Thinking of a change...

[Greenstreak-Andy D]

Dave, you hit nail on head about my experience. Like a boat! Agree

I'm lucky enough to own a reliable duratec powered module built Westie.

Difference is I didn't build this one, so great as it is, somehow a Westie you built is a bit more a part of you!

Even tried to buy the original Westie back, with a blown head gasket! No go though

To summarise, performance per pound, a Westie is difficult to beat. Depreciation is almost zero too. Westie will never be practical, but if when you do drive it, the rewards are always better than a more refined tin top!

Andy

[jeff oakley]

I too have been having a dilemma with the Westfield. I was lucky in I had two, one for the road one for track. I sold my road one as due to many issues I had not used it on the road much and advertised it when I was at a low ebb and it sold.

No problem I still had the track one which was road registered so started to use that. On track it is fantastic, on the road it is awful.

So I now find my self wanting a new road car, but what to get or build. On the list is an Elan +2 with a Zetec or Duratec on a Spyder chassis. A Chesil speedster. or a Sebring.

It must have doors, must have ability to excite and must be capable of propelling an aging body across Europe in comfort (well comparitivly speaking.

I find myself unable to decide but out of all of them the Lotus appeals as it is a build which will produce a car that will still excite, but it is expensive.

with the Westfield, it was always an event to drive it, but always a pain if you got caught in the rain, or wanted to buy anything whilst out

[Buzz Billsberry]

Ref the TVR's reliability a lot of it I just down to the owners; as most of them think they know about cars and the sad truth is they know very little even down to basics. The usual faults with them are just bad earths and their owners not having a clue.... I run a TVR Tamora which is one of the later T cars and I've had only the one issue which was on holiday and that was an earth issue cos the doughnut previously couldn't fully tighten the main chassis earth bolt used araldite to secure it and this fatigued over the years and failed as I was going down one of the passes in Switzerland I had no power and no power steering...that was indeed an under paint moment near involving a 3800 ft drop☹. I've done 20k in the car since 2013 it's been reliable,warm,dry and fast with great handling. The only down side is the cost of parts which have TVR tax added to them. I still have my SEiGHT factory built car...and just can't seem to let go of it.

If I was looking again I'd go down the root of the Boxster...all the crap about been a poor mans Porsche or a hairdressers car don't know what they're talking about. These are a fine handling cars they drive as easy as a fiesta, reliable as a Toyota and as cheap to run as mondeo.... I have 4 mates that went from Westy ownership to these cars and loved them. I spent a day running one round Oulton Park and what a laugh a great budget car.....but for me the Elise or 220 would also be a weapon of choice obviously I can't speak for other equally good rides as I've not driven them so I want bulls*** you with what I don't know

Buzz

[dombanks]

Thanks everyone for your input. I guess looking into getting a screen may be a good idea for winter, quite like the aeroscreen for summer though. But you obviously cant have both easily.

for me putting a screen on transformed the ownership experince and i dont regret it. i dont track the car much so dont care about how it effects performance. (i didnt notice too much of a difference anyway)

i use it with doors rather than the side screen things and for me it went from being blustery and in your face to a much more comfy place to sit back and enjoy the car. (i drive my z with the windows up too) i found i could have a conversation with a passenger at most speeds, i didnt use a helmet much anyway but now never put one on. all in for me it made the car much more enjoyable.

 

i also like the look of the screen on the car as its a bit more car like ... i think the massive point of red with just a little black aero and the standard roll bar made me think my car looked a bit like a giant tool! but thats just me.

 

another one to consider if you do go is the z4 //m not too expensive to run and pretty decent performance.

[Simon_Jones]

As Adam R said, what about a MK1 MX5?  You can still get them for peanuts (although prices are on the up).  You could tax and insure one for the cost of a service on a Porsche, Lotus, etc. and then get your money back if you want to sell it.  

 

It is the perfect car for when you wouldn't want to take the Westfield out in winter weather or on a really wet trackday (fantastic heater, proper windscreen and waterproof hood that you can use at all speeds, no fears about bumping an expensive fiberglass body, reliable, etc, etc.).  You could very well be quicker in one than your Westfield in poor conditions and then save the Westy for when you can get the best out of it.....Best of both worlds....

 

Simon.

[McDuff]

A very interesting discussion.       At 62, my first choice was a BSA M20  motorbike, which combined a bit of history with a totally new ride experience (I had never ridden a motorbike before!)

 

However after 7 hours of bike lessons, during which I managed to fall off regularly, breaking small bone in my foot, I reluctantly decided you probably can't teach an old dog new tricks, and retired to lick my bruised ego !

 

Then I thought about a Westie, and found a well looked after example last year.  

 

It was well sorted and gave me a great intro into this new world of basic performance  motoring.  But left me a little underwhelmed by the performance of it's 1600 CVH, with single Weber.

 I think 0-60 was a little over 7 seconds, and I hankered after something more.

 

So when Tricky's 1900 CVH came up for sale, I took the plunge and , as documented elsewhere in these pages,  swapped the engines, and a great deal more besides.

 

It is now approaching roadworthiness and I hope to take advantage of all this "upgraditis" when the weather improves next year. 

 

Brought up on the usual diet of MGs and Triumphs , a few Yanks and with goes in Jensen Interceptor and more recently Audi A6 etc  I look back fondly on all of them .

 

But after modifying/tinkering with the Westie I feel more involved, and sat behind the wheel blasting along on a warm summers evening through the fenlands of East Anglia looking out over the clamshell wings and long nose , I am reminded of cars 70 years before, but a blip on the throttle and I am transported back to the present day as she reminds me what driving should be all about!

 

Great fun. 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

looking out over the clamshell wings and long nose , I am reminded of cars 70 years before, but a blip on the throttle and I am transported back to the present day as she reminds me what driving should be all about!

 

Great fun.

Snap! I loved my cycle winged car, and I loved its performance, looks, the whole package. It felt good at speed and it felt good just bumbling along, and of course, watching the front wheels going up and down, turning and moving in front of you never got old.

Except...

Just like McDuff said, there's something about that view out of the windscreen on the clamshelled car that somehow transports me to another world, everytime I drive it. I fell for the clamshell look from the outside looking back at the car, I'd never actually sat in one, so during the build when the wings were on and screen in, for the first time, when I nipped up, (it was on stands) for a quick sit in, I was absolutely blown away by the view in front of me.

I know they're not for everyone, but in a hobby car like these, or whatever car you eventually settle on, it's important that it stirs your soul; if it doesn't talk to you at some level, then you've not found your right match yet.

[Ninja]

I loved my westie (including all the hours I spent fixing and re-fixing it), although i found i just simply didn't drive it enough once the family came along.. I finally sold it this summer around the time our boy turned three - so it definitely wasn't a knee jerk reaction to having kids!

 

I wasn't prepared to give up on a fun car however, my main requirements are trackdays, autosolos, commuting, general blatting, and (actually most importantly) could take a child seat (which enables the commute).

 

So... I bought an S1 Elise (118bhp), sadly the head gasket went within a month :-( upgraditis caused my rebuild to cost a shade more than it should/could have (flowed head, fast cams, vernier pulleys, larger throttle body, induction kit, exhaust, S2 suspension, new wheels) :-) however I've ended up with something much faster than before, with better handling, and when I can justify another grand i'll put an ECU on it and take to to Troy for some fine tuning ;-)

 

So, whilst its not as quick, nimble or raw as the westie, its certainly an engaging drive, it performed very well at a Snetterton trackday, and I've done more miles in it in 3months than i did in the last 3 years of owning the Westfield... (however i still read this forum more than any other, so I imagine i'll be back at some point... ;-) )

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

I loved my westie (including all the hours I spent fixing and re-fixing it), although i found i just simply didn't drive it enough once the family came along.. I finally sold it this summer around the time our boy turned three - so it definitely wasn't a knee jerk reaction to having kids!

 

I wasn't prepared to give up on a fun car however, my main requirements are trackdays, autosolos, commuting, general blatting, and (actually most importantly) could take a child seat (which enables the commute).

 

So... I bought an S1 Elise (118bhp), sadly the head gasket went within a month :-( upgraditis caused my rebuild to cost a shade more than it should/could have (flowed head, fast cams, vernier pulleys, larger throttle body, induction kit, exhaust, S2 suspension, new wheels) :-) however I've ended up with something much faster than before, with better handling, and when I can justify another grand i'll put an ECU on it and take to to Troy for some fine tuning ;-)

 

So, whilst its not as quick, nimble or raw as the westie, its certainly an engaging drive, it performed very well at a Snetterton trackday, and I've done more miles in it in 3months than i did in the last 3 years of owning the Westfield... (however i still read this forum more than any other, so I imagine i'll be back at some point... ;-) )

 

 

ayup fella

 

did you mention breaking down

[B.RAD]

So what have you decided OP?

[Ninja]

ayup fella

 

did you mention breaking down

Harsh mate ;-) its all part of the journey!

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

Harsh mate ;-) its all part of the journey!

 

well half a journey