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Ex academy or Roadsport?


BenF

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I could be wrong, but I don't think it is an ex-acadamy car - too many differences which would have cost a lot to change (supersport, wheels/tyres, wide track, cage removed, can't see the fire extinguisher plumbing) - but you are right in that no heater is a clue as is no spare wheel (but this is often deleted when ordering). I suppose it would be easy to find out - but to be honest I wouldn't necessarily be put off by an ex acadamy car anyway - most of them are treated a lot better than my road car *wink* 😬

 

Solent Se7ens Web!

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Academy cars are Roadsports!! Why don't you just ask him if you are genuinely interested in the car and it's something that may put you off...?

 


 

OK, let me explain:

 

1. I'm not looking for a car at the moment, but I do like to keep an eye on PH - it's always interesting to see what's for sale and a mate of mine is toying with the idea of a 7.

 

2. When I was looking for a car 2 years ago, I did end up contacting someone who was selling a car of a very similar spec to the one mentioned above and it was only on pressing them that they admitted that it was an ex-Academy car that had been rebuilt.

 

I don't have a problem with ex-Academy cars at all - in fact I think they are excellent value. However - marketing a car without specifically mentioning that it is an ex racecar is unfair - because Academy cars tend to be worth less than genuine Roadsports and not all prospective owners will know to specifically ask about this.

 

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if I were looking to buy it and wanted to know if it had done the Academy or not the first thing I'd look for is the holes in the side skins where the cage was. If there's no holes then it was not used as an academy car. If there is holes then theres still a chance it was still not used for the academy so then I'd get the full reg and ask Nick at Caterham Midlands.

 

jason

 

 

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A race car wouldn't have carbon bits on it unless someone had cared for it after it had retired. As already has been said, a race car will probably have been looked after better than a road car. If it looks OK and is straight I can not see any reason not to buy it if it has what you want.

 

 

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I hadn't realised academy cars *had* to have roll-cages? Thoughts most of them did but that it was an option?

Have the rules changed - I'm 90% certain that when Evo 'did' the academy one car had a full cage and one didn't?

 

 

 

_______________

Lurking in the background since 2001

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I have an Ex-academy car which is converted to look like a roadsport, lesather seats, normal role bar, remove fire ext etc.

The caterham owners book where the vin number is in ther front cover is detailed as Academy model. Maybe worth checking if they have the owners booklet

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The Sigma manual allows you to write whatever you want in the front of it! It comes blank!

 

Academy cars might be run hard in engine terms for a few thousand miles, but the tracks are flat, so suspension isn't too bad and if it's only been used in the academy, the ground clearance is good and the tyres don't load anything else up very much!

 

The life gets harder as you get to Roadsport B/Grads. The only downside of an Academy car is that there will almost certainly be some gravel rash.

 

Jez

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A particular spec/feature doesn't necessarily tell you anything. I have seen several so-called Academy cars that were built for the Academy by Caterham Midlands but for one reason or another have never been anywhere near a hillclimb, never mind a racetrack. And have been sold on by Midlands directly as roadcars, sometimes with delivery mileage only.

 

However my real point is that surely this type of general discussion would be better in tech talk and not about someone's specific advert? Especially as you're not actually interested in buying it, and this car clearly has had lots of time, care and money spent on it regardless of its origin. I don't know the car or the seller (well I don't think I do), but there could be people interested in the car reading this thread who may now be put off for no reason!! Which seems somewhat unnecessary.

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Coyoteracer -

 

Don't get me wrong - I think the car looks good.

 

I would not expect this thread to put off a prospective buyer - instead, this thread will hopefully mean that a prospective buyer will at least ask the right questions about the car.

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They are Roadports of sorts - no spare wheel carrier, short footwell, no interior carpet or floor mats, cage not rollbar. So not fair to assume they are identical but yes they are pretty similar. They do have some things that are an improvement - adjustable platforms, fire extinguisher, FIA switch, nicer wheels for example.

 

Solent Se7ens Web!

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Yes, I agree they are Roadsports....

 

In hindsight, I did not phrase the title of this post very well.

 

I never meant to imply that Academy cars are not Roadsports - I agree they are Roadsports.

 

The point was to highlight that an ex-Academy Roadsport is different to a Roadsport that has been built for the road, in that the usage of an Academy car will probably have been quite different to a car used on the road and this is reflected in the price difference between the two.

 

Caterham do sell ex-Academy cars as Roadsports but they are generally cheaper than a Roadsport that has not been used as a racecar. I did look into this when I was buying a 7 myself.

 

 

Edited by - BenF on 23 Sep 2010 13:49:22

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