Talk Morgan Forums Community General Photo Gallery (entry level) Caterham Seven 160

Hi all,
What do you think about the (entry level) Caterham Seven 160?Is the Caterham Seven 160 the right solution to the issue: to have a low buying&maintenance costs and high fun-to drive (second)car?

Wondered why not a (entry level) Morgan 3-Wheeler (powered by a mass-production jap engine) or even a (entry level) Morgan 4/4 (powered by the Suzuki engine 3 cil turbo fitted in the Seven 160)?

Regards
Claudio
_____________
Visit Italy
Morgans and other …….
http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudiobardeggiabrandi/sets/72157623861460615/

Probably because they're not needed..?

Morgans are classics with heritage in my eyes, not a pastiche pandering to the yoof of today (or even tomorrow..) or even a cheap Lotus Seven look-alike or wannabe.

Steve,

harsh, but true. But the little 160 looks more like a true 7 than anything Caterham has made for years. Probably rides better.

I tried a couple of Caterhams before turning to a Morgan. My take?

Caterhams are track day cars you can use on the road whereas a Morgan is a Road car you can use on the track.

+1

If Morgan want to return to the original intent of providing small, light, cheap sports cars then something along these lines would be a good idea. But remember the Runabout? They tried to produce an entry-level 4/4 and no-one wanted to buy it.

To my mind, most Morgan buyers are probably comfortable in the middle ground of £30k to £60k, with a smaller proportion prepared to go up to say £120k - but as we have seen, the competition at this price level is very serious.

Personally, I think the MTW is Morgan's answer to the Caterham and they should focus on getting/keeping the production costs of that as low as possible? I agree that the 160 is exactly in the spirit of the original 7, AFAICS it's about as far from a pastiche as you can get.

Claudio, in response to your question, my view is that the entry level Caterham will create an interest. It may result in a sale of the entry level Caterham, or an upsale to a higher spec Caterham, or as happened to me a Morgan sale. Which became a further upsale to a plus 4.

Morgan do not sell home build kits but I believe Caterham do? The construction of the Caterham and the Westfield is very kit car like and the Morgan is not. This will always effect cost to build and as a result the sales price.

A most cost effective Morgan three wheeler would make more sense but would it be as enjoyable with a low power engine?

Absolutely - this entry-level Se7en is primarily to get more people onto the upwardly-mobile Se7en sales ladder I suspect. The Autocar (UK) test of the car in last week's edition was good but not glowing, as it was (unfairly in my view) compared directly to the driving characteristics of the more expensive models with which the testers were familiar. But the article made the very good point that to someone new to Se7en ownership, the car would be a massive thrill, but old timer Se7en owners would be left underwhelmed, as Autocar were apparently themselves.

However, in isolation it is a very good car and at £10k less than the Supersport version to which they referred in the article, very good value too.

I hope it sells well.

Good points well made, but I have to wonder at the thinking process behind buying something known as an 'entry level' car. How happy are you going to be, knowing that you've just bought something that isn't the real deal in everyone's eyes, and something that even you know you won't keep for long as it's not one of the 'gang' merely a stop gap?

Far better to spend your budget on an older version of the real thing, surely?

If you can't afford the real thing, it becomes an aspiration for later in life. Too much in this world is cheapened in the headlong rush to have it NOW and not wait.

Would you buy cheap blended malt whiskey in order to fulfill your desire to drink single malt..?

Looks like the nicest and probably the most rewarding drive that Caterham have produced for quite a while.
It might be 'entry level' to the marketing boffins and journo's, but to me I see it as an 'honest car you can enjoy by getting the most out of'.

I suppose as a competition/track car it will be slightly lacking and therefore will be the basis of a 'performance upgrade' project to those that want to race the thing, so in that case, 'entry level' might be a reasonable label to give it.

For me, it's a significant part of the fun....upgrade....make it your own...learn about how to make the vehicle perform better to your needs. That is surely the best way to go....Rather than throw money at buying 'high end' vehicle right from day one...and crash it, probably.