gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 My Scoob is 60k/3 years old by December this year, so am considering the diesel and track day car route. The short list is an Elise/VX-220 or Caterfield. Obviously the Caterfield has an advantage on performance/excitment, however I don't want to trailer my track day car to trackdays, I want to drive it there, potentially do a whole track day and drive it back. Due to the fact I'm in the UK this could mean a couple of hours on motorways in various weather, which is where the Elise/VX220 has the advantage. So do Caterfield owners drive there,do the day and drive back, or mostly trailer the car there? cheers, greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Crickmore Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 We drive 'em everywhere mate. smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Author Share Posted July 18, 2002 cheers Al, So blatting up/down the M6 in p*ssing rain is doable in a 7? Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevSull Too Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Of course, unless you're a great big girlie poofter! teeth.gif (IMHO) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenEvans Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 It can be quite refreshing actually. Maybe put something on your head so people don't think you're entirely crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachael Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 It is certainly possible and depending on how much rain can even be good fun! Alex has the Se7en as his only car and so uses it in all weathers anyway. We went out on a trip with the Lancashire area, we had to drive up the M6 from Cheshire to meet them. It was throwing it down and there was loads of standing water, but we didn't even bother with the roof, just turned the heater up a bit...we got a few funny looks, but well worth it, when we got there we had a great blat around the countryside!! Do it, you really won't regret it...and sometimes the sun does shine! smile.gif Rach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Robinson Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Greg, Have done a track day at Pembury and then driven for 4 hours home on the M4/M25 afterwards. It can be done no problem. I do now own a trailer however as it makes the end of the day more relaxing, and takes away that concern that if you bin it you're up a creek without a paddle... Why not start with the Caterham and then add a trailer later if you find the travelling too knackering, with all the costs of upgrades and track days another £1,000 for a trailer is nothing !!! Robbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Crickmore Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 See! We are all mad though mind you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino ferrana Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Plus you will get very bored of the Caterhams going past you like you are standing still on the track! If you have a little off in a Caterham it is almost always repairable and not too expensive. Do the same in an Elise or VX220 OUCH!!!! Front nose section on an Elise place your bets for how much? Plus if you bend the chassis JESUS that must be expensive! Get the Caterham they are not difficult to drive on the road I think Exhilarating is more the word! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Author Share Posted July 18, 2002 thanks alot for the replies, now expect loads of which one should I get posts ;) Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary G Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Greg, I drove my Seven from London to Wales last Friday. Spent Saturday on the track. Drove home (M4/M25) on the Sunday - No problemo.smile.gif There was a VX220 at the trackday. It made me laugh a lot because when I was watching from the paddock and it went past on the straight it sounded like a swishing-wind-type-thing (mainly tyre noise I think). When the Sevens went past, it was all engine noise.smile.gifsmile.gif. Plus, next to the Seven's it looked like a bus - all top heavy and unwieldy! Another way of looking at it: How many people have you heard saying that they regret buying a Seven? The only comment I've ever heard is: "I wish I'd bought it years ago". C7 GAR id=red> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Greg - I've driven my Caterham to the last couple of track days I've done. I live in Hampshire, but drove to Bruntingthorpe and Donington Park, along the carpark (M25) and up the M1. The only thing I'll say is that my XFlow seemed to get through a fair old bit of petrol on the motorway, found that sitting in the nearside lane at 60mph helped a little. (But the sound is worth the petrol!) smile.gif If you plan on driving it to the track, I'd suggest going for a K-series car (which I suspect is what you are looking at, as you mentioned the Elise too?) or trailer the 7 to the track. Of course,if you live close to a couple of tracks, it might not be such a problem for you. Den teeth.gif - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Edited by - Dirty Den on 18 Jul 2002 16:20:40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RESOLVIWOLF Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Greg - i have been driving my slr to trackdays with no windscreen or doors and wearing a helmet. Just got back from spa in fact, drove there and back, 300 miles each way ! However, i wouldn't really advise it but it can be done. I drove London to donnington and back all in oen day around 3 weeks ago. If you keep teh windscreen and doors and roof then its a LOT more pallettable and well worth putting up with considering what the caterham gives you on track over an elise/VX200 (i have owned a 340r & an elise). But my best advise is to just get teh caterham, worry about getting it to the circuit afterwards. I'd like to bet you that you will get even more into trackdays than you ever thought (cos of teh car) and you will: a) ditch your windscreen & weather gear b) buy a trailer Why are you so against trailering ? I have found that on track days the more you put into it all and teh more seriously you take it, then teh more you get out of it. If you are even vaguely into circuit driving then road cars just don't cut it & you need to separate it into 2 different cars and hence go teh trailer route. To be honest, after driving my friends Van Diemen formula ford round spa even things like SLR's and R500's are quite a compromise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Den Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Greg - I should also say that I was looking at getting an Elise for ages, I really wanted a Lotus. But I bought the 7 instead, but pleased I got a Caterham and not a copy, I like the Lotus heritage and the look of the Caterham over the other 7 replicas out there. Glad I did, best thing Ive ever done. I blame this lot and the guys at The Phoenix! wink.gif A mate has a standard Elise and has driven my 7 (a 1600 Sprint). He loved it and I've now caught him looking at Superlight R300s. I can't imagine buying anything else for fun, other than another 7 now, but my next one is a long way off - having too much fun with this one!!!! teeth.gif Just do it, you'll not regret it... Den teeth.gif - Self portrait - still unable to remove the smile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Author Share Posted July 18, 2002 Reason why I can't go the trailer route: I'm pretty sure that a trailer'd car won't fit in the garage, and I ain't got anywhere else to store a trailer. The garage would only just fit a Caterfield on it's own. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino ferrana Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Don' t call them Caterfields. Caterhams or Westfields best not to confuse the two. Worth looking at the values of Caterhams and the VX220/Elise the Vauxhall depreciation is hideous I should imagine! Lotus Elises are now down to 12-13k in some places. Caterhams hodl their value fantastically unlike a lot of copy cars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Author Share Posted July 18, 2002 I was reading that Elise will bottom out at around £10k. Also another reason for not getting a pure track day car is having a blat to/from work/at lunchtime on the one sunny day of the year!! greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino ferrana Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Absolutely but Caterhams unless in a wild spec are not pure track cars. I beleive a prisoner series R500 exists which is used primarily on the road! People who say Caterhams are just for the track are mad you can have fantastic fun on the road! many guys here use their Caterham for everyday transport. Even those that don't drive them whenever possible to work etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Mine's my only car and it's usable for just about anything. Other than Ikea runs. Which is a blessing. I'm not mad either. Honest. "Caterham's are awkward to live with" are usually comments made by people who can't put the roof up. And with everything practice and technique is everything with this. That aside, and accepting a bit of a compromise on space etc, they're fine for everyday use. Incidentally, have you ever tried to put a MkI Elise hood on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWJ777 Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 If you want to grin every day you see, slide in to, start , drive, stop, stagger out, stare and talk about, come rain or sunshine................. There is only One car for you A Caterham 7 If second best will do , go buy any of the others, all fun , but not the best! Bruce id=purple> , Self Drive ROLLER COASTER id=purple> Owner cool.gif R300 FUN id=purple> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Let's be honest here. Have you actually driven either? I think the conversation becomes largely irrelevant if you have because you'll only want to know: 1. How long the waiting list is for a Caterham 2. What spec you should go for. If you're in the market for an Elise then you want an Elise. In the real world they are miles different to a Se7en. There's a chap at my work who brings in his Elise every day. It's his only car. I can't bring in V7 because it won't get over the speed bumps therefore it isn't my only car, yet I still manage to put more miles on it each year than that chap does in his Elise. 99% road miles too. If you're not sure whether you would want to drive to a trackday in a Se7en then you need to try one. As they are road legal it's not unfair to ask why would you NOT want to drive it on the road. If you doubt whether any sane person would want to drive theirs on the road, check out: Se7ens List Tours Worcs L7 club joint AO Membership No.id=red> 4379id=green> Azure Blue SLR No. 0077id=blue> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Author Share Posted July 18, 2002 V7 SLR I have driven Elise, Exige and Caterham on track at various J Palmer events. As I said each has it's + and - 's. The only one I haven't driven is a Westfield. Waiting list is irrelevant as I would buy 2nd hand. greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RESOLVIWOLF Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 i dont think this post is about if an elise or a caterham is better (cos neither is). Its about the feasability of driving a caterham long distances to trackdays and then driving home on teh same day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregh Posted July 18, 2002 Author Share Posted July 18, 2002 spot on Jackal!! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alias Posted July 18, 2002 Share Posted July 18, 2002 Greg, I use my seven as my only car and have found it fine for long journeys. Many in this forum have taken one out for the day (can be hired from all Catherham authorised dealers for about £100). This will give you a good idea as to how usable / suitable it is for every day use. I appreciate that you will probably get some slightly biased advice on this site but all of us would strongly recommend getting a seven as it is very usable on the road and almost untouchable on the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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