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Christmas day today!


westy

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Hi Guys,

Well today I lost my Westfield drive 'cherry'!

My wife and I set off on a clear and dry 8am this morning to go to London, meet with Blatman and pick up the car.  Blatman

had kindly offered to meet me and give the car a once over before I gave the seller the wedge and drive off in to the sunset.

I already had in my mind should something need doing to it I would still buy it anyway.  The price was right.

We arrived in a now raining London to find Blatman already chatting with the seller and had already given the car a good look

over, basically all the stuff that a budding novice like me would not have clue on.  Blatman said that he could see nothing

wrong with it, that it had been built well - and lastly that he would not of minded nicking some bits off of it!

So we went in to the sellers portable office, one of these tiny 2 seater bubble-type cars and I handed over the bank draft.

I shaked hands with the seller took a picture of him saying good bye to his beloved car and it was time to leave.

What was left was to get the thing started (due to flat battery) and for then to drive away. The first drive started well for

the first metre then I stalled it, ive got a puma and an escort but these clutches were a little tricky to get along with at

first.  After a second attempt I had it sorted - a little more of the loud pedal seemed to sort the clutch problem out.

Blatman kindly offered to escort us to the petrol station ensuring that I would get home and not spend a while waiting on

the hard shoulder of the M25 for an RAC van.  We arrived at the petrol station  and after a brief demonstration by Blatman on

how to get the difficult petrol cap off it was time to depart.  Blatman drove off (nice take off btw!) and then the mrs took

the lead in the escort to follow back.  

The problem at this point was the rain was getting heavier so I knew this was going to be a tricky first drive.  The roof had

already been put on when I arrived which is a good thing as it would of taken a little while to get that sorted.

I felt like ralf harris on the way back the amount of kangeroos I did and also noticed at this point that the speedo was not

working fully. I knew it was out but it was useless (job #1).  The visability in the car was fairly poor and it was at the

point of moving to a right hand side lane that I realised that the drivers wing mirror was pointing north, tops of trees are

pretty but not very useful in driving.  I thought no problem I will just roll down the window and.....argh, then I know I can

put my hand between the roof and the side window and adjust it that way...arghh.  My only option was to pull over but the

wife was about 10 cars ahead due to traffic lights.  I tried calling the wife to get her to stop but I couldnt get a signal

on the mobile.  I continually retried calling and after 10 minutes the phone finally done what its meant to do and dialed up

the wife.  However her network is cellnet mine is vodafone and for some reason (particularly when you really need them to

work) I kept getting diverted to voicemail.  At the risk of not having a guide through london I pulled over, un strapped

myself and adjusted the mirror I felt a lot safer now.  My wife realising that she had not seen me for 10 minutes had stopped

her car and I had driven past her without realising, well I just couldnt see squat.

So we were back on track in now very heavy rain.  As we left london on the A2 and headed towards the M25 dartford crossing my

wife phoned and said she had to stop....good old weaker bladder problem.  I said I would keep on going. By this point she had

over taken me and was first at the booths for the tunnell.  Giving money to the lady for the toll was a tricky business of

unclipping the side door with slightly numbed fingers and then try and do it up again before she put the barrior down on the

car!  £1 lighter and I descended in to the tunnell.  

I had always remembered reading a post from someone about driving through the tunnell in a low gear with high revs for

effect.  I thought it rude not to try it on the first outing in the car and dropped from 5th to 3rd in the outside lane and

listened to the boom down the tunnell, surperb!  While travelling through the tunnell the lane on the inside was crawling

along and with the no overtaking rule in place the fast lane was fast and the slow was very slow.  As I had about 300 clear

road in front and a annoying van less that 5 metres behind I thouht I would give myself some distance from him.  So I

accererated and sped past the slow traffic on the inside and then to my horror I saw a camera flash.  I hit the brakes but a

useless thing when you hav already been flashed.  I but was confused according to where the rev counter was and the gear I

knew I was within the limit?anyway..

With the downer of a possible speed ticket coming my way I drove down the m25 and on to the A12 heading in to sunny essex.  

By this point I noticed that a couple of the poppers had popped and some of the roof was flapping around behind me.  I took

to the hard shoulder and rectified the problem....getting up to speed to rejoin the motorway was easy ;)

By now I had been driving an hour in the wet, my right arm was soaked from the occasion spray of water and it felt like I was

driving in the sea due to water spitting through the gap between the windscreen and the roof and landing on my driving

glasses.

After a little while more I had arrived at my lovely home town with the westy.  I drove down our road and parked the car on

the drive -- I had made it!  Without enough time for me to turn the engine off my neighbour and his lady had come from their

house and were standing next to the car checking it out.  Guess they heard it?  They had the pleasure of watching me try and

get out of car and look cool at the same time.....things like this never quite go to plan especially with an audience but on

the third attempt I squeezed out of the car and was a little relieved to have made it alive!

The rain kept coming down and I decided not to try the run to the essex meet this time.  I need a strong cup of coffee and my

feet up for a little first.  I put the westy in to his new home and shut the door on him.

About 15 minutes later the wife arrived, I had to tell her the bad news that I got flashed.  Just as I startd discussing she

said I know...She said it was her with the camera!  She had been in the inside lane and had 'heard' me coming from miles off

and got the camera ready on.  As I drove past she took a picture!!  A massive relief!

After some family popping over the westy came back out of the garage and I took the wife for a drive in it.  The loudness of

the exhaust is great I cant hear her scream when shes scared :)

I also popped round to friends of ours who we had promised a ride in...he had that kind of scared/excited look on his face

after driving with him for 15 minutes!  

We then went home and put the car to bed, the conditions were just to bad to learn to drive today, evidenced from the backend

keep stepping out on fairly heavy acceleration.  I think I wait for some good weather before going out again.

So end of the day - I am dead pleased with the car and the way it drives.  I can not see me never owning a car of that type

its just in a different league.

I like to say huge thanks to Blatman for coming over to view the car before we left today.  I needed some reassurance that it

was a good buy and really apreciated your advice....He'da man.  Also thanks to the westfield club for sorting me out the

westfield magazine where I originally saw the advert and for all your posts that have helped me greatly.

I look forward to the next Essex meet by which I will have more than 75 miles experience of a westfield!

Bring on the good weather.

Kind regards,

Keith.  :cool:

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Great to see your new car seems a good buy  :D

After all the assistance from the club  :D  don't forget to downlaod a form join up and join in with all the activities - summaer track days and treasure hunts beckon  :cool:   :xmas:

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Glad to hear you got home safe and sound. You've already experienced the "wet even with the roof up" scenario, which is why I don't bother with one........I was bl**** soaked by the time I got home ;) Takes ages to dry the car and spray WD40 everywhere too........

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She's a beauty!!

When I picked up my Westie from the factory in March, it actually started snowing on the way home which was interesting. The wife was behind me and she said it was better to watch peoples expressions when I drove past rather than watch me :-)

Have fun and remember to wipe her down in the Winter what with all that nasty salt on the roads.

Stu

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I remember the drive back from the factory in the Blade.

I had my dad with me and was being followed by my mother and girlfriend. I staled at least 200 times :blush:

Finally got off the M6 and onto the M69 and let her rip.

My face felt like it was being ripped off and my Dad was screaming. I leaned over to him and asked if he'd buy me a windscreen for Christmas. He agreed. So there we were, two men in our prime cruising down the motorway in a very cool car doing what seemed like 500 MPH. Everyone staring and pointing. Then my mother pulls up alongside us and gestures that she is hungry and speeds off! I look at the speedo in disbelief and notice that we are only doing 65MPH!

Later on some bloke actually ran out into the middle lane of the motor way from a slip road with his thumb stuck out. He was very disapointed when he saw there was no back seat.

Enjoy it. :devil:

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Does it rain/snow when everyone picks their cars up?  I got mine October last year from the factory and it abosultely tipped down.  I had that real what have I done feeling as I drove down the motorway with water spraying in the corners of the windscreen, dripping from the top of the windscreen, splashing in from the back of the sidescreens etc etc  I had to go straight in to work.  Boy did they laugh.  I had been going on about picking up my new car for ages, and there I was walking in soaked from head to foot (but only down my left hand side).

I love it now though.  I drive roof down almost permanantly.  Its only in the heaviest of rain you need the hood.

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"...and there I was walking in soaked from head to foot (but only down my left hand side)."

Either

(a) you're driving a left hooker or

(b) you have no sense of direction  :p or

© the aerodynamics inside my cockpit (both hood up and down) are reversed from yours or

(d) I'm going senile

Let me guess...it's (d)

:D

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Peter

dont be so hard on young westy :)  remember what it was like the first time you drove your own Westfield :0

the poor guy was obviously so overcome with exitement :cool:  

he forgot his left from his right :D  :t-up:

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