Thinking of a change

[Ary]

Hi all,been having a nose around for a few days now and liking what i see.

My name is Ary[short for my surname]

At the moment i drive sierra 3door cosworth,but i'm seriously thinking of a change,the reason being is because of the cleaning.

The car in question is an ex concours car which is as clean underneath as it is on top.

It is running approx 400BHP,so not to slow.

Before i get to exited i need some answers to a couple of questions if you could help me out please.

1st question

Now i'm not what you would call a slim fellow.lol.

How much room is there in the seats as in the pics on the site it does'nt look to bad,but you cant really tell from pics can you.

Are there any bigger than average blokes driving these or are you all  slim chaps.?

2nd question

Insurance

I'm a 41 year old bloke with a clean licence,how much am i going to be looking at to insre a westfield with a 2ltr zetec in it?

3rd question

No please don't take offence by this,but do yo think i would be disapointed going from a 400BHP 170MPH car to a 150BHP car?

Now i do sort of understand power to weight ratio but if you can give me some of your experiences either road or track that would be great to give me abit of an idea.

Think that will do for now so any help in these matters would be very helpfull,thank you.

Ary

[jak]

SEIW is what you need, you should be OK, but only you can decide if it's comfortable.

Again, it's not just about the power, but the overall driving experience, you really need to have a drive in a few.

Insurance will be in the region of £200 comp 3000miles a year.

Where abouts in Lincolnshire are you?

John

[Nick PC]

I am a fat barsteward and fit in well to a wide. As Jak has said it is not just about power but about power to smiles ratio. 400 BHP can be great but Westies provide different experiences depending on what you choose from V8 to lowly pinto or CVH which are all good fun. You pay your money and as long as you want fun and not top speed you have arrived at the right place            

And insurance is reasonable value.

[leighc]

if you use frank pickles it'll be less than £200 - I just paid £140 fully comp and i'm a reckless young wipper snapper and mines a 2 ltr Zetec

going from 400bhp to 150bhp is going to be different, but like John said, it's about the driving experience - I bet you'll enjoy the grunt from a light NA engine'd car - powering off roundabouts etc is lots of fun (in the dry of course)

i have to admit, your reason for changing is new to me, are you fed up of polishing it?

welcome btw

[Tigger]

Hi Ary,

Welcome to the forum and I'm sure that if you do decide to get a Westfield, you will be frequenting here A LOT

Right, questions in order of appearance:

1) Lots of "larger than average" guys drive these cars but the best bet is to visit your local area meet and have a sit in one.

You can also get a feel for the club and ask hundreds more questions - we are a friendly lot. --> List of area meets

2) At 41 your probably considered a "safe" driver but still depends on who you go with. I would say a ball park figure would be £200 with limited mileage (don't quote me though)

3) No way will you be dissapointed, I have taken out a guy who owned a 550bhp skyline and he shat himself (my car was 180 bhp at the time).

It is a totally different experience driving a Westy to a tintop, you are closer to the ground, open to the elements and in a car that corners like it's on rails so no, you won't be let down.

Again, probably best to visit you local meeting, you may even be able to blag a ride in one.

BTW: 150bhp x 580kg - 258 BPT as opposed to your car which is around 320 bhpt so even if you don't tune it (which you probably will), it's still a high figure

Hope that helps

Tiggs

[Ary]

Hi all,thank you for the quick replys,all what i wanted to here aswell

John,i'm 10 miles east of Lincoln at a place called Wragby.

Nick,thank you for that as that was one of my main concerns.lol.

Liegh,it's a 2ltr zetec i would be looking to get as i have been into fords for a long time now and will still be part of the North Lincolnshire RSOC which i have been a member of for the past 12 years.

Yes i am bored of polishing it,being as it's all painted underneath it's a pain to keep clean.

I have to choose when i take it out,i'll only go out on sunny days and go to a show if it's fair.

If i get caught out in rain it means getting it up on axel stands and having about 7hrs washing and polishing to get it looking right again.

Here's a couple of pics so you can see what i mean

Tiggs,the local meet(Lincolnshire) is less than 10 miles from me and i quite often have a ride down that road as it's a very good driving road

I'll try and make the next meet and  have a good look round them,and as you say there might be someone kind enough to take me for a ride  

As i said i sort of understand the power to weight ratio thing and 258BPT is not exactly shy is it.

To be honest i'm not bothered about top speed,i'm happier going for a little play round twisty roads.

Iv'e been looking at a few vids on youtube and i'm getting the idea of how quick they are round track,and i got to say,very impressed

Again,thank you for your replies,all very helpfull.

Ary

[samcooke]

IMHO a 150bhp Westfield *will* feel slow in a straight line compared to a genuine 400bhp turbo tin top.

As tigger says, the sensations are very different, but the shove in the back you get from a big power turbo just isn't there in a small output natasp.

My advice would be to try to find a Westfield with a breathed on Zetec with 200ish bhp.

[jak]

John,i'm 10 miles east of Lincoln at a place called Wragby.

Tiggs,the local meet(Lincolnshire) is less than 10 miles from me and i quite often have a ride down that road as it's a very good driving road

Get in touch with the AO for Lincoln and see if he can put you in touch with some people locally to see if you can have a look at a few, to try before you buy.

John

[leighc]

Ary, that is an awesome car! love it.

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

blimey that is clean -    - like you say a pain in the A*** though to keep on top off if you want to use it regular

180bhp fairly light car with aero screen feels b****y quick to me    up to 100

[scott beeland]

That's got to be one of the cleanest Cossies on the planet

LOVE IT!!!

[Tigger]

That is an extremely clean car, unfortunately that's it's downfall ..... you'd never want to drive it fast anywhere

You've obviously realised that and want to get in and DRIVE a car and a Westfield is going to put a smile on your face everytime

[Captain Colonial]

That's a fabulous car and you can see all the love, pain, blood and sweat that went into that!

But you're a braver man than I to get under a tin top on axle stands to polish it!  Scares the feck out of me just thinking about it.

Get to a local meet and talk to and see some examples is definitely the best advice.

[nikpro]

That is an extremely clean car, unfortunately that's it's downfall ..... you'd never want to drive it fast anywhere <!--emo&

You've obviously realised that and want to get in and DRIVE a car and a Westfield is going to put a smile on your face everytime

Trouble is if you are a hefty bloke like me 'getting in' and driving the thing becomes a pain in the   .

Once the novelty wore off I now can't be bothered going for a drive in mine as the fuel tank is small (140 miles) so you need to put fuel in everytime you go out which involves getting in and out of the contraption. Its effin uncomfortable and cramped and the roads are too busy to enjoy it.

When you go and look at a Westfield I'm sure you will be 'blown away' quite literally but just say to yourself - once the novelty has gone will I still be using it? (Probably less than the Cosworth?)

If you pick a windscreen the car tears your nostrills off at anything above 50 and if you have an aeroscreen you have to wear a helmet and look like a right plonker on the Queens highway!

I would tend to suggest that unless you plan lots of trackdays something else will suit you better - IMO a Westfield is a crap road car but an OK track car.

On this forum you will get very biased answers  

[scott beeland]

Compromised road car, yes....But crap road car they are most certainly not (if you pick your varient appropriately).

Large numers of owners use them regularly on the roads (touring/ commute/ blatting etc) without issue.

You have never been particularly complimentary about the marque, or your experience of ownership......

How exactly would you define your (crap road car) statement?