Joe Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 As some may have guessed by the time I spend on blatchat, by the amount of 7 clothing I have, the small library of 7 books, and by the fact that I (try to) attend two area meetings, not to mention trackdays ect, I am COMPLETLY obsessed with the 7. I have wanted one ever since I read the JPE review (I therefore would have only been 7 at the time! The thing is, I'm getting impatient and can't wait untill I'm rich enough to afford a Caterham! Should I save my money and wait untill I have finished university, or should I live of stale bread and pasta for the 3 years and buy the most basic of basic Westfield starter kits? The one I have in mind is the single donor veichle (sierra) which is 2200 pounds. I have dismissed things like the Robin Hood, Locost and alike as they look a bit crappy Don't surpose anyone has any addvice How much is the LEAST I could really get away with to finish one of these kits with all the extra bits and bobs I will need? Also who handy with the spanner need I be? I have some basic skills (done some stuff to my 1968 Beetle) and I am currently studying Mechanical and Automotive Engineering (1st year still) Do you think I would be up to it? What is the average time taken to finish one? How rich do I need to be to run one? Would be very happy for some addvice! Thanks, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 The cost of kit cars is *always* more than you budget for, simply because you never get the full picture about all the little things you need and you can never account for the "well, this would be nice..." factor The best advice I can offer is to look for a second hand car, run it and enjoy it for a year or two and during that time figure out exactly what spec you would use if you were building your own from a kit. That way you avoid too many costly upgrades or compromises, often arising from lack of experience or knowledge. For example, I built my car with a Xflow because that's what I thought I wanted. Turns out what I *really* wanted was a lightweight, powerful car with great handling, and that's not what I actually built. I got close, but there were always areas I wanted to improve. So I went through an expensive upgrade process and got much closer, but it's still not not *quite* there... But I suspect it never will be either... If I had run a pre-built used car for a while it would have been easier to identify what it was I really wanted and then, when I came to build my car, I could have saved a lot of time and expense replacing things. The other benefit of getting a used car is that you have the immediate satisfaction of driving it - there is nothing more depressing, IME, than having a car in the garage in bits but insufficient money to finish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 I agree with Nick that buying a Westfield is probably the best thing to do as a prelude to building one, but I know that if I'd done that I would never get round to building one. This, for me, was an ambition I have had for years and what keeps me going is the excitement that one day it will be on the road. As for the costs involved when you finally arrive at a figure add about 50% again. Sounds crazy but thats just how much things escalate - tools, fuel, mistakes, postage all add up and add nothing to the build. Many build websites have a spreadsheet detailing every penny spent have a look at a few you'll be suprised how much things cost. As for me I am building an SDV and have no idea how much it has cost and don't wish to think about it, but I do know that I could have saved a lot of money by not buying things from Westfield (radiator springs to mind!. Whatever you do, good luck and if you ever plan to come to Durham come your free to come and have a look at my build. Stevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadrego Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Before you get shot down in flames for saying how much you want a Caterham, I'd just like to say thats fair enough and its good that you're looking to get on the first rung of the ladder with something else. I'm not saying that a Caterham is neccesarily the top step for everybody but if it is for you, then fair enough. Advice about getting a secondhand car is good but can still lead to more expense when you start "customising" it. If you can stretch to £4-£4.5k then you should pick up a fairly tidy X-Flow Se. If you're determined to build one then a Westy is a good choice for peace at mind and a relatively simple build. They aren't hard to work on and even as a novice, advice on this forum will see you through. Don't discount the Locosts (do discount Robin Hoods), there are some bad ones about, but companies like MK, Stuart Taylor... make good quality parts at decent prices and the finished cars look great. Ask a few questions on Locost forums to get an idea of whats available. Now for some good news. If you avoid copious upgrading, sevens can be stupidly cheap to run. I'll give you an example. I bought a 1700 XFlow for £4750, ran it for 6 months and 2000 miles and it cost me approx £500 in repairs (bottom end) and tweaks and about £300 quid in fuel. I then sold it for £4600 (for a quick sale, I could maybe have got closer to £5500). So if I hadn't had an engine problem, and most people don't on an angine thats only done 5000 miles in total, then the car would have cost me £450 for 2000 miles motoring. insurance is pittance as well on a limited mileage policy. My tintop Golf loses me that much every six months just in depreciation. Daft as some people may find it, secondhand sevens are one of the most sensible cars you can buy. Hope some of this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scruffythefirst Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 or should I live of stale bread and pasta for the 3 years You'll be doing this anyway there is never enough cash for both food and beer, let alone a car..... Although it can be done, plan to spend most of your first years wages after you graduate (depending on your job) if you want to build one yourself. Saying that, if your doing automotive engineering you should have acess to facilites that will make it a lot cheaper than for the poor muppets who only have their parents garage and a big hammer! HTH Scruffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7SE Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 I am currently studying Mechanical and Automotive Engineering (1st year still) Can you not swing something around this as a project car?, will the college cough up some bits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scruffythefirst Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Where are you studying? Scruffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananaman Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 Joe Have you looked in the forsale section, there is a SE 1600 forsale for £2500 in need of a bit of TLC sounds like a good project for an Enginnering Student on a Budget. And no SVA to go through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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