manual/workshop manual when it comes to maintenance. It's not a major issue, just depends how confident you are at interpreting how things have been done on other cars and transferring that to this one.

Hi Gadgetman,

 

Ive been looking for a while, was at Stoneleigh this year and am planning to go along to the local Warwickshire meet tonight to get a few more ideas.

 

I know how tempting it is to buy the first one but I will refrain from that!

 

Maybe it is easier to start with a more standard one and upgrade from there, I've heard thats a bit of a disease around here!

 

Thanks,

 

Adam

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

It certainly is. Many owners find the upgrading part is away of stamping their own "identity" on the car, and is a big part of the enjoyment.

 

One thing I would say though, there are very few upgrades that will actually make the money back when it comes time to sell, (they're not investments, so just do them for the pleasure they give directly!). This does mean you can, with patience, often pick a car up with some of the key upgrades you might want, without having to pay through the nose for it. Engines are probably the best example of an upgrade that doesn't make it's costs back.

 

If you can, do try and get the car with the drivetrain you'd prefer. Obviously you can swap engines gearboxes etc later. BUT, it's not uncommon for an engine swap to end up costing upwards of £2000, and that's in addition to the cost of the engine. It won't add £2k + to the value of the car though, sadly.

[atl502]

It certainly is. Many owners find the upgrading part is away of stamping their own "identity" on the car, and is a big part of the enjoyment.

 

One thing I would say though, there are very few upgrades that will actually make the money back when it comes time to sell, (they're not investments, so just do them for the pleasure they give directly!). This does mean you can, with patience, often pick a car up with some of the key upgrades you might want, without having to pay through the nose for it. Engines are probably the best example of an upgrade that doesn't make it's costs back.

 

If you can, do try and get the car with the drivetrain you'd prefer. Obviously you can swap engines gearboxes etc later. BUT, it's not uncommon for an engine swap to end up costing upwards of £2000, and that's in addition to the cost of the engine. It won't add £2k + to the value of the car though, sadly.

Appreciate the advice, not too unsurprising, upgrades never make money back but are worth the personal pleasure!

 

Would a Zetec be the recommended choice of engine? I know I need to experience them myself as well though. Unfortunately I believe a budget of £6k won't allow for a well sorted Zetec with RAC bar and full wet weather gear (Will be kept outside) though.... 

 

Maybe I need to get over to the 'Wanted' section

[Rory's Dad]

am planning to go along to the local Warwickshire meet tonight to get a few more ideas.

 

Right now, that's the very best thing you can do

 

Rory's Dad

[IanG1]

A post in the wanted section is always worthwhile. This along with a visit to the local area meet was how I managed to find my car.

Sometimes folks are spurred into action when they see a wanted ad for a car they have been considering selling but have been put off by the potential hastle and the thought of time wasting tyre kickers.

Make sure you include your location and how far you are willing to travel along with details of what you are actually looking for and what you may consider (i.e want a zetec but may consider X flow, pinto CX20E etc)

 

Good luck

 

Ian

[atl502]

Thanks all, great advice.

 

I will continue the search, local meets and wanted ads and fingers crossed I manage to unearth the right one.

 

Sound advice on the wanted ad information too Ian, thanks.

[SootySport]

   A X flow from a dealer is adding about a £1000 to the price over a privately bought one.

   £6000 may just be enough to buy a 2Litre Vauxhall C20XE which is what I did and upgrade to the spec. I wanted.

   A Zetec 2.0 is not going to be possible I feel but a 1.8Zetec possibly yes for £6k.

[IanG1]

 

 

Sound advice on the wanted ad information too Ian, thanks.

 

No problem, just came out my own experiences.

 

As for the car you originally posted about, I would agree on it being overpriced in the current market and would say that is a £5.5K car? The £7K is very optimistic but then again sometimes people jump in without doing any research and bring a big smile to a dealers face.

Let us know how you get on.

[atl502]

   A X flow from a dealer is adding about a £1000 to the price over a privately bought one.

   £6000 may just be enough to buy a 2Litre Vauxhall C20XE which is what I did and upgrade to the spec. I wanted.

   A Zetec 2.0 is not going to be possible I feel but a 1.8Zetec possibly yes for £6k.

 

I think I would be happy with a 2L Vauxhall or a smaller Zetec, just looking for reliability with decent go per weight. I dont want to end up getting bored and needing more power too quickly.

 

No problem, just came out my own experiences.

 

As for the car you originally posted about, I would agree on it being overpriced in the current market and would say that is a £5.5K car? The £7K is very optimistic but then again sometimes people jump in without doing any research and bring a big smile to a dealers face.

Let us know how you get on.

 

I was thinking it was more around that price range yes, adds up with Sootys suggestion of a 1k margin. Room for haggling maybe but seems there may be better options out there for me. 

 

Certainly want to do my research first though.

 

Will keep the thread updated as I go, im sure more questions will arise (apologies in advance!)

 

Thanks a lot

[FILFAN]

I wouldn't pay more than 5k for that car. It's very nice but you can get a good 2.0 16v car for that money if your patient

[atl502]

I wouldn't pay more than 5k for that car. It's very nice but you can get a good 2.0 16v car for that money if your patient

 

Seems like the majority say its quite heavily over priced, thanks for the input. Will still go to view, if nothing else they have a few cars there which will give me a benchmark for the future.

 

Is the general consensus a 2.0L Vauxhall is a better engine than a 2L Pinto?