Post by jonb2010 on Sept 28, 2011 20:04:20 GMT
I've been thinking about getting a car I can use for the track for the past year or so and so far done nothing more than read loads of threads on numerous sites and scanned autotrader.
I've looked at everything from an MX5 to an M3 and everything in between. I thought an MX5 would be great fun as it was rear wheel drive but I felt it was underpowered. The budget would have meant an M3 would have been an old high miler and I didn't fancy having to spend a lot of money on what could have been a bottomless pit.
I then looked at hot hatches like the Clio 172/182 but front wheel drive doesn't have the same appeal for me. After chatting to a friend one night on gtalk he sent me a link to a bike powered kit car for a little over £5k on pistonheads. Now this really got me thinking out the box. So I started to look at all sorts of ready made kit cars and had almost decided that I was going to buy a Caterham / Westfield style car.
Well that was until about 2 weeks ago when I saw an Exocet for sale. I really liked the styling and thought that this could actually be something I could build myself for not a lot of hard earned. So I looked at the MEV site and read about all the different models and I must say I was instantly impressed by the looks of the Sonic 7.
I've now spent the last 2 weeks reading every post in the Sonic area of this forum and reading as many build guides as I can find and I am hooked. I think I've just about got sign off from the wife to take half the garage and spend a not too inconsiderable amount of money on what will be our 3rd car
I'd looked at building other kits and liked the look of some (not as much as the Sonic) but there seemed to be a lot of people saying how poor the support was and how lacking the technical info available was. Some of the aluminium bodied cars needed the panels to be bent into shape and then trimmed and this isn't something I wanted to get into. I don't mind getting my hands dirty and I'm quite technically minded and know how a car works, but I know my limits and bodywork is beyond my limit.
So a Sonic seems to be the order of the day for me I think. At the moment I drive a sensible TDi Passat for my 140 mile a day commute so I need a weekend car. Ever since my daughter was born I didn't want to ride my motorbike and sold it within a year of her being born. But I still miss that speed and the adrenaline buzz it gives.
I feel that the 1.8 would soon start to feel not fast to me and I think it would be a waste of money putting that lump in then spending hundreds/thousands bringing it up to the same bhp as the standard 2litre of the ST170.
So from what I have read the 1.8 with it's standard gearbox will drop straight in with the cables etc from the donor car. The 2.0 or the ST170 will need a bit of modification but this will really be the sort of power I want out of it. I'm just not sure if I am biting off more than I can chew. Maybe I should build with a 1.8 and then upgrade at a later date to an ST170 lump. Without being able to see what extra info is available in the build docs or in the technical section it's a bit hard for me to make that decision.
Maybe there is somebody who lives on the Cambs / Lincs border that would want to give me a hand and knows his way round an ST170 install
I've looked at everything from an MX5 to an M3 and everything in between. I thought an MX5 would be great fun as it was rear wheel drive but I felt it was underpowered. The budget would have meant an M3 would have been an old high miler and I didn't fancy having to spend a lot of money on what could have been a bottomless pit.
I then looked at hot hatches like the Clio 172/182 but front wheel drive doesn't have the same appeal for me. After chatting to a friend one night on gtalk he sent me a link to a bike powered kit car for a little over £5k on pistonheads. Now this really got me thinking out the box. So I started to look at all sorts of ready made kit cars and had almost decided that I was going to buy a Caterham / Westfield style car.
Well that was until about 2 weeks ago when I saw an Exocet for sale. I really liked the styling and thought that this could actually be something I could build myself for not a lot of hard earned. So I looked at the MEV site and read about all the different models and I must say I was instantly impressed by the looks of the Sonic 7.
I've now spent the last 2 weeks reading every post in the Sonic area of this forum and reading as many build guides as I can find and I am hooked. I think I've just about got sign off from the wife to take half the garage and spend a not too inconsiderable amount of money on what will be our 3rd car
I'd looked at building other kits and liked the look of some (not as much as the Sonic) but there seemed to be a lot of people saying how poor the support was and how lacking the technical info available was. Some of the aluminium bodied cars needed the panels to be bent into shape and then trimmed and this isn't something I wanted to get into. I don't mind getting my hands dirty and I'm quite technically minded and know how a car works, but I know my limits and bodywork is beyond my limit.
So a Sonic seems to be the order of the day for me I think. At the moment I drive a sensible TDi Passat for my 140 mile a day commute so I need a weekend car. Ever since my daughter was born I didn't want to ride my motorbike and sold it within a year of her being born. But I still miss that speed and the adrenaline buzz it gives.
I feel that the 1.8 would soon start to feel not fast to me and I think it would be a waste of money putting that lump in then spending hundreds/thousands bringing it up to the same bhp as the standard 2litre of the ST170.
So from what I have read the 1.8 with it's standard gearbox will drop straight in with the cables etc from the donor car. The 2.0 or the ST170 will need a bit of modification but this will really be the sort of power I want out of it. I'm just not sure if I am biting off more than I can chew. Maybe I should build with a 1.8 and then upgrade at a later date to an ST170 lump. Without being able to see what extra info is available in the build docs or in the technical section it's a bit hard for me to make that decision.
Maybe there is somebody who lives on the Cambs / Lincs border that would want to give me a hand and knows his way round an ST170 install
