Owenership Advice

[Guest]

I am thinking of purchasing a Westfield Speed Sport 1800, factory built from Westfield. This will be my main car i.e. used all year long.  Never having owned a Westfield before I do not know what long term ownership is like. Can anyone tell me what problems/quirks I could encounter.

Also, I have been offered a very good insurance rate via the Westfield factory, are there any limitations on this, for example does the car have to be in a locked garage overnight?

Thanks in advance for your help

[SEiGHT]

It will need to be garaged overnight or else the interior will get pretty manky quite quickly. They are definately not waterproof in any serious sort of rain so if you can't garage it, you will need a waterproof breathable cover. Front suspension seems to corrode quite nicely after doing only a small bit of wet weather driving so you'll need to wire-brush/hammerite it once a year to keep it looking nice. The drivers carpet will also probably start to wear noticeably. I'd give them about 20,000 miles between changes, but it's not exactly an expensive item anyway.

Depending on mileage etc. you will find your resale value is affected. A large proportion of people only want low mileage/dry weather cars. If you don't plan on selling it though that's not a problem.

I suggest you also buy a decent set of shades for summer, and a warm hat/scarf/gloves for winter Depending on what clothes you wear to work you might have a problem. In the rain even with the top up your right arm will get wet, so suits can be a problem unless you are wearing a coat, but then you get hot...

The insurance is a good deal, my SEiGHT was only £400 the first year (down to £350 now) compared to my "normal" car of £650 which has never gone down despite NCB etc.

I do about 10,000 miles a year in all weathers in mine and it's great fun. Be prepared for some strange looks if you get stuck in a traffic jam in December  

[Guest]

Thanks for that, I hear the wet weather top has been improved recently so I am hoping that I will not get too wet. Are you saying that the heater is not too good?

Shades are no problem

[SEiGHT]

The heater is great on mine (I have an SEiGHT which has a slightly different heater I believe ?) but only if you have the roof on. With the roof off all the hot air just gets sucked straight out of the car so you are relying on body heat and insulation to keep you warm ! You need a good wind-proof jacket in the winter, gloves and a hat or else you will not be feeling too great when you arrive.

On the flip-side, when it's raining and you put the roof on all that heat stays in the car and because you can't open windows you will find that it gets hot in there even if you are naked (apparently). If we get rain in the summer and you are in it you will feel slightly uncomfortable, especially when driving in town stop/start traffic.

Westfields should really be driven with the top off. They are not like, say, an MX5, TVR or Elise where you can jut pop the top on and drive around as normal. Don't take this the wrong way, but if you will be using your roof in anything except monsoon conditions then maybe you shouldn't be buying one...treat the Westfield like a bike...if you'd be comfortable taking a bike out in that weather then it will be fine in the Westy. Otherwise it's liable to be a bit unconfortable (but still a lot of fun ! )

Having said all that would I swap my Westfield for a TVR or other water-proof/climate controlled sportscar ? No way !

[Stueyboy]

Also with the roof on, it can be V. noisy, especially going a long way. There was a thread a while back about the pros and cons of walkman's and ear plugs for roofs and moorways I think.

Stu

[mmmmdonuts]

Unless it is in the last year they have improved the hood it still leaks.  I don't drive mine every day, but quite often.  You do get some funny looks driving to work in the middle of winter with the roof down, but thats half the fun.  I find that the heater does keep my legs warm when directed down that way, but if you have it coming out by the windsrceen you can't feel it at all.

What about snow & ice?  If this is your only car you will have to drive it all weather.  I got my Westie out of the garage to get something behind it when it had snowed, and then couldn't get it back in.  The wheels just spun on the spot even though it is only a slight uprise.  I wouldn't have liked to drive anywhere in it.

The insurance is very cheap, especially if you are a member of the WSCC.  I think Footman james are doing unlimited mileage for the price of 4500 miles (or something like that).  Mine is unlimited at the moment.

I second the earlier comment about rust.  Mine was new from the factory, and is garaged, but the front suspension still started rusting very quickly.  Especially in the winter when they have salt down.

Stuart

[Guest]

Thanks guys I really appreciate your comments. I think on reflection I would be best to wait until I can afford one as a summer car (till then I will have to do track days & stay with a boring sensible car).

The other considerations are the limited resale opportunities and the fact that I am no mechanic so all servicing etc would need to be done by a garage, (Ill bet there are not too man that I would trust with a beloved Westie). Winter driving could be a problem as I live in village where they do not salt the roads, and in the winter they are slippery as ####.  Having to drive with the hood up in wet weather, with the heat in cabin and no way to open the windows could end up being a pain. Also the rust form the wet driving would leave me with a car that was not as pretty as I would like it to be. So it looks like this project will have to go on hold for a while, which is a shame as the idea of owning a lively little road rocket really appeals. But my head is saying wait a while till you have enough money to run it as a dry weather car

Thanks again for all your comments

Drive safely and don't let Mr Plod see you.....or at the very least catch you

[Si Stocks]

John

I ran a V8 with no heater as my only car for about 18 months and drove it in rain, sleet and snow.  It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences when the weather was really bad, but on a trip down to Taunton from London in the middle of winter, I found that duck taping the doors to the hood made the wind noise, water ingress etc almost bearable!!!  Overall it is definitely do-able and not too much of an inconvenience.  Having said all of that, I don't do a huge amount of miles a year and when I did put a second car back on the road at Xmas last year I found life a lot less draughty!  

I don't know what other people feel about this, but living in London I never felt particularly happy leaving my Westy sitting on the road and therefore didn't tend to drive anywhere where I had to do this.  Obviously this is not a problem in a tintop.

However, faced with the dilemma of having a Westy but using it all year round, or not having one and being a bit more comfortable, there isn't really much of a decision to be made...!

[Mike H]

Buy mine instead    

Lots of extras inc. tonneau which I think is better than the hood anyway.

Mike

[SEiGHT]

Mike H does have a good point actually

Why not buy a well looked after second-hand one and use the money you save to buy a Fiesta/Focus or whatever. Boring and slow (but warm and dry) car for winter, fun car for summer.

As for repairs, I'd attempt it myself, but anything too heavy and I'd take it back to the factory (not had anything go wrong apart from my fog light breaking twice). factory prices are reasonable for services etc. and at least you know they have done a good job. Plus you get to have some free tea and biscuits when you are there

I'm just about to leave work now, and I've got a 60 mile blat all the way home in my Westy with roof down and shades on. Once you've tired it you won't want to stop !

[ricdiggle]

This is what I do. Westy for dry days - nasty old Ford Ka for work, shopping and the dog. Sold a scooby which did all the above and don't regret it at all. Well, maybe sometimes when it's raining and I'm in the mood for a blat.

[Kevin Wood]

Going back up a few posings, and off topic, I fear, a few people mentioned high / unlimited mileage use. I've got a 4500 mile limited policy with FJ at the moment and it's up for renewal in a few weeks. If some one will do it for sensible money I'd rather go for unlimited or a much higher limit.

Can you let me know who you're with and approx cost?

Also, where was the FJ unlimited for the price of 4500 offer? They have sent me a renewal but no mention of it.

Thanks

Kevin

[mattstead]

To get the unlimited mileage deal, just ring Hollie at Westfield and she'll send you out the form...I'm 27 and my VX costs hundreds less than my 1.2 clio!! It is with FJ,but mine was organised through westfield.

Beware though, they say that it enables trackday cover, if you ring up before the event and pay a small premium...£55 for an airfield day..OK not too bad, but your excess goes up to £2500!!!! I now get my track cover through the event organisers.