Westy1994
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 08:51 PM |
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Kit car as your only car?.
This is something that has been on the cards for some years, and this years insurance renewal time has now brought this to a head.
I am going to get rid / use as donor parts the tintop and this would leave me with the 7 only. I don't really do many miles these days ( even
with the tintop) and reckon I could cope OK with just the 7.
The various threads on weather gear I have made over the last few months have been due to my proposal.
So how many of you have the kitcar as your ONLY car?
What if any ( other than the obvious load carrying capabilty) issues have you come across and is it something you would recommend?.
Cheers.
Rich.
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perksy
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 09:02 PM |
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Used to hate driving my first Westfield with the hood and sidescreens fitted  it was like sitting in a coffin and it used to steam up the
windscreen and it was a pita to get in and out of aswell
The other thing i'd be concerned about is driving a light RWD car in wintry conditions (Ice etc)
Best of luck, but i could never of managed with a Westy as my only car 
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JoelP
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 09:16 PM |
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Well on the one hand, you'd get good use out of the westy. However i could imagine many miserable days when the weather is adverse, either ice
or rain. Its also undoubtedly not as safe as a tintop, which increases you odds of croaking it, esp if you are out in shitty weather.
No harm in trying though! You can always get a tintop at wintertime and sell it in spring.
Do you have any NCB that you would loose by ditching your main insurance policy?
Beware! Bourettes is binfectious.
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Westy1994
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 09:37 PM |
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As I say, I don't do many miles these days, out of the 900 miles I did in the tintop last year, 300 of them where to collect parts for the 7,
windscreen etc etc.....
I had not considered an effect towards the No Claims Bonus, does this not carry over till I have need to use it again, I have just checked the 7
insurance and they have not taken the 9 years NCD into account, so I am thinking then that this wont matter on the 7 from now on. Seems a shame to
waste those 9 years ( its actually 11, but they seem to stop counting at 9?) but what else could I do.
I have almost finished my doors, but not driven it yet, so I can't comment on the 'coffin' aspect - never had any weather gear on
the car in the 4 years I have had it - only had a windscreen for this year...
any other comments folks?
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chrisxr2
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 09:42 PM |
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Ncd only stays valid for two years if unused maybe actually 18 months but it does expire.
Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
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swanny
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 10:00 PM |
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i know one guy who used his seven as his only car. but it wouldnt be for me. like other comments it was never great fun for me in a seven with all
the weather gear on.
in the gtm club there are quite a few who have the gtm as their only car, but thats a lot easier to live with all year round
paul
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Chippy
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 10:29 PM |
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I used this as my sole means of transport for nearly four years, really enjoyed it. Cheers Ray
[img]
 
Melos
[/img]
To make a car go faster, just add lightness. Colin Chapman - OR - fit a bigger engine. Chippy
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ceebmoj
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 10:38 PM |
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There is a good thread on piston heads by a guy called cock wobble 7 who has used a 7 as his only car for the last two years. some good accounts of
both the good and the bad
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=850532&mid=17636
I find a good coat and set of waterproof overalls and you are good for all weather.
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parkyparkinson
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 10:55 PM |
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I drove mine for a year as an everyday car and would never do it again!!
Terrifying in the winter not to mention bloody cold!
 
Winter Kit
 
Winter Kit 2
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Westy1994
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 10:59 PM |
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Thanks ceebmoj, only up to page 2 so far but nice to see someone documenting it all, one of the posts mentions about in Winter when you wish you
heated seats.... Well I have that covered, the Volvo that I have has such items, all they are are a small padded quilt affair with an element in it,
no reason why you can't fit those to the 7 seats, luckly I have padded seats anyway, so this is an easy mod to do. I have a lot of wet weather
gear from my biking days in the loft, I am sure the old Belstaff will scrub up nicely, lol..
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 11:18 PM |
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Can't see it being much different to having a motorbike as your only transport, plus you won't fall off the 7 in the wet!
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Westy1994
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| posted on 4/9/12 at 11:32 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Can't see it being much different to having a motorbike as your only transport, plus you won't fall off the 7 in the wet!
Exactly as I see it as well. Before I passed the car test I had bikes for years and was my only transport, back then the cold and rain was just a part
of being 'winter', 30 years on I do prefer to stay a bit drier hence the weather gear fitment of late. But I stress I don't do many
miles, given the choice if it were snowing I would not be driving anyway regardless of the car type, its not my own abilities that worry me but that
of the seemingly blind drivers of todays generation, it can't just be me, but how many cars have pulled out on you when in your 7?, a few I
would think, which is why a bike for only transport is certainly a no no for me these days.
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adithorp
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 07:15 AM |
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There's a member on here (nre?) who uses a Mojo as his daily transport all year round. Not short commutes either; Leicester to Gaydon I think.
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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JimSpencer
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 08:04 AM |
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Hi
If you're only doing a few hundred miles in your tintop I would think you'll be financially better off using taxi's for the odd
short journey, or hiring a little hatchback for the odd longer one - when the weathers totally against you.
Give it a bash, you've nothing to lose by trying it - make the decision once you've given it a go but before your NCB expires?
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Grimsdale
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 08:16 AM |
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7 years and 50,000 miles later, I'm still using my robin hood as a daily driver. Heated seats are essential in winter, a heater does little to
help, and often makes steaming up worse. Mine has the stainless body and chassis, so i've not had any rust problems.
I have had some rusting up of the rear discs due to gentle use & road salt, but slotted discs seem to minimise this.
An LSD does help with progress in snow.....
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chris-g
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 08:20 AM |
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Another idea would be a classic car with very reasonably priced classic car insurance. It wouldn't have to be anything really old to be classed
as a classic. The down side is you would still be running two cars so its still two lots of tax and mot
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scootz
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 08:28 AM |
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If I was going to do it, then I would treat it as a motorbike...
I'd strip out all fabrics from the interior, fit plastic seats and drill some drain-holes in the floor, so it doesn't matter if it gets
soaked. I wouldn't use any weather-gear as I find it too restrictive and the misting is a pest. I'd just get myself an all-in one
rain-suit, warm clothes and a helmet.
I'd also have a set of PROPER winter tyres at the ready!
It's Evolution Baby!
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chillis
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 09:08 AM |
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Problem I had when my GTM was my only car is the insurance went up "as it is your only car sir" the tin top it replaced was cheaper to
insure as an everyday car so finacially I lost out. Seems many kit car insurers give you a big discount as the kit car is seen as an additional car (I
didn't have to build any no claims on the kit car policy while I had another car)
You would do well to check this out and the premiums before you commit to using your kit car as you only driver.
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Grimsdale
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 09:11 AM |
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that's also true. Flux will do it, currently paying ~£180/year
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AllWeatherDan
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 09:34 AM |
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Im using my Tiger for the commute 30 Miles a day.
I did use it last winter most days but the really snowy days I used mi Discovery!
I have full weather gear which lets water in at speed! If you are serious about it it's actually not that bad
but you have to carefully concider how it is attached to the top of the screen.
Mine is on with press studs which lets water in allong the inside of the roof and then drips on you.
Also if you go through a big puddle it all goes up the front gap of the doors.
TIDAL WAVE !!!!! - Thinking at the moment of how to remedy this for winter.
Dan
There is no such thing as a stupid question.
Just the ones I ask!
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Westy1994
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 10:44 AM |
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Some great posts there, love the photo Grimsdale looked like a 'fun' drive. I mentioned on the insurance thread just recently about going
down the 'classic car ' route, one that would have saved a fair amount of cash, car would be pre 72 ( or 73 whatever it is - the cutoff
for free tax) and if pre 60 would save a further cost by saving on the MOT. Main issue is finding a car at a price that is cost effective, the really
cheap cars out there are restoration projects and not suitable to just jump in and drive.
With regards to the insurance on a kitcar , I suppose I could still keep the tintop and re-SORN it all the time, that way when asked, I still have
access to a second car?, I don't see why that can't be an option. Also the second car does not have to be mine does it?, my sister has one
I could use now and again...
@ Scootz - I see where you are coming from with this, but I spent the best part of 3 1/2 years in that config with an aeroscreen as well. If you have
to use the car in the rain / hail then unless you are wearing a helmet its really not pleasent at all, and I hated having to wear a helmet in a road
car, just seems weird somehow, might be due to the racing I did many years ago that has caused that? Even just putting a full screen and padded seats
back in has transformed the car for road use - don't forget 'our' roads are a disgrace, bumps and holes everywhere - padded seats
help here.
and Dan, yes, I am spending a fair amount of time and effort to get these bits to fit right, I have built the frame rail for the soft top already and
just waiting for the fabric to arrive, doors are almost finished, but as you say there are gaps and I will be dealing with these as the build
progresses, I am also considering using those full wings or clamshells as some call them, this I think would stop a lot of the issues that arise from
just cycle wings, plus it also gives the car a more 'classic' look i feel - although I know that the original Lotus 7 had cycle wings and
the clams were only due to foreign sales.
Folks say that the car is small with the weather gear on, yes they are, but I guess it depends what you have been used to. When I first passed my car
test I got a Triumph Spitfire MK3, now internally they are not that much bigger than a 7, the only good bit was a small parcel shelf bit behind the
two seats, just big enough for a few shopping bags. Externally however it did have a fairly large boot, which was handy when travelling abroad for
instance. I never found the Spitty to be hard to cope with during a winter, it leaked like every other soft topped car of its time, the only
difference I can see at the moment between the two is getting in and out, the Spitty had 'normal' doors.
Some great comments so far folks
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chris-g
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 11:52 AM |
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I am sure that classic car insurance applies to cars over 16 years old. 9 years ago I had 1982 Porsche 924 and had a classic policy on that. If you
can get a classic policy on a younger car I would be looking at an old golf, plenty out there and good spares availability.
Just found this.
http://carinsuranceclassic.co.uk/Qualifying-For-Classic-Insurance/
The classic will need to be a second vehicle to your main car.
[Edited on 5/9/12 by chris-g]
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Nickctp
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 12:42 PM |
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I TRIED using my Lotus elise as an all rounder for a year - it just didnt work out. With the kit car I personally would not even consider it after the
trouble I had with my Lotus when I had it.
Needs must though!
Good luck
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Fieldy
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 12:54 PM |
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Winter is bad enough in a normal car, i wouldnt even consider it, just get yourself a cheap tin top with as small an engine as possible and keep the 7
for fun... plus im sure the winter weather wouldnt do it any good at all.
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ceebmoj
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| posted on 5/9/12 at 04:09 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Nickctp
I TRIED using my Lotus elise as an all rounder for a year - it just didnt work out. With the kit car I personally would not even consider it after the
trouble I had with my Lotus when I had it.
I used my S1 Elise as a daly for 4 years was great fun. I was also the first person in the office all the days of big snow. I have yet to go out in
the Locost in the snow but a bit of planning and preparation and it should be ok. However I guess it comes down to how much you want to do it, I
always have a set of water proof overalls and my helmet in the car so im good for most wethere.
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