im new !

[G4GAV]

hi there, my names gavin and im very tempted in building a kit car if i can find space to do it.  i have always like the look of them and the westfield is a love of mine since i was a boy.

but my main question is iv been looking on the westfield site and spotted a 2500.00 pound kit, does any one have any photos of the kit built? im looking at a kit i can build myself with a bit of help from my mate too. but im not sure on the sort of money id be looking to spend , so really any help or info would be greatly appiciated.

[Sprint 7]

Hi Gavin Welcome from another relative "Newbie".I bought an unfinished S7Robin Hood 4 yrs ago  and am still working on it but must admit I'm nearly there now.Some photos titled Nearly Finished in the build section.I'm sure all the other guys will tell you the same, that there's no way you're going to build a Westie for £2500. Yes they're great cars but not cheap! My advice would be to look on good ole'Ebay and get a feel for prices and then make your mind up.Don't worry ,it's NOT all doom gloom and despondency .See you soon  Pete.

[stupott901]

Hi Gavin and welcome to the club

I bought a mk Indy kit with all the donor parts with it and ended up spending £7500 on the build it can cost as much or as little as you want as its a personal thing as will the end product will be

I am still spending money on it now just to improve or change things

Stu

['The Gaffer']

Hi Gavin and a warm welcome to our club

Dont try and build a kit without decent garage space and facilities, you will soon get bored and move on. Maybe even consider a pre built car.

I know some will say 'Hey, I built my kit under a tarpaulin' ..but thats not my idea of fun .

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, try and sit in a few cars before you decide. Maybe come to a meet or two.

As mentioned above, you wont get much of a Westie for £2.5K

[Denzle]

Hi Gavin, and welcome to the best club in the UK..

If its help and support you need then this is the right place to be... A great bunch of lads who are only too glad to put themselves out and give you the right guidence.

Will meet up soon, no doubt....  Cheers, Denzle....

[G4GAV]

Thanks for the welcomes guys,

i was looking on the westfield car site and on the front screen i seen new introductory kit for 2500.00

i was really just inquiring too what might be in the kit?

when is the next meet as im very tempted to pop along and say hi ?

['The Gaffer']

Keep a look out on the forum for meets and events

[paintman]

Hi Gav. and welcome.

  Westfields are nice but not cheap.....I think you pay a bit for the name.

  Have you thought about a Zero kit......they are a lot cheaper or maybe a Locost, you might be able to build one of them for £4000 TO £5000.

        Tony

[YellaBelly]

Hi and welcome to the club

Westies are nice but as already said, I think you pay for the name. If I were to buy a kit I would consider the RH as they seem to have come on a fair bit over the last couple of years.

JB

[paintman]

Hey Gav.

    There's a Robin Hood Lightweight kit for sell on Piston Heads under "other kitcars" for £850 !!! ........ can't be bad.

            Tony

[Richard]

Hi and welcome !

There is quite a bit of quality difference between different manufacturers kits, so research before jumping into something.

Obviously I'd suggest you take a good look at GKD kits where the quality is good for the money but some people get a bit hung up about BMW.  Not had a good rummage around the more recent Mazda based kits.

Have heard of more than a few people's RH kits ending up a lot more than advertised.

First thing is set your budget range or absolute limit and then decide if you want to tinker with something already built or actually do the build. Either way come along to a meet or two and chat / listen, basically all car nuts and helpful (even hairy).

[G4GAV]

thx guys, i will keep looking for the meet dates !

[Grin-a-lot]

Hello from me too.

Last year I bought  a Westfield SE for £4k with a spare crossflow engine which was pretty much bargain basement.  It is an old SE model from 1988 (narrower than newer with more basic suspension - live axle rather than independent sprung) and has a new-ish version of an old engine (Ford Crossflow).  Although there's not really anything significantly wrong with the car the engine is a bit thirsty and whilst 135bhp is jolly good fun, it can be quite a low power compared with today's cars (See Hairy Santa's Turbo Hayabusa for one example).  That said, it's flipping good fun and still damn fast.

If I did it again I wouldn't spend less than I did on a Westfield unless you had every intention of carrying out lots of repair/renewal work or paying for it to be done.  Although I love my car to bits, it is taking more work than I initially expected to get it to a high standard so just be careful of what your money will get you.  I suspect that £2.5k will not get you much with a Westfield Badge on it.  To put it into context, i've chosen/been forced to do the following:

Replace all fluids
Replace coil, plugs and leads - suspected breakdown in igntion
Carb clean, tune and balance - was running rich
Replace car seats (due to comfort)
Replace wiring loom - old one was dangerous - just ask Gaffer!
Replace ball joints - collapsing
Replace carb seals - suspected leakage
Tweak suspension settings and ride height - keep crunching the sump on the road/speedbumps
Repair/replace sump - see above
Install oil cooler and pipework - Over heating when driven briskly...
Install electric fuel Pp - Not enough fuel when driven briskly
Replace carpet - looked tired and grey wasn't my colour
Exhaust wrapping replaced - looked pants as well
Repacked exhaust - Bike silencer means it's a tad loud 98.2dBA measured last time

Although i've spent more than I expected, I've no hard feelings towards the car or the seller.  I bought the car thinking that it was one hell of a bargain, i now think that it was simply a good deal so don't feel to hard done by.

Either way, enjoy hunting, check out the other brands and have fun looking.  I took a couple of kitcar "experts" to look at mine when I bought it and I definitely recommend it, the experience they brought was valuable in my decision making.

Once I get my car on the road again in the coming weeks i'll happily take you for a spin so you can see what a £4k Westfield is like (nearer to £5k with what i've been spending though)!

[David H]

You 'will' spend money

Its a given

Westfields are very nice kits and even though they have a good name still come with their problems. BUT they are proven and do the business. If you want a ride in one come to a track day, jump in and I'll take you round for a few laps. Bring a bean bag. There are a few Westies in the club and many of us would be happy to talk you through our experiences.

Its not just the name you are paying for with a Westfield however there are plenty of better 'value' kits out there if you just want a bit of fun.

There are many ways to skin a cat but for me I didn't know what I wanted out of kit car ownership until I got one.

I just waded in and haven't looked back.

[Denzle]

hi there, my names gavin and im very tempted in building a kit car if i can find space to do it.  i have always like the look of them and the westfield is a love of mine since i was a boy.

but my main question is iv been looking on the westfield site and spotted a 2500.00 pound kit, does any one have any photos of the kit built? im looking at a kit i can build myself with a bit of help from my mate too. but im not sure on the sort of money id be looking to spend , so really any help or info would be greatly appiciated.

There is a Robin Hood 2c if you are interested.    Part built...   Look down the buy and sell listing, you will see it on there....

                        Denzle