leemarkadams Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hello all, just wondering what peoples thoughts on this car are: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3396130.htm Am torn between a westie and a supercharged VX220. The VX220 will cost a fair bit more however! Also, will the 185bhp in this be enough for track days etc, as was in contact with Ginger Wingnut about his a while ago but was sold before I could get back to the UK (his had 215bhp). Lee Thanks Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Keene Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Good car with all the right bits, anti roll bars, LSD, proper gearbox, rac roll bar, etc. The 1600 VX is a nice engine to, light, powerful and revy. The owner of that car will almost certainly be on here as it is a WSCC Speed Series car. 184bhp is a lot of power in a Westfield, mine is ~155bhp and will get to 60 in 4.6 seconds. That has more power and a proper gearbox, do not under estimate the value of proper ratios, so should be even faster. Edit: Just had another read, Troy at Northampton is a master of Westfield suspension set up and the Siltech wide track is first rate. That is a proper bargain of a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 If predominantly track use I would personally avoid the Elise / VX220. The chassis is difficult at the limit and they are expensive to repair if you damage front or rear clam. If predominantly road then a different story. This car was up before Christmas and seemed a bargain until it was spotted that the paper work was not recorded as a Westfield but donor. Now corrected it represents great value. Steve occasionally comes to our club meets and is a top bloke. Just give him a call if you need more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 If predominantly track use I would personally avoid the Elise / VX220. The chassis is difficult at the limit and they are expensive to repair if you damage front or rear clam.If predominantly road then a different story. This car was up before Christmas and seemed a bargain until it was spotted that the paper work was not recorded as a Westfield but donor. Now corrected it represents great value. Steve occasionally comes to our club meets and is a top bloke. Just give him a call if you need more info. explain why the elise/vx chassis is difficult at the limit have you experience of this ,having built and run plenty of elises with 340 bhp235 ftlb have never really found them a problem and are a dream to drive even on the limit ,and the clams are not expensive to repair ,no more expenisve than any other car tbh to answer the question depends what you want from a car really the vx is a more usable car for everyday fun car the westy in question is a more focused track day car that is a proper bit of kit with some nice bits on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 The Westfield for sale is Steve C's so here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 the price will also reflect that this is registered on V-car as a cat C right ,off nothing wrong with it, as obviously rebuilt correctly, but may cause issues come sale time . Based on the experience of doing exactly this and then selling a cat-d westfield in the past . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 explain why the elise/vx chassis is difficult at the limit have you experience of this ,having built and run plenty of elises with 340 bhp235 ftlb have never really found them a problem and are a dream to drive even on the limit ,and the clams are not expensive to repair ,no more expenisve than any other car tbh You will have more first hand experience and can probably offer more reasons but I figure lot's of grip and mid engined. It's also what the professional instructors at the factory told me when I took their driving course. You can catch a slide of course but you need to be alot quicker and more aware of the dynamics than in a Westfield. If they are not expensive to repair, tricky at the limit - I wonder why insurance is so expensive compared to almost anything else in the same performance / price bracket? My Elise R cost £500 limited to 3000 miles 18 months ago - that's the most I have ever paid for insurance and I have imsured cars with 4 times the power and 5 times the value with the same broker. The dealer actually crashed my car on a road test and I refused to have it repaired and returned so I never did get to take it on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 £354 sc/cc honda 2-11 special build ,fully comp agreed value £29,000... sc/cc honda'd s1 elise agreed value £20,000 £348 .cci any car is hard to catch if you loose it on the limit ,yes mid engined cars are a tad harder to catch but you have more mechanical grip anyway , its down to the idividual and car set up ,any mong can go out and buy a car ,do a track day and push it to hard and loose it ,every car has different chassis characters even from westy to westy ,saying there tricky at the limit does not make elises dear to insure ,i have driven marshall's honda elise plenty of times around anglesey and you can drift it ,control it on the throttle its sublime and a pleasure to drive ,that is running 340r road geo,with protech's with 325,400 lb springs on 888's ,225bhp i have been repairing lotus's for years so know exactly how much they cost to repair i have 5 in the workshop at the moment for various reasons from sctratches to full colour changes and engine conversions its just a bold statement saying they are difficult on the limit i personally dont think they are anymore difficult than any other car that you drive hard ,even fwd cars can be a b***h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 CCI were more than £500 for me !!! postcode lottery I guess. as a comparison my Westy (250 duratec and 3000 miles) is £154 Insurers experience tells a different story of the risks / repair costs. But anyway back to the question - I stand by my view that a westfield makes a better option if predominantly track use - cheaper to insure, cheaper consumeables and repair costs and whilst open to debate - easier handling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 But anyway back to the question - I stand by my view that a westfield makes a better option if predominantly track use - cheaper to insure, cheaper consumeables and repair costs yes i agree ,thats why i said the vx would make a better everyday/weekend car as its more of a sensible car,doors,roof ,waterproof ,lockable etc etc and the westy is more track focussed :)with some nice bits on it i thought i was having a sensible debate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 yes was a sensible debate - I guess handling is always a fairly open with personal preference being one factor. Best the OP drives both. Steve - for future info - are you repairing the Elise alloy chasis / wishbone pick ups if crash damaged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleggy the Spyder Man Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 ultimately depends how you want to do your track days think trailers or if you intend to drive their in the car and back - lots of things to consider like tyre wear and the weather for a proper track toy a 7 is a very good option and compared to other options fairly cheap to run and repair (assuming a fairly standard state of tune) - but you are better off with a trailer would be worth grabbing hold of a local expert if you can to come look over the car with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 yes was a sensible debate - I guess handling is always a fairly open with personal preference being one factor.Steve - for future info - are you repairing the Elise alloy chasis / wishbone pick ups if crash damaged? no wuv , never touched a tub other than replacing them ,i wont repair pick up points because of warranty issues and liability i would not put my name to a pick up point repair either as i would not like it done on my car so would not do it on a customers , i know people who repair them in various ways ,some very good some very bad , i have seen chequer plate welded in pick up points and shocker brackets welded on ,some real nightmare repairs that make you wonder what goes on in people heads thinking they will do and be safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 OK thanks. How much impact is needed before the chassis is damaged? The technician folded the front wishbone and wheel in on my car and smashed the clam but it was repaired and up for sale a few weeks later. I was surprised this had not damaged the chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveD Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 OK thanks. How much impact is needed before the chassis is damaged? The technician folded the front wishbone and wheel in on my car and smashed the clam but it was repaired and up for sale a few weeks later. I was surprised this had not damaged the chassis. depends how and where its hit tbh , i have had a few that have had the bottom wishbone bent double yet they have had no chassis damage at all ,and seen a few that have had a lesser impact and ripped out the top wishbone front mount , so its all down to many factors not just how strong the chassis is the s1 and s2 chassis were totally over engineered and unbelievably strong ,you only have to look at the evora chassis to see how much they have taken out of them ,i dont blame you for not having your car back ,i would have done the same if a mechanic had damaged mine ,but the chassis would have probably been fine if they had repaired it and put it up for sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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