Caterham v Westfield

tonyyeb

tonyyeb

tonyyeb

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Hi guys

I've always been a fan of Lotus 7 style cars. In the near future (next year or two) i hope to look closer at buying one. I would like to know if any knows why a 10,000 mile Caterham can be £6k+ more than a Westfield? Without knowing more why would that be?

Cheers
 
People are willing to pay for the heritage of a Caterham, and this has been driving Westfield residuals down.

Caterham bought the rights to "7" off Lotus, and use a narrower chassis design than a Westfield.

As for whether to get a Cateringvan or a Westfield, I'd say get a westfield, but am biased as this is out in our garage:
S%20A%20Day%2028-10-06%20007_disp512.jpg
 
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imo opinion they aint worth the extra, your paying for name and higher residual prices.

You'll get a much higher spec car for the same money if you go for a westy.
Take a look on autotrader and compare specs with prices.

My old westy set me back four and a half, equivelent spec caterham at the time was around seven to eight.
 
Caterham is a better brand name and their directors know this. It's not really a complicated reason at all :/

It's like iPod vs some Creative piece of crap. Most people will prefer to own the real mccoy.
 
The proble is Nathan is its just a name . Unlike apple and creative the ipod is a better product .
I had my Westfield for 2 years and if yer a badge snob and happy to pay over the odds for JUST for a name be my guest .
There cheaper .. Tend to be higher spec .. Not fitted with K-series engines.... More choice ....Bec engines as a choice ....More upgradability .

There are plenty of other 7 kits but if i had to have one i would not have Cateringvan .

Persil
 
Persil said:
There are plenty of other 7 kits but if i had to have one i would not have Cateringvan .

Persil
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question.
honestly..if someone was going to give you a seven for free, and you couldn't sell it to cash in, would you still turn down a caterham?
for me, they're that little bit tidier although not worth the huge increase in cost.
 
Well if it was free then yes ... But most people have to buy them so assuming i had to buy one i would rather have a 2ltr zetec on tb's and all the toys than a cateringvan with a 1.4 k series for the same or more money.

Its not a case of not liking the car ... Its the snobbery and poor value for money that puts me off .

Persil
 
Imo it is well worth looking at the other kit manufacturers. They are much cheaper then westfields and the engineering and quality of design is equal to that of the westfield and often better.

check out http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/ for a decent forum of 'other' brand cars.

I'd definately take a look at MK, MAC1 and MNR. I really like the mnr cars, they are extremely light (wet weight BECs can be under 400kgs) and they get continual praise for quality and customer service. Definately worth a look if only just to see what alternatives are available.
 
olv said:
Imo it is well worth looking at the other kit manufacturers. They are much cheaper then westfields and the engineering and quality of design is equal to that of the westfield and often better.

check out http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/ for a decent forum of 'other' brand cars.

I'd definately take a look at MK, MAC1 and MNR. I really like the mnr cars, they are extremely light (wet weight BECs can be under 400kgs) and they get continual praise for quality and customer service. Definately worth a look if only just to see what alternatives are available.
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isn't Dr.Who's (from this very forum not the timelord, or maybe...) car an MNR kit?
everything i've read about MNR says quality and value.
 
AtomicBanana said:
Oh wow, that's amazingly awesome looking.. how much? :O

EDIT: A more refined Google found out. Too much for poor old me :(
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How much did it say it costs? :confused:

Was it a kit with or with out an engine and was it pre-made or do you make it your self? :confused:

Just curious about your discoverys because i found almost naught on it
 
NathanE said:
Caterham is a better brand name and their directors know this. It's not really a complicated reason at all :/
Click to expand...

It's simply the more established brand name and one associated with very expensive products. That doesn't make it "better".

It's like iPod vs some Creative piece of crap. Most people will prefer to own the real mccoy.
Click to expand...

Right, so a product designed with fashion foremost and a stupid price tag against a more functional, cheaper device but whose marketing has been nowhere near as agressive. If I'm spending my own money I want to get the most I can for it, and you don't achieve that by buying a Caterham.

Caterhams are very nicely made, there can be little argument about that, but they absolutely do not represent good value for money. Many (most?) Caterham owners buy them simply for prestige. A Westfield offers much better value with very few tradeoffs (though I think the Caterham is a better looking car).
 
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