There have been plenty of threads on here about folk defecting to BMW 330s etc. However having previously had BMWs in the past and then shifting allegiance to Subaru for much more focussed driving I was wondering if anyone has gone further and moved on to a Caterham 7.

I tried a Caterham 7 SV160 recently and I thought the car awsome. However, what would it be like to live with (forgetting about the obvious shortcoming of interior space) and if any Impreza drivers have any opinions on this.

 

Great cars for the track and for the middle of no-where on clear dry roads. To live with would be a bloody nightmare as an only car. Just getting in and out and the noise does grind you down. Mine was just for trackdays in the end I coudln't be bothered on the road as you just caught up traffic as everything is slower (and I mean everything) and you just feel frustrated. However as a summer experience and if the right spec was chosen then yep go do it as its certainly an experience I don't regret, it just felt in the end I had done the caterham thing and had a lot of money tied up in a toy.

 

I used to have a caterham 7 superlight - track days were a problem. Was getting bored when people would block me in corners then roar off down the straight, anything above about 100 and performance drops right off. Also heard some gripes about component specs for ealy 2000 models (ie being too cheap and breaking). You have to wear earplugs for journeys over 40 miles. Great steering handling and brakes though! In the end I can lap faster in the scooby, carry people and luggage, dont have to dress up to go out in the car, and be nice and warm for the same money. The benefits of the scoob outweigh the go kart fun....

 

Thanks for the reply CAT7. The thing which I really loved about the Caterham was the steering. However, I drove it on fairly smoothe roads and I wondered what the car would be like on poorer surfaces.

 

Bumpy.....

You should ask this question on blatchat see what they say. Have driven Caterhams on the track a few times [know what you mean about blocking on corners, generally got so harrassed by me that they gave up and pulled over] but a mate owned one as a company car. After 6 months bought a sensible car for the day job and kep the Cat for the weekends

I love 'em but wouldn't drive everyday too wearing after the novelty has gone.

Roo

 

I used to run a R500 as a 2nd car, IMHO you would need to be a very very committed enthusiast to run a caterham 7 as your only/daily drive (depending on how many miles you do of course)

They are not that uncomfortable, even with tillet seats, and with the roof off they are great, however once you put the roof on the whole driving experience is ruined IMHO. The noise is awful, the visibility is poor, water pisses in at motorway speeds, ventilation is non existant, its just a really really unpleasant experience.

Best just to have one as a 2nd car and enjoy on track or early on a summer morning

 

Hi Caterham SLR owner here. I have had a Super Light 1600 and an R300, now on my second SLR. But they have all been my 2nd or 3rd car so just for track days or summer use.

There are people who use them every day, if you have a small hop to work its ok, a bit dryer than a bike LOL. On summer days I take the 7 to work no problems but October to April is not really any use due to the weather.

You need to join either www.blatchat.com (there is a fee) or www.seventorque.com (free) and ask some other owners

 

Thanks for the replies guys .
The concensus appears to be that they are generally difficult to live with and
must be a second car and summer use only.

One thing that attracts me is the enjoyment you can get from driving at (almost) road legal speeds - unlike the subaru!

I may yet take the bull by the horns and order a kit.

 

how about a halfway point, get a VX220 turbo?

 

Or an elise, the steering on an elise feels even better than a caterham, I guess the VX is the same but I've not driven so can't be sure.

An elsie or vx220 is a car you could live with everyday, just about, (again depending upon mileage and road types) whilst still offering a great drive. Wouldn't me my choice for track cars though.

 

bugsti

Talk to caterham before you order, they used run a facility where you could hire a 7 for few days and then if you ordered they would take the hire costs (or some of them) off of the price of the car, sort of try before you buy.

If you explained the situation I'm sure they would help by getting you into a car for a few days

 

Dont want that filth. You want a Westfield!