alastair Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hello to all I'll openly admit this is a new venture to me - so patience please! I'm dead keen to buy a westfield v soon - mainly to join the crowd to Le Mans this yr and also for some good raw fun. - That cant make me wrong hey! Have seen a 1990 homw built car which I gather is what is termed as a narrow bodied car. I'm only small (and slim I must add) but the seat is very tight indeed i.e the wings etc stick into my back. The selling garage openly admits they are not correct - but can you tell me about the history of the narrow body and the fact that the seat is really unusable. Also, a couple of my mates hve wesfields /caterhams and they have reccommended the crossflow engines and ideally not the Pintos - but wait for it - this car has a new 2Litre Fiat engine! It only has 2k running use - but as i'm new to this I haven't a clue about this engine and whether its any good?? If i'm to believe the selling garage i'm told his is a terrific V8 engine Help? cheers Alastair PS. - owing to my naievity - would it be a good idea to gt a specialist to check the car out? Who should I go to - would your average mechanich know what he's looking at. I'm near Southampton. apologies for the essay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 Best advice is to see as many cars as you can before buying. A good way of doing this is to get along to a local area meet. Take a look under 'Local Events' on the WSCC home page for you nearest meet. As far as looking at a car, the best thing to do is to take someone along who is knowledgeable with Westfields. Again, a good way of finding someone is to get along to a local meet. You're sure of a good welcome, and people will almost certainly be happy to offer to help. Welcome aboard! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcoopers Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 Alistair, welcome. Like Adrian says get along to your local meet and ask the guys and girls there all the questions you want. Narrow bodied cars were earlier cars, sold as "SE" some times referred to as Standard bodied cars. Nothing wrong with these at all, but consumer preference being what it is has driven Westfield and the market to the wide bodied car. Interesting to note that X-flows get recommended over pintos, both have their merrits/weakneses. I've owned both before and can honestly say neither was better than the other, just different. X-flow was more revy and frantic, perhaps more in keeping with the spirit of the car, Pinto more relaxing but just as quick. Never owned a fiat one though and only new of a few. Compared to Fiat X-Flow/Pinto much more common and hence easier to get spares/parts/tuneing for. Also as more common, there are more cars to choose from and hence easier to price There was a guy in the Hants and Wilts club who had a fiat engine car, early model in black when I last saw it, very well cared for, and he really new his stuff. Chris I think his name was, worth getting in touch with the Hants/wilts area and asking him if you can? Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 Narrow bodied cars were earlier cars, sold as "SE" some times referred to as Standard bodied cars. Er, steady there..... Narrow cars are either SE, and have a Ford Escort live axle, or they're SEi, with a Ford Escort diff in a Westfield carrier mounted to the chassis, and independen rear suspension. HOWEVER, with the bonnet off, the scuttles ALL say SE on them. The only way to know for sure what you are looking at is to look under the rear of the car. To tell a wide car from a narrow car quickly and easily, have a look at the rear lights. On a narrow car, they are sat nicely on the rear wheel arches. On a wide car, there is a small cutout in the boot area for the lights to nestle in to. I would agree that getting along to your nearest (or not so nearest) local meet would be an excellent idea. Better yet, get to Stoneleigh this weekend. You'll see more Westfields at Stoneleigh than you'll see anywhere else, any time, with the possible exception of out "weekender" at Curborough. In your position, Stoneleigh really is a "must do". I can't stress to you how strongly I feel that you *must* get to Stoneleigh, so cancel what plans you had! Have seen a 1990 homw built car which I gather is what is termed as a narrow bodied car. I'm only small (and slim I must add) but the seat is very tight indeed i.e the wings etc stick into my back. The selling garage openly admits they are not correct - but can you tell me about the history of the narrow body and the fact that the seat is really unusable Is this a high back seat, or a low back seat? What is it made of? Describe it as accurately as you can, and we'll try to tell you what it is. The seats can be changed easily, so it's not a concern that should be a major stumbling point. As has been said, the Fiat engine is an uncommon fitment in a Westfield, but there are a few around. How suitable it is for you will depend entirely on how confident you feel with being able to do basic, and some less basic work on it, should it have problems. The same goes for any engine to be honest, but Fiat engine knowledge is almost certainly going to be less common on here than knowledge of x-flows/Pinto's/Zetecs etc. My usual advice is that you really should buy the newest car you can afford, with a modern 16 valve engine fitted. Modern 16 valvers are all able to use unleaded fuel, which the Fiat may not, and that may be something you need to consider. I have no idea how Fiat's perform on unleaded gas with additives, so you may just be storing up future problems for yourself. So if possible, and within budget, look for cars with Vauxhall, Ford Zetec or Toyota (rare-ish) engines in them. It's even worth going over budget for the right car, IMHO...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 Like Adrian says get along to your local meet and ask the guys and girls there all the questions you want. Ahem. My name's 'Andy'. Andy (see?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilux Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 this car has a new 2Litre Fiat engine..............................If i'm to believe the selling garage i'm told his is a terrific V8 engine Is the Fiat 2.0L a V8? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcoopers Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 Sorry Alistair, didn't realise you were asking weather or not the Narrow cars were live axel or independent at the rear in terms of suspension. Didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. Blatman is right in that both types of rear were available in "Narrow body/Standard body". If it helps, I've owned both of these types as well, and preferred the live axle version, which is against popular opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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