182 & Caterham or track182 & TDI

[MarkM]

I have a 182 with coilovers cams etc etc probably spent around 6k on it and owned from brand new on an 04 plate.

I am moving into a new house which has much more room to park/store cars

Next year I want to get another car but do I

a) buy a secondhand turbo diesel eg mondeo or passat for around 8k and strip my clio out track style (I hadnt even considered this until I saw the track clio blog by christurbo which looks cool). I mean properly strip aswell remove aircon, interior, elec windows, swap glass for poly windows etc etc

or

b)buy a caterham for around 12k and leave the clio as it is.

both options have there pros and cons option a) would be cheaper but option b) more exciting.

 

[TheCake]

a and b) TDI and 7-based car

 

[MarkM]

a and b) TDI and 7-based car

I have spent to much on my clio that I would lose if I sold it so the clio has to stay.

 

[Rich]

Option A, 2 fun cars - unless your doing mega miles and need a Derv.

 

[haitch]

182 & diesel for me, lot of £ spent you might as well take it all the way, its plenty exciting enough for the track, being a house owner the second larger car comes in very handy (boring i know!), on the downside a trip to work isnt as much fun, but then its only work eh, either way its a tough decision m8. what does the missus drive as it could also affect your choice?

 

[MarkM]

182 & diesel for me, lot of £ spent you might as well take it all the way, its plenty exciting enough for the track, being a house owner the second larger car comes in very handy (boring i know!), on the downside a trip to work isnt as much fun, but then its only work eh, either way its a tough decision m8. what does the missus drive as it could also affect your choice?

My missus has a fiesta at the minute but is getting a focus in the new year so we will have a medium sized car which is big enough to taxi the kids around.

I am the only person in my car 90% of the time and my commute to work is 10miles of country lanes so I suppose the caterham clio idea makes sense.

 

[Martin]

I'd track the clio...

 

[Ads_172]

Get a 7, will make the track Clio seem like a daily driver...

 

[fmp_]

track clio, any day. also safer and probably more usable than a seven on track (rain etc)

 

[clioruss]

me girlfriends dad has just finished buildin a "locost" total selfbuild seven for the un knowing and all though hes only got the 1600gt crossflow engine with delorto twin 40s's it is easy as much fun as my 182 to do with the driver position/height etc, so i'd take the caterham and 182 any day over DR. Diesel.

eitherway have some good fun!

 

[edde]

Sell your car and buy a proper Cup racers and buy a second car.
Or better still make the Cup racer road legal not to difficult.

You could return your car to stock and use the tunned bits on the Cup or use the money for track days.

 

[matt182]

I would go for the caterham and leave the clio as it is i have been looking at them or an elise or vx220 the caterham will be load of fun and then take that on a track

 

[matty w]

Sell your car and buy a proper Cup racers and buy a second car.
Or better still make the Cup racer road legal not to difficult.

You could return your car to stock and use the tunned bits on the Cup or use the money for track days.

running a cup racer on the road to go to work in etc would be a nightmare with the cabin noise rock hard suspension and a sequintial box that are £750 to be rebuilt no point,also you'd never want to leave it anywhere,i'd use the 182 plenty quick enough to learn on track

 

[BenR]

keep the clio and show the boys how to do it properly.

Like you said, if you cant bare to sell the clio due to the investment, then you wont be able to get a pukka caterfield along with the trailor for the derv etc.

 

[edde]

running a cup racer on the road to go to work in etc would be a nightmare with the cabin noise rock hard suspension and a sequintial box that are £750 to be rebuilt no point,also you'd never want to leave it anywhere,i'd use the 182 plenty quick enough to learn on track

You can just swop the springs stock are 350lb or so but you can always chnage them if you want cheap.

Sequenchial might need rebuilding but its one of main keys to the cars speed if you use the right box 0-100 is 10 seconds or so a 182 with stock box would need a lot of tunning to do that.

I'd love one for road use although I'd stick it in a normal phase 2 shell noone would give it a second look.

 

[BenR]

the box might help you achieve 11 and a half 0-100 times from a standstill......but on the fly it wont make that much of a difference to a good driver.

 

[John D]

Caterham and a diesel gets my vote.

Both options sound damn good though!

 

[Justin]

Caterham and clio i reckon! just what i plan to do next year!

 

[MickM]

Get a cheaper 7 based car? pick up a lot nice for a lot less than 12K

 

[Waitey]

Just do a me and buy a 7 car and use it all the time lol

 

[Williams025]

No way would the 1*2 be more useable on the track! By far the fastest car I have ever driven was a Caterham Supersport 1600. We are talking gut wrenching acceleration and handling that you simply cant beat in a tin top, its in another world on the track, wet or dry.

Clio and Caterham gets my vote.

 

[Martin]

I think he means useable as in easier to drive in cold, wet, greasy track conditions....etc

For outright pace the caterham will be quicker but not more useable imo

 

[Williams025]

^^^ depends how good a driver you are, lol! Having driven a 182 and Caterham on the track I will agree to disagree (though they were on different tracks). Never driven a cup though which will be slightly better on the track than the 182 I should imagine, but not by a significant amount.

 

[miketheman2k]

You know what to do







<--------

 

[MarkM]

You know what to do

That would be nice.

I am not sure about bike engined now as I want something useable on a daily commute.

Are caterhams alot more expensive then Westfields and the like because they are better quality or is a westfield just as good. I like the look of the Sylva strikers but know nothing about them.

This one with a 160bhp toyota engine in it sold for 8k.

 

[BenR]

RAW bought the rights to the striker now i think, and they are 4age specialists so they tend to throw them in most of them.

I'd plump for the quality of a caterfield if it was an option, people might like to ignore the fact and call it brand snobbery, but they are better.

And go car power, the torque is just a bonus.

Wesfields have independant rear suspension, whilst most caterhams have de-dion rear axles.

 

[speedynz]

Elise?

VX220?

 

[jiminy]

clio plus track car

RWD will be a lot more rewarding on track

 

[BenR]

or mark......if you really want to learn how to 'drive' a car..........get a corolla

 

[dandan]

7 style for the track
me and the farter-in-law have built 1 locost version for 3k on the road with a
1.8 pinto
and the 1 we are building has 1.7 burton x flow weber 45 dcoe's should be built and on the road for 9k about 150bhp at the moment

 

[Neil G]

I'd go for the Caterham myself

 

[miketheman2k]

Are caterhams alot more expensive then Westfields and the like because they are better quality or is a westfield just as good. I like the look of the Sylva strikers but know nothing about them.

Caterhams and Westfields are very similar in terms of quality of build and components, Caterhams have the better name so they cost more (think Golf vs. Focus).

I've heard the Robin Hood's, etc. are shockingly bad - but I've never seen one to comment first hand.

 

[kevinhall]

Think dan above said his is a robin hood. Not seen it in the flesh but looks pretty good to me in the photos.

 

[Guy]

id do as edde says

at the renaultsport trackday the team boulevard driver said the old cup racers will be sold for approx 8.5k

 

[MickM]

I've heard the Robin Hood's, etc. are shockingly bad - but I've never seen one to comment first hand.

Typical comment of someone who owns a cateringvan/westfield.:rasp:

The main criticism of RobinHood form most people has been the Customer Service which was frankly crap but is much better lately! also if you have someone with good mechanical knowledge then the car will be good so it is down to the builder as much as the manufacturer

 

[miketheman2k]

I've heard the Robin Hood's, etc. are shockingly bad - but I've never seen one to comment first hand.

Typical comment of someone who owns a cateringvan/westfield.:rasp:

Because you don't realise how bad RH's they are until you've owned something built properly? :quiet:

Disclaimer: I made the comment on what I've read on the forums - I have no experience with non-caterfields.

 

[d4ve86]

Id say get the megabusa thats in the forsale section and a TDI to tow it with, or just clio and megabusa and use them both as road cars.

Or just strip the clio bare and use it just for track!

 

[CHRIS172CUP]

option b for me. then you'll learn how to drive properly.

 

[MarkM]

Thanks for the comments.

Looking like a Westfield clio combination from what people are saying.

So what engine? Theres a nice 2.0l zetec with throttle bodies for 11k on pistonheads with 170bhp. I think I want at least 160bhp.

 

[miketheman2k]

For a car engined westfield I'd definitely have at least 170bhp - even though less power will feel quick in lower gears, the car's have the aerodynamics of a brick, so power is needed at 80+ to keep the acceleration rapid.

Zetec's are popular, although a Duratec would be nicer