MisterMike

Have you sat in a Caterham SV? If so, how would you compare the two, in terms of size/comfort?

I hadn't focused on the fuel range, but that makes sense. My comfortable fuel range on my BMW is about what you suggest. I can do 200 miles, but I get a little nervous, since I generally get a low fuel warning before that point.

Thanks for the replies. I'm still not there . . . in terms of a decision to go forward . . . but it's likely, due to budget/space/time issues that I'd find myself moving away from motorcycling.

Still a newb, but I do have a serious question. If I decide to build/buy a 7, it will likely serve as a replacement for my sport-touring motorcycle (a BMW R1200ST). I'm not as nuts as some of the BMW riders I know, but I do put on a few thousand miles a year, including occasional trips to the Southeast or the Rockies. Most of what I've read here and elsewhere seems to indicate that not too many 7 owners use their cars that way, opting for shorter trips. However, I'd expect a 7 to serve, at least occasionally, a touring function, giving me some degree of long-distance capability. Is that feasible, in terms of comfort, weather capability, and reliability?

I emailed the seller and he sent me a ton of photos. I'm not sure it's the car for me, but it's an absolutely stunning piece of work. The frame, body, pretty much everything except components like the engine, brakes, shocks, etc. are all hand-fabricated. Dallasdude said "hundreds of hours," but it has to be thousands. The seller, Kurt, said he had worked on it for about eight years. Amazing. if there's anyone nearby who's in the market, I'd urge you to contact him and jump on it.

Thanks. Newkurt's a man of few words. I sent him a request for more info via eBay's message service. If I get a reply, I'll post the info here. There's very little information in the eBay ad. Maybe this is one of those situations where Mrs. Newkurt has told him to get rid of the darned thing and he's not trying very hard--"Geez, darling, I've had it on eBay for two months. What more can I do?"

Is this possibly a scam? Scant description, photos taken against a white background, Euro plates on a California car . . . it seems a little weird. Maybe I'm jaded, but there are a lot of fraudulent car and motorcycle ads on eBay. Be careful!

If anyone's considering Sea Foam, you might want to also check into Lucas Fuel Treatment. My mechanical knowledge is scant indeed, but the advertised descriptions and attributes are similar: it provides internal cleaning and lubrication of your engine's top end, as well as the fuel pump, injectors, etc., and increases fuel octane. It's also possible to buy it by the gallon (in fact, by the drum if you're so inclined), so it's very economical and seems to work well. I buy the gallon size and use it in all my vehicles.

WestTexas--I'm still a spectator here, and don't own a 7. However I do ride a BMW and travel frequently, leaving my admittedly modern cars sitting for extended periods (on occasion). The only real precaution I take is keeping my tanks full and using Sta-Bil during extended periods of storage. However, I'm not claiming this would work in a more rudimentary machine.

In our part of the world it's impossible to buy gasoline that's ethanol-free. Impossible.

On behalf of STi owners everywhere, I apologize.

Thanks, all. Gbolt, thanks for the invitation. I'm out of town for the next two weeks or so, but I'll try to get access to a computer sometime (responding from my iPhone).

Thanks. I'm located in the western 'burbs of Chicago. I've only researched this on line, but it appears that Illinois, for all its screwed-up government, is a fairly good place to register home built cars. According to the U.S. Caterham website, there's a retailer in Joliet, IL, pretty close to here, though I can't find any info about them on the web. If indeed Turn 7 Motorsports exists, I'd likely work with them on this.

Greetings. I'm new here, but have had lust in my heart for a Seven for many, many years. This all goes back into the Ancient Times, when, as a seventeen-year-old, I managed to snag a Triumph TR6, igniting a passion for sports cars that has gone largely unabated for the better part of four decades. It reached a fever pitch back in the early 1980s, when my wife and I lived in England for three years, and I'd regularly find myself in the company of lovely Morgans and Lotus Sevens. But, enough about me. I truthfully don't know if I'll be able to swing it, practically or financially, but I'd really like to build or buy a Caterham SV sometime in the next couple of years, most likely filling the spot in my garage presently occupied by my BMW motorcycle. I won't bore you with the questions that have been asked and answered a million times, except to ask if you folks could refer me to some websites/blogs where owners have detailed their build process. The thought of buying a kit and putting together my own Seven is alluring, but my mechanical experience is pretty meager. I'd like to try to get a handle on the question of whether building my own is within the realm of reason for a ham-fisted, attention span-handicapped noob like me. Thanks.