Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Cheap Dutton?
YODI

posted on 16/12/11 at 10:57 PM Reply With Quote
Cheap Dutton?

Ebay says this is just 5 miles from me, it's ugly but it's cheap?

locost kit car | eBay

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
steve m

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:19 PM Reply With Quote
1k for a sva pass is cheap motoring ??

plus sell the rest on ebay

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
computid

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:22 PM Reply With Quote
Not really that cheap considering it has no T&T, needs a new clutch slave cylinder and possibly a new battery. Id offer him £900.

To put it in context, there was a guy selling one on here with a test and fully working with full wet weather gear for £1400. There was one on ebay with an MOT and a months tax with full wet weather gear for £1400 which didnt sell.

If it was £900 it'd be a good price, maybe OK at 1k if it needs only the work he says, but as with all these things theres probably more too it then meets the eye.

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
YODI

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:22 PM Reply With Quote
The rest of the kit you mean?

Could that car be stripped back to have a locost style front end fitted?

Also, the wiring looks messy

[Edited on 16/12/11 by YODI]

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
wylliezx9r

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:24 PM Reply With Quote
Re-style the nose and it could be half decent or as above. There seem to be loads of duttons knocking about, whatever happened to them ? Must have been popular in the past, what do they handle like ?





I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.
George Best

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
computid

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:30 PM Reply With Quote
You could restyle it but you'd still have the dutton back end which wouldn't be THAT easy to change because of the chassis design (Not impossible, but not a lot of point).

If you want cheap yet fun motoring its probably alright.

Having never driven one I cant comment on the handling although I've never heard a bad word said.

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
YODI

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:35 PM Reply With Quote
The problem with the front end reshape looking at it, seems as though it doesn't narrow as much at the front as the Locost does??
View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
computid

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:38 PM Reply With Quote
Yep, your right there.

Heres the front of the chassis:


http://www.duttonownersclub.co.uk/Gallery%20pictures/chassis%20and%20axles/Dutton%20Phaeton%20Chassis1.JPG

and heres the rest of it:


http://www.duttonownersclub.co.uk/Gallery%20pictures/chassis%20and%20axles/Dutton%20Phaeton%20Chassis5.JPG


EDIT: Had to remove images as they were too big for the page.

[Edited on 16/12/11 by computid]

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
YODI

posted on 16/12/11 at 11:41 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks for that, after seeing those it's not for me
View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
zilspeed

posted on 17/12/11 at 07:35 AM Reply With Quote
Regarding the pics in the link above. (Too big to show directly, so well done for just including links)
A bit of "that'll do" engineering if ever you saw it.

Feckin' horrible.



[Edited on 17/12/11 by zilspeed]






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
myke pocock

posted on 17/12/11 at 08:17 AM Reply With Quote
Dont think that chassis inspires much confidence in its design. Some of the joining points of tubes look decidedly DIY to me.
View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
zilspeed

posted on 17/12/11 at 08:39 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by myke pocock
Dont think that chassis inspires much confidence in its design. Some of the joining points of tubes look decidedly DIY to me.


The scary thing is, they're all like that.

No wonder he got eventually got nicked for the standard of his products.






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
YODI

posted on 17/12/11 at 10:29 AM Reply With Quote
Rule No.1 - Avoid Duttons
View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Surrey Dave

posted on 17/12/11 at 12:13 PM Reply With Quote
1 Vote for Dutton's

Duttons take a lot of flack ,but still cheap fun open top motoring, I've had a B-type, Melos, Phaeton S2.

Kit car quality was not the same back then but still fun, if people are honest we spend most of our time pottering around behind sunday motorists, and Duttons are more than capable of that!!

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
zilspeed

posted on 17/12/11 at 01:13 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Surrey Dave
Duttons take a lot of flack ,but still cheap fun open top motoring, I've had a B-type, Melos, Phaeton S2.

Kit car quality was not the same back then but still fun, if people are honest we spend most of our time pottering around behind sunday motorists, and Duttons are more than capable of that!!


Fair enough point, well made :-)






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
Andy S

posted on 17/12/11 at 01:29 PM Reply With Quote
+1

With a bit of effort they can be very good cars - Not cheap at all - £1250 buys a very nice MX5 these days or any number of other soft top classics.



quote:
Originally posted by Surrey Dave
Duttons take a lot of flack ,but still cheap fun open top motoring, I've had a B-type, Melos, Phaeton S2.

Kit car quality was not the same back then but still fun, if people are honest we spend most of our time pottering around behind sunday motorists, and Duttons are more than capable of that!!

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
jonno

posted on 17/12/11 at 01:43 PM Reply With Quote
If its only 5 miles away... go have a look, you might be surprised. £ per smile cannot go far wrong





having fun on a budget

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
zilspeed

posted on 17/12/11 at 02:01 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Andy S
+1

With a bit of effort they can be very good cars - Not cheap at all - £1250 buys a very nice MX5 these days or any number of other soft top classics.



Which is the killer issue these days.

MX5s and MGFs are very very available and demand nothing of you other than petrol.
Suitable for car enthusiasts and civilians too.

My brother's 96P MGF cost, I think, £700 a year ago.
Good fun and transport too. I doubt it's worth a penny less than he paid for it.

I would suggest that on most A roads with all of their compromises, a Dutton driver wouldn't see where an MX5 or MGF went, they would be that much quicker than the Dutton.

Still, if the Dutton's cheap enough, each to their own.
Right now though, my money would be in one of the above.






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
YODI

posted on 17/12/11 at 04:13 PM Reply With Quote
I know all about MX5's I sold mine 3 weeks ago

But if you want a kit car an MX5 isnt one, however the dutton is actually ugly and I dont like it so I wont even look... If it could have been converted I would of but better off starting with something better


View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
computid

posted on 17/12/11 at 05:04 PM Reply With Quote
Theres nothing wrong with Duttons per say and I wasn't trying to put a downer on them in general. They can be nice cars and as with all kit cars it depends on the builder.

With regards to the court case against Tim Dutton, the above statement is unfair. The amphibious car in question was ordered despite many warnings from Dutton that it would be unsafe due to unreasonable specifications made by the person that ordered it. Whilst I do not agree with his decision to produce the vehicle when he thought it unsafe, I do side with him in the argument. This is the ONLY complaint I have ever heard with regards to Duttons amphicars and It was made by somebody who is quite clearly bitter about the whole thing.

The fact that Dutton modified the vehicle AFTER the SVA test (quite considerably so) was wrong, but as I said before, it was only down to the ridiculous demands of the customer.

His earlier cars were (I think) quite nice looking and if built to a high standard could be quite nice. I would personally have a Dutton and would happily drive it. I actually wanted to buy one a little while back (before I got the minari).

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
zilspeed

posted on 17/12/11 at 05:16 PM Reply With Quote
I think, as stated above in the thread, the bulk of Dutton's production is from earlier times when the market had considerably lesse expectations than the standards we see nowadays.






View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.