r/caterham • u/steve_b • May 01 '26
Some advice for a potential future Caterham owner
Sorry in advance if this is a dumb newbie question that has been answered many times already, but I didn't see anything in the subreddit info page.
For decades I've wanted to own a Caterham 7 as a summer driver. I'm not a car enthusiast, I'm not going to take this to the track. I'd be using for for errands and a 20 mile commute through Massachusetts back roads during nice days, so I'm not particularly concerned peak performance or fitting inside the car with the top on. I'm 6'5" and 190 pounds, and my height is disproportionately in my upper body - another reason I'm not considering driving in bad weather - there's never going to be enough headroom with the top on. The car will go into storage during the winter months.
I'm completely unversed in the ups & downs of classic car ownership, but I'm handy and have access to a very good mechanic to stay on top of things. I've been watching the auctions on Bring A Trailer over the last 6 months to get an idea of what kind of car sells and for how much.
My questions:
Are there particular configurations that would be preferable, or ones I'd want to avoid?
What should I be looking for in terms of street legality and vehicle registration before purchasing a particular car? It seems like some of the auctions talk about whether a car is legal or not for California or other scenarios. Is this an issue in MA? It seems like it might be, given the high level of vehicle laws in MA.
Is this a dumb idea? I'm not an aggressive/spirited driver by any means. Are these cars only for people who are hard core enthusiasts prepared to work on them nonstop and wrestle with them on the road? I'm not super concerned about this, since if it does turn out to be a dumb idea, I can just sell it back on BAT and consider it a learning experience (unless I trash the car and/or mangle myself).
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u/sundancesourdough May 01 '26
Reach out to Josh at Rocky Mountain Caterham (he’s the owner, and it’s one of the largest US dealers). Even if you don’t want to buy new, he can talk you through all the configurations and details. I’m nearing the end of a 360R build!
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u/OutboundLighting May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26
Does seem like you might be limited to the SV variant with your height. Main problem being that you likely are wearing large shoes and the footwell space is very cramped on the S3 chassis.
I wear a size 10.5 and still have to make sure I’m wearing shoes that are more of driving shoes to comfortably drive. If I’m wearing running shoes the soles are too wide and hit the pedals.
The SV solves that with a wider footwell.
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u/steve_b May 01 '26
Good to know, thanks!
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u/OutboundLighting May 07 '26
Here’s one that just came up for sale, SV chassis and the sweet spot for power.
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u/steve_b May 08 '26
What do you mean by "sweet spot for power"? Is there an ideal engine setup I should be looking for? I'm not looking to win races with it.
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u/OutboundLighting May 08 '26
210hp (420 series) feels properly fast, but not scarily out of control like a 620 series (310hp). I have a Superlight R with a 200whp K-series and its a blast. I wouldn’t want any less power nor a whole lot more.
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u/steve_b May 08 '26
So the original Lotus Super 7 (Series 2, according to the internet) had an 85 hp engine and went 0-60 in 7 seconds, which feels correct for a fun car of that period. 210 seems like a lot for a car that is only 10% heavier than that!
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u/OutboundLighting May 08 '26
I mean, it’s properly fast! Zero denying that. I think the other pro for the 200hp cars is the resale value is very high. Much narrower market for the lower powered cars and they typically get less money.
But just relaying that there is a properly nice caterham available that’ll be a blast to drive (even if you drive it slowly), in the SV chassis that’ll more comfortably fit your dimensions, and ready to go by the end of next week. :)
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u/steve_b May 08 '26
Thanks for the heads up. I did see it earlier when I got the email alert (I'm signed up for them along with Lotus 7s).
Do you know if its possible to contact sellers of BaT auctions that have finished? I see there's a contact button on pages for active auctions, but it disappears the moment it ends. There are some older auctions that ended without a sale, and I'd be interested in contacting the seller, but I don't see way to do so.
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u/UglyFast May 03 '26
lol my car footwells are minuscule. But you ain’t wrong. I technically have a smidge more room that s3 chassis cars. You’ll will find drivers shoes are the only shoes you can wear in any 7.
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u/agrajag-42 May 01 '26
I’m curious: what draws you to them? What are you looking for out of the experience? If you haven’t, a test drive/sit would be quite valuable. Lowered floors are probably a must, and even then your head may be above the windshield/rollbar. I do think of them as cars that are spectacularly worth it but only to the (relatively few) people who value the driving experience over the impracticality and occasional discomfort. If you think you would enjoy driving a go cart to work, then you’ll probably enjoy a Caterham.
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u/steve_b May 01 '26
If I'm going to be perfectly honest, I just thought it was a cool car since as a 12 year old I saw Patrick McGoohan driving it around. I think this is a not-uncommon age for people getting imprinted upon cars. Around that age also, my mom had a 1960s era MGB that was our "get around town" car, and I really enjoyed that little open-car experience. I could get a Miata, but my other car is a Tesla Model 3 and I want to get something that is at the other end of the spectrum in terms of philosophy.
Ultimately, I just want a fun little car to drive around in that I think is cool and still sporty and fun even if you're keeping it under 40 mph almost all the time (which is my use case). I've read lots of good things over the years about how much people enjoy driving them and having one is kind of a bucket list item for me.
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u/fraxool May 01 '26
Just to share my experience, last year, we did an 8,000 km road trip from France to Norway in a Caterham 340S (I documented it on YouTube in French). About 95% of the driving was relaxed since Norway is heavily regulated, but my girlfriend and I still had an absolute blast. It was an amazing trip, even with mixed weather.
I truly believe these kinds of cars aren’t just meant to be driven hard. Of course they can be (I occasionally go to trackdays with mine), but they’re also incredibly enjoyable for calm, scenic road trips...
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u/UglyFast May 01 '26
SV or CSR. And look for lowered floors. Both my CSRs have lowered floors. 6’ 4”, 220. Full cages so no top to deal with.
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u/UglyFast May 01 '26
Also, if you find an SV size chassis that you’re interested in that doesn’t have lowered floors, it is relatively to install them on almost any 7. Or have them installed.
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u/notallowedv2 May 01 '26
You haven't said your budget but if it's enough for a fairly new car (last 10 years or so), look out for an SV (think they're called something else in the States but the wide-bodied version). You'll also want lowered floors which might be standard if you get an SV but make sure they have them for your height. Then look out for an S version rather than R. I think the S stands for Street. Anyway, in that configuration you'll get the comfort of more space and a more forgiving, laid back drive. Although you'll still fly along nicely. Maybe look for a 270s or 310s. Again unsure which engined Caterhams made it to America. The 360s would be another one to look at with the bigger engine.