rag1998 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) Hello all, This is Raghu from Austin, TX, new to the forum and less is more concept, currently own a Corvette C6 my daily driver, loved it for most of the time, but its time for a change. Have my eyes set on a Caterham/Lotus 7, and want one BADLY!! Forgot to add: I am considering a 7 to be my daily driver(to and fro from work is 10 miles), might sound weird but I like to drive my cars and enjoy every moment, also occasional track miles say 6 track weekends a year. Have a few Q's and would love to get your opinions. 1. Reliability? - I am not mechanically/electrically/green paper sound, what type of regular maintenance does a 7 need and how much will it run for maintenance issues? 2. Love driving my cars, put close to 22K miles on my Vette in an year with 2K track miles, regular fluid changes, brake maintenance etc and few issues covered by warranty. Would the 7 be able to do the same for me? 3. I am 5 11", 155 pounds and wear shoe size 10/11. Vette has a Cobra Suzuka seat which is very tight(got it cheap, specs on the seat ), and I drive in it for 40 miles a day but that doesn't bother me much, so assuming that I shouldn't have any issues with the 7. Agree? 4. Owners in Austin/Houston/Dallas, any recommend shops that can work on the 7? For thing's that I cant fix? 5. Insurance? I am 25 with an accident on record, which insurance companies will insure a kit? approx how much will it run? any tips? 6. Registering in Texas? any issues/ things I should consider? 7. Financing? Heard that many companies wont finance a kit car. Experience with any companies? who does/doesn't? 8. Budget max 35K, of-course less the better , considering the answers for some of the above questions like reliability, daily driving etc, what kit's should I consider? Cost? used/new? 9. Most important: Any owners in Austin, TX, that can show me around the car. Never seen one :devil: Sorry for my long list of questions, just want to be sure about what I might be getting myself into Any help is appreciated :cheers: Edited April 18, 2011 by rag1998 Added specs on Suzuka S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pksurveyor Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 The cars are fairly reliable and simple to work on. You can drive it as a daily driver if you can stand the Texas summer heat. My regular mechanic who services my company trucks takes care of my Caterhams. If you treat the Caterham as a second vehicle, Hagerty can insure it at reasonable cost. Registering in Texas is not a problem. You have to jump through a few small hoops if you live in a metropolitan area. A new Caterham will exceed your budget and you will have to wait about seven to nine months for a new kit to come across the pond. Your budget will get you a real nice used Caterham. I don't know any one in Austin has a Caterham. There are several Caterham owners in Houston. Let us know when you plan to come to town and I am certain that we can make arrangement for you to check out the cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 Thanks for the info, I have a cheap second car with AC, auto and comfort which I drive rarely but might have to take that out for those 100F days. That is good to know about insurance, does Hagerty have mileage restrictions? Thats great, I would love to come check them out, will let you know when I can make it. BTW, I will be making a road trip from Des Moines, IA to Austin, TX via Bentonville, AR. Road map here So if anyone with a 7 lives in that travel path and is comfortable showing their rides, please let me know :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 There is a primo used Caterham SV in the for-sale section of this site for $36K. It's a steal IMHO (Full Disclosure, I am pals w/seller but it's still a steal). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 There is a primo used Caterham SV in the for-sale section of this site for $36K. It's a steal IMHO (Full Disclosure, I am pals w/seller but it's still a steal). Yes saw Croc's post, loved the car, looks like all I have to do is add weather gear to it. But I cant buy it right now, getting married next month and hell's breaking loose already :willy_nilly: Looking at more like 7-8 Months down the road, unless I win a lottery ticket in the mean time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubarisax Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Dude... you might as well set the tone for the rest of your married life now. What better way than a Se7en of any sort. Croc's car is just what you need, I have seen it in the flesh and tried to keep up with it, unsuccessfully! As a daily driver, the extra room in a SV bodied car would be nice. Good luck! Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 If you haven't already, Contact Dick Brink at Texas Motor Works. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 Dude... you might as well set the tone for the rest of your married life now. What better way than a Se7en of any sort. Croc's car is just what you need, I have seen it in the flesh and tried to keep up with it, unsuccessfully! As a daily driver, the extra room in a SV bodied car would be nice. Good luck! Karl Right! Told my fiance couple weeks ago about my interest in a 7 and showed her pics of Croc's car. She called me up yesterday and was asking how much I could get for the vette, explained to her and she is like "ok, then why don't you sell the vette and get the car you showed me the other day"!!! That put a smile on my face Just I have too many commitments at this point!! Posting my vette up for sale, so will see if I could make a quick sale, you never know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 If you haven't already, Contact Dick Brink at Texas Motor Works. cheers Thanks for the info, how much does a new Birkin run and how does it compare with a Caterham? any articles/link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubarisax Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Right! Told my fiance couple weeks ago about my interest in a 7 and showed her pics of Croc's car. She called me up yesterday and was asking how much I could get for the vette, explained to her and she is like "ok, then why don't you sell the vette and get the car you showed me the other day"!!! That put a smile on my face Just I have too many commitments at this point!! Posting my vette up for sale, so will see if I could make a quick sale, you never know! Having been married more than once I may not be the best example, but I always like the justification that I have pending sale on one toy then get another; only to have the first deal fall through...presto you have both toys!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1Steve Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Or you could try this, " Honey I love you so much ,I bought this for you" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 Having been married more than once I may not be the best example, but I always like the justification that I have pending sale on one toy then get another; only to have the first deal fall through...presto you have both toys!!! Always love hearing from experienced guys Or you could try this, " Honey I love you so much ,I bought this for you" Tried that a couple of times on several occassions, every time she made me return them / she returned those items, I am fine with that since she saves and I spend :jester: Will have to see if that changes after marriage!!!(not loooking forward to it changing) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Like all Se7ens cost is variable: less if you build yourself, more if you someone else does the work, not to mention upgrades and extras. Probably the most affordable and expedient route is to purchase a used model (insert brand, we love them all). Have you ridden in one yet? If not, beware that once you get into a seven it may be too late to go back - it was for me! cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 Thanks for the input. I will most likely be going the used route unless, I could get a Berkin/another reliable brand in 35k budget Haven't even seen one in flesh yet :leaving: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookwheel Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 (edited) In that price range, a SuperStalker might fit. http://www.bruntonauto.com/ Edit: no factory weather kit... But there are some creative owners that have designed tops. Edited April 19, 2011 by snookwheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruadhd2 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Buy my Killerbee with a rotary for 18,500 and, if you don't like rotaries, put just about any motor in it you like and still be way under budget. Croc's car is really classy. Also, there are often Lotus 7 variants on eBay. I saw three the other day. But you really need to think about Birkins and Stalkers to have a more complete picture of your options. Even though my car's for sale, I still think Croc's car is the real deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 In that price range, a SuperStalker might fit. http://www.bruntonauto.com/ Edit: no factory weather kit... But there are some creative owners that have designed tops. How much does a built Super Stalker cost? Looked at their website but didn't find complete pricing info. Same for Birkin's, sent an email to Dick Brink, didn't hear back yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Thanks for the info, I have a cheap second car with AC, auto and comfort which I drive rarely but might have to take that out for those 100F days. That is good to know about insurance, does Hagerty have mileage restrictions? Thats great, I would love to come check them out, will let you know when I can make it. BTW, I will be making a road trip from Des Moines, IA to Austin, TX via Bentonville, AR. Road map here So if anyone with a 7 lives in that travel path and is comfortable showing their rides, please let me know :cheers: While you are in Des Moines go out to Dallas Center, just outside of Des Moines and check out Sugar Grove Custom Cars. They have several Stalker Se7ens for sale. http://www.sugargrovecars.com/ Great bunch of guys with some wild rides including Stalker turnkey cars. Tell them that Jack from Indy sent you. They will treat you like a King. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookwheel Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 How much does a built Super Stalker cost? Looked at their website but didn't find complete pricing info. Same for Birkin's, sent an email to Dick Brink, didn't hear back yet. Take a look at this link &scroll down: http://www.bruntonauto.com/turnkey/turnkey.htm I think the basic kit starts at $9,995, with you sourcing the engine, trans. guages wheels etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rag1998 Posted April 19, 2011 Author Share Posted April 19, 2011 Buy my Killerbee with a rotary for 18,500 and, if you don't like rotaries, put just about any motor in it you like and still be way under budget. Croc's car is really classy. Also, there are often Lotus 7 variants on eBay. I saw three the other day. But you really need to think about Birkins and Stalkers to have a more complete picture of your options. Even though my car's for sale, I still think Croc's car is the real deal. Wow thanks for being very upfront, that says a lot about this forums integrity :hurray: Not ready to get one yet, and don't get me wrong I am not a big fan of rotaries, but as you were mentioning I can swap and still be way under budget. Will have to see and get a ride in one first, will try hitting up Houston/Dallas this weekend to meet some members and rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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