Hafod

[Hafod]

Buying a nearly complete Westfield build before IVA

 

Will I have any issues with the IVA if I buy a part complete build from another person? All parts are new I am being told and look so in the photos. 

 

I understand it will needs to be demonstrated its a amateur build and I will need receipts of the major parts from Westfield, raceline etc. 

 

Any Advice would be welcome to this prospective new Westy Owner

 

Thanks 

 

Hafod

[Alan France]

It’s helpful to have a series of build up photos if those are available.

 

If all the parts are new from Westfield there should be a large bill of materials from them.

 

You will need an evidence of newness from Westfield for a new registration.

 

I guess be a careful as you would with any car, see the proof rather than listen to the sales pitch.

 

If the builder had a build blog on this forum that would be very reassuring.

 

[Rhett Turner - Black Country AO]

I guess some of the important questions/things to consider are.

how close to complete is it.

when was it started (the IVA tests changes periodically becoming more stringent) so dependent upon when it was started it may or may not have been built to the current standards.

Are there lots of pictures/evidence of what and how it has been built, when you apply for your IVA you can supply photos, links to build diaries etc to assist with the IVA assessment. Pictures taken during the build help to show how something that is now hidden looked.

Do you personally know the seller and therefore understand how fastidious or not they may be. 

Anecdotally I've heard that quite often when picking up a part built car project the first thing to be done is to strip it back to quite a degree and start again. Doing this achieves two things, you can be sure of the build quality and you can can provide the evidence for the IVA inspection. (this partly depends upon the previous statement)

How much are they asking and how does this compare with sourcing the parts your self (this again relates to the previous statement)

 

Good luck with your making your decision, it's not an easy one.  

 

 

[Oily Steve]

I bought mine part built from the previous owner and successfully completed it and put it through the IVA process a few years ago, so it is definitely achievable.

I also had the added complication that the previous owner was working towards the SVA regs which were superseded by IVA when I bought it.

 

I must admit I had bought the car without really realising what was involved in the IVA process but as mentioned above, if you have some build photos and the receipts from Westfield and any other suppliers, then hopefully you won't have a problem.

 

You have already done something that I should have done at the time, but didn't, which is to ask for advice from the very knowledgeable members of this club before buying the car. 😃

 

 

[Gary Taylor]

I did exactly that, I found a number of build quality issues so went over everything again for my own piece of mind . I had few receipts with it but I didn’t object to getting a Q plate registration 

you can download a copy of the Iva manual and the forum here is a great extra set of eyes , help and advice

if you do take the plunge start a build thread , post loads of pictures and everyone will help with anything you are unsure of 

here’s a couple of pictures to encourage you from pick up to on the road and having fun

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Welcome!

 

its absolutely do-able, but a real how long is a piece of string question without doing a thorough examination of the car.

 

The utter worst case scenario would be needing to strip it right back to the earliest stages and having to virtually start again, even down to removing brake and fuel lines to get fixing spacings right etc. And the very best case would be a few weekends worth of tidying and IVA prep jobs. Or more realistically, it will fall somewhere in the middle!

 

New parts mean nothing and are of no more value than normal second hand, without receipts, receipts, receipts! With something like this, paperwork is everything to do with what it's worth. However tempting it might look, and even if it's fully drivable, without the paperwork, the value is affected, as it's not a car, just a collection of old bits.

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with ultimately having a q plate, of course, so don't be put off if that is the likely result, but do use it as leverage when it comes to values.

 

Dont underestimate the cost of putting through IVA and registration, either. Not only are the tests expensive these days, but factor in the other getting on the road costs and IVA prep costs. It wouldn't be unreasonable, on a well built car that is genuinely likely to pass IVA with just the normal final IVA prep left to do, to allow the best part of a grand to get it to the registered on the road stage, so the money paid should reflect that. 

 

If more work work is needed, then it could cost double that. This shouldn't necessarily put you off any given Westfield, provided the price paid is realistic and reflects this. And of course, you understand, and are up for, the work required.

 

Be aware though, that it's also easy to get carried away and start personalising and modifying the car to your own tastes at the same time, so make sure this is a route you're picking, for the right reason! (Neither building, nor buying a pre-IVA part built cars are necessarily the cheapest way into Westfields ownership, a fullybuilt registered car is almost always the way to go, if that's your goal. But they are a fantastically rewarding way into ownership, if you enjoy the work involved.)

[Gary Taylor]

Well said Dave, I had a lot of “missing “ bits and some I wanted to replace for peace of mind

I then discovered carbon nv and jk seats, the wheels were the wrong offset etc and tbh a lot of these became obvious in the cold light of day once home

Hence I decided to add what I wanted as I built, however I did use some of the more notable problems to bring the purchase price down . Also I enjoyed the build aspect as much as the driving. And I didn’t buy as an investment but to keep (for personal reasons)

Regarding Iva this is the second 7 I have built and iva’d  and provided you take your time and do it right as you go found it reasonably straight forward and hassle free.

I would echo again that depending on the state of build and the true condition of the car , be prepared to strip back some of the work done to reassure yourself of the integrity of the work done so far.

iva costs £450 ish , retest is £90 ish then your registration/ tax is £300 ish but this includes a first registration fee, these are the hidden cost that are often forgotten about.

so as Dave said and especially at this time of year you may find a registered driveable car at a similar price that you can then upgrade to your wishes

it is quite hard to give much more advice without knowing the age and state of the kit . But if I can be of any further help just shout out

 

[Hafod]

Hi all,

 

thanks all for the useful advice, car bought and now in my garage. The build level is great as it was from a well respected owner who has built a few kits. 
 

In the process of assessing what few parts I need to buy to finish off the car. 
 

Happy to now be a Westfield owner after first going on a test drive from the factory about 30 years ago. 
 

 

[Gary Taylor]

Congratulations now we have to have pictures, it’s the rules .....

 

[Hafod]

Here's the car ready to be finished. Not so much to do now after last weekend. Really enjoying the build so far and can’t wait to get through the IVA and on the road for the summer. 

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

Looking good, have you got a 'tea tray' number plate holder for the rear? They're often for sale post IVA on here.

 

Also, I assume you're aware that you'll need 'witches hats' for you harness clips and you'll need to present to IVA without your boot lid due to the locks used.

 

 

[Jim RS]

12 minutes ago, Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO said:

Looking good, have you got a 'tea tray' number plate holder for the rear? They're often for sale post IVA on here.

 

Also, I assume you're aware that you'll need 'witches hats' for you harness clips and you'll need to present to IVA without your boot lid due to the locks used.

 

 

I didn't know a holder was required, my examiner never questioned the area saying that it had a dedicated number plate recess as here (FW ) and I'd used 2 lights(from donor Sierra). He did ask where the front was going to go though and I answered "below the grill on the vertical face" which was approved.

Also needs soft covers over seat belt eyes, a bit petty in even the examiners eyes but required.

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

42 minutes ago, Snags said:

I didn't know a holder was required, my examiner never questioned the area saying that it had a dedicated number plate recess as here (FW ) and I'd used 2 lights(from donor Sierra). He did ask where the front was going to go though and I answered "below the grill on the vertical face" which was approved.

Also needs soft covers over seat belt eyes, a bit petty in even the examiners eyes but required.

The space on @Hafod car, isn't technically big enough for the IVA test plate. The latest FW bodywork has a wider flat area and no recess, Hence the tray won't be required by them.

 

Hence the tray is a work around. You may get a sensible IVA tester who would pass without it, but it's not worth a revisit if he does.

 

Here's a pic of mine ready for IVA.

 

Post IVA and following recent winter upgrades, it looks a little different.

 

 

[Jim RS]

Here's mine with standard size plate apart from number plate that is all I supplied, seat belt eye covers have gone though.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Many actually find the seat belt covers handy for reducing "chatter" from the fixtures, and for helping stop the metal shackles marking the seats.