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Ironically the only car brand that i've personally heard a few bad things about and then had them happen (to close family/friends) is a Roooover... but to be fair I think that was due to the k designed engine which included that 'fantastic' (sigh) headgasket! So not the T-Series! Just had a quick look at that engine model and seems a decent underated lump, specially for the price you can pick them up! To be tottally honest Keithyboy i'd like a japaneese engine but would also love a 156 one day....v6 tho  (when I'm rich.....to run it!) Thanks for the info nelliem! |
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eg2
Part of things
Posts: 205
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Sept 6, 2012 10:12:15 GMT
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Previous cars I've had that fit the bill (most of whch mare mentioned in this thread already)
306 D Turbo (actually made quicker by turning the boost down slightly - spooled up quicker so spent more time in boost - as standard it seemed that you had to change gear as soon as you hit boost)
Primera GT p10 - just about hit the required mpg if driven nicely. drank a bit more when you put your foot in though...
Mk4 Golf TDI (my mate picked one up for £900 the other week) - solid and reliable, a little remap wil make it quicker than a lot of petrol hatches and often improves the already great fuel economy. low ins group too
CRX Del Sol - my SiR when driven out of vtec would hit the 35mpg mark. very hard not to 'tec it though as it's such great fun, maybe the VXI or ESI would offer better economy and less temptation...
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Sept 6, 2012 12:09:08 GMT
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A bit out of left field, but how about a Porsche 924?. Not terribly quick but good fun, handles well, comfy, pretty good on fuel and qualifies for classic insurance.
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1988 Porsche 944
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JohnK
North East
Posts: 470
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Sept 7, 2012 17:20:10 GMT
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Another vote for a big engined Volvo here.
I have a V70 (the Estate version of the S80 mentioned earlier), with the same 2.4 n/a 5cyl engine. Smooth engine, it won't win any drag races but its performance is adequate enough and will get you out of trouble, will drive for miles in comfort and is surprisingly economical. I've been using mine to do Middlesbrough to Leicester and back (300 mile round trip) each week with work and I can do it on 2/3rds of a tank (including running about in Leicester whilst I'm there) which leaves me enough fuel for running about at home on a weekend.
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-------------------------------------------
1999 'V' Rover 620Ti
1999 'T' Mercedes E55 AMG
1997 'R' Ford Probe 24v
1994 'M' Nissan Maxima 3.0
1992 'J' Honda Prelude 2.0iS
1986 'C' BMW 728i Auto
1985 'C' Talbot Solara 1.6 Minx
1984 'A' Talbot Horizon LE Ultra 1.3
1978 'S' Ford Cortina 1.6 GL
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V-Force
Part of things
I like Hondas.
Posts: 846
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Sept 7, 2012 21:37:56 GMT
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An old Civic VTi fits all of those criteria pretty well, you can get one for a grand if you search hard enough or do a £5-600 engine swap on a £400 1.4. EG or EK are both available with the 1.6 VTEC (B16) with 160bhp or can have a B16/B18 swaps done fairly easily
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1999 Impreza WRX typeR STI Version 5 Limited
1999 Civic VTi-S Aerodeck
2005 Bora TDI daily
Several other 90s Hondas (shhh they're sleeping)
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Sept 7, 2012 23:02:24 GMT
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eg2/jack would love a VTEC of any model to be honest, crx and civic (the ones I like) would probably be out of my reach even in years to come i'd imagine as they seem to be going up in value, typical as i'd probably go for one in the standard form pre modded.
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V-Force
Part of things
I like Hondas.
Posts: 846
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There's an EK VTi on eBay for £999, there's probably others too for similar money but I only had a quick look. Preludes are stupidly cheap, even for a late model 2.2 VTi.
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1999 Impreza WRX typeR STI Version 5 Limited
1999 Civic VTi-S Aerodeck
2005 Bora TDI daily
Several other 90s Hondas (shhh they're sleeping)
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eg2
Part of things
Posts: 205
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Sept 8, 2012 11:31:57 GMT
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yep preludes are very cheap, doubt you'll get even a half decent crx tin top for that money, however the del sols can be had easily for around a grand.
and like jack says, its possibl to b swap pretty much anything these days - I have an ej9 sat outside my mums waiting for the right engine to come up - bought it for £540 with no rust and a years mot, drove it til mot ran out and now I'm on the look out for a b16 swap to chuck in it... curse word easy to do, all you need is mounts, loom, ecu, shafts and obvoiusly engine/box and it drops straight in
if you buy a complete donor car you can take the hubs off and have bigger front brakes + discs at the rear, nicer interior etc too. you can pick up an mot failure for not much more than an engine swap so you can have the extras, sell a few parts and weigh in the shell to get some cash back (which is the way I'm aiming to do it) - you can even pich up a mb6/mc2 for 6-700 these days and have the b18c4 - the hub swap from those will fit an EG/EK but keep the wheels as the pcd is 4 x 114 rather than the 4 x 100 the EG or the EK has, but it does give you 282mm front brakes instead of the 262mms that come on b16 engined cars....
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Sept 8, 2012 13:35:02 GMT
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Just had a brief look at the stats/prices on the crx and preludes. Never been able to find a tin top (prefered choice) when I was looking a few years back for under a grand, but having looked at the del sols they do have the same sort of mpg, just not the retro look....but I guess you pay for that! Preludes were an eye opener, just seen a few.....200hp for around 5-600 is mental! Good call guys! Only downside would be the insurance, I fear that would be a bit eye watering! To be totally honest I don't think an engine swap would be for me, i do basic maintenance/repairs ect but doubt i'd have enough money(when I get it) to have a car and another in the process of being engine swapped....or the space....or the tools  Is something i'm interested in down the line but as I say just looking at nearer future options that can be picked up atm! |
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Sept 8, 2012 19:49:12 GMT
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If you don't need 4 seats and a large boot its simple, Mazda MX5/Eunos.
Fast..ish
Fun..by the boatload
Reliable...think swiss watch
Mid 30s....Mpg 40 on a steady motorway run
Spares...cheap and plentyfull.
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Sept 11, 2012 7:50:25 GMT
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I'd say Porsche 924/944. I've had two and both were über cheap on classic insurance, always did way over 30mpg on any sensible drive, are well made, relatively simple, surprisingly large (you can fit a mountain bike in the back of a 944, amazingly!), extremely comfy and absolutely brilliant to drive. Most importantly, they have poppy-up lights. They go on forever, too: the oddometer in my last 2.5 stopped working at 249,500 miles and was still going strong...   |
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Last Edit: Sept 11, 2012 7:51:10 GMT by Monkfish
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(when I'm rich.....to run it!)
Is something i'm interested in down the line but as I say just looking at nearer future options that can be picked up atm!
