rosschambers1987 Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Hi everyone, I'm after a bit of advise from you all. I'm 21 and live in Blackpool. I'm currently driving round in a Seat Ibiza FR TDi but a guy down the road from me has had a Westfield 1600 CVH in his garage that he no longer uses. He is selling it and I could probably either swap my car for it and he can sell my car (guess it would be easier for him to shift) or sell my car privately and buy it off him. I'd be buying it as a daily drive though and apart from the obvious practical issues like only 2 seats, no boot space etc.. would there be any other issues with owning it? Insurance isn't a problem, in fact, it's £250 cheaper than what I'm currently paying. It's got twin webber carbs and an upgraded solid cam lifter kit so it's got 158 BHP according to a power graph I've seen. I don't really do any motorway driving (odd occasions I do) and drive to St Annes every day which is about 6 miles. Thanks in advance, Ross Quote
Crazy Eddie Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Firstly welcome. IMHO I would sell yours and buy a run around plus the Westfield because as you say you save £250 insurance which could insure a cheap car. They are great fun and that is where I feel they come into their own - Fun Drives. There are people on here that use them as daily drives but I wouldn't ever be one of them. Only real reason I say that is of course boot space as you have mentioned but mainly the lovely British weather!! Reliability shouldn't be too bad depending on previous service and care of course. Even with a full weather kit (which I never bothered with) you will still feel the cold and in most cases still get wet! Go for a drive in it first and you'll fall in love with it but hopefully you will also see how hard it would be as a daily drive. Hope this helps and I look forward to your report on your first drive Cheers Eddie Quote
perksy Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Welcome Wot Eddie said Their great fun as a Second car But imho not practical enough for Everyday transport as the only available Car Think there's a few Lads who use them for this and fair play to them Not for me though... Quote
rosschambers1987 Posted January 4, 2009 Author Posted January 4, 2009 Thanks for the comments guys. Wouldn't mind hearing opinions off the people who do use them as a daily drive. It's been very well looked after and has hardly any mileage on it. The guy who owns it has his own garage and has been in cars all his life so I am confident it's in perfect nic. Just looking at the engine you can tell it's not got much wear on It. What are they Like in the cold, some people have said that you can't drive them if the roads are icy but surely if you just drive with care you'll be alright? Two cars isn't an option for me so it would definitely be my only car. I'll take it for a spin and report back to you all. Cheers. Quote
Cleggy the Spyder Man Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Hi - I built a sylva striker 20 odd years ago and used it as my only form of transport for the best part of 2-3 years - looking back I don't really know how I managed it ... Work was about 1.5 miles from home so if it was really bad I could walk --- To be honest I wouldn't even dream of having one as my only car now - all depends on how hardy you are - I was a tough old boot back then being a coach and lorry fitter so if I got soaked on the way to work (yes you still get wet even with a roof on) it didnt matter too much ... If you have an office type job were you need to arrive looking presentable you can forget it ... Buy a banger and use it when it is wet - get your westy for all the other days ... If you do have it as your main car it may just put you off em for life Quote
dhutch Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Im also 21 and bought mine (also with a cvh) in september off the back of the money i got working my sandwich year last year. I drove it into work (5.5mile) once, in the pouring, with the roof and doors on. It was a good laugh, and i would have done it again that hadnt have been my last day. However pritty wet by the time i got there, mainly water up though the 'door' from the front wheel. - Also i steamed up like noones busisness, driving out of the town i actually took the door off because i couldnt see and its all i could think off. But then realised my mistake and had to pull over and refit it. Ive got a pug306 as my second car, and i have to say for the cost it is i would keep it if i was using it daily. Im not back at Uni and cycal in every day so the two cars worth of roadtax and insurence is geting a bit silly for the use there geting, but i figured i might as well hand onto the pug i still use it for moving kit about. Over christmas ive been out a dosen times in the westfeild, its been cracking, pugs not moved. It really works very well as an usable car. Just not when its raining. But yeah, great cars. And im sure with practice and some less perrished foam, possably leaving the passenger door off for ventilation but keeping the drivers door, or somthing, you could get a useable solution. Daniel Quote
Mug Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 The other thing to think about is your fuel economy with twin webbers!! Probably 20mpg if you are lucky on a long run. So buying a little cheap second car as well probably would work out cheaper in the long run for you. However don't let this put you off - as said before, absolutely great fun to own. Quote
rosschambers1987 Posted January 4, 2009 Author Posted January 4, 2009 20MPG!? That's bad, lucky I don't have to drive far. Why does fitting twin webbers decrease MPG so much? Is it just because it gives a richer air/fuel mixture? I'm guessin there just to add power and performance? Hmm, getting wet could get annoyin but i'm sure there is a way around it... Thanks again for your comments, I'll bear them all in mind when making a decision. Cheers. Quote
custardtart Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 I used one as an only car for a summer a number of years ago and there is no way way "round it" as far as getting wet I'm afraid. Even though it was summer I still got soaked a number of times and you need to make sure your electrics are up to a good soaking otherwise you will end up stranded in the rain which isn't much fun! But you're 21 so I'm sure you could put it down as a bit of fun/adventure Next problem is boot space, there's isn't much plus you'll need one with full weather gear and a lockable boot if you plan to keep/leave anything in the car. I found the heater and wipers did an ok job, not great but good enough to get the screen clear but the cabin on mine did get a but fumey with the hood up. It takes a couple of minutes to get the hood up if your caught out in the rain and in winter when it's freezing it's a pain to pop all the press studs with freezing fingers. The tanks usually pretty small and takes an absolute age to fill up. You will also need to be up to a bit of constant tinkering, some people love this part of ownership whilst others hate it. Whilst there's no more fun to be had on the road IMO I wouldn't want to use one everyday again but I'm kind of glad I did it for a while. I'll never forget one summer torrential downpour when I drove through a large pool of standing water and the front numberplate literally scooped a bow wave over the whole car and left me sat in a pool of water (even though the hood was up ) the car spluttered to a halt at the side of a busy shopping street and i had to get out in the pouring rain and push it out of the way then get back in, soaking wet, and wait for an hour for the recovery truck to tow me home. Quote
Georgie Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 I contemplated doing this.. and when mine was running i used it as much as i could.. no matter the weather. I just was banned from brining it to work which meant i couldnt drive it as muich as i wanted. Its amazing what you can fit in it though! have had a mountain bike on the back, have had my wakeboard in the passenger seat, my weekly shop fits.. oh and house plants do but they look a little thinner when you get home! if your 21.. and a lad insurance wont be 300 a year. most places will still want over a grand for you.. take that from experience. classic insurance for under 25's is really hard to get. and agreeing what others said.. unless its a brand new car it will need constant tinkering. These cars wernt designed to do more than a few thousand miles in a year. mine still wanted tinkering even if i just looked at it.. and the local AA men knew me very well! that said.. while you can.. do it. but be sure if it wont start etc.. or its snowing.. or its flooded or ir would just be just plain stupid to use it incase of death you have another way of getting to work. Quote
dhutch Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 (Georgie @ Jan. 05 2009,10:44) QUOTE It is a fun adventure going out in it in the rain. - And it does work, it just might get a little hard work doing it daily. Insurencewise, im paying around £500 for mine on a 3000mile policy, and the understanding i have a second car, which holds 1year NCB and a years named driver NCB. Im not sure how much the last tow point affect the cost. But its worth ring around. Im using sureterm at the moment. Daniel Quote
rosschambers1987 Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 Yeah it does sound like it would be fun to own one. I've got the insurance quote on 5000 miles per year policy with Adrian Flux and it is £250 cheaper than the insurance on my Ibiza. I like tinkering with engines and stuff like that and am on a course at Bpool & the Fylde College doing mechanics and will be doing a degree in motorsport once finished so I can use all their facilities to tinker away. Getting wet would be annoying on the way to work (work in an Energy Consultants)... hmmm very tempting! Quote
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 Might be worth getting a set of motorbike style wet weather gear, for the bad days, as water will find it's way in round the hood/sidescreens. Or just take a change of clothes with you... Also, somewhere at least slightly private/secure to park up when at work would be a boon. How much of your 5000 mile pa allowance is gobbled up by the boring commute bits? Quote
Cleggy the Spyder Man Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 If you can take the rough with the smooth then go for it - I will say there is gonna be more rough for you but then I would know, I have worn the tea shirt (but I dont regret it for one moment) Quote
TMD-ZETEC Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 Just to add, there is also the crap turning circle and security issues - every scroat wants to nick it and take it for a thrash. Quote
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