Graham Harvey Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Hello all, Hope you are all well, my name is Graham, I have been looking for a Westfield for best part of 20 years since I was about 14 and now finally in a position to buy one. I have seen one I like the look of, which is amazingly close to where I live but I don't know much about them. Are any members close to Southampton able to look at the car with me/for me and advise if it is a good one? My dad is part of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club and they offer the service where current owners will look at another classic car and advise if it is a good buy before purchase as they obviously know a lot more than you as a new owner! Happy to pay for someones knowledge and experience of course! I work onboard Queen Mary 2 as an engineer, so I am currently away until April, but would rather get the car looked at sooner rather than later so that I don't miss out before the spring rush starts. Is this service available in WSCC? No worries if not, happy to wait until I am home and maybe I am just being inpatient and excited but if anyone is kind enough to help and is local to Southampton, I would love to hear from you!! Thank you very much, Graham 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Welcome Graham. It isn't a formal service, but I know there will be members near you more than willing to help you. However don't rush into buying the first one you see, much better, when you are back on dry land to contact your areas organiser and go along to a meeting (most areas have a monthly meeting) and look at some of the cars, maybe have a ride in one or two, and then decide just what you want. You may find it isn't quite what you first thought of. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Parker (Red Spider) - Yorkshire AO Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 @Martin Letts - Joint Hampshire & IOW AO and @Steve Smith - Joint Hampshire & IOW AO are the nearest AOs to Southampton. maybe they can help out. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Welcome, Graham! Some great advice above! As Stephen said, it’s not a formal Club service, but it IS something many of us have done to help fellow members out. There’s no hard and fast rules, and the typical currency for compensation is beer! (That said, the last time I helped someone like that, it was a hundred plus miles either direction, so the guy did offer to pay the fuel bill, which is fair enough). Depending whether you’ve been able to try sitting in/driving any Westfields before, will decide how essential it is to be there when looking over and testing one yourself. Unlike the classic car market for the Jaguar example, where, an XJS HE from 1982 for example, should be a fairly known thing in terms of spec, and all that’s really needed is to check it is what it’s claimed to be and it’s condition. With kit cars like Westfields, you have to allow for almost no two cars being totally alike, even if they’re factory builds of the same “model”. This variation only gets wider the older a car gets; we all like to personalise them to make them our own, and often to adapt them to better give us what we personally enjoy from the car, and for how we each use them. But then this is the fantastic part of kit cars like Westfields; they grow and adapt to suit their owners preferences and needs, and what they find fun! The more exposure you have to the cars, through Area Meets and events, the more you will know what you want to look for in a car of your own; it’s always cheaper to get one close to your preferred spec, than to modify one to get there. Best of luck with the search, the car of your dreams will be out there, with a little patience! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansoeb Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 I had looked for years also before finally being in a position to purchase early last year. I went to Toybox cars to view there stock and gather information. There was no sales pressure and the owner Andrew was extremely knowledgeable around the various ins and outs of the mark. I was able to sit in a few cars and have discussions around what I was looking for. Even if you don’t buy from them it’s a worthwhile process to consider. I did buy a car from them and have loved every minute since.You will pay a premium over a private sale but the quality of their cars set the benchmark in my opinion. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Harvey Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 Thank you all so much for your help and advice! It sounds like the thing to do is gather some patience together and have a chat with owners at the local meets first and then yeh, as mentioned go and see Andy at Toybox. I have seen his cars advertised on PH and they are always very nice, quality cars so I don't mind paying for that but equally happy with a private sale if it is closer to my spec for example. My top 3 would be SEiW - I'm 6ft2 so I think i'll need the extra width! 2ltr Zetec or XE, webbers or Jenveys and with a LSD. Preferably Q Plated so i don't have to worry about emissions. Built for comfort over track, realistically I am going to be doing road trips to France and Le Mans over blasting around tracks every weekend, so prefer a car I can drive a hundred miles comfortably in, rather than one which is 4 seconds a lap faster! Thank you!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggontoast Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 @Graham Harvey, having had a similar gestation period to you leading to my purchase last year, I am really excited for you. I didn't follow any of the above advice really and bought the first car I saw, after lurking on this forum and generally reading up plus browsing ads across the internet for around ten years prior. I suppose I got lucky but would do the same again if I were to relive the purchase. I'm afraid that I can't help with viewing, being based in Greater Manchester, and nor do I really know much about these vehicles (yet) but can say that at 6'2" and 90kg I find I fit well in my SEiW. It has lowered floors and composite shell type seats in runners (which I set to the rear most position). A removable steering wheel helps with ingress/egress also. All the best for the hunt! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Mart Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Hi Graham, I'm just west of Lymington, so fairly close. As above comments really - there is such a wide range of specs and models, plus engines to think about, and DEFINATELY down to personal taste - a bit like women really! Another option is to post the advert or pics / description on here and let people have their thoughts on it? Dependant on what you want, you will not agree with many of the opinions given, BUT this often gives an alternative viewpoint and may help you to decide either way - it may even bring something to your attention that you hadn't thought about also. I looked at loads of ads, but bought the first one I saw too....never regretted it for one moment and still have it some 8yrs later, albeit an older se registered in '93! Mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euan Hoosearmy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Another one who did lots of reading and bought the first car I saw. It had some flaws that were obvious when I viewed it (25 year old tyres and cambelt!!) and some more that have become apparent with time.... :-). I knew I wasn't buying perfection and I've really enjoyed getting my hands dirty sorting stuff and I've learnt so much!!! The car puts a massive smile on my face every time I drive it. I'm another Hampshire resident, close to Alton. If you're up this way and want to try out an old (1997) kit bodied SEiW for size - let me know. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 On 02/03/2024 at 23:28, Graham Harvey said: 2ltr Zetec or XE, webbers or Jenveys and with a LSD. Preferably Q Plated so i don't have to worry about emissions. Good call on the Q reg (I'm a fan) - but personally, I would not say an LSD is a "dealbreaker", especially if you are not going to track it. Definitely try and get ITBs over carbs if you can afford it. A decent gearbox (Type 9 BGH/TracSport/Quaife with long 1st) is top trumps though. As Dave said above, buying one close to the desired spec is definitely cheaper than modifying one - but wheres the fun in that 😋 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, Kingster said: - but wheres the fun in that 😋 so true! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevanP Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Welcome! I bought mine privately back in 2019, it was an ex. Toybox car and yes they do make them look nice. I'm also 6ft 2" and went for an SEIW with lowered floors with removable steering wheel - all good choices for my size. Mine's a Zetec Blacktop on ITB's, with Type9 and Sierra rear diff. A good choice to opt for the Q plate, if I had my time again, I'd also go for a Q plate, it make's MOT time much easier. They are addictive, I absolutely love mine, always brings a smile on my face. Good luck with the hunt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham. Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 As a Graham that's also tall, saving my pennies but around 1 to 2 years from being able to afford something and I need to get past some bad back/sciatica issues this has all been very useful to read. When everything aligns for me I'm fortunate to be 20 odd miles from toybox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Harvey Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 Thank you to everyone again! I'm a little reticent to post the advert I have seen on here as I do like the look of it and interested but where I am currently in Australia until April, can't do much about it, so don't want to post the advert and then someone else in my position see it and nab it before me! However, if it is meant to be, it will be and as everyone else has said, don't buy the first one you see....but also if you do, you won't regret it neither haha! The car I have seen is a SEiW, 2 ltr Zetec on Webbers with a Type 9 gearbox and LSD. Has the full wet weather gear but I am unlikely ever to use it! Especially as I spend most of the year out of the country anyway working at sea, it will be very much a toy and something to tinker with, with my (currently) 16 month old Son who is growing up too fast! No better place to teach a kid how to fix a car than on something that is exposed so quickly and so simple. Really appreciate all the advice though, keep it coming! I live in Hedge End, so not far from Alton, Lymington, etc so when I get it, be fantastic to see you all! Stupid question, but how do I see when the meets are? Thank you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euan Hoosearmy Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Good spec! I have a 2L Silvertop Zetec on Webers - great fun and noise!! If the webers are sorted they're great and don't need computers to fix. They're actually remarkably simple but very clever. Mine had full weather gear but I've taken it off - It was too much faff for the amount of time I drive in the rain. Plus I've a MSA roll bar to fit which is too tall for the standard hood frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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