TxCoyote Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I'm 6'3" 250 and fit comfortably in my Stalker. I have sat in a Birkin, somewhat tight by comparison. I have sat in a Caterham or two, about the same as the Birkin. Never sat in an Ultralite. I would recommend that you consider how much time you would be spending at one time in the car because running a 45 second Autox is a lot different than taking a 2 hr. cruise. I am glad I built a Stalker because I couldn't imagine spending more than 20 minutes in a smaller car. Just my 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) Here are a few pics I have of the car. I dont have alot readily available because I wasnt planning on selling till the end of the month. I can take some more over the weekend once I get it cleaned up. This Ultralite also has a huge trunk. 48x16x18 so plenty of storage for your luggage if want to do some touring with it. Most are amazed at the size of the cargo area. I think they are bigger than all other makes by a large margin. It also has a 11 gallon fuel cell. This car has 17x8.5 Oz Racing Ultraleggera wheels and Nitto NT01 tires. There is about 600 miles on the wheels and tires. It also has the front fenders they just weren't installed in this picture. I have had several Stalker owners drive my Ultralite and they have commented that the Ultralite has a little more room than the Stalker, but they are very close to the same. black ultralite.bmp Edited January 6, 2012 by WestTexasS2K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) I'm 6'1" and have a 34inch waist (maybe 36 after the holidays;) and the driver's seat is too wide for me. I've haven't heard anyone with an issue about leg room either.... the car is larger than Cats/Birkins, more in line with Stalker. Ultralites and Stalkers seems to have a nice rivalry setting fastest times at AutoXs. I had the chance to have Loren build me my car and wish I would of took it (had some shakedown issues). With the experience of racing these cars, he's definately one of, if not, the most knowledgable guy on Ultralites. And now the new owner of the company. If you choose a Birkin, there is a fairly large contingent of helpful owners... mostly in SoCal. Happy hunting, you can't go wrong with any of them! Edited January 6, 2012 by Mondo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshesh Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Here are a few pics I have of the car. I dont have alot readily available because I wasnt planning on selling till the end of the month. I can take some more over the weekend once I get it cleaned up. This Ultralite also has a huge trunk. 48x16x18 so plenty of storage for your luggage if want to do some touring with it. Most are amazed at the size of the cargo area. I think they are bigger than all other makes by a large margin. It also has a 11 gallon fuel cell. This car has 17x8.5 Oz Racing Ultraleggera wheels and Nitto NT01 tires. There is about 600 miles on the wheels and tires. It also has the front fenders they just weren't installed in this picture. I have had several Stalker owners drive my Ultralite and they have commented that the Ultralite has a little more room than the Stalker, but they are very close to the same. I'm definitely interested, did you build it and how many miles are on this one? PM me more details, and if nothing else I really like the kits you sell and I would like some more info. I need to sell my current car, but already found a close friend who is interested so I'm not too worried about that part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Like the title says, I am new here. Little background: I am a mechanical engineer, do a lot of hands on compressed gas systems integration and troubleshooting. In my spare time I'm an avid autox'er and currently run a 2006 mitsubish evo... but I am really debating selling it and buying a kit from the dealer in texas to start my Se7en build. So, if you have any comments please share - even if you think I'm crazy or dont think I can do it (cause I love when people tell me that Have you considered a Caterham Starter Kit? http://www.7cars.ca/cars_for_sale/car_4.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I have an Ultralite S2K and I'm just over 5'11' and just over 220lbs ( just about your size?) and I actually added a couple of thin pads to the side bolsters in my seat. The passenger seat is "just snug" but comfortable for me as it's 1" narrower. I can crank the pedals about 3" more forward if someone well over 6' should ever need to drive it. Daily driving is OK in anything but Getto basketball shoes or work boots. Track or auto cross is going to require driving shoes if your feet are over about size 8. I've put in trips from near the coast (San Mateo) to back and forth runs on 132 & 49 (the fun back roads near Yosemite) and then back to san mateo in one day without being uncomfortable in the car. The car is way more capable on track or autocross than my driving skills. It's predictable and really has saved my ass from stupidity more than once. LOL. I bought this car "built" but have since taken nearly everything off/out of it except the motor and tranmission, changed what I want to more my liking so know it almost like I built it from a kit. Saved some money at the beginning buting used but seem to have probably caught nearly up to what the original build cost. Since you probably won't be entirely happy with what you build "first" either used or "new" is kind of a toss up. On the "used" side, you do get to start driving sooner and at least your not taking apart and tossing something you already did once yourself. LOL. I think someone already had done an S2K with a turbo Miata motor but that would be interesting, a little wider torque band and probably cheaper. Good luck with whatever you end up with I'm sure you'll have more fun than you could ever imagine, I have. P.S. I live close to RNR from this blog so you can get to ride/drive two different S2K builds if you come this way. His is more race, mine more plush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 My black car has around 4k miles on it. It was built in 2004 bit it was titled in 2010 The car was partially built by Brian the previous owner of WCM and was finished by the customer. I purchased it back from the original owner. He had bought and used it strictly for a track car. He claimed he just couldn't get it to handle and bought a corvette. I bought it back and checked the alignment the wheels were pointing every direction except straight. 1 hour on the alignment rack and 99.00 dollars later it drives like it is rails. I've done a few track DE weekends with it did some touring in Smokies with the Stalker group and I have been running around town in it since May. It drives great runs great no known issues. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere. The only thing I would change is the interior carpet. It had cheap black carpet. I would remove and replace it with Alcantara. The dash needs to be recovered the glue let loose. So you have a few items you can spend time making your own. Mechanically and cosmetically it's good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 (edited) joeshesh: I'm another Ultralite owner. I built it from a kit, with the initial body and fender painting and some assembly by the manufacturer, and the rest I assembled. ( here's a link to my car http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredvehicles/0509kc_ultralite_s2k_kit_car/index.html I am very very pleased with the car , and offer these few words of advice. Go sit in the various brands that you are considering, as SIZE MATTERS. The Birkins, and standard Caterhams are narrower, the Caterham SV chassis is a bit wider, and the Ultralite and Stalkers are the widest. I caannot speak for the Westfields or other models which I have not "tried on". Fiind one that suits you. I am sure the members will let you drive the models, so take the time to contact them, and make the trip to their location and really inspect the cars. If you really plan on tracking the car, rather than a daily driver, the seats are important,as is the suspension, check them out on all the brands. My kit came with Ultrashield Drag seats , which I have added some padding to, so 200 to 300 miles drives are no problem. I have to add a comment on the Honda S2000 engine and transmission. It is superb. My engine came from a wrecked Honda with only 1500 miles on it, so in the15,000 miles that I have put on it , I have done NO maintenance, outside of oil changes. It still has the original spark plugs that were in it when I acquired it. For my use the engine is bulletproof. Loren ( West Texas s2k) is the Honda engine guru, and is a great information source. Good luck on your quest, just knowing it will end up with a se7en is already your reward. Edited January 6, 2012 by powderbrake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 There was a turbo Miata Ultralite that was done the owner has put a ton of money into it tring to get it running right and he keeps having cooling issues and some other engine problems. He is regretting not using the S2000 engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 The Birkins, and standard Caterhams are narrower, the Caterham SV chassis is a bit wider, and the Ultralite and Stalkers are the widest. I caannot speak for the Westfields or other models which I have not "tried on". Fiind one that suits you. The Westfield is closer in size to the Caterham SV and has considerably more shoulder and footbox room than the Birkins or standard Caterhams. Lots of engine options including Duratec, Hyabusa the even the Miata drivetrain (ask Scannon how well an FM turbo Miata works in a 7 ). I think whatever you end up with will become a good disruption in your life. 10 years in, and I still find my mind wandering during boring meetings to daydreams of blasting down winding back roads. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I agree ride and drive as many makes as you can. Construction can vary widely as well with all makes Ultralites included. Before you pay take a few trips and experience the cars themselves. I've seen and ridden in most makes and they all have their pros and cons. I think the overall look is quite different between makes. Caterham and Birkins are very similar in size and shape. Stalker you sit a little further back in the car. The back of the car from the rear bulkhead to rear panel is about 12". On the Ultralite it's about 24". Stalker you sit more behind the engine. The footwells are about even with rear of the engine. Caterham and Birkins are similar the engine sits In front of the footwells. In the Ultralite the foot wells extend a bit past the engine so you sit more around the engine in comparison to other makes. Another thing you might notice is overall hood shape and rear width. The nose on the Ultralite is wider and shorter than other makes it has more of a wedge shape. The back of the Ultralite is 6' wide from fender edge to fender edge which 4-6" wider than most other makes. There is a bit of a love hate relationship towards our car some folks love the look others hate it so personal styling taste does factor in. The look is what drew me to the Ultralite a test ride sold me. I'm sure every owner of any make represented here will agree the fun factor of any of these makes or models is hard to beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzempel Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 While your head is probably spinning from all these options, let me add more fuel on the fire. You could also build a "Locost." With that, you'd have intimate familiarity with the car and it would be exactly to your specifications. Longer, wider, powerplant, suspension...it's all whatever you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Terry Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) My 2 cents worth I'm sure that all the different options of the Lotus/Caterham 7 bring huge amounts or joy to there owners, however there is another question at stake here and that’s depreciation. Sure if its 10k your spending then the depreciation is minimal. A good friend of mine has a 2010 Duratec Birkin for sale, its done 1700km and is as new, he wants $44k for it. http://www.7cars.ca/cars_for_sale/car_14.htm However if his car had been a Caterham R400 it would be worth high 70s and would have only cost him mid 60s, Don’t get me wrong I think any type of 7 is a great car, but like the Coke add, if you want the real thing buy a Caterham, you will loose less money and when you eventually drive it down the road you will know that you have the real deal and not a fake snake which I believe is what they call the Factory 5 Cobra Waiting for the backlash. :party: Edited January 7, 2012 by Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) 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. Edited January 7, 2012 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) OK I am going to bite. I don't want this thread to degenerate into a "my brand is better than your brand" match here so I am bringing some science to the discussion. I ticked every option box on my recent Caterham build and I do not believe you in an instant it would get high US$70's other than by luck of getting the right purchaser at the right time. I am an actuary by qualification and even I would not bank on those odds. Being an anal actuary with a love of spreadsheets, contemplating the sale of my old yellow Caterham and trying to decide what to do with a new seven project, about 2 years ago I ran the depreciation numbers on Caterhams, Birkins, and Ultralites from all the USA data listed on this forum plus from other state registration databases I had confidential access to. There was not enough data to do Westfields or Stalkers and even then Ultraites sales were limited enough that statistical conclusions are not valid. Locosts cannot be analyzed as each is a individual in its own right. My conclusion was that depreciation between Caterhams and Birkins follows pretty much the same statistical curve. In absolute terms there may be a slight advantage to the Caterham at the 0-3 year year mark but it is statistically insignificant especially given the individual specification variances between all of our cars. Anyway, once you get past the initial depreciation period any of these cars are sound investments in quality of life - they all have a fairly stable value at that point, much better than a regular car. In dollar terms the Caterham has more risk than a Birkin simply because of the scale of the dollars invested is higher. Using some comparative car specs from when I was dreaming up my next seven 2 years ago, a new US$68k Caterham (above avg spec but not top end spec) roughly corresponded to a new US$45k Birkin with similar spec. Today the Caterham is down to US$50k whereas the Birkin is down to say US$27-29k. Nothing much in it statistically as depending on the the right marketplace and right purchaser these numbers could easily be higher or lower. In dollar terms the smart money (at least from my finance background) is on the Birkin as there is less outlay and therefore less dollar exposure downside. So why did I buy a Caterham? The right spec/color/size combination came up at the right time when I had the cash to spend. I was thinking with the heart (or dick?) and not with the head on investment yield or depreciation rates. Dollars are not what Caterhams, Ultralites, Stalkers, Birkins, Westfields, etc are about. If I wanted to invest cash in a car I would not be buying a seven. A seven is about having fun, quality of life and realizing there is more to life than work, chores and effort. No one wants to be the richest person in the cemetary. So back to Joshesh - get out there and have fun shopping around the various specs, trying on the various cars for size and have even more fun driving whatever you buy! :driving: I am sure the California contingent would love to see you on the road next summer! Edited January 7, 2012 by Croc Spelt advise wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzempel Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Don’t get me wrong I think any type of 7 is a great car, but like the Coke add, if you want the real thing buy a Caterham, you will loose less money and when you eventually drive it down the road you will know that you have the real deal and not a fake snake which I believe is what they call the Factory 5 Cobra Actually, Terry, I think Birkin has as much, or more, claim to being "the real thing" than Caterham. Caterham didn't get official approval from Lotus for the Series 3 until after Birkin won the lawsuit. Apparently Cateham only had the rights to build the Series 4 until then, and Birkin had factory support to start production. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancylad Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Dollars are not what Caterhams, Ultralites, Stalkers, Birkins, Westfields, etc are about. If I wanted to invest cash in a car I would not be buying a seven. A seven is about having fun, quality of life and realizing there is more to life than work, chores and effort. No one wants to be the richest person in the cemetary. Yes, yes and yes again...its simply the joy of having a SEVEN.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancylad Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Dollars are not what Caterhams, Ultralites, Stalkers, Birkins, Westfields, etc are about. If I wanted to invest cash in a car I would not be buying a seven. A seven is about having fun, quality of life and realizing there is more to life than work, chores and effort. No one wants to be the richest person in the cemetary. Well said Croc....... Yes, yes and yes again...its simply the joy of having a SEVEN.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshesh Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I appreciate all of the comments. I know that cars are going to depreciate, and I can tell after looking at prices of used specimens I can see what you guys are talking about. I really just want something that will keep me happy, enjoying driving on the roads again and enough fun at autox/track days to satisfy the craving for pushing the limits. I need to sit in a few, but from a purely dimensional standpoint the Ultralite seems like it would fit me the best. I know I could fit in the caterham non-SV (cause I did) but it was tight and I don't think I would drive it much if I didn't fit comfortably. I want it to be reliable, fast and unique... an ongoing project with always something else to customize and make better. Again, thanks everyone for the responses - I am gearing up to sell my 370 awhp evo9... I'll be joining the club officially very soon I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3 Stalker Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Steve I heard you the first time LOL!!! Stewart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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