SimonG Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Hi All I have just joined the WSCC as I am looking to buy my first Westfield. I was wondering if any of you could suggest the best model to start with. I am not a Mechanic, so nothing too fancy. I would be using the car for fun driving days & the occasional track day at Snetterton. With such a wide range of models, price tags, engine sizes etc its a bit daunting to know where to start. I would be looking to spend around £6000 max. Any suggestions would be appreciated Kind regards Simon G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin (Mr T) Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Welcome to the club. The most important thing is take your time, the right car will come along. Try to get to a local meet. The Essex guys meet up near Chelmsford a week today, so that might be a start. A chance to see some variations and maybe get a ride. Let me know if you can and I will ping the details to you. Don't worry about not being a "mechanic", this forum can help you through most things, and I am proof of that! Choose wisely, then have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigals Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikef Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinten Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Welcome Simon. The advice above to visit your local area meet is a good one and I would strongly suggest you do. You need to find out if you are a 'narrow' or a 'wide' body person, before engine preference comes into play. A budget is of £6K is not bad, but you will need to realise that it is at the low end of the scale, so the Westfields in that range will either have an older engine (Xflow, CVH, Pinto), or somewhat dated bodywork, or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 from Essex. As said before, 6k. will buy you the older Xflow/Pinto engine cars and you should, with patience find a 1.8 Zetec or a 2.0 Vauxhall Redtop powered Westfield which would be more modern. Kit cars are more labour intensive than yer average Tin Top so you'll need some tools to tackle the servicing and some upgrades you will eventually end up doing. Good luck with your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 All good advice, not sure about the narrow bit though, plenty of wides normally around at that money, those as said most will have Pintos or similar age engines. (Some sales sites, Pistonheads in particular will give you a somewhat inflated view of Westfield prices, so I can see where the narrow thing came form - though as an existing owner, I'd love it for their values to be the average!) If you can tackle jobs yourself, great, you'll find plenty of advice and help on here, but if you'd rather not, don't be put off either. There are plenty of members that don't do any serice work themselves, there's no shame in it! On the whole, they're quite straightforward cars to work on, with plenty of room under the bonnet to work, (V8's excluded, they're a bit of a squeeze!) If you do use a garage, try and find somewhere used to dealing with old school Fords and you shouldn't go far wrong! Just remember that to all intents and purposes you're dealing with a car from the fifties/sixties/seventies when it comes to maintenance, so a little and frequent is the order of the day rather than huge service bills every two years/20000 miles! The real beauty of Westfields in the price range you're looking at is that once bought, if maintained and kept in the same standard, they will loose very little if any value over the course of ownership. Indeed, get one in need of a little fettling or tidying up and it could even gain value! Above all, never be afraid to ask! Oh, and of course, welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_R Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 I only recently joined myself and am a member of the £6k club of Westfield motoring so welcome :-) You will find everyone really helpful on this site and the amount of info I've found out over the last few weeks has saved me a bundle in mechanic fees. I managed to get a Wide Bodied with the mighty X-Flow engine ... which is in generally good mechanical condition but needing some work (mostly cosmetic but with some electrical gremlins thrown in). My reason for setting that budget was I wanted a car that was road worthy (e.g. not a half completed project) but also something which I could upgrade & potter with in the garage. £6k on eBay will get you an older vehicle and if you are willing to travel you will find a solid & honest car. Don't get caught up in the romance of the first car you see ... believe me it's intoxicating driving in even a rubbish Westy so keep your head screwed on and be willing to walk away. Finally I've found that Easter to Summer tends to increase the price of the vehicles (first bit of sunshine and everyone wants a two seater) but over the winter months they will be slightly cheaper ... although there will be less choice around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murraymint Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonG Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 Thank you to all that replied to my message regarding first car to buy & welcoming me to the club. I work offshore for three weeks at a time but will try & get to a local meet ASAP as suggested. I will let you all know how I get on. Many thanks Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowy892 Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Hi Simon, Where a bout's are you? as you mentioned Snetterton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamperMan Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Most the replacement ford bits are cheep. Racks, track rods etc. Expensive stuff are the upgrades and Westfield specific bits. Bodywork can be expensive to repair as fibre glass repairs are considered specialist.. or it takes time to find replacement noses, bonnets wings of the right kit style. I'd say prioritise on body and chassis condition. These cars are prone to progressive driving so make sure it's not on the insurance register. Also check for chassis damage. It's not hard to tap a front wheel and damage the front chassis. A genuine sellor will probably take the nose off for you. If you need to run to the nearest mechanic every time something goes wrong in the ironing out niggles phase of ownership you might want to consider a better lower spec car for the money. Watch out for butchered looms etc. It's a kit car so build quality varies hugely but not as much as other kits as the Westfield kit largly fitted together without special one off solutions. I've seen advertised a number of good looking cars at 6k. For what my opinions worth before handing over money if your technically challenged take some one who knows with you. it will ultimately be the best value several boxes of beer you'll ever give away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonG Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 Hi Snowy 982. I live in Brampton which is just outside Beccles, Suffolk. Thanks Damper man for your feed back. Much appreciated. Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 If you are back home on 22nd. Sept. you're welcome to come along to Snetterton where two of us will be tramping around the track. You're welcome to come for a ride round with both of us to see what you can expect -------if you dare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonG Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Hi Sooty sport. Many thanks for the invite as I would of loved to come along & meet you both & to have a spin. I'm afraid as soon as I get home I have to go to spend four days at my brothers. That's one bad thing about working offshore mate as you miss out sometimes. Would love to come another time. Many thanks Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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