TheRealMcNei11 Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 I've been very keen to get a Westie for a while now and this one has caught my eye http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?Id=71588. Does it seem like a good deal? I was considering a bike engined one cause I believe they are faster. I'll be using it on the road and for track days. I notice that it has a windscreen & wipers, I thought they came with an aeroscreen (little windscreen)? How hard are they to remove? I take it would be a wide body as it was built in 2000? I'm going to email the owner to ask him a couple of question, like first of all finding out where he is, do you lot have any questions that I should be asking? I obviously have no clue what I'm talking about but really fancy getting one, would I be better waiting till spring/summer (would there be more on the market)? Cheers for any help Gav Oh and I will be joining the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Oh and I will be joining the club. That's the best possible start you can make. Get along to your local area meet, ask questions and look at people's cars. Ask nicely and they're bound to offer assistance in terms of viewing cars (in exchange for a few beer vouchers of course ) Bike engined cars aren't necessarily faster, they're different. I've no direct experience of them, but they can often be lacking in low down torque, that makes them more of a handful to drive in stop-start conditions. The option of windscreen / aeroscreen is down the original builder. Swapping from windscreen to aero isn't that expensive, but is a little fiddly. It will save quite a chunk of weight however. Any chassis built in 2000 would (I think) be a wide body. However, just cos the car was build then, doesn't mean it wasn't a long build project for someone, so it's wise to check that. There may well be more on the market in summer, but prices tend to be higher then as well. I bought my first car in December, and plenty of people drive them all year around. Welcome aboard, and good luck! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcoopers Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 In terms of questions, treat buying a Werstfield as you would buying any other used car. Establish the correct/legal owner etc, check that the parts you are shown recipts for are actually on the car, check all the paperwork is corect and chassi numbers ect tie up, all the normal things. I would however recomend taking a bike engined car owner with you/speaking to one first at least, these are a little bit specialised and not for all tastes. No problem with waiting, there were plenty of "Blades" advertised for similar money last year, and there will be this year. From experience, buying the wrong type of car just means you end up selling early at a lost, disapointed with it. Take your time and test a few and then decide on what to get, Andy is correct. One last point, you mention track use, have you considered an ex sprint car, road legal and already developed. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wezzy_jess Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Only advice I've got is buy one now while the prices are cheap as the prices will go up up up in summer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perksy Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Join the Club, Go to your local meet and speak to a few owners and no doubt enjoy a few test rides . (You need to try a Bec first and see if you like it or not ) Then Realise that it's not for you and Buy a Nice Ford Zetec Engined car Is that a Taxi just arrived outside for me ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealMcNei11 Posted January 5, 2005 Author Share Posted January 5, 2005 Cheers for all the replies. I've sent the guy an email anyway so that's the ball rolling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Bike engined cars aren't necessarily faster, they're different. I've no direct experience of them, but they can often be lacking in low down torque, that makes them more of a handful to drive in stop-start conditions < rolls eyes > you said it yourself, you've no direct experience lack of specific torque doesn't really matter (heck my bike engine has more torque than my tintop), you have gears, you have revs, use them, it's torque at the wheels that counts. yes the clutch is a bit light and bit snappy, but you get used to it like you do any car. McNei11, whereabouts are you in the country? I'm sure someone will be able to take you for a burn up, and/or give you a few pointers. If all else fails, there some info on building a BEC in my website (link below), and lots of general info on what to look out for in used Westies if you have a search of this forum. moomin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Bike engined cars aren't necessarily faster, they're different. I've no direct experience of them, but they can often be lacking in low down torque, that makes them more of a handful to drive in stop-start conditions < rolls eyes > torque at the wheels, gearing, blahblahblah. yes the clutch is a bit light and bit snappy, but you get used to it like you do any car. I did say I had no direct experience of them...just repeating what a number of other people have told me. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Just seen the price. Is this the first BEC that's been under 10K? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 damn you speed quoter - just pulling yer leg Andy moomin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Consider my leg well and truly pulled. In fact, it's still tingling. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Andy - hitch a ride in a BEC sometime, don't think you'll worry about the lack of torque. Just looked at the pics, looks like a good car for the money. You will want to ditch the airbrake windscreen and fit an aero - but that is quite straightforward. Also it will want a cut and shut sump, though I would guess it probably already has one. Not too expensive for a nice (and race proven to prevent oil surge) CNC short sump and baffle plate if it does need one. moomin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Andy - hitch a ride in a BEC sometime, don't think you'll worry about the lack of torque. But surely I'd need to drive to form an opinion? Any offers? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealMcNei11 Posted January 5, 2005 Author Share Posted January 5, 2005 Just seen the price. Is this the first BEC that's been under 10K? I take it the price seems fair? I'm not really bothered about how it is in traffic, don't plan on using it around town much. I'm based in Edinburgh and have just found out there are a couple of westies nearby so might pay them a visit. Is there a massive performance difference between the blade & busa? Will the blue printing have made a difference? All I really want is to keep up with my friends in their scoobys & evos if at all possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perksy Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 All I really want is to keep up with my friends in their scoobys & evos if at all possible That Won't be a problem with either a Blade or Busa Engined Westy, It's all about Power to Weight and Handling Capabilities Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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