Stevec33 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue ass fly Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Ime thinking the same Ide suggest you hold on till the weather breaks as 1 its not worth much this time of year 2 you may well fsll in love again in the spring Ive hardly used mine this year due to house move and other stuff and think its an expensive obstacle in the garage Ime going to wait till next year and see if it gets used more I think once i sold it ide never be in a position to replace it again 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 One of our Cheshire members, Andy, who posts as Greenstreak, sold the original XE powered Westfield he'd built, to scratch a long standing itch for an Elise. He then spent the next couple of years with that haunted "I've made a huge mistake look" and generally seeming disappointed with it, (it was a pretty example too, and certainly not a bad car, it just didn't seem to do it for him). Andy's now got a Duratec engined Westfield. Much like a boat, I'd say Andy's too happiest moments with the Elise were the day it arrived and the day it went! Though I know he did have some fun trips with it between those two events... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.RAD Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Hold that thought, wait until next year, if you're still annoyed by little issues after the first few sunny weekends then make the decision. As Steve says, it'll be worth more at that time and you might just find this irritating year of niggly fixes has been worth it.... If not, then you can get rid of it knowing it's the right thing for you and have a play with something else. I still have an Elise itch and had the pleasure of a few passenger rides this year, the chassis and handling is sublime but they are sedate compared to a Westfield. If I stop competing I might go for an Elise and do more touring and trackdays, but I know I'll be annoyed every time a Westy comes past me!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh H Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 On a number of occasions in the past I've owned cars that had a variety of niggly issues and in my experience it absolutely ruins my enjoyment of them. My first Westfield was an excellent example of this; it never actually let me down but I was constantly aware of small details including excessive play in the drive line, an oil leak that I could never completely fix and issues with getting hotter than I was comfortable with on track. Although none of these mechanical problems ever prevented me running the car on any given occasion they subconsciously destroyed my confidence in the car and therefore the enjoyment I got from driving it. Moving on 18 months I specifically sought out a good factory built Duratec car which I'm really pleased with and has no mechanical or electrical issues (there are areas for improvement but no actual problems. I therefore have total confidence in the car and am finding it a vastly more enjoyable ownership experience. If you're now confident the car is 'sorted' be patient and see how you feel next summer after using it a little, I'd wager you might be in love with it again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peet Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I nearly went the 911 route recently. After much thought I've decided I'm sticking with the Westy. I too moved house have done loads of work to it and the Westy isn't running at the moment so feel similar. 1 thing I did do is actually look at those cars. Straight away they just feel like a car to me now. No exposed wheels, no massive indiduality and upgrades cost the earth!! Sort your reliability - for me thats no.1 and just maybe me it's getting away from Webers and fitting bike carbs thru the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevec33 Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 I guess your right i may aswell hang on until the spring now. Today was a classic example of being too cold to use it, but i thought if i had an elise or whatever it would of been fine to take out. I guess thats just part of owning a westy of you dont like going out in the cold youve gotta accept you can't really use it 6 months of the year, dosent stop it being annoying though. I think a lot of the issues ive had would of been easily avoided by buying a factory built duratec car, and if i knew what i know now when I brought mine i would of gone that route. Mine is a self built 2005 vauxhall xe car with 210hp, and a lot of the issues ive had are probably down to the car just having an old engine and the builder perhaps not making the best job of certain things like the wiring. Think i would need an elise/vx220 with at least the same power as mine, probably more to keep me entertained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peet Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Weather would've been ok for me today had it been running! Wrap up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 To get an Elise or VX220 to be as exciting or as quick as a Westy you'll need to spend a lot, and then it probably won't be reliable. We have an S2 Elise in the family, its the worst car I've ever owned. Crap on the road (dampers way too hard, always worried about someone dinging it), handling is 'meh' (far too much understeer, steering is too heavy), have more fun driving a 1.1 Pug 206, paint is bubbling, head gasket went, loads of rattles and squeaks, indicators randomly stop working, cabin leaks. Granted you could sort all this out, but it'd be a few grand more and some peat could still ruin a £2k clam shell with a small hit. On the plus side the seats and steering wheel are nice, and the brakes have good feel (but they are horrible in the 111R (assisted)). I have no idea why Elises are rated so highly, they are just a posh kit car at the end of the day. Must be the badge. I would buy 20 Mk1 MX-5s instead of one Elise - which I could for the same money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevec33 Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Its been like 2 degrees where i am, the car has an aeroscreen too which isnt ideal for the cold, its just not for me going out when its freezing, i know its a girly thing to say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Persistent problems can be very draining, especially if they're the sort that shakes your confidence in a car. I feel your pain, many of us will have been there at one time or another, for whatever reason, especially if developing the car beyond the standard. If you have the patience and the ability to work through the issues, then apart from being rewarding in its own right, you will end up with something mouth at apart from being solid, will transcend just being a "car"; too much of you will be wrapped up in it! If not, there's no shame in cutting your losses and either trying something new or as one of the other posters did, going for a car that's already sorted. There's two, slightly contradictory things I would say though! 1. Never forget that essentially a Westfield is a very old design for a vehicle, and although updated with many much more modern parts and components, it doesn't necessarily need the servicing/maintenance/tweaking of an old classic from the same era, it does, by its very nature, and always will, need more attention and preventative maintenance than a really modern car. 2. Don't accept any old roughness and odd problems, just because it's a kit car - it doesn't have to be like that, it's just that someone at some stage in the build has said, "meh, that'll do" or "that's good enough", when it wouldn't do and it wasn't good enough. Get 1. right on a decent build, and you've got a solid reliable car. However you want to use it, be it track days on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Also bear in mind there's a reason why the factory sell so many variations, from the Aerorace style models, with aeroscreened, cages and extra cooling ducting for the track, to comfy seated, heater equipped cars for the road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peet Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Ooomph Dave kick me while i'm down!! Haha The reason mine is still off road apart from lack of time is I'm correcting loads of 'meh that'll do!' type problems. When I sell my car it'll be perfect and I'll know what to look for next time - I can spot them a mile off now. They cause the unreliability that ruins Westy ownership. Stick with it, finish it and use it for any reason - that's my goal at the moment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekJ Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I sold my Westie earler this year and have just started to build an Aeon http://www.aeonsportscars.com Picked up the chassis and body last Friday and it's in the garage now. 200 Hp, mid engine, central dirver position and two passenger seets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CosKev Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Its been like 2 degrees where i am, the car has an aeroscreen too which isnt ideal for the cold, its just not for me going out when its freezing, i know its a girly thing to say! Get a bike helmet and a good coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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