Nick Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 A mate of mine here is the Caterham distributor for Japan and he's given me a R300 Super Light to play with. He's not daft, he knows I'm still thinking what to replace the R34 with and has a couple of demo cars he needs to shift by the end of March. He's offering me a deal and reckons they'll be depreciation proof for at least a couple of years. My first impression.... They're utterly impractical and very agricultural but I haven't had so much fun in ages !! The GT-R was faster but this thing really puts a smile on my face. I think as a weekend hack it could be just the thing. Get out to the mountains a couple of times a month for an early morning drive and the occasional track day. The R300 he's given me doesn't have a windscreen which means you really need a helmet. When I picked it up I had to drive through central Yokohama during rush hour, in the dark wearing his white Simpson Bandit (The Stig has come to Japan and he's stuck in traffic....). Would definitely go with the optional windscreen. I don't know what reputation they have in terms of reliability though, or what they're like to live with? Obviously going to have a look on the Caterham forums but wondered if anyone here has/had one ? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinboy Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 As a daily drive?! I only say this because you mention practicality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 No just a weekend hack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_p Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Superb cars, I used to use my dad's for trackdays (although it was more to R500 spec) and I can say hand on heart that as soon as I have enough spare cash to get one as a track toy I will have one in a flash. As for depreciation proof, he's right to an extent, they do depreciate very slowly, would wouldn't lose much at all. Scared the crap out of me on the road though, but then again, it was setup for track use and driving it on bumpy b-roads had you getting air and skipping about a lot. Even just thinking about the car puts a smile on my face though, so fast and so responsive, it was the most fun you can have, especially when you found yourself passing GT3's with ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foodfreak Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Very good toys....easy to maintain / fix if you break them out handles almost everything on the road, not too slow if you run an engine at around 270 bhp ( tuned Vauxhall or K series Lump) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjavon Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 I used to own a much cheaper version of this type of car;) for over 6 years. The main problem I found with road use was that you only use it in good weather and hence the roads were always busy, not sure if that would apply to you in Japan though I had a good go in an R300 at an Anglesey Track-day a few years ago and I have to say the car was leaps and bounds ahead of mine, if I had different circumstances and the cash I'd buy one:) I used to get away with wearing skiing sunglasses, mine had a foam type material around the frame so the wind didn't get through, much better than wearing a helmet and windscreens ruined the experience for me, each to there own though:d I think reliability is pretty good (mine certainly was) as most things are generally over engineered for these cars because of the weight, if you think about it most things are engineered for a car nearly 3 times the weight so the stresses and strains are less all round, thats one of the downsides to bike engined cars to me. There dragging a heavier vehicle aound then they were designed for, although I'm sure good build quality could get over this. Ask him to borrow it again, you'll soon feel the love:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parry_10 Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 just built one as part of my motorsport degree and the quality is shocking, parts dont fit correctly so you have to make them fit alot of the stuff just doesnt fit right and is poor quality, you have to actually bend the bodywork to bolt the front suspension arms on(it even says this in the instruction manual) I wouldnt pay 10k for one let alone what they actually cost think its around 16-18k. And to top it off you get keys that have rover on them this is all my opinion of course they would be fun to drive but definatley not worth the money, chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Take it back and demand the new model: http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/261544/allnew_caterham_sports_car.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Thanks for the replies. The traffic in Tokyo and Yokohama is horrendous and there aren't any rounabouts here so it's always stop-start-stop at traffic lights. Once you get out of the city you have the toll roads (motorways) which have numerous cameras and marked/unmarked police cars. PITA when you have a Japanese license as pleading ignorance will only get you so far. BUT, once you hit the mountains about an hour outside of Tokyo it's absolute driving heaven. Just miles and miles of empty roads (bank holiday's aside) and fantastic scenery. Same with Chiba. A quick blast through the Aqua-Line and there's some great roads to be found. Fuji Speedway is also a great circuit and very relaxed when it comes to noise. The Caterham is very basic but I can live with that. If I was worried about bits of trim falling off I'd buy a German car. Just want something fun to drive that isn't going to break easily. Take it back and demand the new model: http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/26...ports_car.html Not available over here although they will if there's the demand. My guess is it'll be upwards of 100K landed though. Bit more than I'm looking to pay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.