RS250 Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 Hi Guys, Just signed up to the forum. not got a westie yet but on the lookout for one, probably a cheapie for the road and possibly on track just to get me started or if there is one with 220+hp and is road reg and track suitable at a reasonable price then i would definately be up for that, cash waiting. I have a Track Meg rs250 as my main track car but i fancy a westie for sunday morning blasts and some evening runs when the kids are in bed. A bit of a petrol head having motorbikes and cars as well much to the Mrs' Dismay. Not sure if there are members in the local area but would be great to meet up if there is a local meet, socially distanced of course. I do know one of the members on here as we meet up on track days from time to time and he has got my interest going. anyway many thanks Chris 3 Quote
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 @RS250 It may help if you define cheap! There's some good, nice ones sometimes found for £5-8K, however a 220+ track focused car, built to a good standard will cost a lot more. There's plenty of owners on here with 150-170BHP Zetec powered Westie's that have a great time on track and given they weigh a lot less than your Megane, you'll still be impressed. @Martin Letts - AO Hampshire and Isle of Wight and @Steve Smith - AO Hampshire And Isle Of Wight are your local area organisers, so should be able to advise how and when then meet, once lockdown allows us to! Then I'd suggest getting along and seeing the cars other members in your area have and I'm sure they'll give you a ride round to help with your section. Our members map- https://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/membermap/ (You may not have access to this, until you join up fully- and you'll soon see why this is excellent value and the best car club on the planet!) Show's this for your area, so your certainly not alone! 2 Quote
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 Welcome, not much I can add beyond Ian's very thorough post. Absolutely do give the (slightly) lower power cars a try. On twisty roads and tight circuits, those power advantages disappear faster than you'd believe. Quote
RS250 Posted July 17, 2020 Author Posted July 17, 2020 Hi Ian and Dave, many thanks for the replies and I will try to get along to one of the meets, there is a Caterham...cough (am I allowed to say that on this site?).... one that happens near me from time to time which I have been along to a couple of years ago. I guess the definition of cheap is from £5k to 18k. I am thinking of dipping my toe in the water with a sub £10k one as it is only primarily for short fun trips out locally, but if I found a good one with the right spec I would go for a much higher spec track/road version and may be tempted to trailer it to a trackday the odd time. The meg is really very track focused so that is my main track weapon. I did a day at abingdon last friday and there were a few Caterham/Westies there that day having fun if anyone has one for sale or they are thinking of selling then drop me a pm if within 50 miles or so of RG27, or drop me a PM with a phone number and we can chat about the car. I am happy to travel further and could pick up if i brought my trailer along many thanks Chris 1 Quote
Jim RS Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 6 hours ago, RS250 said: Hi Guys, Just signed up to the forum. not got a westie yet but on the lookout for one, probably a cheapie for the road and possibly on track just to get me started or if there is one with 220+hp and is road reg and track suitable at a reasonable price then i would definately be up for that, cash waiting. I have a Track Meg rs250 as my main track car but i fancy a westie for sunday morning blasts and some evening runs when the kids are in bed. A bit of a petrol head having motorbikes and cars as well much to the Mrs' Dismay. Not sure if there are members in the local area but would be great to meet up if there is a local meet, socially distanced of course. I do know one of the members on here as we meet up on track days from time to time and he has got my interest going. anyway many thanks Chris Welcome Chris, I am fairly close living at Ashford Hill and always up for a Covid safe meet. I belong to the local branch which meets at Maidenhead(Hare Hatch), although have not met due to Virus. I only finished mine last year getting all the engine sorted and now fully road ready, not looking to sell however as just getting the taste of POWER😁 Regards Jim 1 Quote
Rob Hunter - Club Secretary Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 Welcome from South Derbyshire! I had a similar journey to Westfield ownership, having put serious cash in building a very track focused hot hatch. I too dipped my toe in the water with a sub £10k 165bhp Zetec engined Westfield. The cornering and braking in the Westfield is such that the Mini has hardly turned a wheel since! 😂 My current Mega S2000 is a car I just cannot see myself ever parting with. The performance is truly epic, on a different level to anything I've ever driven (and I've driven some quick motors over the years). A well set up lower powered Westfield with a skilled driver can get down the road at a remarkable pace. Even with a (very!) mediocre driver like me, not much this side of a lottery win car will know which way it went! Good luck with your search, as a petrolhead I'm sure you won't regret it 👍 Quote
RS250 Posted July 17, 2020 Author Posted July 17, 2020 2 hours ago, Snags said: Welcome Chris, I am fairly close living at Ashford Hill and always up for a Covid safe meet. I belong to the local branch which meets at Maidenhead(Hare Hatch), although have not met due to Virus. I only finished mine last year getting all the engine sorted and now fully road ready, not looking to sell however as just getting the taste of POWER😁 Regards Jim Hi Jim Many thanks for the reply and would love the opportunity to pop over and see yours and talk about the build. Doing my own has always been of interest to me. If you can pm me your mobile and we can connect on whats app if that works for you. Off down the pub shortly for food and drinks with my renaultsport buddies. The chat will be around rebuilt engines and rebuilding after a Ringland failure.... Quote
RS250 Posted July 17, 2020 Author Posted July 17, 2020 1 hour ago, RobH72 said: Welcome from South Derbyshire! I had a similar journey to Westfield ownership, having put serious cash in building a very track focused hot hatch. I too dipped my toe in the water with a sub £10k 165bhp Zetec engined Westfield. The cornering and braking in the Westfield is such that the Mini has hardly turned a wheel since! 😂 My current Mega S2000 is a car I just cannot see myself ever parting with. The performance is truly epic, on a different level to anything I've ever driven (and I've driven some quick motors over the years). A well set up lower powered Westfield with a skilled driver can get down the road at a remarkable pace. Even with a (very!) mediocre driver like me, not much this side of a lottery win car will know which way it went! Good luck with your search, as a petrolhead I'm sure you won't regret it 👍 the mega s2000 I have spotted on toy box caught my attention earlier this week. Very nice 👌 1 Quote
Gary Taylor Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 Welcome from sunny Scotland and good luck with your search Quote
Rob Hunter - Club Secretary Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 15 minutes ago, RS250 said: the mega s2000 I have spotted on toy box caught my attention earlier this week. Very nice 👌 Haha, that's where my current car is from! Andrew and Dale are nice guys, the cars are always well prepped but you do pay a premium... If you do go to Toybox, make sure you stick to your budget... I forgot that when I went 😂 1 Quote
Kit Car Electronics Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 Until you own one, it's really hard to believe what people say about how quick a 'lower' powered car can still be on the road. I've had mine on the road for 22 years (2.0l Zetec around 200hp with a good gearbox and diff) and the performance still shocks me every single year when the roads dry out and I get a 'proper' thrash. Look for low weight, good brakes and good gear ratios and you won't be disappointed. Quote
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 I’ve got one with “only” 125 bhp, a stock Type 9 gearbox with poor ratios, Golf callipers on the back and Landrover Discovery (rear) callipers on the front! And over twisty country roads, it flies! And while I won’t deny, I’ve been faster down some of the roads in Westfields with double the power, it’s not by much! (Of course, as soon as you get somewhere more open, with big straights and long fast bends, then the bigger power cars come into their own.) But it really is worth experimenting with options that you didn’t think would appeal, to really find out what you like! Quote
RS250 Posted July 17, 2020 Author Posted July 17, 2020 4 hours ago, Gary Taylor - Scotland AO said: Welcome from sunny Scotland and good luck with your search Cheers Gary. You have some great roads up there.... very jealous 🥰 1 Quote
RS250 Posted July 17, 2020 Author Posted July 17, 2020 4 hours ago, RobH72 said: Haha, that's where my current car is from! Andrew and Dale are nice guys, the cars are always well prepped but you do pay a premium... If you do go to Toybox, make sure you stick to your budget... I forgot that when I went 😂 it would probably be expensive visiting there as I would probably come away with something above budget😁 1 1 Quote
Steven Thorne Posted July 18, 2020 Posted July 18, 2020 Hi Chris As well as the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area you are within reach of the Thames Valley area as well and you are more than welcome to come along to our next meet, hopefully the 2nd Sunday in August, and have a chat about Westfields. Steve & Tim Quote
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