Kitcat

Who says engineers can't write:). (I love the unique $ back guarantee. Just think of how many more Miatas wld be on the road if Mazda had thot of that one!). Sure wish this had been 4sale 5 months ago(:. You have $52K invested, any estimate of hours of your time spent constructing, fine tuning, debugging?

Here we go:)! Everyone's favorite topic.... I think if you buy used, the depreciation hit has occurred. So the make of the car is less relevant than the condition, options, etc. There is a Caterham listed here that cost over $125K new, and the owner wants $69K now, just a few years/miles later, so Caterhams are not depreciation proof. On the other hand, I bought my used Cat for $22.5K and sold it 4 years & 17K miles later for $21.5K (Let's pretend, for now, that I didn't spend a small fortune on maintenance and up-grade-itis). I bought my 2 year old used Birkin w/700 miles for abt $15K less than it was new. And I believe I will be able to sell it for abt what I paid for the foreseeable future. Ditto WestTexas's drop dead gorgeous Ultralite that has taken the depreciation hit already, cant go wrong w/it or the other well sorted, debugged se7es for sale. If you buy new, you can spec the car just as you want, without the compromise on color, features, power, etc., that a used se7ens purchase entails, but you get hammered when you resell. And, just to be a PITA, guys: look up the meaning of advise(advice) and loose (lose), two of the most misused words on all car forums, not just this one.

My Birkin's cockpit is a hair narrower than my Caterham, both standard sized models. Thus, to put my Caterhem issued racing seats (Tilets) in my Birkin, I had to take out the interior panels so the Caterham seats fit. And the cockpit of the Birkin is 2-3" shorter, meaning the steering wheel is that much closer. The Birkin's peddles are adjustable and there is as much, or more, leg room, but the steering wheel is shoved closer. With my ultra-thin carbon fiber racing seat I am just comfortable in my Birkin (I am 5'9"). The fat stock Birkin seats just shoved me far too close to the wheel. So, all things being equal, I (vastly) preferred the Caterham cockpit. All things weren't equal tho as the Birkin makes 2x the horsepower of my Caterham, so out w/the old, in w/the new, cramped cockpit and all.

Patrese and daughter, er wife: Excellent illustration of men are from Mars, women from Venus. And the daughter/wife gets points for having a sense of humor. Also loved the YouTube/BoobTube Toyota vid also (tho waaay too short:)).

OK, I now have a new favorite car video, thx Hank!

Croc: Just watch the passenger in the "Not Ready for the Ride" thread here to get a sense of what you will be feeling like after your epic trip:).

I got 6 3/4 inches (by placing a ruler up to your arrows on my computer screen, don't thank me:)).

Not for the se7en but for the se7en owner, Toly Arutunoff's car book:"One Off". It starts: "This book is dedicated to those who start smiling and then grinning, when they approach an interesting car. There are others, also involved with cars, who don't. You know who you are." Of course, Toly was a se7en owner, among (many/many) others. And his book is an entertaining, fascinating read.

Aztek, Azteg, Asstech, Aw-heck. By any spelling, by any phrasing, the king, the king the king. Those other entries: hapless wannabes.

All it needs is a 4th wheel and it wld be as good as a se7en! Just kidding, they get my drool meter all fired up, in part because they just have 3 wheels.

A really nice car just got nicer.

"talkin 'bout my generation...."

Good point Mazda. So let me add to my earlier question: Do the dancing girls ride with you, do they participate in the roll over contest, and how many of them do I have to roll to win:)? Mike M

Michael: What is a hyperfest and how does it differ from a run-of-the-mill track day? I assume more competitive/less track time? Mike M

Birkin has come out w/a carbon fiber toneau cover for the passenger seat area (seat is removed). When coupled w/the CF wind deflector the theory is it makes the car (relatively) more aerodynamic. I am awaiting real world testing results. (Birkin also now offers a supercharger for my engine spec, but that's a subject for anther day/post:)).

Steve: His site says he built a turbo X-flow. Are you thinking what I am thinking:)? Mike

Doug: Amazing rescue! Certainly not for the faint of heart, or for those without the requisite mechanical knowledge, tools, shop space, time, patience, etc., etc. Have you tried steam on your plastic protection? Also, I use a 3M adhesive remover on those plastic decals, etc., that wont come off. Helps to soak the item repeatedly. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

I bent two 949 wheels in one of my "off's" at the track. They are light, but they are also fragile. The photo in my Avatar is the much heavier spare wheel (wh/survived a subsequent off-some people just don't learn).

Very, very nice -until the over-exuberant owner slides it into a curb at speed.

Croc: Does this mean Santa is bringing a certain CRS owner a carbon fiber "surprise" for X-mas? (I thot you had to be good under Santa's system:))?

Nice! Is the top up as an aero trick? Why not remove top and windshield altogether? And, rotate front lites as well, 90 or 180 degrees? And remove the rear license plate, just for good measure:)?

Do a search for chmsl, among other things. There have been some helpful discussions on this. Both of my se7ens have this light. Nothing will stop the distracted driver tho. I had a close encounter of the rear end type today in my SUV, wh/is festooned with lights.

Ditto Bruce's love of the whitewall look on this car, tho I am a child of the 40's & 50's. Amazingly clean car.

Jim: In our more southern climes, this is ideal Caterham season. The summers are just so hot down there and these cars run hot anyhow. So maybe its the perfect season, for someone? Mike M.

There are sooo many options on a Caterham and all drive the price up. What does this car have? And what, if anything, will you need to add to make it what you want? Since the '02 Caterham came w/Zetec w/exhaust out driver's side and Duratec exits passenger side, how was that accomodated?