New member looking to buy first Westfield

[Eastwood]

Hi All,

I've finally decided to take the plunge and buy a Westfield, mainly for road use but will also do some track days (got the track day bug when I owned a VX220 a few years ago and really miss it !).

I'm a little anxious about taking the plunge with a Westfield as it's a completely different beast to anything I've bought and owned before...............so looking for as much advice as possible re: what to look for/check, what to go for, what to avoid, what the 'must have' spec is in terms of gearbox, LSD, brakes, suspension, etc.  Really not sure about the various engine options...............was leaning towards red top/zetec/duratec unit ?  Are there any good buying guides or similar out there (did a search but it didn't yield a great deal, other than telling me the difference between SE, SEi and SEiW).

Budget wise - £15k absolute max.  Seen quite a few for sale with Toy Box in Ashby de la Zouch...........are these guys any good ?

Many thanks,

[Kevin (Mr T)]

That's a good budget and should see you in a very well equipped car.

Toy Box are a dealer, so you will pay a premium.

Try to get along to your local meet and have a look at a few members cars and discuss the pros and cons.

Most importantly, take your time. You have a good budget and for that money, with patience, should be able to find exactly what you want.

[noggin]

You'd be better actually going to Toybox to see what he has in stock. His website is usually out of date and bears little resemblance to his actual stock! You can also see cars being prepped for sale and get in there first. I bought my Westie from Andrew and I've used his services for upgrades. As said, he is a dealer and you'll pay a premium. I don't begrudge the guy a living and I like to have somewhere to touch base if the car goes wrong or needs work. I'll probably end up selling my car back to them when the time comes!

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

...And Toybox pay some of those profits back to the club, to purchase advertsing space in the magazine, directly contributing to all our club lives...

Its the circle of life!

[SootySport]

 Good time of the year for a car search and meeting other members at their club meets or trackdays,  most members are happy to take you on passenger rides, it's how I found out on what to buy and what not to buy and don't rush into buying the first car you see.   £15k is going to get you one of the best cars wish I had that budget when I was looking.

[Weekend Warrior]

Hello and welcome ,

I Was in your position and had the same budget not that long ago,now I'm the owner of a little cracker.

I found a car and went to my local meet to ask a few questions  before I done the deal and it was a well spent evening !

The next meet is next week at Sywell ,if you come along I may not be the only one who doesn't know that much .

Here's what my money got me ,good luck with your search .

 

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

This is Craigs car and its a brilliant car.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WESTFIELD-ST170-DURATEC-WITH-WORKING-VVT-/112455843253?hash=item1a2ee3fdb5:g:wfEAAOSw-29ZT3s3

 

 

[Andy Dawson]

Another one here who was in your position last year.  It was an itch I had to scratch, and like you I'd had fast cars before, but nothing like a Westy.  I had a bit of a wish list spec wise, but wasn't too set on it.  The overall package is the important thing, and it's got to feel right - both the car and vendor.  Look at a number before you commit to one, and spend time viewing as many as you can - get used to what good looks like.  And as others have said, area meets I'm sure are useful, although I didn't have that luxury!  Good luck!

[chris parkin]

- Get to your local meet, AND SIT IN THE CAR!!!! So important you decide if you want a narrow or a wide body, I couldn't get in a narrow body when I went to look
- There is a buying guide and what to look for on one of the sections on this site.
- many different engine configs, most ford engines are coupled to a type 9 (sierra) gearbox and diff but for your price range you're probably looking at something a little newer.
- Personal opinion, but I'd only look at track specific cars if you want to move more towards it later on, small comforts like a proper windscreen, doors, softer road suspension are really important if you're just going to enjoy it on the road.
 

I bought one a year ago, not tracked it yet but its the most fun I've ever had in a car, worth every penny and with that budget you will get a serious nice example. I look forward to hearing what you've got and welcome to the club!

[andy665]

I'd echo other peoples comments about Toybox. When I started looking I paid Andrew a visit - his stock was completely different to what was on the website - a little disappointing but he is a small business and I'm sure struggles with finding the time to keep his web stock list up to date. He was very happy to talk and seeing the cars there it is clear that he prepares his cars well. As it happens I ended up buying privately but that is not a reflection of Toybox, simply a case he had nothing that appealed and was in my price range but a private seller did

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

To be honest, I don't think the web site stock thing is that wildly different to many car dealers, it's just that with no two Westfields being truely alike, it shows up much more for someone like Andrew.

As you say, it's disappointing if you see a particular car that you fancy, though that in certain ways isn't a bad thing  buying a kit car with your heart rather than your head can work out expensive if not down right painful, if you're really, really, unlucky!

You are genuinely better looking at as many as you can, so that you give your self something to compare against, it also means you can be much stricter when you find something that doesn't feel right, or that has doubts. Whereas, and I'm sure we've all done it, I know I have, setting your heart on something ahead of time, means you tend to forgive it for lots of things, when really you shouldn't!

[Eastwood]

Thanks for all the replies.

I've spoken to Andrew at toybox and planning to head over there in the next couple of weeks.  I'll do some track days but most use will be on the road..........want to do some touring around uk and also southern France, Switzerland and Austria next year, so need a car spec'd accordingly..........I guess something more in the 'fast road' category than hard core track beast.

Is the Sywell meet this weekend (8th/9th) or next (which is BGP) ? Do they happen fairly frequently over the summer ? Really keen to get along to one of these asap.

[Quinten]

Hi Eastwood  

The Sywell meet is this Monday, from 19:30 onwards in The Horseshoe, not The Aviator.  Would be good to meet you there!

[noggin]

I'll probably at the meet at Sywell. I'm thinking of selling my Westy - only half your budget so plenty of money left for modding, It's more a road car than a track car. It came from Toybox and my intention was to try selling it back to Andrew but if someones interested..............

[Hemsley]

If you visit the Silverstone Classic at the end of July you'll probably see a very wide range of Westfields parked on the infield. Not sure if Toybox will be there, but there may be a couple of private sale cars too.